Placed in the National Register of Historic Places in 2017, the Memorial Park in Jacksonville was built in honour of the 1,220 local lives from Florida lost in World War I. The year after The Great War, as it was called, ended, the Rotary Club suggested the park, with the city of Jacksonville acquiring land for the project shortly after. 31 civic groups helped in the process, a testament of a population shaken after the first truly global war.

The central attraction of the park is the bronze sculpture titled “Life” by local sculptor Charles Adrian Pillars, completed in 1924 and presented on Christmas Day. Over the years, the park remains well-maintained by the Memorial Park Association (MPA) founded in 1986, who has also donated two giant eagle statues to the park in 2011. A solemn place of both mourning and appreciation for the city of Jacksonville, the park is for those who want to experience the culture of the city as represented through the combined efforts of the organisations and people of this city on the park.

A changing landscape over time, the park also represents how the culture of Jacksonville is changing. Yet, some traditions never change in the “perfect place for a picnic since 1924,” according to the park itself. Despite the devastation of the 1997 hurricane season and Hurricane Irma in 2017, the park and the residents of Jacksonville continue to stand strong, still using Memorial Park as a picturesque, beautiful place for jogging, fishing and, of course, picnicking.