The park and Italianate Victorian house date to 1877–1878 when they were built for Asahel Bush, founder of the Oregon Statesman newspaper and subsequently of the Ladd and Bush Bank.

In 1882 Bush added a still-extant conservatory for his daughters, claimed to be the first greenhouse west of the Mississippi River.

The museum features Victorian period furnishings and original wallpapers, and is open for guided tours from Wednesdays through Sundays.

Today the park contains trails, picnic areas, playgrounds, tennis courts, natural groves of old Oregon white oak trees, cherry and apple orchards, and a rose garden with over 2,000 roses.

Willamette University's McCulloch Stadium (football, track and field), Spec Keene Stadium (baseball) and cross country course[3] are located in the park, hosting a variety of university and community events, such as the Salem Jaycees' Kids Relays[4] and the amateur soccer team the Cascade Surge of the USL Premier Development League.