Douthat State Park
Douthat State Park is nestled between the counties of Alleghany and Bath in the
Highlands of Virginia. Douthat was the first state park planned in Virginia and one of the
first of six parks constructed in the Old Dominion. The land for the park was donated by
a coalition of businessmen out of Clifton Forge, Virginia. The group was known as the
Douthat Land Company, which was named after Robert Douthat, the park’s earliest legal
owner. The company donated the initial 1,920 acres of land to the state and the plan for a
state park in the Highlands began to unfold. During the time the park’s plan was being
prepared for development our nations thirty-second president, Franklin D. Roosevelt, was
constructing his own plan. His plan was called the New Deal and this plan was a method
to pull the United States out of the Great Depression. Within the framework of the New
Deal, President Roosevelt created a group called the Civilian Conservation Corps, CCC.
This group was devised of young men from the northeastern region of the United States
and they were sent to various parts of the nation to help build and aid in conservation
works. The CCC worked on relief programs, restoration projects, and state park
construction. The CCC made their way to the Highlands and on June 15, 1933
construction on the park began. After construction was completed, the park became one
of the most beautiful vacation spots in the mountains of the Commonwealth. However,
Douthat’s rich beauty and wildlife was not the park’s only attraction. The park’s history
was also quite an attractive aspect for the community and a certain historian. The
historian that became intrigued by Douthat’s antiquity wrote a historical review of the
park’s past entitled, Douthat State Park, Virginia. However, Douthat’s only historian
remains unidentified. He or she, most likely believed to be a male as informed by
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Douthat’s head park ranger, dug deep into the park’s archives to create the only known
literary history of the park. Within the historical review the unknown author provides
both a clear history of the park and a very positive outlook on the parks beauty.
Therefore, this research paper will provide a history of Douthat State Park and the park’s
connection to the unknown author’s historical review. Nevertheless, the research paper
will not only analyze Douthat’s history, in relation to the historical review, but will also
examine how the relationship between the author and the park helped to construct some
significance for the park.
Following the author’s introduction he says, “The early history of the park is very
closely connected with the history of the Valley of Virginia and the counties of Bath and
Alleghany.”(Anonymous 1) Douthat’s theme today is “In the Middle of Everything”
because of the park’s position in the Valley, which lies on the boarder of both Alleghany
and Bath. The history of the park also began in the middle of everything because in the
first quarter of the eighteenth century explorers from the tidewater region, near the James
Town settlement, ventured west to the headwaters of the James River. The headwaters of
the James River are made up of both the Cowpasture and Jackson rivers. These rivers
flow around the park and while those early explorers observed the mouth of the James
River they continued their travel farther west only to discover the land that makes up the
park today. By the year 1727, there was a petition sent by several men, quite possibly the
Tidewater explorers, to the colonial government requesting permission to settle the park’s
territory. However, the government did not grant the men’s petition, but in 1748 a thirtythousand-acre land grant was approved for the area. More pioneers joined the families
and they accepted the government’s grant soon after; and in 1752 the area’s first church
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was organized, which lied closer to the Cowpasture River in the park. After several years
of pioneering the area the park’s land would possess its first legal owner in 1795. “The
Legislature, under the hand of Governor Robert Brooke, granted Robert Douthat, the
park’s namesake, a tract of one hundred and two thousand acres in exchange for six
treasure warrants held by him.”(Anonymous 2) However, after several years Robert
Douthat passed away and the land was handed down to James Wilson, who is the
namesake of the Wilson Creek that runs through the park. The park then changed hands
quite a few more times until the Douthat Land Company of Clifton Forge obtained the
region.
Douthat did in fact possess several owners that contributed to the park’s history,
however, some of the park’s other residents play a distinct role historically. The
Tidewater explorers may have discovered the park and Robert Douthat owned the park
legally, but Native Americans were some of the park’s most avid travelers. There was
some doubt that the Native American tribes, such as the Monacan and Powhatan, actually
settled in the park because the more habitable area lied on the nearby Cowpasture.
However, there is evidence that the Indians used the park for a strategic position in battle
and hunting. The author also believes that the Indians used a flint quarry for a
rendezvous point in the park. The quarry also has a connection to the raids these Indians
had on the closely located Fort Dickenson in 1756 and 1757. The fort was positioned on
the opposite side of Beard’s Mountain, which lies in the park. “The approach of the
Indians was first known by cattle running toward the fort with arrows sticking in their
backs.”(Anonymous 8) Strategically, the quarry was conveniently positioned on the
other side of the Mountain and this was what enabled the Indian’s to successfully raid the
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fort. A ceremonial cairn was located several miles southeast of the quarry, which is a
memorial built of stones. This particular cairn also contributes to Douthat’s history
because when the park’s local Indians went to battle they would toss the stones into a pile
and when they returned from battle they would remove some of the stones. However, the
number of stones that were left in the pile symbolized the fallen members in battle.
Indian tribes in the Douthat region were also believed to have built these cairns purely for
luck on a journey or a hunt. The park has also had many Native American artifacts
recovered in the area. Numerous hammer stones and arrowheads have been found that
were constructed from purplish sandstone. Through artifacts and other evidence, the
Native Americans contributed quite a significant role to Douthat’s history.
Native American travels and exploration in the area was obviously avid, however,
the park may have also seen the footsteps of our country’s founding father. In 1756,
George Washington is believed to have crossed the park on his way to inspect Fort
Dickerson and other forts located in the area. After inspecting the forts that surround the
Alleghany Highlands, Washington declared all the forts were not in the proper condition
for defense and becoming unsatisfied, he made his way back east with a group of
irregulars. Though historians lack written proof that Washington crossed the park, one
cannot ignore that the easiest route to Fort Dickerson was Beard’s Mountain. Despite the
fact that written evidence does not exist, traditions and beliefs like this create a historical
myth from the park’s past and adds some significance to the park’s future.
Following the American Revolution and the birth of the United States the park
changed ownership several more times. However, very little was documented in the
early 1800s about the park’s owners. What can be deciphered is that a group of
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Canadians occupied the park after James Wilson and then the land changed hands to a
group from Philadelphia. The owners of the park in the early 1800s were the
Hansbargers, but there is still very little known about them. Nevertheless, the park’s
ownership was again documented, but not until several years before the Civil War. The
family that obtained the park several years before the war was the Deeds family. William
Deeds was the first member of the family to become owner and settle the land. The
Deeds original home sat only several feet from where the lower end of the lake presently
lies. Ironically, over one hundred and fifty years later the Deeds family continues to
reside roughly ten miles outside of the park. The original Deeds homestead was located
at the bottom of the lake and the house was a “large double leg structure and near it was
the old family burial ground.”(Anonymous 12) When the Civilian Conservation Corps
were constructing the dam at the lower end of the lake they found many iron tools and
objects owned by the Deeds and the park has had these relics on display in the past.
However, the CCC did not come across any of the Deeds’ family remains because those
corpses had been moved to a chapel near the current Deeds’ homes. Although the park
has changed hands several times since William Deeds walked the land, one cannot deny
the amazement of how the Deeds family remained settled within a ten mile radius for
over one hundred and fifty years. The Deeds family has also been quite a contributor to
the history of the park.
In addition to the Deeds family staking their claim near the time of the Civil War
some war veterans tried to stake their own claim in the park. Following very closely after
the war, likely to have been between late 1865 and early 1866, some veterans who were
still outfitted in their uniforms chose a site within a few miles of the park to explore.
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However, these veterans did not have the same exploration motives as the gentleman
from Tidewater had in the early 1700s. The veterans were on a quest for gold! The men
left their residences early one morning with drilling equipment, food, and a five-gallon
barrel of brandy. Amusingly enough, “they made a solemn compact not to tap the keg
until gold was struck.”(Anonymous 14) When the men reached the site in the park they
immediately began drilling. As the day dragged on the holes became deeper and the men
became thirstier because there was no gold to be found. One of the crewmembers had
taken more than he could stand, so when the others were not looking he pulled off one of
his coat’s brass buttons and quickly tossed the decoy into the drill hole. The next time
the veterans pulled the drill out of the ground they saw the brass button and the men
immediately thought that they had struck gold. The keg was tapped and the veterans
managed to get drunk rather than get a fortune. The veterans and other treasure hunters
have performed gold digs in Douthat for years because locals believed that the park had a
hidden gold mine with untouched veins. Weather the secret mine existed or not, gold has
yet to be struck in the park. However, since iron ore was an abundant element in the area
pyrite would have been likely to occur. When pyrite occurs with iron ore “fools gold” is
the product. Therefore, many treasure hunters at Douthat could have walked away with
nothing more than gold platted iron.
After the end of the Civil War and into the twentieth century the park’s owner
became the City of Clifton Forge. The city then turned the park over to the Douthat Land
Company and in 1933 plans began for the park’s construction. The Civilian
Conservation Corps and several members of the community began construction on the
park in June of 1933. From 1933 to 1942 an “estimated 600 men lived and worked at the
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three camps responsible for building Douthat's
facilities.”(http://www.dcr.state.va.us/parks/douthat.htm) The crew of the six-hundred
odd men “cleared trails, built a dam and spillway, cabins, a guest lodge, a restaurant, an
information center, superintendent's residence, swimming beach, picnic areas and
maintenance buildings.”(http://www.dcr.state.va.us/parks/douthat.htm) After
construction was complete Douthat became one of the most cherished gems of natural
beauty in the Old Dominion. The park has continued to flourish since construction was
completed in 1942 and the park now has numerous trails for hiking and biking. The park
currently holds a mountain bike invitational each year for children and adults of all ages.
The park also has a relatively large lake for boating, fishing, and swimming. Many
programs have also been developed for children and adults at the park. For this coming
summer the park has a reptile and nature arts and crafts class geared toward children and
on Friday nights adults may enjoy a moonlight canoe tour across Douthat’s lake. These
are just a couple of the activities the park has to offer the tourists and the community. In
addition to the summer programs, Douthat has also established programs geared for
safety and training. In an interview with Allen Dale Craft of the Forestry Service in
Alleghany County, Allen Dale spoke of his relationship with awareness programs at the
park. “ I have three programs a year at Douthat. I have fire prevention, which is geared
toward children, forest management, which is geared toward landowners, and I provide
fire classes for park employees.”(Craft 3) Douthat has continued to change and grow
over time, weather the changes were the ownership of the park or more programs
developed for tourists, Douthat’s history will remain valuable.
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The park’s history is quite lavish and cherished by many citizens in the
Highlands, but Douthat’s past also has a lot of significance to the historical review that
was written by the anonymous author. If the unknown author would have never taken the
time to research the park or take the time to set down and interview people for further
information about the park then the park’s most detailed historical document would have
never existed. If the author would have remained silent then people in the twenty-first
century may have never known that Native Americans or George Washington explored
the area. The park’s history was documented from the earliest explorer that touched
Douthat’s soil to those CCC workers that broke the soil when constructing the park and
the unknown author provides a document to connect the park’s history to the minds of
those interested in the park’s past.
The unknown author has no biographical writings and all one can know about the
author is that his or her historical document provides many generations of inquirers with
the history of the park. In many cases, history is lost for certain locations and areas, but
Douthat’s unknown historian’s relationship to the park provided readers with a detailed
archive about the park’s history and an essential account of the park’s beauty. The author
concludes his review by incorporating his experience in the park with the park’s natural
beauty when stating, “from some canoe that seems suspended between heaven and earth,
the soft caress of night breezes, a little silvery cloud far above the distant Alleghanys.
This is a picture of Douthat State Park.”(Anonymous 41) In conclusion, The historical
review provides a reader with the earliest and most detailed history of the park.
Nevertheless, The unknown author’s role for the park as a historian and nature lover is
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very significant because the author provides a clear, detailed, and written history of the
park for many generations to learn from, embrace, and cherish in the future.