Burton Woods

Est. 1914

Natural area adjacent to Garfield Park.

The woods were part of the farm that Charles Garfield’s father purchased from the Burtons in 1856. Garfield set aside six acres for planting a variety of trees after the Detroit, Lansing and Northern Railroad cut a swath through his land in 1892. Garfield donated these acres to the city for a park. In the 1960s, residents fought a City Commission decision to sell the land, and after continued pressure, the matter was dropped in 1969.