Angel and Butterfly Park
Tess and Katie Whitson
Angel and Butterfly Park, built in 2005-06, is a beautifully landscaped acre of land creating green space and a place for calm reflection in an otherwise commercial corridor of Findlay, Ohio.
The city’s only privately built and maintained park is anchored with a wooden gazebo with seating in the center. There is a 1/10th-mile walking path around the park and two benches for resting. The park is landscaped with a wide variety of plants that bloom and offer wonderful color and aroma throughout spring, summer and fall.
The heart of the green space is its namesake: a statue of an angel gently cupping a butterfly in the palm of her hand.
Angel and Butterfly Park was built as a living tribute to Katherine “Katie” Ann Whitson and Tess Louise Whitson, sisters who died in childhood. They are the daughters of Paul Whitson and his former wife Krista and the granddaughters of George and Shirlee Whitson. Each of the two benches carries a plaque invoking their memory.
The park has been honored by being included in the Findlay Garden Club’s annual tour of the city’s finest public and private green spaces.
Located next door to Outback Steakhouse and between Holiday Inn Express and Country Inn & Suites, Angel and Butterfly Park serves to memorialize the Whitson girls while breaking up commercial development on the West Side of Findlay with a little bit of natural beauty.
Whether visiting Findlay or a city resident, whenever you find yourself in the area with a few minutes to spare, we hope you will take the time to take a timeout, relax, and enjoy the angels and butterflies in our midst.