Hungry Mother State Park

Hungry Mother State Park Historic District
U.S. National Register of Historic Places
U.S. Historic district
Virginia Landmarks Register
A lake in the Park
Location of Hungry Mother State Park Show map of Virginia Hungry Mother State Park (the United States) Show map of the United States
Nearest city	Marion, Virginia
Coordinates	36°52′52″N81°32′05″W / 36.88111°N 81.53472°W / 36.88111; -81.53472
Area	3,334 acres (1,349 ha)
Built	1933
Architect	Myers, E.L.; et al.
Architectural style	Late 19th and early 20th century American movements, modern movement
NRHP reference No.	07000303 [1]
VLR No.	086-0015
Significant dates
Added to NRHP	April 12, 2007
Designated VLR	June 8, 2006 [2]

Hungry Mother State Park is a state park in southwestern Virginia. The park's main feature is a 108-acre lake with a sandy beach. ^[3] Opened in June 1936, Hungry Mother State Park is one of the six original Virginia state parks built by the Civilian Conservation Corps in the early-mid 1930s.

History

Much of the land for Hungry Mother State Park was donated by local landowners to develop a new state park in Smyth County on Hungry Mother Creek. The original grounds, trails and campsites of the park were built CCC, like the other five Virginia state parks that opened on 15 June 1936. Governor George C. Peery attended the opening ceremonies on June 15th at Hungry Mother, giving a speech about the benefits of the new state park system ^[4] .

The park was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2007.

Origins of name

It has frequently been noted on lists of unusual place names. ^[5] A legend states ^[6] that when the Native Americans destroyed several settlements on the New River south of the park, Molly Marley and her small child were among the survivors taken to the raiders’ base north of the park. They eventually escaped, wandering through the wilderness eating berries. Molly finally collapsed, and her child wandered down a creek. Upon finding help, the only words the child could utter were "Hungry Mother." When the search party arrived at the foot of the mountain where Molly had collapsed, they found the child's mother dead. Today, that mountain is Molly's Knob (3,270 feet), and the stream is Hungry Mother Creek.

See also

• List of Virginia state parks

References

1. "National Register Information System – (#07000303)". National Register of Historic Places . National Park Service. March 13, 2009.
2. "086-0015 Hungry Mother State Park Historic District". Virginia Landmarks Register . Virginia Department of Historic Resources. October 12, 2018. Retrieved December 26, 2019.
3. "Hungry Mother State Park". www.dcr.virginia.gov. Retrieved April 1, 2025.
4. Sturgil, Mack H. (1986). Hungry Mother: History and Legends. Marion: Tucker Printing. pp. 90–91.
5. Parker, Quentin (July 18, 2010). Welcome to Horneytown, North Carolina, Population: 15: An insider's guide to 201 of the world's weirdest and wildest places. Adams Media. ISBN   9781440507397.
6. "National Register of Historic Places Nomination Form: Hungry Mother State Park Historic District" (PDF). Virginia Landmarks Register . Virginia Department of Historic Resources. February 26, 2007.

External links

• Hungry Mother Official Site
• Hemlock Haven Official Site