| James Baird State Park | |
|---|---|
 The golf course and clubhouse at James Baird State Park | |
  Location of James Baird State Park within New York State | |
| Type | State park |
| Location | 14 Maintenance Lane Pleasant Valley, New York[1] |
| Coordinates | 41°41′09″N73°47′51″W / 41.68583°N 73.79750°W /41.68583; -73.79750 |
| Area | 590 acres (2.4 km2)[2] |
| Created | 1939 (1939)[1] |
| Operated by | New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation |
| Visitors | 103,618 (in 2014)[3] |
| Open | All year |
| Website | James Baird State Park |
James Baird State Park is a 590-acre (2.4 km2)state park inDutchess County,New York, United States.[2] The park is located in the northern part of theTown of LaGrange, east ofCity of Poughkeepsie.
The park is named afterJames Baird (engineer and president of theGeorge A. Fuller Company, a construction company), the donor of the land. Baird, who held a Ph.D. in engineering, formed the construction company that erected theLincoln Memorial and theFolger Shakespeare Library. He donated his land to the state in 1939 for a park.[1]
The park formerly included a large community swimming pool, which was filled in by park management in the 1980s. Today,[when?] the bathhouse serves as a restroom and concession building has been demolished. The former pool area is bounded by rows of large elm trees.
James Baird State Park offers picnic tables with pavilions, a playground, recreation programs, hiking and biking, a nature trail, cross-country skiing, and a food concession. A sports complex that offerspickleball, softball, volleyball, basketball, and tennis is also included in the park, in addition to the 18-holeJames Baird State Park Golf Course.[1][4]
