The Shadow
CLIFTON FORGE, Va. (VR) – On June 15, 2025, 85 years to the day after its official opening, a celebration of the past, present and future of Green Pastures Recreation Area will be held at the park. Located in Clifton Forge, Green Pastures is maintained and operated by the Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation as a satellite of Douthat State Park.
When the National Forest Service and local citizens officially opened Green Pastures on June 15, 1940, it was the only national forest park in Virginia designated for African American use, and perhaps the only such park in America.
The park was built by the Depression-era Civilian Conservation Corps at the height of the Jim Crow era, in response to requests from Reverend Hugo Austin and the local NAACP for a park where African Americans could gather. According to public historian Josh Howard, “At its peak in the early 1950s, Green Pastures attracted in excess of 1,800 visitors a day.”
“Green Pastures at 85: Honoring the Past, Celebrating the Future” will be held on Sunday, June 15, from 3 to 6 p.m., and will include readings, demonstrations and light refreshments in a picnic-style atmosphere. Guests can also enjoy live music from Bishop Isaiah Freeman of New Dimensions Christian Fellowship and the Green Pastures Praise Team.
This special event and other projects at Green Pastures were made possible through a Monuments Across Appalachian Virginia grant. Administered by the Town of Clifton Forge and overseen by the Green Pastures Advisory Group, the grant is funding the restoration of the historic CCC-built pavilion and the creation of a seven-marker interpretive walking trail with adjoining memorial benches and picnic tables. Models of the signs will be on display on June 15.
A children’s book explaining and illustrating the history of Green Pastures was also supported by the grant and will be available for purchase at the event. Also available will be the “What’s Your Story?” oral history book, “Green Pastures at Longdale: Family, Memory, Renewal.”
Green Pastures is located at 201 Green Pastures Trail, Clifton Forge, Virginia 24422. It’s open to the public from the first Friday in May through the last Friday in October. To learn more about Green Pastures or the special event on June 15, please go to www.virginiastateparks.gov/green-pastures or call 540-862-8114.
