Duncan Park Lake – Spartanburg SC

City:
Spartanburg, SC

Site Type:
Parks and Recreation, Lakes and Ponds

New Deal Agencies:
Work Relief Programs, Works Progress Administration (WPA)

Started:
1935

Completed:
1937

Quality of Information:
Very Good

Marked:
Yes

Site Survival:
Extant

Description

On 3 September 1935, the city of Spartanburg signed a contract with the Works Project Administration (WPA) to building Duncan Park Lake. The city furnished equipment in the amount of $14,720. A second contract at the same time provided for the construction of the American Legion Memorial Building atop a knoll known then as “University Hill.” The Duncan family donors believed in the philosophy of New York’s Central Park designer Frederick Law Olmstead who said, “Where building begins, the park ends.” In the 1923 contract with the city, the donors specified that the land could be used only as a park and playground, except for that elevation (University Hill) where public buildings or a school might be located.

Source notes

https://www.cityofspartanburg.org/neighborhoods/duncan-park

https://www.al28sc.org/2016%20Post%2028%20Baseball%20Program%203%20July,%202016.pdf

American legion Post 28: https://www.sciway.net/sc-photos/spartanburg-county/american-legion-post-28.html

Site originally submitted by Christy Mcwhorter on June 30, 2017.
Additional contributions by Ernest Everett Blevins, January 11, 2018.

Location Info


Duncan Park Lake
Spartanburg, SC 29302
Spartanburg County

Location notes: Duncan Park is off of Union Street, where North and West Park Streets diverge soon after turning off Union. Following West Park, one passes the 1920s baseball stadium and the American Legion building with the Spartanburg County Confederate Monument standing at the entrance. Further down, the road curves over the dam and spillway, eventually looping back to North Park.

Coordinates: 34.928798739137015, -81.91097310052487

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