Juneteenth Event To Honor History of Virginia’s Segregated Lakes

FARMVILLE

Twin Lakes Park in Central Virginia will come alive for Juneteenth on Saturday, June 17th (10 a.m.-3 p.m.) with music, food, guest speakers and more to celebrate freedom. 

Twin Lakes Park is the site of historic Prince Edward Lake and Goodwin Lake (near Farmville) which was once segregated during the “Jim Crow” era. 

Both Prince Edward and Goodwin Lake dams were built by the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) in the late 1930s. The CCC company that built the dams employed only young Black men aged 17-28.

At first, each lake operated as a segregated State Recreation Area – Prince Edward served Black visitors while Goodwin Lake served Whites. Eventually, each lake graduated to Virginia State Park status.

The Civil Rights Act of 1964 legally ended segregation, but visitors continued to frequent whichever park was familiar to them.

In 1976, Prince Edward State Park and Goodwin Lake State Park merged to become Prince Edward- Goodwin Lake State Park. In 1986, the park was renamed Twin Lakes.

Photos from the park’s heyday will be on display, and those who have memories of the lake are invited to share the occasion.

Events scheduled include the following:

• A ceremony honoring 98-year-old CCC 1390th member Rev. John Henry Brown (Charlotte County)

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• Documentary premiere spotlighting the lake’s facility Company 1390 at Camp Gallion, one of only a few Black Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) in Virginia

• “Forever Free” – Presentation by Virginia State University professor, L. Roi Boyd, lll

The “Juba Juba Jubilee, We are Now Free!” theme has an outstanding line-up of performers in entertainment scheduled with music, delicious food and a host of churches and community organizations.