Marie B. Ellis Park
History
On a mission to pay tribute to military personnel, Ms. Ellis imagined a bright future for the vacant lot of land located off of E. Laura Street. As a mother with three sons in the military, Ms. Ellis was determined to create a vibrant park to honor the sacrifices and service of our military members.
In the early 1940s, she created the Civic and Veterans organization to collect donations to purchase the land and develop a park. After working with City Manager Theo McCall, the land was approved for use as a park at no cost. Ms. Ellis went to work planting flowers and trees herself on the once-vacant lot. She ensured that the plants would thrive by carting in water from neighboring homes and hand watering each tree and flower every few days. And thus the determination and commitment of one woman created a park that is still beloved by our community over 70 years later.
Ms. Ellis also created Plant City's first Easter celebration and parade in 1941, and continued to pour her heart into the cherished community event in the decade following the creation of her park.
Through her passion and love for her community, Ms. Ellis created an Easter celebration that grew to host 300 children each year. After her death in March of 1963, the park was named Marie B. Ellis Park in honor of the community pioneer and all that she had done for Plant City. Originally conceived as a tribute to military personnel, the park is now a testament to the exceptional woman who created it.
On January 24, 2011, the City Commission approved Resolution 12-2011 naming the shuffleboard courts at the park in memory of long time educator Donald Goodwine (1941-2009). In addition to serving on the city's Board of Adjustment, Mr. Goodwine was the leader of a community-based group that worked with city staff to create a conceptual plan to lay out the activities and amenities that has made Marie B. Ellis Park a premier neighborhood park in the city.
He took it upon himself to train neighborhood youth to respect and care for the park. In his desire to ensure that they would be able to participate in activities that would make them productive and keep them out of trouble, he purchased equipment for shuffleboard, basketball and horseshoes at the park.
Sources: Focus Magazine, Plant City Photo Archives and History Center, Plant City: It's Origins and History by Quintilla Geer Bruton and D.E. Bailey, City of Plant City Government Facebook page
This 1.97-acre park also includes:
