Vignette > Two Playgrounds

Freeman Park
Pathway 275 that connects Ryan Ave. with Nelson Ave. is the only access to a unique playground surrounded by houses. In the 1940s, developer George Goheen gave the ¾-acre site to the city. In 1947, the city decided to proceed with its development including cleaning, grading, construction of bituminous paths, etc. Funding came from Mrs. M. Oella Freeman, a teacher at Summit School during the early years of the 20^th century.  Her will specified that funds from the sale of her house should go to the Town of Mill Valley for a park playground for public use, it being her desire that children have a place to play in the sunshine.

Hauke Park
Jerry Hauke (1935 – 2016) and his wife Mary came to Mill Valley from Wisconsin in 1957. In the 1970s he was the key player in turning a mudflat into one of the town’s most popular playgrounds. Some years later the Parks Department named the park in Enchanted Knolls after him.  In 1986 he was designated “Citizen of the Year” by the Mill Valley Chamber of Commerce. He had served on the City Council, the Parks and Recreation Department, the Flood Control District and the Sanitary District. He had also been a director of the Dipsea Race.