Laura and Craig Underwood, center, take part in the groundbreaking ceremony for Underwood Park in Fayetteville, AR, in September 2025. The Underwoods gifted 65 acres for the project.
FRICK PARK, MELLON PARK, William K. Vanderbilt Jr. Park and Museum … to the list of grand public spaces generously donated by prominent business families, we will soon be able to add Underwood Park in Fayetteville, AR.
Located in west Fayetteville, the 65-acre park will serve as a “center keystone” area, connecting over 200 acres of continuous green space, including a wild spring and nature preserve and some softball fields.
While the Underwood name is synonymous with one of the best-known independent jewelry stores in the United States, Craig Underwood says that their decision to donate the land was made without any expectation of business gain. Rather, the project was born from a desire to replicate the “priceless” family memories they shared in other local parks. Still, as the project expanded in scale, the project has proven that what is good for the community is often good for business.
“Supporting the Parks Department as well as numerous local charities is just part of what we do being a member of our community,” Underwood said. “However, as the land gift grew in both size and importance to the city, we have seen a wonderful, albeit unexpected, positive effect on the business,” specifically in terms of positive brand awareness among old and new customers.
From Golf Greens to Green Space
The journey to Underwood Park began in 2017 when Craig and his wife, Laura, purchased the 124-acre Razorback Golf Course, which had been abandoned since 2015. Initially, Craig’s vision was a mixed-use development: an apartment community on the south end, a small 20-to-30-acre neighborhood park on the north end, and other investment opportunities in between.
However, after meetings with the Parks Department and local residents, the vision expanded. The project evolved into a 65-acre community park, with 38 acres donated outright in 2019 and another 27 acres provided through a no-cost lease that enables the use of old golf-cart paths as unimproved walking trails. This gift filled a “critical gap” in the city’s park system, as west Fayetteville previously lacked a major community park.
A Site with History
The land is more than just a recreational space; it has significant local history. Before it was a golf course, it housed the Far West Seminary and the Ozark Institute, a school for boys that operated from 1848 to 1872. Another historical feature is a 181-year-old spring house that, according to local historians, played a role in the case made to establish the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville. (The spring still flows, though a recent survey found it was filled with hundreds of golf balls left over from the property’s previous life.)
A Legacy of Family and Volunteerism
For the Underwoods, the park is a manifestation of their 40-year history in Fayetteville. Laura, who was named the Arkansas Parks Department Volunteer of the Year in 2017, has spent decades volunteering for organizations like Mount Sequoyah and the Yvonne Richardson Center. Her passion for the outdoors and the Master Gardener program influenced the park’s focus on nature and “getting your hands dirty.”
The inspiration for the donation also stems from the family’s time at Gulley Park, where their three sons — Kyle, Troy, and Brent — learned to ride bikes and hunt for crawdads in the creek.
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Looking Forward
As construction progresses, the Underwoods remain actively involved, recently proposing the contribution of one or two sculptures to further enhance the landscape. If weather permits, the city expects to hold a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the park in September this year.
