Green Pastures Recreation Area

In 1937, after the Clifton Forge chapter of the NAACP decried the lack of outdoor recreation areas for African Americans, the U.S. Forest Service agreed to open a new park here for Black patrons, who were not then welcome in nearby Douthat State Park. The Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) constructed Green Pastures between 1938 and 1940. With a lake, a beach, picnic areas, hiking trails, and recreational fields, the facility was popular with families, civic clubs, church groups, and other visitors from across the region. Although officially desegregated in 1950, the park was predominantly used by African Americans until the 1960s, when it was renamed Longdale Recreation Area.