Green Pastures

The Green Pastures Recreation Area (also known as the Longdale Day Use Area) was set aside by the US Forest Service for African American use. Due to racial discrimination at the time, state parks were de facto whites-only. The park was built in response to the nearby segregated Douthat State Park, which opened in 1936.

A group from Clifton Forge, particularly Reverend Hugo Austin, spearheaded this effort with the Clifton Forge Chapter of the NAACP, advocating for creating a recreational area for African Americans. When it opened, Green Pastures was the first and only US Forest Service recreation site opened to African Americans in Virginia and remained one of the few sites in the central Appalachians through the 1950s.

There are countless stories to share about Green Pastures – from its inception as a place of refuge and safety for African Americans to the many memories from the surrounding community of Green Pastures throughout the years. The Project Team set out to tell these stories in two ways: through an interpretive trail along existing recreational trails at Green Pastures and the creation of a children’s book. Both monuments highlight the rich history and stories from Green Pastures. In addition to these monuments, the Green Pastures project also made improvements to the existing trail and historic picnic shelter on site.