Candlewood Park

The Candlewood Park property was donated to the Washington Park District in 1994 by Carol Eigsti. Eigsti had been a farmer in the Deer Creek area for over thirty years and moved to Washington in 1983. She passed away in 2003. Original plans for the park called for a nature center in the house that existed on the property as well as a baseball backstop for neighborhood children.

The footprint of Candlewood Park includes the Cemetery Bridge, listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The bridge was built in 1894 by Jacob Hoblitzer and John Sheppard to connect the Glendale Cemetery area with the city.

In 2000 the city of Washington asked Peoria for some of its dolomite blocks in storage that were salvaged from the old downtown Bergner’s store. Using the Peoria bricks would be cheaper, as well as better quality of stone. It was estimated that shipping lesser-quality stone from an out-of-area quarry would cost $40,000.

The Park is an outstanding area for a walk in the woods or a bird watching trek on its short trail to Farm Creek, and also includes some playground equipment and a shelter