What started as an idea 16 years ago and 600 acres later has now become the beginning of a new state park in Henry County.
“We’re looking forward to what we’re going to be able to do out here,” said Park Manager Adam Layman of the new Mayo River State Park. “We have plans by springtime to have five miles of hiking and biking trails available, interpretative signs along the Mayo River to describe the history of this property and the cultural and natural resources that come along with it.
“We’ve been way too long getting people out here, and we know the community is going to enjoy this.”
The property begins at 823 Pratt Road in Spencer, just off of Moores Mill Road, a 25-minute drive from Martinsville and not far from the North Carolina line.
The South Mayo River winds through Henry County and across the state line where it joins the North Mayo River with North Carolina’s Mayo River State Park on either side of the conjoined rivers.
People are also reading…
Layman said his staff at Fairystone State Park has been instrumental in helping to bring the Mayo River project online while continuing their work maintaining Henry County’s other state park that’s been a source of entertainment and outdoor pleasure for people for the past 86 years.
The Mayo River State Park was created in North Carolina by the North Carolina General Assembly as authorized by the Department of Natural Resources in 2003, to be along the Mayo River as a unit of the North Carolina park system, said Virginia Program Manager for the Dan River Basin Association Brian Williams.
“The river corridor for their park has been expanded, and they have a new master plan and they are continuing to add to it. So this is ongoing, and it’s just two miles down from us,” Williams said.
The Dan River Basin Association (DRBA) first proposed the Mayo River State Park in Virginia in 2006 and has invested time and energy into the project including field investigation, identifying property owners in the study area, leading river evaluations and sharing information about the area’s historic and natural resources.
Future plans include river access for paddling and fishing, camping areas and facilities for nature study.
Initial funding for the project was made possible by the Eco Ambassador Council (EAC), a group of businesses committed to projects like the Mayo River State Park. Current members include Blair Construction, Carter Bank & Trust, Clark Gas & Oil, Frith Construction, The Lester Group, Hooker Furniture and Jones and DeShon Orthodontics.
The new park is located in the Horsepasture District of Henry County and has been a pet project of the district’s longtime supervisor Debra Buchanan.
“It started back in 2005, and I know by 2007 it was a vision that we had because in Henry County, particularly the Horsepasture District, it’s beautiful out here. It’s rural but it’s beautiful, and the Mayo River just adds to it, and having an additional park here for people to enjoy, it was something we imagined, but we only hoped and of course the state had to get involved,” said Buchanan. “So we’re hoping that in the years to come that the state will see the need and the importance of the beauty here in Horsepasture and will invest in our community.”
Henry County Administrator Tim Hall was at the ground-breaking ceremony Wednesday morning watching come to fruition a project that began under the leadership of his predecessor, former Henry County Administrator Benny Summerlin, who died in 2012 of cancer at the age of 53.
“it’s just another amenity that allows us to use what God gave us,” Hall said. “It’s beautiful and a lot of work by the private sector and folks who are passionate about this.
“It’s just a great day and a great project and the potential for growth is just off the charts.”