Preserving Parker's History

Preserving Parker's History

Parker's first structures date back to the 1860s. A short drive around Town can lead you to a rich treasure of historic homes and businesses. Parker's quaint downtown area still reflects elements of our historic past. Most of the historic properties within this area have been Parker Landmarked, an honorary designation, and are in active use today.

Over the years, Parker has continued to grow and now boasts a population of over 45,000. With the prosperity of growth comes the concern for the preservation of our past. Although the Town is committed to historic preservation, challenges still exist to preserve our history.

In 2005, the Town adopted Parker 2025: Changes and Choices Master Plan. During the open houses and workshops in preparation for the plan, citizens felt very strongly about maintaining our historic heritage and tied our "hometown feel" to this past. As a result of this sentiment, the plan adopted a series of goals and strategies which can serve to preserve Parker's historic heritage as a way to strengthen the home Town feel.

Town Council shortly followed suit with the formal recognition and support for historic preservation with the following goal that they adopted in 2007 and carried forward in 2008.

Town Council Goal

"Create a comprehensive plan to preserve Parker's history and educate the community about available resources."

If you walk the downtown Parker area, stop into Town Hall first and pick-up a walking tour brochure. Enjoy a self-guided walking tour through the streets of historic Pine Grove, as Parker was once known. The brochure has a map and talks about each of the Parker Landmarked properties. The tan historic interpretive sign at some of these sites is an indication of either a Parker Landmark or a Point of Historical Interest.

The Town currently has 20 properties listed as Parker Landmarks. To find out more about these landmarks, you can read articles written by the Historic Preservation Commission members.