After the State of North Carolina purchased the Crabtree Creek Recreation Area in the 1940s, they established over 1,000 acres of the area as Reedy Creek State Park, one of the first state parks for African-Americans. Reedy Creek was one of the three state parks open to African Americans for recreational use during the Jim Crow/segregation era. Jones Lake State Park was established in 1939 as the first state park for African Americans. Then came Reedy Creek in 1950, and finally Hammocks Beach State Park in 1961.
The passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 opened all three parks to all members of the public. Reedy Creek became William B. Umstead State Park after combining with Crabtree Creek State Park, the park founded for white North Carolinians. After this union, James Johnson, the superintendent of Reedy Creek, becoming one of the first black superintendents of a desegregated state park.
James Johnson, first superintendent of William B. Umstead State Park, holds a fawn found in the park, taken on July 23, 1969.
The Friends of North Carolina State Parks, one of our member nonprofits, produce the Ask a Ranger podcast. Linked here is a fascinating episode featuring James Johnson, the son of the superintendent of Reedy Creek with the same name, who grew up on the state park both before and after segregation. Johnson is an incredible storyteller with insights on being a child during segregation in the south.
Learn and experience more about the history of NC protected lands in our upcoming Eco Passport program on Environmental Justice. Email melissa@earthsharenc.org to learn more.