Carvers Creek State Park, NC

Carvers Creek State Park – our 12th park! We promised to get up at 6 am and leave our respective houses at 6:30 am to meet up at the park at 8 am. By 6:45 Grackle finished feeding the chickens and ducks, while Goose called to say she hadn’t left yet. Still, one of the most timely starts. Grackle loads the picnic bag and the hiking day pack in the SUV, and the two hour drive begins. 

Great Egret (aka Greg) and Grackle stopped for Bojangles Cajun filet biscuits, which is probably how Goose beat Grackle to the park. Though she did have to turn around for her water bottle. We met up at the Long Valley Farm Access, at the Ranger Station. Grackle eyed the cool Gatorades in the fridge; Goose quickly spied the shirts. Two long sleeve shirts, one Collector’s edition medallion, and a hike recommendation later, we were now ready to roll. 

Gosling loves the hiking bag he rides in and Goose is a whizz at the snaps and buckles that keep him in. Shouldering the blue pack, Grackle’s good to go. Greg is handling the photography – this is looking like a smooth hike. 

Carvers Creek State Park, Rockefeller Loop Trail

We start down the Rockefeller Loop Trail, an almost straight line to the famed Long Valley Farm house. From here the trail guide baffles us – we sight an open pathway and some education signs. We accidentally made our way off trail around the Rockefeller House. To be fair, this is a nice lawn area and we examine the spring house and its exhibit plaque – we’re confident that we can’t read a map but we aren’t trespassing. We respect all ‘closed’ and ‘keep out’ signs and fences. We also passed by the Summer House Gazebo, which I don’t think either of us really noticed. It is a shade shelter in the shade of trees…

The jalousie windows remind us of Florida. It might not be a Florida thing, just a pre-air conditioning one? Turning our backs to the balcony we imagine what the lake view must’ve been like years ago. Coming around the house Grackle is chased by a bee, ruining Greg’s video. When something flies into your cheek, guessing which critter it was can be a challenge. Maybe we’ll put the video in a bloopers reel one day. 

Cutting the Rockefeller Loop Short

Instead of completing the 2 mile loop we come back across the straight leg. By this time Grackle is chatting about all of the fancy backpacks others hiked with. Air Force Veteran Goose points out that Fort Bragg, now Fort Liberty, is nearby and these “fancy” packs are rucksacks. Either way, looks like a great way to tuck away plenty of gear. Potential backpacking trip in the future? 

We met a nice gentleman on the way who marvels at Gosling’s sweet ride in the kid-carry-pack. Kidpack? CHILD CARRIER! It’s called a child carrier. Gosling’s in the hiking zone; he still manages a little fistbump. 

At the parking lot we decided no one was hungry enough for the picnic so we started the 20 minute drive to the Sandhill Access. The critical mistake here is that the picnic facilities at Sandhill aren’t like the ones at Long Valley Farm Access. As in, we don’t find any.

Wiregrass Loop Trail

We hit the parking lot, planning to hit the Wiregrass Loop Trail, a 1.4 mile, “easy” loop. Gosling stops for a cheese stick. And then we’re off. Standing at the start of the trailhead are several signs, one with the standard trail info, another with little booklets for kids, and then a navigation sign marking which way for different trails. 

The intended photo poise was Grackle and Goose pointing in the direction of the trail – Goose missed the briefing. It’s a photo of us pointing at each other. The first important thing we noticed is that while hiking the woods in William B. Umstead State Park feels like free AC, the woods of Carvers Creek DO NOT. We notice a few oddly shaped young trees, which we think might be the Longleaf Pine. 

Feeling the effects of being active without snacking we all stop for a quick bite. Turns out it’s been so long since our last trip that the nuts and dried fruit packs are slightly out of date. The warm weather morphs the colby cheese stick into a soft and floppy stick, which Gosling devours. 

Switching Packs

Now Gosling has taken to leaning backwards in the pack, fatiguing Goose. Grackle takes on the kid, Greg grabs the day pack. Gosling practices saying “blue” and pointing out the blue hexagon trail makers. For some reason we internalized that this trail is 1 mile. It’s 1.4 miles. The terrain is easy – today the pack isn’t. The weight distribution is stacked on the shoulders, not transferred to the hip belt, and adds to the fatigue. Grackle eventually fatigues and then Goose resumes the carry. Greg keeps the day pack. (P.S. Thank you!!) Usually it’s just Grackle and Goose – the extra set of shoulders is definitely welcome. 

Carvers Creek State Park and NC Bamboo?

We did come across another plant that sort of looks like bamboo. It couldn’t be though, could it? No luck on the park’s website. Grackle did see an article by Lisa Gould saying that bamboo can EXPLODE when burned. It mentioned that because of bamboo’s fast growth and ability to sequester carbon, there’s suggestions about using it to combat climate change. There’s a reference to how we once thought kudzu would solve our issues (erosion issues) and how that didn’t work. Maybe don’t plant invasive plants to solve problems … 

North Carolina does have three native bamboo species. Giant Cane which grows across the state, Switch Cane that’s in the piedmont and coastal plain, and Hill Cane, the short one that grows in mountain soils and on forested slopes. We don’t have a good enough picture to try and ask for an ID. 

We finished the loop and are now ready for lunch. With no picnic options in sight and some local parks closing soon we head back to the Long Valley Farm Access and picnic near the ranger station. Park #12 is in the books! 

Carvers Creek State Park History

**Note: When we pull direct quotes, we leave the wording intact. We don’t censor history, and views in quotes aren’t our views or opinions.**

Only 3% of the longleaf pine wiregrass ecosystem remains in the U.S. The “Sandhills Access” is part of the Sandhills region of North Carolina. Rare species include the red-cockaded woodpecker, and the Pine Barrens tree frog, the frog featured on the park’s medallion. Rain and fire are both important parts of this ecosystem’s health and they carry out prescribed burns at the park. 

On the Long Valley Farm Access side, this 1,420 acre farm belonged to Robert Wall Christian, a pioneer in cooperative cotton marketing. Christian built some structures, like the Spring House and the gazebo. You can see both the Spring House and gazebo today. We did and saw a giant spider in the Spring house. Several of the buildings are part of the National Register of Historic Places. 

Carvers Creek State Park: Long Valley Farm History

Before it was Long Valley Farm, the land was a part of a 13,000 acre turpentine and plantation. This was owned by the McDiarmid family, where the McDiarmid Millpond gets its namesake. After the passing of Daniel McDiarmid, the land changes hands several times, and is cleared for its timber. Cleared land and logging roads make for great hunting grounds and in 1906 the land became the Croatan Club of Manchester. 

In 1912, 363 acres, including the millpond, were split off and sold to Dr. Joseph P. Ewing. This piece will become the core of the Long Valley Farm. In 1914 its sold to Ewig’s brother-in-law, Robert Wall Christian. 

Carvers Creek State Park and R.W. Christian

Christian is a successful farmer, and a scientific one. He studied agricultural techniques like crop rotation, artificial fertilization, and artificial drainage. The Soil Survey of Cumberland County documents some of his experiments. Back in 1910, he and several others write a letter in the Southern Pines newspaper, warning Georgia farmers to ‘not put all their eggs in one basket’ and to diversify into crops other than cotton. The committee gives examples of how much income other crops can generate while improving the health of the soil and point out that the low pricing of “Negro cotton” endangers their financial safety and compromises the success of ‘the true farmer’. “Their course is unpatriotic, unwise, narrow and selfish” and “this type of farming and business minimizes the chances of the white man and makes tens of thousands poor indeed.” 

Long Valley Farm Gets a Name

In March 1916, Christian names his farm “Long Valley Farm”, isn’t daunted by high priced fertilizer, is said to have a gasoline tractor engine, and that he’s going to plant many acres of cotton. In April, there’s an invitation in the paper to see the tractor work and “Great troops of darkeys work and sing all the day long for Mr. R. W. Christian”. 

He is featured in the Fayetteville Observer, May 10, 1916, for having prominent visitors to the farm, and impressing them with the profitable large scale agriculture opportunities in Cumberland county. 

A Functional Farm

In 1917 the farm has cattle. Christian is elected Vice President of a farm association in 1918.. 

In 1919, there’s a report of the farm shipping 37 hogs at a price of $2,115 (in today’s money that’s $37,087). Despite labor “difficulties” Christian has 200 acres of cotton and 100 acres of corn, and started harvesting 100 acres of small grain.  

In September 1922, a Rotary Barbecue was held at Long Valley Farm and said to be an enjoyable affair. The old mill was used as a pavilion where they had a BBQ hog and all the fixings. Walter J Matherly, a professor in the Depart of Commerce, North Carolina University, said, “[t]here are eight and one half million people in the United States who are consumers but not producers.” He advocated and outlined methods of education as a fix for the ‘parasites’.

November 15th, 1928 the Roanoke News refers to Christian as a “pioneer in co-operative cotton marketing in this State” and notes his membership on the first board of directors of  the North Carolina Cotton Growers Co-operative association. This will end the Christian part of the story. 

Carvers Creek State Park: The Rockefellers and Long Valley Farm

In 1927 the farm was sold to Percy Avery Rockefeller. And if you think that sounds like that one rich guy’s name, that’s because Percy is the nephew of John D. Rockefeller. Percy also had another estate that’s about 7 miles away and is now part of Fort Bragg (Fort Bragg is renamed Fort Liberty in June 2023). 

After Percy passes away, his cousin James Stillman Rockefeller buys Long Valley Farm. James and his wife Nancy like the place, have a house completed in May 1938, and then make the Farm their winter vacation home. George McNeil is hired to manage the farm. In addition to being a hunting ground, the farm grows tobacco and the grist mill produces cornmeal and flour. 

The farm’s proximity to Fort Bragg works out for James. He’s stationed at Fort Bragg as a lieutenant colonel. After the war (WWII) he visits the farm on long weekends and holidays to get a break from New York, and to work on the farm, swim, and enjoy the sights. 

In 1994, Nancy passed away. They were married for 68 years. In 2004, James passed away several days after having a stroke, at the age of 102, in 2004. Long Valley Farm is left to the Nature Conservancy, which gifts the land to NC Division of Parks and Recreation in 2010. It’s not really related, but here’s a fun fact: James won Gold for the US in the 1924 Olympics, and there was a news article about him being the oldest known US Olympics medal winner. 

Carvers Creek State Park Becomes a Park

The Carvers Creek Sandhills State park was established on May 4, 2005 with 1,393 acres.  Or rather, authorized by the General Assembly. Long Valley Farm was made accessible to the public in 2010.Carvers Creek is North Carolina’s 36th state park. 

In 2013, 500 acres are unveiled to the public, the Carvers Creek State Park Long Valley Farm Access. 

September 29, 2016 high amounts of rain from a band of thunderstorms breach the millpond dam, and the pond emptied of most of its waters. Hurricane Matthew flood waters do more damage in October 2016. 

The Carvers Creek bees. A hive lived in a hollowed cypress tree, which fell due to the flooding and winds of Hurricane Matthew. Miraculously, the tree wasn’t flooded, and the hive continued to live in the tree. In the late spring of 2019, dam restoration had to begin, and the hive was in a construction zone. To save the colony, it needed to be moved. Park rangers reached out to Nancy Ruppert, who would care for the bees. Nancy and a few fellow beekeepers gave the bees some honey, since their reserves were low, and came back in late February to pack up the cypress log and  hive. In April Nancy and another beekeeper were able to open the log, and move usable combs to frames. The bees are gentle and expanded into two boxes. 

In June 2019 repairs are made to the dam and it reopens to the public.

Carvers Creek State Park: The Future Plans

In 2022, The North Carolina Parks and Recreation Authority approved $17.4 million for nine capital improvement projects and six land acquisitions. Carvers Creek received a bond supplement of $1,582,060 for renovations of the Rockefeller House, parking addition, rest rooms, and trails. 

During our visit, the pavilion and several other structures remained closed due to storm damage and pending structural repairs and modifications. 

The park’s master plan (of 2012) included fishing piers and platforms, to prevent bank erosion; day use areas to include shelters, picnic areas, and an open play area; and camping facilities for tent, trailer, equestrian, and primitive camping. Tent and trailer camping in Long Valley will have gated loops with each loop accommodating at least 30 campsites. Equestrian camping will be a single gated loop that accommodates 15 campsites.

Sandhill camping facilities will include 2 loops of tent and trailer camping with a total of 61 campsites. Plans include more land acquisition to connect park properties, and to have a multiloop trail that connects major facilities, like the Long Valley Farm agricultural complex, and the Sandhills visitor center. Plans also include making structures usable to the public, and using them for educational purposes.

The Cape Fear River Section will have day use areas. For a more updated plan for the park, look at the park’s spring master plan 2020. There’s some great pictures in here. You can see the project list and concepts of trails and camping areas. https://www.ncparks.gov/conservation/planning

Carvers Creek State Park: Today

 2023 is the Year of the Trail. Three different hikes kicked of Year of the Trail on January 1st . Check the Year of the Trail website and the park events for the Carvers Creek Trail Quest, as Carvers Creek trails are featured throughout the year. 

Do you live near this park? Want to see some photos of the fires, see the dam being rebuilt, see pictures of the buildings, and see some critters native to the park, visit the Friends of Carvers Creek State Park Facebook page – it’s active and posts events and newsletters. There’s a website of North Carolina Friends, if you want to see if your favorite NC park has a chapter: https://www.ncfsp.org/ 

See our North Carolina State Park progress here:

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