Plummer Family Park

Edwardsville, Illinois: The Afternoon Belongs to Everyone

A Saturday at Plummer Family Park has several soundtracks. A fastball finds leather. A soccer ball catches the net. From the pickleball courts comes a quick exchange of paddle taps, while a volleyball player brushes sand from their knees and gets ready for the next serve. Across 83 acres, the afternoon keeps finding new ways to play.

Edwardsville was making room for that kind of life long before tournament schedules arrived on phones. In 1890, manufacturer N.O. Nelson founded Leclaire, now a historic neighborhood within the city, with recreation woven into his vision for the community. Workers and their families had baseball, football, tennis, swimming and evenings gathered around the lakeside bandstand. A good place to live needed places to enjoy being alive.

The city’s sporting ambitions grew right along with it. In 1979, Southern Illinois University Edwardsville won the NCAA Division I men’s soccer championship. Matt Malloy scored all three goals in the final against Clemson, with Tim Guelker assisting on each one while his father, Bob, coached the team. Three goals, a national title and a family story worth telling for generations.

In 2007, SIUE’s softball team added another chapter. It took twelve innings to settle the national championship against Lock Haven, with Ashley Price driving in the winning run. Edwardsville knows something about staying ready when the game asks a little more of you.

Today, Plummer gives new players room to build their own memories. Baseball and softball share the park with soccer, lacrosse, flag football and games played across courts and sand. On Field D7, an all-abilities diamond serves as home to Madison County Challenger Baseball. The invitation to participate is part of the park’s design.

Pack the glove, the cleats, the paddle—or whichever combination gets your family out the door. Edwardsville has been saving room for an afternoon like this for a long time.