Herman Park Zoo,  Goldsboro, NC

A regular site user writes:

I was hoping to get information on the Herman Park Zoo that was in Goldsboro. This Zoo was at the park in the 1930's and I think the town did away with it about l941. There were bears, monkeys, birds  and other animals.

My Dad would go to town on Saturday afternoon and would take us children by the park to play and see the animals. The Park was given by the Weil family and was named after Herman Weil. The park is still here. 

I thought maybe some other people had information and pictures of the Zoo that you could post.

 

Another regular site user responds with these picture postcards:


from Postcards of Old Wayne County,  The Wayne County Historical Association published with permissiion

Other readers write:
I remember Herman Park quite well!!  I am now 72 yrs. old, and live in Tallahassee, Fl. When I was growing up I spent a great deal of time in Goldsboro with my Aunt and Uncle, Rachel and Albert Arment.  They used to take me to the Park to see the animals probably in the late 30's or very early 40's.
 
My Mother was raised in Goldsboro and my Father came to Goldsboro to build the Wayne National Bank Building.  The met there and were married.  My Mother was the personal secretary to the president of the Cotton Mill.
 
My Uncle played the trombone in the Goldsboro Municipal Band and he said they gave concerts in the Park on weekends and Holidays.
 
Rhett Miller
 333 Hunters Crossing
 Tallahassee, FL  32312
 e-mail   rmiller044@comcast.net
I well remember Herman Park.  Years ago, when I was in Elementary school in Selma, North Carolina, that was a last school event to go to the park.  My mother also took us there as children. Over the years when my children were small I would take them there when we went home to visit.  Would anyone have pictures of the Carp pond/fountain where all the roses bloomed?  I will check with my mom and see if she has any photos of the park left.  Does anyone remember the train that all the kids used to ride? 
        Susan Smith  wssmith1@erols.com
What a great addition to Wayne County homepage. I remember the park after the zoo with the train and the tall swings.  I would swing as high as I could.  It was unreal at the time.  There were goldfish in the pond at the circle with the rosebushes.  There was an old jet plane on the grounds that you could crawl inside of, no steering wheel, just a shell but it was truly exciting.  I know where the women's college was too.  There's a large school there now.  What great memories, thanks a bunch,
      Guy Potts  gpotts1@nc.rr.com
I well remember Herman Park.  It is still there and relatively unchanged.  The Kiwanis train still runs on weekends for kids of all ages.  The last time I was there, the goldfish still occupied the fountain.  Hurricane Fran didn't even destroy all the old Oak trees.
     Lynn Johnson   nclynn@earthlink.net
Herman Park was a special place to me as a child. It was a great place for children to play, ride the train and look at the fish in the fountain. As a child in the late 50's, my parents treated us with visits to the park. As a teenager, I spent a lot of time there just walking around the park with my girlfriend that lived near the park. There wasn't always enough money to go uptown to the Paramount or the Wayne so we spent a lot of time at Herman Park.  I have many memories of  those times when life seemed so simple. As an adult, I have played tennis there and taken my daughter to play there .  Although I haven't been in years, I am sure that Herman Park continues to entertain those who choose to visit.  

Sincerely,
     Tommy Eason    Easontommy@aol.com      5/20/2003

I am from Goldsboro, NC and still living here.  I remember as a little boy my parents taking me to Herman Park.  It is still there but recently they are upgrading the swings.  Some of the old swings are a safety hazard.  The train still runs and on the weekend you can buy candy and soda.  My parents told me they use to have animals there.  The original statue at the water foundation is no longer there due to age but can be seen at the Wayne County Museum.  They put an exactly duplicate in its place.

Ronnie Mayo   ronnie.mayo@seymourjohnson.af.mil
1/25/2005

  

 

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Wayne County, NC Genealogy Project is solely owned by Diana Holland Faust.  The information contained herein is copyrighted and used only on this website.  It is not sold or re-published anywhere else.  Comments and suggestions to author: thefolks@betterthanmost.com  
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This website published 10 November 1996.  This page added 14 September 1998.  Revised 28 January 2011.