Troubled to Healing Waters

Troubled to Healing Waters. A Reflection of Society. The spring-fed, 500,000-gallon Riverside Park pool acted like a magnet on hot summer days, attracting children and families into its cool confines. , In 1931, 32,403 used the pool and the bathhouse's 420 lockers. A sand beach eased swimmers into one end of the pool while the more adventurous used the diving platform at the opposite end. , However, as historic photos show, an unspoken policy excluded a sizable segment of Lynchburg's residents. Social norms reserved two of the city's three public pools, including Riverside, for whites only. , When several African American men challenged segregation of the pools in 1961, the city closed all three and, seven years later, filled the Riverside pool with dirt and debris. , Today, only the pool's outline is visible, a reminder of a divisive past in a park now enjoyed by all. , Liberation , The pool "swim-in" changed Riverside Park and Lynchburg forever. , Although the city opened two integrated high school pools in 1965, the one in Riverside Park never reopened. , For more than a decade beginning in 1973, the park became the focus of Black Liberation Day. The celebration, held each year on Memorial Day, showcased African American "ambitions, dreams and talents." , Sunday afternoon picnics in Riverside Park, basketball, car cruising, and gatherings of family and friends became regular activities for the whole community.