Rosewood Park
Hotspot for Pickleball,
Important Site for History
Learn More About East Austin & Rosewood Park
In 1907, the Austin Emancipation Association (pictured left) purchased Emancipation Park, creating a dedicated space for Black Austinites to celebrate Juneteenth and gather as a community.
Wheeler’s Grove also hosted early Juneteenth celebrations.
Established in 1929, Rosewood Park became Austin’s first public park for African Americans - following the city’s 1928 segregation plan. It replaced Emancipation Park, which was seized in 1938 to create Rosewood Courts, the first public housing project for African Americans in the United States.
Rosewood Park grew over the decades, with the addition of the Doris Miller Auditorium in 1942 (a WWII servicemen’s recreation hall and later a key stop on the Chitlin’ Circuit), a recreation center in 1944 (later renamed the Delores Duffie Recreation Center), and the Henry Green Madison Cabin (built in 1863 by Austin’s first Black city councilman and relocated to the park in 1973).
Today, Rosewood Park remains a vital gathering space and a cultural landmark. The annual Juneteenth Parade culminates at Rosewood Park with the Juneteenth Festival.