North Park

North Park is Audland's largest single municipal park, excluding greenbelts, greenways, and industrial buffer zones. The park is situated on the north boarder of the City of Madison, LI, bounded to the north by Hackett Blvd., to the south by Park Ave., to the east by River Rd., and to the west by Union Ave.

History

In 1939, local real estate mogul Alf Kessia purchased a large area of undeveloped land on the north boarder of Madison. Mere days after his purchase, Kessia went into a coma. A few years later, development reached the edge of this property. The land could not be developed because it was still owned by Kessia. Development was forced to skip the plot and move on to the other side. Around 1945, citizens from both sides began using the area as a park. By 1950, much of the park had been cleared, and paths, playgrounds, and gardens had been placed. The park was maintained entirely by citizens. Few even realized that the land still belonged to Alf Kessia.

In 1952, Kessia died, leaving ownership of the land to his son. His son came up from Lancaster, where he was a politician, to see the land and start developing it. When he arrived to find other people on his land, he called the police to report trespassing. The Madison Police Department did not respond to his calls. Days later, on October 14, 1952, he brought in a construction crew from a few counties south, and told them to clear the park.

When the local citizens realized this was happening, groups of them formed human chains in front of the construction machines. After a short time of this, more people began arriving, some leaving their jobs, some who lived in different towns. At around noon, Madison Police arrived, along with camera crews from ABC, AMP, and SBC. Police officers approached Kessia from behind just in time to hear him issue a death threat to the protesters. In front of nearly the entire city, as well as the nation, Madison police arrested Kessia. Cameras caught Lieutenant James McMullen shoving Kessia against a bulldozer and reading him his rights.

The next day, the Madison Parks Department purchased the land for a fraction of its value in exchange for dropping the charges against Kessia.

North Park is Audland's most famous, and is considered by some to be a symbol of the triumph of the people.

On 4 August, 2007, the Audland Department of Parks and Recreation nominated North Park for inclusion on the World Heritage Sites & Treasures List

	The Republic of Audland
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