Shoe manufacturer George F. Johnson donated it to Binghamton, and it is home to one of Allan Herschell's six famous carousels.

The park also contains a bandstand, statues and monuments, numerous athletic fields and courts, swimming facilities, a playground, and walking paths in a grove of mature oak trees.

A giant wooden toboggan slide was situated at the Laurel Avenue side of the park in its early days but it was lost in a fire.

In response, a task force set about examining the park and its amenities and making recommendations regarding repairs and restoration, which were published in the 1986 Heritage Committee Special Report.

In the report the members noted that the park "has primarily changed only in the form of falling into such a state of disrepair that renovation is no longer cost efficient."