Antrim Park

Overview

Antrim Park is a 122.62 acre park surrounded by a quarried lake and the Olentangy Greenway Trail , great for running, walking, biking or skating. Antrim Park is also a popular place for fishing, which can be done off the banks or from the large accessible dock. The lake is stocked once a year with Rainbow Trout by the Ohio Department of Natural Resources. No boats or swimming are permitted in the lake however.

History

The Antrim family donated land and funds to develop Antrim Park. The land was historically used as a family farm by Everett and Rowena Antrim in the 1930s. Their son John Carson operated the Olen Corporation on the site in the 1950s and 1960s. Named for the Olentangy River, the Olen Corporation quarried sand and gravel for construction projects. Most of the land was donated in 1959 (accepted in 1960), and a ten-year lease was issued to allow the Olen Corporation to continue quarry operations.

The Antrims and their company Planned Communities Inc. donated additional acreage to CRPD in the early 1970s. In 1973, Rowena Antrim left $110,000 in her will to develop the park as Antrim Park and construct a building and marker. Using federal matching funds as well as the capital budget, CRPD constructed a shelter house, tennis courts, and a playground in 1977. Antrim Park was dedicated in 1978. The Ohio Department of Natural Resources began stocking Antrim Lake with rainbow trout in 1985, a tradition that continues until now. There was also a plan to have a boathouse and boating on Antrim Lake in 1985, but the neighborhood was fiercely against the plan. The controversy led to creating the boathouse at O’Shaughnessy Reservoir instead. John Carson Antrim donated additional funds in his will in 1998 to create the fishing pier. The pier was dedicated in 2000 in his memory.

Parking/Directions

Antrim Park’s parking lot is located off of Olentangy River Rd. For public transportation options, please visit https://ride.cota.com/#/