The springs on land owned by Edward C. Browder provided water for early city and railroad needs. In 1876, the city acquired ten acres near the springs for a city park, with the nine acres of Browder Springs added in 1885. The park grounds were improved over the years with leisure facilities, including a miniature zoo, fountains, bandstand, greenhouses, tennis courts, and a playground. The Dallas County Heritage Society was authorized in 1966 to improve the park as the Dallas Heritage Village, an outdoor museum. Thirty-seven historic structures relocated here from around North Texas include furnishings, tools, and photo collections displayed in an 1860 farmstead, along with a country school, several Queen Anne houses, and false-front commercial buildings, making the park the largest collection of buildings and artifacts in the state.