Ball Field

One of the first official acts of philanthropy in Anoka by Charles Horn occurred in 1951 when he donated funds to pay for lights on a ball field on the west edge of the city. Originally a dream in 1949 of the newly formed Anoka Recreation Inc., the Edward B. Cutter Legion Post #102 agreed to use a portion of their land on the west edge of town for the field. According to Charlie Sell, son of Oscar Sell, a FCC employee, the first game was played on June 25, 1950 and the following month the field was dedicated.

“I pitched for Nowthen that night and we got beat by Anoka 7 to 3,” recalled Sell in his book, Then and Now. “Anoka Recreation was unable to come up with enough money to pay off the lights, so they approached Mr. C. L. Horn, in 1951, and he made up the $12,500 deficit. August 18, 1952, the field was given the name of Castle Field. On September 7, 1953, Mayor Carl Bonnell and the American Legion dedicated the field to be known as Willard Castle Memorial Field, in memory of Willard Castle. Willard, or” Butch” as his friends called him.”

Anoka City Hall

The City of Anoka received the first $50,000 check from Charles Horn in 1951, when he announced the FCC and the Olin Foundation would help fund the building of the new Anoka City Hall. By 1954, the gift had grown to $150,000, when at a special meeting in August of that year, Horn made a surprise announcement.

“The silence that fell following the announcement Wednesday noon by Charles L. Horn, President of the Federal Cartridge Corporation, that the entire cost of the new Anoka City Hall building would be paid for by the Federal Cartridge Corporation, was a tribute to the speaker. It wasn’t until Mr. Horn finished reading his statement that the full impact of the gift was realized by the assembled citizens. Then the applause was deafening.” July 30, 1954 Anoka County Union

A portrait of Horn, commissioned by the citizens of Anoka, hung in the new city hall for many years. In 2004, a rededication ceremony occurred after the portrait was restored and moved to a different part of the building.

Anoka Pool

With the successful completion of the city hall behind him, Charles Horn continued to consider ways to give back to the community of Anoka. In 1957, he announced this would take the unique shape of a community pool, 40 feet wide at the deep end and 100 feet wide at the shallow end, designed to accommodate a larger number of children splashing than adults swimming laps. It would include a 30-foot concrete deck, a 50x30 foot wading pool, bath house, and all necessary pumps and filters to function.

Construction of the recreation facility proceeded quicker than anticipated, with the dedication held in August of 1957.

“According to Max Schwartzman of Faye Construction Co, general contractor of the pool, the cooperation of suppliers of materials and of the workmen has been one of the factors in the good progress made in the building,” reported the Anoka Union July 19, 1957.

Thirty years later, the residents of Anoka celebrated the pool’s birthday with a picnic, music, and balloons. By 1995, the Anoka County Union began reporting on plans to renovate the pool, as the steel lining had begun to show signs of wear and age.