Hard Labor Creek State Park facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
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Hard Labor Creek State Park
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![]() Lake Rutledge, Hard Labor Creek State Park, October 2007
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Nearest city | Rutledge, Georgia |
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Area | 5,804 acres (2,349 ha) |
Built | 1934 |
Architectural style | Rustic |
NRHP reference No. | 13000107 |
Added to NRHP | March 27, 2013 |
Hard Labor Creek State Park is a huge park in Georgia, covering about 5,804 acres. It's located between the towns of Bostwick and Rutledge.
The park gets its name from Hard Labor Creek, a small stream that flows through the area. People say the creek was named either because of the hard work done by enslaved people in the summer fields, or because Native Americans found it very tough to cross the stream.
Today, the park is a fun place for many activities. It has an 18-hole public golf course where you can play a round. The golf course also has a shop, a driving range to practice your swing, and even golf cart rentals. Rocky Creek adds to the challenge on the course, with water hazards like the cool water wheel on the 14th hole.
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About the Park
Hard Labor Creek State Park is open all the time, 24 hours a day! You can drive through it on paved roads. It's home to two big group camps: Camp Rutledge and Camp Daniel Morgan. Both of these camps are located near the 275-acre Lake Rutledge.
There's also a second lake in the park called Lake Brantley. This lake was named after a family who were killed by Native Americans way back in 1813. Both the camps and the lakes were built a long time ago in the 1930s by a group called the Civilian Conservation Corps.
Movies and More at Camp Daniel Morgan
Camp Daniel Morgan is famous because it has been used as a filming location for four movies!
- Summer of My German Soldier (1978)
- Little Darlings (1980)
- Poison Ivy (1985)
- Friday the 13th Part VI: Jason Lives (1986)
The actress Kristy McNichol starred in the first two movies filmed here. Another famous actress, Cynthia Nixon, who played "Sunshine" in Little Darlings, came back to the nearby town of Rutledge, Georgia in 2005. She filmed a part in the movie Warm Springs there and was even nominated for an Emmy Award for her role!
Camp Rutledge Activities
Camp Rutledge is a popular spot for summer camps. For many years, it has hosted a summer camp for the young people of Peachtree Presbyterian Church from Atlanta, Georgia. This church is the largest Presbyterian Church (USA) in the United States. Youth from Roswell Presbyterian Church also use Camp Rutledge.
From the 1950s up until 1962, the Atlanta Jewish Community Center also leased Camp Rutledge for its summer camp program. This camp served Jewish youth from the Atlanta area and other parts of the southern United States.
Hard Labor Creek Observatory
Did you know there's an observatory at Hard Labor Creek State Park? It's called the Hard Labor Creek Observatory and it belongs to Georgia State University in Atlanta. This is a place where scientists and students can study the stars and planets!
Ghost Hunters Visit
The Camp Rutledge facilities were even checked out by the TAPS Ghost Hunters team! They visited to see if the camp and the forest around it might be haunted by nature spirits.