The Vander Veer Botanical Park is a 33 acre botanical garden in the Vander Veer Park Historic District of Davenport, Iowa. It is believed to be one of the first botanical parks west of the Mississippi River. The park was listed on the Davenport Register of Historic Properties on August 4, 1993.

History

Vander Veer Park was established in 1885. The city of Davenport purchased the land for $13,000 ($ in dollars). The park was built on the old Scott County Fairgrounds land and modeled after New York City’s Central Park. Vander Veer was originally named Central Park. In 1912 the park was renamed after the first secretary of the Davenport Park Board of Commissioners, A.W. Vander Veer. A conservatory, music pavilion, and decorative fountains were added after World War I. The park is currently maintained by a nonprofit organization, The Friends of Vander Veer.

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