| Overfelt Gardens | |
|---|---|
 Overfelt Gardens | |
   | |
| Location | San Jose, California |
| Coordinates | 37°21′47″N121°51′13″W / 37.363029°N 121.853528°W /37.363029; -121.853528 |
| Area | 32.6 acres (13.2 ha) |
| Created | 1966 (1966) |
| Open | daily, 8:30 A.M. to sunset |
| Website | Official site |
Overfelt Gardens are a 33-acre (13 ha)park inSan Jose, California, located in theAlum Rock district ofEast San Jose.
The land for the park was donated by Mildred Overfelt in 1959, in memory of her parents, William and Mary Overfelt, early San Jose pioneers that startedgrain anddairy farms in the 1850s.[1] Mildred specified the park was intended "to provide a place of rest, relaxation, aesthetic, and other enjoyment for the people of San Jose" and no sports fields or games were to be constructed. It was opened in 1966.[1]
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Early features added to the park includepicnic areas, restrooms, afountain dedicated to Mildred, and a "fragrance garden" comprising many aromatic plants. Later paths were added around the rest of the park and its threelakes, with a section designated as a CaliforniaNative plant andWildlife Sanctuary. Three large, interconnected percolation ponds rise and shrink throughout the year, providing habitat for birds, reptiles, amphibians, mammals and fish year-round. A large statue of the famous Chinese philosopher Confucius overlooks a shallow reflection pond that, when full, spills into a narrow streambed. Also, the California Wild area is a 1.6-acre (0.65 ha) wildlife sanctuary composed of a dirt trail winding around a hill covered in native trees, brush, wildflowers and grasses. A paved walking trail meanders around the remainder of the park over gently sloping hills, around a reflection pond emptying into a small stream, past cultural points of interest and around three percolation ponds. The current park map shows these trails as thick white lines.[2]
The southeast section of the park includes theChinese Cultural Garden, commemoratingSun Yat-sen,Chiang Kai-shek,Confucius, andChinese culture in general, including a large black stone, mined and shipped fromTaiwan.
Overfelt Gardens is located on McKee Road inEast San Jose.Independence High School lies just to its north.
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