The Saluda Community Land Trust has acquired a small piece of land that was formerly a thriving African American Neighborhood during the early 20th Century.
In accordance with their mission as a land trust, to “preserve undeveloped land in commercial and residential areas for agriculture and public use [and] establish greenways and parks to connect people, land and community,” the SCLT intends to create a public park in this space.
One facet of the Reclamation Park project is to provide protection and stewardship for the land, but the establishment of the park is also a way to pay homage to the former neighborhood, and to bring Saluda’s undertold African American history to the forefront.
What is Reclamation Park?
Establishing Reclamation Park has three main components:
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Building trails and refurbishing the spring that once served this community
2. Stabilizing the remnants of a home that still exists
3. Creating and erecting a kiosk and a place to reflect
Parts of the Project
Building trails, spring restoration
Restoring the spring and building the trails begins with the removal of invasive plants and a bit of earth moving to stabilize walking paths and direct water flow. The walking paths will connect to the forthcoming Saluda Grade Trail, as well as the adjacent Madame Phoebia Cheek Sullivan Memorial Park. Through these connections, Reclamation Park will be accessible for pedestrians and cyclists, but we will also provide a small parking area.
The historic home
The last remaining structure in the former neighborhood is a two room brick house. It was built by Walter Parks, a brick mason that worked for the railroad. The home is now badly deteriorated. The porches have collapsed and it no longer has a floor however, the sturdy construction of the roof and walls have allowed this vestige to still stand long after Mr. Parks left in the 1950s. To prevent further deterioration, we will clear the inside of the home and surrounding area of debris, and stabilize the walls and roof.
The Kiosks
The kiosks will offer an overview of the history of the neighborhood, Saluda’s broader African American history, as well as connections between the African American community in Saluda and other African American communities in the region. We hope our research will uncover where the founders of this community came from, and where and why they decided to go.
A quiet sitting area will be erected at the refurbished spring. Because the City of Saluda did not supply water to this neighborhood, the spring was the only source of water for this community. This little area will give visitors a place to reflect and honor the work and contributions of African Americans to the development of Saluda, and pay reverence to their lives at this consecrated site and water source for the whole neighborhood.
A place to reflect