Lake Wylie Park

Last updated
Lake Wylie Park
Lake Wylie Park
Location Steele Creek, North Carolina
Coordinates 35°08′45″N81°01′07″W / 35.1459°N 81.0185°W / 35.1459; -81.0185
Area68 acres (28 ha) [1]
Opened1967 (1967)
Closed1974 (1974) [2]
Administered by Mecklenburg County, North Carolina Parks and Recreation
Water Lake Wylie

Lake Wylie Park was a Mecklenburg Parks and Recreation-operated park on the shores of Lake Wylie in Steele Creek, North Carolina. The park offered boat access, swimming, picnic space and overnight camping. It was closed in 1974 and replaced with McDowell Park, now McDowell Nature Preserve.

History


The park, Mecklenburg County's first, [3] originated with a 1964 agreement with Duke Power to lease land to the county for $1 a year for the development of a park. [4] Local youth developed the land, clearing trees and constructing park facilities, as part of a work program funded with a $137,000 grant (equivalent to $1,286,535in 2023) from the United States Department of Labor. [5] The park opened in 1967 and was an initial success with 135,000 visitors in its first year. [6]

The park's popularity also brought disorder. All-night drunken parties left the park covered in glass and garbage, pushing the county to send a daily work crew sourced from the county jail to clean up. [7] Swimming in Lake Wylie on the park's beaches was banned mid-1973 after six drowning deaths in the 1972 and 1973 seasons. [8]

In 1971, Duke Power asked the county to close the park as it wanted to use the land in its nascent Carowinds amusement park. As part of the deal Duke offered to move the park to a new location also owned by Duke and along Lake Wylie. [9] Lake Wylie Park was officially closed at the end of the 1974 season. [2] The county purchased the land for the replacement park from Duke in 1974, developed it into McDowell Park (the nucleus of today's McDowell Nature Preserve) and opened it to the public in 1976. [10]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Charlotte, North Carolina</span> Most populous city in North Carolina, United States

Charlotte is the most populous city in the U.S. state of North Carolina and the county seat of Mecklenburg County. The population was 874,579 at the 2020 census, making Charlotte the 15th-most populous city in the United States, the seventh-most populous city in the South, and the second-most populous city in the Southeast behind Jacksonville, Florida. Charlotte is the cultural, economic, and transportation center of the Charlotte metropolitan area, whose estimated 2023 population of 2,805,115 ranked 22nd in the United States. The Charlotte metropolitan area is part of an 18-county market region and combined statistical area with an estimated population of 3,387,115 as of 2023.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mecklenburg County, North Carolina</span> County in North Carolina, United States

Mecklenburg County is a county located in the southwestern region of the U.S. state of North Carolina, in the United States. As of the 2020 census, the population was 1,115,482, making it the second-most populous county in North Carolina, and the first county in the Carolinas to surpass one million in population. Its county seat is Charlotte, the state's largest municipality.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lake James State Park</span> State park in Burke and McDowell Counties, North Carolina

Lake James State Park is a North Carolina state park in Burke and McDowell counties, North Carolina in the United States. Located near Nebo, North Carolina, it covers 3,743 acres (15.15 km2) and borders 6,510-acre (26 km2) Lake James.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Catawba River</span> River in North Carolina and South Carolina, United States

The Catawba River is a major river located in the Southeastern United States. It originates in Western North Carolina and flows into South Carolina, where it later becomes known as the Wateree River. The river is approximately 220 miles (350 km) long. It rises in the Appalachian Mountains and drains into the Piedmont, where it has been impounded through a series of reservoirs for flood control and generation of hydroelectricity. The river is named after the Catawba tribe of Native Americans, which lives on its banks. In their language, they call themselves "yeh is-WAH h’reh", meaning "people of the river."

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lake Wylie</span> Man-made lake in North Carolina and South Carolina, United States

Lake Wylie is a reservoir or man-made lake in the U.S. states of South Carolina and North Carolina. The lake has a surface area of 13,400 acres (54 km2) 20.9 square miles (54 km2) and features 325 miles (523 km) of shoreline.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lake Norman</span> Man-made lake in North Carolina, United States

Lake Norman is an artificial fresh water lake in southwest North Carolina. The largest lake in the state, it was created between 1959 and 1964 as part of the construction of the Cowans Ford Dam by Duke Energy. Located in Iredell County, 15 miles north of Charlotte, Lake Norman State Park boasts the region's popular mountain biking trail system.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Duke Energy</span> American electrical power and natural gas company

Duke Energy Corporation is an American electric power and natural gas holding company headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina. The company ranked as the 141st largest company in the United States in 2024 – its highest-ever placement on the Fortune 500 list.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools</span> School district for Charlotte and Mecklenburg County, North Carolina

Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools is a local education agency headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina and is the public school system for Mecklenburg County. With over 147,000 students enrolled, it is the second-largest school district in North Carolina and the eighteenth-largest in the nation. The system is best known nationally for its role as the respondent in the landmark 1971 Supreme Court decision Swann v. Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lake Keowee</span> Man-made lake in South Carolina, United States

Lake Keowee is a man-made reservoir in the United States in the state of South Carolina. It was developed to serve the needs of power utility Duke Energy and public recreational purposes. It is approximately 26 miles (42 km) long, 3 miles (4.8 km) wide, with an average depth of 54 feet (16 m), and a shoreline measured at 300 miles (480 km) in total, and is approximately 800 feet (240 m) above sea level.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mountain Island Lake</span> Lake in North Carolina, United States

Mountain Island Lake is a lake northwest of Charlotte, North Carolina created in 1924 to coincide with the building of Mountain Island Hydroelectric Station. It is named after the mountain which appears as an island in the lake, and the surrounding area is identified by the lake's name. The shape of the lake follows the meander of the Catawba River's course, dammed near the Mount Holly Wastewater Plant. Full pond elevation is approximately 647.5 feet (197 m). The lake has around 3,281 acres (13 km2) of surface area and 61 miles (98 km) of shoreline.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lake James</span> Reservoir in North Carolina, United States

Lake James is a large reservoir in the mountains of Western North Carolina which straddles the border between Burke and McDowell Counties. It is named for tobacco tycoon and benefactor of Duke University James Buchanan Duke. The lake, with surface elevation of 1200 ft, lies behind a series of 4 earthen dams. It was created by Duke Power between 1916 and 1923 as a hydro-electric project. It still generates power today and is the uppermost lake on the Catawba River system.

The Mint Museum, also referred to as The Mint Museums, is a cultural institution comprising two museums, located in Charlotte, North Carolina. The Mint Museum Randolph and Mint Museum Uptown, together these two locations have hundreds of collections showcasing art and design from around the globe.

Steele Creek is primarily considered to be a community and neighborhood in the southwestern part of Mecklenburg County in North Carolina. It is generally defined geographically by the original boundaries of Steele Creek Township. Most of Steele Creek is within the city limits of Charlotte but the areas that have not yet been annexed are also recognized as a Township of North Carolina.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Buster Boyd Bridge</span> Bridge between South and North Carolina

The Buster Boyd Bridge is a four-lane automobile bridge spanning the Catawba River/Lake Wylie between Lake Wylie, York County, South Carolina and Steele Creek, Mecklenburg County, North Carolina. The bridge carries/connects SC 49 and NC 49, which is utilized by mostly local traffic. A sidewalk, along the east facing side of the bridge, provides pedestrian access.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Freedom Park (Charlotte, North Carolina)</span>

Freedom Park is a 98-acre park in Charlotte, North Carolina. Located at 1900 East Boulevard, between Charlotte's historic Dilworth and Myers Park neighborhoods, the park is centered on a 7-acre lake, and is about 3 miles (4.8 km) from the heart of Charlotte's downtown area.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Steele Creek Presbyterian Church and Cemetery</span> Historic site in Mecklenburg County, North Carolina, US

Steele Creek Presbyterian Church and Cemetery is a historic Presbyterian church complex and national historic district located near Charlotte, Mecklenburg County, North Carolina. The church was founded in 1760 and the current sanctuary was built in 1889, and is a rectangular, Gothic Revival-style brick building. It is five bays wide and six bays deep, and has pointed-arched sash windows, shallow buttresses, and steeply pitched roof parapet. The cemetery contains approximately 1,700 headstones, with the oldest dating to 1763.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Little Sugar Creek Greenway</span> Park and stream restoration project

Little Sugar Creek Greenway is a linear park and stream restoration project in Mecklenburg County, North Carolina. When completed it will consist of twenty miles of trails and paved walkways running from Cordelia Park just north of uptown Charlotte, then south through midtown Charlotte, and continuing all the way to the South Carolina state line. The Little Sugar Creek Greenway is a key part of the Cross Charlotte Trail (XCLT) and a segment in the Carolina Thread Trail, a regionwide network of trails that pass through 15 counties.

Legal forms of gambling in the U.S. state of North Carolina include the North Carolina Education Lottery, three Indian casinos, charitable bingo and raffles, and low-stakes "beach bingo". North Carolina has long resisted expansion of gambling, owing to its conservative Bible Belt culture.

The Fonta Flora State Trail is a unit of the North Carolina state park system in Buncombe, McDowell, and Burke Counties, North Carolina, in the United States, and it consists of 90 acres (36 ha) of conservation land and 19 miles (31 km) designated multi-use trail. The State Trail is planned as a continuous route for hikers and cyclists from Asheville to Morganton, with a loop around Lake James. The trail is a collaboration between local governments, local land conservancies the US Forest Service, and the state, with development coordinated by the North Carolina Division of Parks and Recreation (NCDPR).

McDowell Nature Preserve, formerly known as McDowell Park, is a city park and nature preserve in southwestern Charlotte, North Carolina on the shores of Lake Wylie. The park features forested hiking trails, rental campsites, fishing, boat access and a nature center.

References

  1. ↑ "Lake Wylie Park Plans To Be Aired". Charlotte Observer . 1964-09-29. Retrieved 2024-02-02.
  2. 1 2 "New Park Will Be Open By July". Charlotte Observer . 1975-05-17. Retrieved 2025-02-02.
  3. ↑ Canfield, Marsha (1968-08-22). "Martin Asks Law For Park Funds". Charlotte Observer . Retrieved 2025-02-01.
  4. ↑ "County Will Get Lake Wylie Park". Charlotte Observer . 1964-01-15. Retrieved 2025-02-02.
  5. ↑ Hummerstone, Robert (1966-04-10). "Job Opportunity For Teens Cited". Charlotte Observer . Retrieved 2025-02-02.
  6. ↑ Canfield, Marsha (1968-04-30). "Lake Park To Get Face-Lifting Before Fun Begins". Charlotte Observer . Retrieved 2025-02-02.
  7. ↑ Canfield, Marsha (1968-06-11). "Prisoners To Clean Park". Charlotte Observer . Retrieved 2025-02-02.
  8. ↑ Duncan, Dean (1973-07-28). "Lake Wylie Park Swimming Banned". Charlotte Observer . Retrieved 2025-02-02.
  9. ↑ Eichel, Henry (1971-07-13). "Move Lake Wylie Park?". Charlotte Observer . Retrieved 2025-02-02.
  10. ↑ Hands, Susan V. (1976-10-21). "McDowell Park At Last Has An Opening Date: Oct. 29". Charlotte Observer . Retrieved 2025-02-01.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.