LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Louisville's Chickasaw Park is getting thousands of dollars in grant money from the African American Cultural Heritage Action Fund.
The grant program awarded $3 million in grants to 30 projects across the nation that they said represent "Black American life through architecture, education, sports and more."
Chickasaw Park was Louisville's first park that was available to African American people after it opened in the 1920's.
The organization said the grant money will center around the park's tennis courts -- supporting public interpretation and education programs around the courts and their long history.
Althea Gibson, the first Black woman to win at Wimbledon, has also visited the tennis courts before.
Joe Feist has been part of the West Louisville Tennis Club since 2020.
He started as a beginner when he joined but grew after learning from other members in the club.
“I didn't have a whole lot of skills, I developed them over the last few years," said Feist.
Chickasaw was one of 30 African American parks nationwide selected to get a $50,000 grant from the National Trust for Historic Preservation to preserve the park’s rich history.
Feist doesn’t take this lightly.
"These clay courts are probably one of two places in the country where you can just come and play on a clay court for free," said Feist.
This grant means so much more to West Louisville Tennis Club president Dr. Aretha Fuqua.
"It makes me smile in the inside because there was a time in our history where we existed just to be a social club," Fuqua said.
She wanted people to know when they see West Louisville Tennis Club tents across the park it's not just for members, but for the community.
"We've existed for 100 years but we haven't always had these kind of investments we have so many wonderful programs in this park," said Fuqua.
The grant will go towards improvements in the park. History markers of the West Louisville Tennis Club will also be placed around the park.