A park by the people, for the people; the origin of Abilene’s Fort Imagination

ABILENE, Texas (KTAB/KRBC) – In the fall of 2004, the Junior League of Abilene (JLA) and numerous volunteers and organizations celebrated the opening of Fort Imagination playground for children in the Big Country. Years later, many of those children see their own children using the same park. On October 10, a fire destroyed the playground, leaving charred beams and piles of ash. This news is affecting the community, especially those involved in its creation, such as JLA sustainer Chesley Martin.

“I woke that morning to about 20 text messages. People checking on me, asking if I was okay,” Martin said.

She was a member of the JLA-led committee that originally conceived and organized the project, as well as the committee formed in 2007 to rebuild part of the park that had burned in an accidental fire. Martin recalled the long hours and hard work that went into their labor of love. She said that wherever a need arose, they were able to find someone to fill it.

“It was this beautiful emotional experience… We went start to finish, five days and built this entire playground… We had people from so many different businesses, the Dyess We Care Team. I remember Black Plumbing came out… They were all liking it so much that the owner of the company closed down the company and paid his employees to come and work the rest of the time,” said Martin.

‘Leathers & Associates’ was the company responsible for the design and logistics of constructing the playground. Martin said the company went out into local elementary schools to ask Abilene kids what they’d like to see in a playground and implemented those desires into the design.

“These elementary school children made drawings… it was so precious… things like… a B-1 bomber and a kitty cat slide and a bouncy bridge,” Martin said.

Artist renditions above courtesy: Shelly Womack

To see all that was destroyed in a fire that may have been intentional, she said, made the pain all the more deep.

“Any playground targeted would have been horrific, but to do it here, because it was such an integral part of the community,” said Martin.

Now, as the city works with the community to plan a restoration, she is hopeful that the same community spirit will return so that the kids of the big country will still have Fort Imagination to enjoy.

“I know that people want to step up and give back this beautiful playground to people in the community,” Martin said.

The City of Abilene has announced that discussions are ongoing regarding future plans. However, we are still in the early stages of the process, and no definitive decisions have been made public yet. For updates as they become available, please visit BigCountryHomepage.com.