Orange Co. reopens regional park Friday. Here’s what you can do at Blackwood Farm.

A regional park imagined 22 years ago will officially reopen to the public Friday with a focus on Orange County’s rural history and plenty of room to roam.

Blackwood Farm Park, 152 acres at N.C. 86 and New Hope Church Road near Hillsborough, will officially open to the public at 11 a.m. Friday. The Orange County commissioners are expected to attend the opening ceremony.

The park, which first opened in 2015, closed for a $2.8 million renovation in 2021, including improvements to its entrance on N.C. 86 and repairs to the historic Strayhorn-Blackwood farmhouse, built in 1827, and the barn, smokehouse and corn crib.

Restoration work on the farmhouse and several outbuildings is continuing, and they are not yet open to the public, said David Stancil, director of the county’s Department of Environment, Agriculture, Parks and Recreation.

More information about the farmstead and its history is posted on interpretative signs around the site.

Roughly 30,000 people visited the park in 2020, Stancil said. In 2021, the park closed for renovations, and the attendance is expected to “increase significantly as we go to seven days a week operation and have the new amenities, especially with the amphitheater events,” he said.

The completed renovation is the second phase of a master plan to preserve the natural and cultural heritage of the centuries-old Orange County farm. Originally scheduled to reopen in 2022, the project was delayed by post-pandemic supply chain issues.

Future phases will add a scenic overlook, more picnic shelters and restrooms, an outdoor classroom, and a storage barn for historic farm implements. That could be completed by 2025, Stancil said. A 32-acre disc golf course is in the early stages of design and could take a little longer to build, he said.

History of the land, its people

The land at 4215 N.C. 86 South was home for thousands of years to Native Americans from the Occaneechi, Sissipahaw and other Siouan tribes.

In 1778, it was settled by a Quaker farmer, who lived there until he and others opposed to slavery moved to Indiana in 1817, according to county records. At least 34 enslaved people who worked for the new owners, Samuel Strayhorn and his wife Mary Moore, are buried in a small cemetery preserved at the park.

The farm was sold in 1906 to Herbert Blackwood and his wife, Alice Kirkland, whose family repaired and expanded the house, which was “nearly rotten & gone,” county officials said. They raised dairy cows, corn, wheat, cotton, and potatoes.

Orange County bought the land in 2001 from Nannie and Mary Blackwood through its Lands Legacy Program. The program, created in 2000, has leveraged local and state dollars to preserve roughly 3,000 acres countywide, including for parks and habitat conservation.

The county commissioners adopted a master plan in 2011 for a low-impact park at Blackwood Farm. It opened four years later with hiking trails and open spaces but no park amenities or restrooms.

What can I do at the park?

The park, open daily from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., features:

▪ Four miles of hiking trails and an interactive educational trail. Dogs are allowed on leash. Organized trail hikes will be held at the park this year in celebration of the “Year of the Trail” and other summer and fall events.

▪ A pond with fishing access. The park does not allow boats. A valid fishing license is required for park visitors age 16 and older, and only artificial bait can be used.

▪ Picnic shelters. The largest shelter doubles as an extra sound stage. Shelters can be rented online or at the county parks office, 1020 U.S. 70 West, Hillsborough. The cost to rent a shelter is $25 to $40 for county residents, and $30 to $45 for non-residents.

▪ Acres of open fields and woodlands, with an active wildlife population and many native plants

▪ A covered amphitheater that is available for rent and for public events, including festivals. The cost to rent the amphitheater varies by the event and how long it lasts, county officials said. Small events are $150 for every four hours, and large, all-day events cost $2,500. Other fees may apply for festivals or concerts lasting multiple days.

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