George Washington Carver State Park facts for kids
George Washington Carver State Park was a special place in Georgia. It was a state park, which means it was a protected area managed by the state government. This park was open from 1950 to 1975.
After 1975, it became a county park, managed by Bartow County. Today, it is known as Bartow Carver Park.
The park was located near Red Top Mountain, right by Lake Allatoona. Red Top Mountain gets its name from its soil, which is a rich red color. This color comes from a lot of iron in the ground. The park helped protect the area's history. It also helped the local economy in Bartow County.
Park History
In 1950, a man named John Loyd Atkinson Sr. helped create George Washington Carver State Park. He was from Atlanta and had been a Tuskegee Airman. This park was the only state park in Georgia ever named after an African American.
Atkinson had rented 345 acres (about 1.4 square kilometers) of land next to Red Top Mountain Park. He wanted to build a private resort for Black families, similar to American Beach in Florida.
The governor at the time, Herman Talmadge, helped set up the park. It was next to Red Top Mountain State Park but was run separately. John Loyd Atkinson Sr. became the park's first superintendent. He was the first African-American park manager in Georgia. He worked there from 1950 to 1958.
After him, James Clarence Benham became the park manager. He was the father of Georgia Supreme Court Justice Robert Benham. James Benham managed the park for three years.
