Janssen Park

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©2004 Turner Diversified Services Vtours

Janssen Park was created from a 4 city block donation by Arthur Stilwell and his associates, the original founders of Mena, in 1906 to be used exclusively as a park.  Near the center of the park stands a log cabin built in 1851 by William Shelton as his home.  This cabin was used by the Town site company as an office during the time Mena was being laid out as a city and land was sold to the first residents.  The cabin later served as an Inn, hospital, club house, civic center, museum and as the City Hall for Mena.  During the time it was used as City Hall, it was featured in Ripley's Believe It Or Not as being the only log cabin City Hall in the Nation.

The park features two ponds with a bridge over the connecting neck of water with ducks and their own floating house.  There are several picnic tables, two covered gathering  places, several relics of past wars, a unique restored fountain, a clock tower, and a new modern play area for the children.

Within the last 20 years the park has twice been hit by tornados that caused the loss of many of the mature trees.  The rest of the park was damaged but repaired.