Prince Edward State Park for Negroes

Prince Edward State Park for Negroes. Green Bay, Virginia. , In 1950, Prince Edward Lake Recreation Area became Prince Edward State Park for Negroes , Virginia's eighth state park and the only one accessible at that time to African Americans. During an era of segregation, this site was a refuge for freedom., The 1929 stock market crash was devastating , millions of Americans suddenly found themselves out of work. In an effort to create jobs and revive the nation's economy, President Franklin D. Roosevelt created the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC), a work relief program designed to employ young men on public conservation projects., Camp Gallion, home of CCC Company No. 1390, was established not far from here. It was one of the few all-African American units in the state. Between 1933 and 1941, the company built numerous trails, fire roads, and bridges. In 1939 the company completed construction of the dams that created Prince Edward and Goodwin lakes. For more than a decade, the lakes operated as racially segregated recreation areas: Prince Edward Lake reserved for African Americans, Goodwin Lake for whites., In 1948, when denied admission to a Virginia State Park due to his race, Maceo Conrad Martin hired civil rights attorney Oliver Hill. Together, they brought a suit against the commonwealth, challenging Virginia's policy of providing state parks for whites only. The judge sided with Mr. Martin, and the decision was made to elevate Prince Edward Lake Recreation Area to the status of a full-fledged state park., In 1949 Governor William Tuck appropriated $195,000 to the expansion of facilities at Prince Edward Lake. Additions included construction of cabins, a bathhouse, and a concession area, which completed Prince Edward State Park for Negroes., The Civil Rights Act of 1964 legally ended segregation, and in 1976 the two recreation areas were merged under one name: Prince Edward-Goodwin Lake State Park. In 1986 the site was renamed Twin Lakes State Park.