Orange Co. reopens regional park Friday. Here’s what you can do at Blackwood Farm.
A regional park imagined 22 years ago will officially reopen to the public Friday with a focus on Orange County’s rural history and plenty of room to roam.
Blackwood Farm Park, 152 acres at N.C. 86 and New Hope Church Road near Hillsborough, will officially open to the public at 11 a.m. Friday, the county announced this week. The Orange County commissioners are expected to attend the opening ceremony.
The park, which first opened in 2015, closed in 2021 for a $2.8 million renovation, including improvements to its entrance on N.C. 86 and repairs to the historic Strayhorn-Blackwood farmhouse, built in 1827, and the barn, smokehouse and corn crib.
The work is the second phase of a master plan to preserve the natural and cultural heritage of the centuries-old Orange County farm. Originally scheduled to reopen in 2022, it was delayed by post-pandemic supply chain issues.
Future phases will add a learning center and a 32-acre disc golf course.
History of the land, its people
The land at 4215 N.C. 86 South was home for thousands of years to Native Americans from the Occaneechi, Sissipahaw and other Siouan tribes.
In 1778, it was settled by a Quaker farmer, who lived there until he and others opposed to slavery moved to Indiana in 1817, according to county records. At least 34 enslaved people who worked for the new owners, Samuel Strayhorn and his wife Mary Moore, are buried in a small cemetery preserved at the park.
The farm was sold in 1906 to Herbert Blackwood and his wife, Alice Kirkland, whose family repaired and expanded the house, which was “nearly rotten & gone,” county officials said. They raised dairy cows, corn, wheat, cotton, and potatoes.
Orange County bought the land in 2001 from Nannie and Mary Blackwood through its Lands Legacy Program. The program, created in 2000, has leveraged local and state dollars to preserve roughly 3,000 acres countywide, including for parks and habitat conservation.
The county commissioners adopted a master plan in 2011 for a low-impact park at Blackwood Farm. It opened four years later with hiking trails and open spaces but no park amenities or restrooms.
What can I do at the park?
The park, open daily from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., features:
▪ Four miles of hiking trails and an interactive educational trail. Dogs are allowed on leash.
▪ A pond with fishing access. The park does not allow boats. A valid fishing license is required for park visitors age 16 and older, and only artificial bait can be used.
▪ Picnic shelters. The largest shelter doubles as an extra sound stage. Shelters can be rented online or at the county parks office, 1020 U.S. 70 West, Hillsborough. The cost to rent a shelter is $25 to $40 for county residents, and $30 to $45 for non-residents.
▪ Acres of open fields and woodlands, with an active wildlife population and many native plants
▪ A covered amphitheater that is available for rent and for public events, including festivals.
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