William B. Umstead State Park
William B. Umstead State Park | ||
---|---|---|
North Carolina Division of Parks and Recreation | ||
Website | William B. Umstead State Park | |
Crabtree Creek Recreational Demonstration Area | ||
MPS Wake County MPS | | |
NRHP reference No. | 95000783[4] | |
Added to NRHP | June 30, 1995 |
William B. Umstead State Park is a North Carolina state park in Wake County, North Carolina in the United States. It covers 5,599 acres (22.66 km2)[3] nestled between the expanding cities of Raleigh, Cary, and Durham, North Carolina. It offers hiking, bridle, and bike trails, boat rentals, camping, picnic areas, and educational programs.
Part of the East Coast Greenway, a 3,000 mile long system of trails connecting Maine to Florida, runs through the park.
History
Long before the first settlers, the area now known as William B. Umstead State Park was an untamed land.
Forests were cleared as agricultural interests sprouted. While early farming efforts were successful, poor cultivation practices and one-crop production led to depletion and erosion of the soil. During the Depression, farmers made futile attempts to grow cotton in worn-out soil around
In 1934, under the Resettlement Administration, federal and state agencies united to buy 5,000 acres (20 km2) of this submarginal land to develop a recreation area. The Civilian Conservation Corps, as well as the Works Progress Administration, helped construct the site while providing much needed jobs. Four camps along with day-use and picnic facilities were built and the park opened to the public in 1937.
The state purchased this area, known as Crabtree Creek Recreational Demonstration Area, for $1, and more facilities were built as the General Assembly made its first state parks division appropriation in the 1940s. In 1950, more than 1,000 acres (4.0 km2) of the park were established as a separate park for African-Americans. This area was named Reedy Creek State Park. Crabtree Creek Recreational Demonstration Area was renamed a few years later after former
Prior to the purchase of the land for public use, it had historically been used for timberland, as well as a site for several mills along Crabtree Creek. Remnants of milling operations can still be found preserved within the park.
During segregation, the Highway 70 entrance was for whites and the Reedy Creek entrance for blacks. Currently, the Reedy Creek entrance is the main entrance to the park for North Carolina State University. Forestry courses use this entrance to examine the trees native to the park. Additionally, many Raleigh runners use this more private entrance to run in an area of the park that is less frequented by tourist and hiking groups. The only real remnant of this segregation of entrances is the lack of a public road that connects both entrances - vehicles that access the park by one entrance cannot go through the park to the other side.[5]
Information
Umstead is bordered by
Umstead is part of the
Piedmont Beech Natural Area
Is a 61-acre (0.25 km2)
Nearby state parks
The following state parks are within 30 miles (48 km) of Umstead State Park:
- Eno River State Park (Durham County)
- Falls Lake State Recreation Area
- Jordan Lake State Recreation Area
See also
- List of National Natural Landmarks in North Carolina
- List of Registered Historic Places in North Carolina
References
- ^ "William B. Umstead State Park". Protected Planet. IUCN. Retrieved December 26, 2018.
- ^ U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: William B Umstead State Park
- ^ a b "Size of the North Carolina State Parks System". North Carolina Division of Parks and Recreation. January 1, 2015. Retrieved October 3, 2015.
- ^ "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. January 23, 2007.
- ^ Umstead Park official map
- doi:10.1641/0006-3568(2001)051[0933:TEOTWA]2.0.CO;2.)
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: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link - ^ "Piedmont Beech Natural Area". National Natural Landmarks Program. Washington, DC: National Park Service, Department of the Interior. May 4, 2011. Retrieved July 13, 2011.
Piedmont Beech Natural Area, located within William B. Umstead State Park, is one of the best examples of mixed mesophytic forest in the eastern Piedmont of North Carolina. Portions of the site contain unusual examples of good, maturing stands of beech.
- ^ "William B. Umstead State Park » Ecology". Raleigh: N.C. Division of Parks & Recreation. Retrieved July 13, 2011.
The Piedmont Beech Natural Area, a 50-acre tract of towering beech trees deep in the heart of the park, is included in the National Registry of Natural Landmarks. Due to the sensitive nature of the area, access is allowed only by special permit.
External links
- Official website
- Crabtree Creek Recreational Demonstration Area (National Park Service)
- National Register Historic Districts in Raleigh, North Carolina, RHDC
- Crabtree Creek Recreation Area, RHDC