Maxfield Park History
Maxfield Park sits on a half-acre parcel once home to Downtown Batesville buildings including the Maxfield family’s furniture store and adjacent structures owned by this prominent local family, who arrived in the early 1800s. Anne Maxfield Strahl—descendant of Uriah and Leah Maxfield—donated the land to the City of Batesville specifically for Batesville to develop as a public park and asked that it bear the Maxfield name, honoring her family’s deep roots in the city.
A catalyst for the project was Danny Dozier, a local musician, civic leader, and businessman. Beginning around 2015, Dozier identified the collapsed building site behind Main Street and envisioned transforming it. He spearheaded fundraising through concerts, outreach, in-kind labor, and grant work, often hosting free music events to gather community support. Using stone salvaged from the original building and other recycled architectural artifacts, he personally directed the design and construction, creating the stone walls, waterfall feature, playscape, and infrastructure like the public restrooms.
On March 15, 2018, the City officially passed a resolution establishing Maxfield Park. The Batesville Downtown Foundation and Main Street Batesville led fundraising and coordination under the leadership of Bob Carius. The Foundation played a pivotal role in securing grants, organizing benefit concerts, and rallying community donations to cover construction costs without using taxpayer funds. For instance, a 2019 free concert organized by the Foundation featured performances by Dozier and other local artists, raising funds for completion of the park’s final phase.
Maxfield Park officially opened in October 2019, with a ribbon-cutting and community celebration. It’s now a vibrant pocket park behind Main Street, complete with a waterfall, meditation garden, stage area for live music, playground equipment, benches, and historic stonework. All features draw from reclaimed materials across Batesville, including lighting from the old Mickey Mouse pool and artifacts from Riverside Park. The park has since become a beloved downtown gathering place—drawing residents and visitors to events, music performances, and family outings.
Some local points of interest:
1) The light poles with the green shades came from the Mickey Mouse pool.
2) The light pole with the red shade came from Guenzels Esso Service Station that was located on the corner where First Community Bank currently sits.
3) The light fixture with the fluted concrete base came from the bridge that crosses Poke Bayou going to Westside.
4) Most of the fixtures in the playground came from the playground in Riverside Park that was demolished.
5) The window in the gable of the upstairs restroom came from the Maxfield house that was on the corner of Boswell and 9th Street.
6) The sandstone arches and limestone slabs in the playground area came from the old high school building that once stood on the lot across the street from Davies Funeral Home where the grade school now sits.
7) The glass blocks in the restrooms came from International Shoe Company.
8) Some of the items in the upper level big Maxfield Park sign came from Sterlings Dept Store.
Please call 870-698-2427 for more information