Walter Anderson Memorial Park

The park at 2738 Orange Picker Road has a new name, the Walter Anderson Memorial Park.

This park has gone through several name changes including Joe James Park and most recently Flynn Park.

For years the area was simply known as “The Colored Park.” This was after World War II veteran Walter Anderson donated the land to the City of Jacksonville for $1. Yes, he donated the land, so it was his to give. Anderson wanted African-Americans in the Mandarin area to have a place for recreation. The year was 1955.

Fast forward to 2019 and the park’s name now reflects it’s true history. This honor comes more than a decade after he passed away in April, 2009.

Mr. Anderson’s family showed their full support at the park’s name-changing event.

Mike Myers married Anderson’s granddaughter, Dana. Julie Morgan spoke to him about how the civil servant selflessly served the community and what this honor means to their family as well as the Mandarin community as a whole.