Park's Spring or Park Springs

 Tuesday, August 3

Melanie and I loaded the Kia and were on the road by 9:30.  We traveled I-40 east to I-81 North and left the interstate at Wytheville, Virginia.  We got off for lunch just one exit before leaving 81 for 77 and ate lunch at a great Mexican restaurant that had an outdoor patio.  We had decided that because of Covid, we would not eat inside.  Turned out that the restaurant was the same one Bill and I have eaten at on trips to Virginia. We proceeded across southern Virginia on Hwy 58, a beautiful road that took us across the Blue Ridge. 

Crossing the Blue Ridge

Not long after lunch, the camp director at Park Springs, Tim Powell, returned the call I had made to him.  We arranged to meet him at Park Springs at 4 pm.  We were excited!  The site of the original Park's Spring is located just across the North Carolina border, south of Danville.  It is now the home of Park Springs Christian Camp and Retreat Center .  Tim was very gracious to walk us around the lake, to the site of the original springs and inside the historic building used as the primary activity center for camps and retreats.

After our time at Park Springs, we traveled to downtown Danville to find our hotel, "The Bee." The hotel has been restored from the former office and press rooms of Danville's long-time newspaper, The Danville Bee.  It styles itself as an "urban boutique hotel."  We enjoyed our stay in the historic old building.  We had enough wine, fruit and cheese to see us through the evening, so did not go out again.

Park's Spring or Park Springs:

The primary activity center is the original gymnasium built sometime between 1880 and 1920.  We believe that this building may have been here as the activity center when our grandmother Mary Park spent summers with her Aunt Mary Park as a child, circa 1910.  

Tim Powell, Director of Park Springs Christian Camp, standing at the lake side of the building.  The basement was originally used as a dressing room for bathers (swimmers).  It is now used as the dining hall and additional activity area.

An early, undated photo, of the bathing area as it was used many years ago. The caption reads "Part of the beach at Park Springs North Carolina. Justly famous for its good bathing.

(from ncccha.blogspot.com/2010/parks-spring.html)

The 10-acre lake, formed by damming the springs, has been used for recreation for at least 100 years.

Much of the interior of the activity center is original, the wooden floors and 2nd story decking, the beams and the stairs.  

The massive beams are original

The small building to the right is the kitchen.

The original springs lies just out of site on what is now adjacent property.  Some remnants of the original stone and concrete structures remain.  There was just one spring at Park Springs. In a FB post to the CCHA FB page in 2016 (no longer active) Joe Elliot writes:  "There was only one spring house. There was a ground level concrete pad about 15 feet square with a roof and sides built around the spring, to keep it clean. The spring was in the middle of the pad with about 5 or 6 concrete steps going down to the spring water water level.  The opening at the bottom of the steps was about 3 feet, the water was clear, still and very deep.  I would just dip my buckets in and lift them out.  This was my grandparents only source of drinking water for as long as I can remember.  There could have been more natural springs in the general area, but only one was fully developed for everyday use as a water supply.  This water was really good and I drank plenty of it."

The original building as improved, with the kitchen to the left.

What we know or think we know:

1868:  The property that became known as Park's Spring was deeded to Mary M Park, wife of John S. Park by Thomas Slude and his wife.

1877: A mineral spring six miles northwest of Yanceyville was owned by John S. Park.  From a Caswell County Historical site:

There are countless springs around Caswell County and many of them are well known locally for their association with certain families or events. Two, however, were of enough significance that their waters were analyzed early in the twentieth century and described in a publication of the Geological and Economic Survey of the state. Strader's Spring, located about two and a half miles northwest of Pelham was one. The second spring described in the report was Park's Spring, six miles east of Pelham where the water comes up beside a small creek into a section of terra-cotta pipe. In this case the spring was clean and well maintained, the water being so popular among those in the surrounding country and as far away as Danville, Virginia. The analysis of Park's Spring water was similar to that of Strader's Spring; in this case there were 33.7 parts lime per million and 14.1 of soda.

Source: When the Past Refused to Die: A History of Caswell County North Carolina 1777-1977, William S. Powell (1977) at 15.

1881: Flier advertising a "Grand Pic-Nic and Dance, July 4th at Park's Spring, Manager T.H. Park (Thomas Park, son of J. S. & Mary Park)  

Advertisement for Picnic & Dance, Park's Spring, 1881

1895: John S. Park died, leaving property to his wife, Mary

1899: Thomas H Park lost his share of the property by court judgement to settle a debt.  That share is later purchased by C.A. Park

~1910: Mary Park, our grandmother, great niece of Mary Park spent one or more summers at Park's Spring.  This was a special time and place for her.

1911: Mary V Dunn, daughter of Mary Park, sold 1/2 of her share of the property known as Park's Springs (94 acre tract) to John A Park (son or grandson of J.S. and Mary), for $6000. He was living in Alligator, MS at the time. 

1915: Mary Park died, leaving property to her six children: Thomas H, John, Charles Alexander, Nathaniel M, Mary Virginia, James Gaston.  

1912: James G Park (Jim) acquired 4/6 of the shares of the property, leaving only the shares owned by the heirs of John Park.

1920: James G Park and the heirs of C A Park, sold the property to K.C. Arey of Danville for $3500.   This marks the property passing out of the Park Family. It was operated as Park Springs Amusement Company

1924 - 1938: Park Springs Amusement Company was owned by Judge Cox Womac perhaps in partnership with K.C. Arey, both of Danville, VA. Prize fights and other entertainments were offered there, in addition to "bathing" and taking mineral waters. Rumor is that boxer Jack Dempsey trained there. 

Source:  The Bee (Danville, Virginia), 23 April 1924.

1938: Danville Kiwanis Club purchased Park's Spring from J. M Berry who had operated a cabaret and staged boxing matching.  The Kiwanis established a camp for under-privileged boys.

1971: Danville Kiwanis Club offered the property for sale

1976: Piedmont Christian Assembly purchased the property and today operates Park Springs Christian Camp and Retreat Center.

Wednesday, August 4

Before leaving Danville we drove around the historic downtown and found the overlook for the Dan River Falls. We also made a short visit to the Danville Public Library to their Genealogy Room which was quite extensive. From there we went to Yanceyville, NC where we had an 11 am appointment in the Registrar of Deeds office.  We spent about 2 hours there and found the original property deeds that conveyed the property to Mary Jane (Mimms) Park, wife to John S. Park and the deeds that sold the property out of the Park family.  We counted it as very successful research and is the basis for part of the time line above.