Charles B. Hyde was the owner of a paper company at the corner of Sugar Street (now Hyde Park Boulevard) and Pine Avenue. When he retired he sold his company, and purchased a large tract of land on what was then the outskirts of the city. In 1921, he suffered a fatal stroke. He willed that, upon the death of his wife, the land was to be donated to the city for a park which would bear his name. The city purchased additional lands, creating what is today the largest urban park in the state besides Central Park in New York City.

Hyde Park was formally dedicated on Saturday, Sept. 7, 1929. A speech offered Superintendent of Schools James F. Taylor included these thoughts:" The increased American efficiency, which is responsible for the shorter working day and the five-day week, has increased the leisure hours of the majority of the residents of Niagara Falls, and the City Council should be praised for its action in providing recreational facilities at the park, where this leisure time can be spent in healthful pursuits."

Hyde Park Elementary School, also named after Mr. Hyde, opened in 1928 and has been open ever since, across the street from the park.

Mr. Hyde rests in the mausoleum.