Virginia Department of Historic Resources Virginia Department of Historic Resources
For additional information, read the Nomination Form PDF
VLR Listing Date 09/18/2008
NRHP Listing Date 10/31/2012
NRHP Reference Number 12000906
Twin Lakes State Park in Prince Edward County consists of 495 acres within Prince Edward-Gallion State Forest. The park began as two racially segregated “Recreation Development Areas,” consisting of Prince Edward Lake (for Blacks) and Goodwin Lake (for Whites), which were built during Virginia’s Jim Crow era. The recreational areas were partially built circa 1939 by Camp Gallion, an African American CCC camp located within the state forest, and developed for day use. Each recreation area featured lake access, picnic shelters, and play equipment but had no overnight facilities. In 1948, a prominent African American banker from Danville, M. Conrad Martin, was denied admission to Staunton River State Park. Represented by legendary civil rights attorney, Oliver W. Hill, Martin filed suit challenging Virginia’s policy of providing state parks only for whites; the suit sought to establish “separate but equal” facilities for blacks. As a result, the Virginia Department of Conservation and Development expanded the facilities at the existing Prince Edward Lake Recreation Area, developing it into Prince Edward State Park for Negroes, which opened in 1950, making it Virginia’s eighth state park. Edgar Latham, formerly a lifeguard at the Prince Edward Recreational Area, was appointed as the first African American superintendent in the history of Virginia State Parks. Nearby Goodwin Lake continued as a recreation area for whites. Despite the Civil Rights Act of 1964, Prince Edward State Park and Goodwin Lake remained largely segregated. In 1976, the two facilities were merged into a desegregated unit, called Prince Edward-Goodwin Lake State Park, and in 1986 it was renamed Twin Lakes State Park.
Many properties listed in the registers are private dwellings and are not open to the public, however many are visible from the public right-of-way. Please be respectful of owner privacy.
Abbreviations:
VLR: Virginia Landmarks Register
NPS: National Park Service
NRHP: National Register of Historic Places
NHL: National Historic Landmark
Updated: December 1, 2022
