History

A 676 Acre Parcel was acquired by the State in April of 1972 from Charles Ingram and W. E. Bynum for $110,400. The original park amenities included:

  • Community Building (capacity of 440)
  • Public restrooms
  • Picnic Areas
  • Maintenance Building
  • 1 mile loop trail
  • Ranger residences
  • Primitive camping - out-house

In the late 1980s talks took place between councilmen and PRT regarding Florence County obtaining the park. The County Council felt it had more resources to dedicate to the park since it was a regional park. But it was not until December 1999 that a 50 year lease agreement was established. The PRT deeded the property to Florence County in February 2003.

Swimming Pool
An Olympic size swimming pool was constructed between 1980-82 and opened in the summer of 1982. However the swimming pool was difficult to maintain and only operated for about 50 days of the year. The Recreation Commission advised the County Council to replace the aging pool with a Splash Pad which is a water playground with zero water entry. It requires no lifeguards and is easier to maintain. It opened later than expected but has been a big hit.

Improvements and Renovations
Florence County had a vision for the community building to be a multi-use facility. In the summer of 2000, the community building was renovated to permit up to 3 groups simultaneously and restructuring of rental time frames. Since the renovation, there have been up to five groups using the building in the same day.

Installed a handicap accessible canoe launch.

A 1200 Linear Foot Riverwalk was constructed above the river floodplain. The Conservation District obtained grant funds and approached LRCP about utilizing the funds at the park. Two ideas were put forward: an interpretive center or a riverwalk. It was determined that a center was something to look at down the road and proceeded with the riverwalk. It was installed by county employees and assisted by Santee Co Op.

There are 5 outdoor education stations located along one of the trails, also thanks to the local Conservation District.

The trail system was expanded from 1 mile of trail (portions of which were closed after Hugo) to about 3 miles.

Renovated signage, paved entrance road, replaced mobile home residence with new construction.

Upgraded overnight facilities:

  • 2 RV sites with Electrical and water
  • Bathhouse and fire pits in the campground
  • 2 cabins (1 handicap accessible)