Bliss Park / Bliss Park

Aaron T. Bliss, governor of Michigan from 1900 to 1904, donated this parkland to the city of Saginaw in 1903. The Cottage Garden Company of Queens, New York, created an artistic plan that made the park seem larger than its actual size. The completed park featured two small brick buildings, more than 2,800 shrubs, vines, trees, and plants. It had a large heart-shaped flower garden as its centerpiece. Charles Willis Ward, one of the most important carnation horticulturists of the Victorian era oversaw the work. Distinct landscapes define the park area: an open recreation ground, a playing field, a wooded picnic grove, and a ceremonial plaza. The parking area was constructed in the late 1930s as part of a Works Progress Administration project. Governor Aaron T. Bliss and his wife, Allaseba, purchased this land and donated it to the city as a park as part of a deal that provided for the establishment of the State Employment Institution for the Blind on a parcel just north of here. Originally a farm, this property served as a popular gathering place and informal recreation ground long before becoming part of the park system. The Blisses believed that the park would beautify and enhance the reputation of Saginaw and draw visitors to the city. Their gift influenced the creation of the Park and Cemetery Commission in 1905 to care for the city’s open spaces. After Aaron Bliss died in 1906, his will established a trust fund for the continued upkeep and beautification of the park for future generations.