As the world welcomed the 21st century, computers successfully navigated the Y2K “crisis,” Destiny’s Child topped the music charts, and only 41 percent of US households had internet access. Preservation Parks celebrated the year 2000 with the purchase of 72 acres of land on Seldom Seen Road in Powell from Dr. Donald Traphagen, who offered a generous price reduction to make the acquisition possible. The park is named in tribute to his wife Emily and her love for the land.
Three years later Emily Traphagen Park was opened to the public, and several amenities followed. A playground was installed in 2004 and a picnic shelter was constructed in 2009 with funding from a NatureWorks grant. The playground was expanded the same year with a climbing rock and toddler playground. In response to a growing number of visitors, the parking lot was enlarged in 2010 and a restroom was constructed in 2011.
In 2016, a natural play area was created near the playground providing additional opportunities to engage with nature through discovery and play. Also during this time, Preservation Parks received a donation of 0.1 adjacent acres from Edward Klekotka, which allowed the Park District to create a pedestrian entrance on Cascade Drive along the north boundary of the park. In the following years, wetlands were restored nearby, followed by the construction of an impressive 100-foot boardwalk across this new aquatic habitat.
Over the past decade, Emily Traphagen Park has continued to expand, with approximately 28 acres of agricultural land purchased from John Campbell in 2017, 2018, and 2019 along Riverside Drive. The following year, park staff began restoring these fields with native grasses, wildflowers, shrubs and trees. Today this area features the Tanager Trail, which winds through existing woods and a wildflower field that is slowly reverting to woodland.
A walk along the trails at Emily Traphagen Park takes visitors through shady woodland, sunny prairie, wetland, and pond habitats, providing a chance to see a variety of wildlife including mink, red fox, gray tree frog, swallowtail butterfly, barred owls, and green heron. Unbeknownst to most visitors is the exceptional Karst geology, that lies beneath the park. Characterized by sinkholes, caves, and hidden waterways, it is one of few such areas of central Ohio that contains these fascinating geologic features.
Visitors will enjoy the variety of habitats and trails Emily Traphagen Park has to offer and will want to return again to explore the park in all the seasons.
