Saint Edward State Park is a 316-acre day-use park with 3,000 feet of freshwater shoreline on Lake Washington. Once a Catholic seminary, the park’s rich history reflects in its grounds and architecture. Walks along the undeveloped lakeshore are peaceful and give the visitor many opportunities for nature study. In the late 1920s, the archbishop of Seattle donated the property to the Diocese of Seattle for use as a seminary by the Sulpician Order of Catholic Priests. In 1931, St. Edward Seminary was constructed. In the fall of 1977, because of declining enrollment and changes in the education of seminarians, the diocese sold 316 acres, including the seminary, to the state for use as a state park.