Land was given to Calvert in 1868 for use as a park by the Houston & Texas Central Railroad. Company C, 4th Texas Infantry Regiment, Hood's Texas Brigade, under Major Wm. Townsend, mustered nearby in 1865. During Reconstruction, from 1868 to 1873, the site held the "Sky Parlor," a room built on a pole like a tree house that served as a prison for Southern sympathizers. In 1895 and 1912, Hood's Texas Brigade Association entertained here. The Victorian pavilion and two gazebos were built in 1895 for concerts, gatherings, and dancing. The park was named in 1937 for landscaper Mrs. Virginia Field.