DUANE
Duane's take
The marker's the one tellin' this story, and I'm just the voice carryin' it down the road to you. Now settle in, because this one's got roots that go deep into the red dirt of Cooke County. We're talking about a man named Ned Moffett, Sr. — born in 1842, Missouri native — who came to own ninety acres in this vicinity.
Ninety acres. That's not a garden patch, that's a statement. And on April 19, 1866, Ned Moffett wed a woman named Mary Stone, and together they set about building something that would outlast them both by a good long while.
Nine children came from that union, and early census records listed the Moffett family as Mulatto. That detail matters. Hold onto it.
Because what Ned and Mary Moffett did with those ninety acres along Elm Creek wasn't just farming, wasn't just living — it was opening the land. The Moffetts permitted use of this property for celebrations by local African American citizens. In a time and place where that kind of gathering required somewhere safe, somewhere welcomed, the Moffetts said: here.
Use this. Come to the creek. In 1943, the City of Gainesville bought the land from the Moffett heirs, and Moffett Park was born.
And the very first large social event held in that new park? The 1944 Juneteenth celebration. Think about that timing.
Think about what Juneteenth meant, and think about the name on the gate. The park grew. Playground equipment came.
A pool. Recreational facilities that gave the community somewhere to gather, somewhere to breathe. Then, in the mid-1960s, nearby Leonard Park was integrated, and use of Moffett Park began to decline.
The crowds drifted. The urgency of the place shifted. But it didn't disappear.
It remains. And that's the word the marker uses — remains. Not a ruin, not a footnote.
A reminder. Of Ned Moffett, Sr., and Mary Stone, and ninety acres along Elm Creek that a family opened up when opening up was everything.
What the marker says
The owner of 90 acres in this vicinity, Missour native Ned Moffett, Sr., (1842-1924) wed Mary Stone on April 19, 1866. The couple had nine children, and early census records listed the family as Mulatto. The Moffetts permitted use of this property along Elm Creek for celebrations by local African American citizens, and in 1943 the City of Gainesville bought the land from heirs to form Moffett Park. The first large social event in the new park was the 1944 Juneteenth celebration. Recreational facilities eventually included playground equipment and a pool. Following integration of nearby Leonard Park in the mid-1960s, the site declined in use, but it remains an important reminder of the city's past. (2005)