The Richland County Park District was founded under ORC 1545, which authorizes Ohio counties to operate their own parks which are overseen by three trustees who are appointed by the county’s Probate Judge. Ohio has about 61 county park districts, including the well known Cleveland Metroparks, Columbus & Franklin County Metro Parks, and Hamilton County Park District. Our park district was started in 1965 by an act of Probate Judge Charles Freehafer. Bob Schraedly served a the district’s first director. The district acquired its first park property in 1975 when, as the story is told, Mr. Schraedly convinced Jim Gorman and his sister, Jean Bate, to donate 20 acres of land on Lexington Ave. Over the next four years they donated about 64 more acres to bring the total to about 84 acres. (In the intervening years, three more parcels have been added with grant money to bring the total to almost 150 acres.)
