Virginia State Parks

On 9 March 1926 House Bill 487, a piece of legislation that called for the creation of a State Commission of Conservation and Development, was reported and referred to committee in the Senate. While transferring to the commission powers previously vested in a number of other government agencies, this legislation also provided for the acquisition of lands to create a system of public parks for the people of Virginia.

By 17 March 1926, House Bill 487 had been passed by the Senate, and development of the agency began in earnest. Within ten years, the state park system opened six parks to the public. These parks included Seashore (Princess Anne County), Douthat (Bath and Alleghany counties), Staunton River (Halifax County), Fairy Stone (Patrick and Henry counties), Hungry Mother (Smyth County), and Westmoreland (Westmoreland County). Dispersed throughout the state, these parks provided citizens with accessible sites for education and recreation.

During the 1960s, ambitious planning expanded the state park system. The Virginia Outdoors Plan of 1966 called for the acquisition of lands for thirty-six new state parks, twenty of which were to be made ready for public use within the next decade. Additionally, improvements were to be made to the six original parks, and to the additional four that had been created in the interim.

The Virginia State Park system continues to grow today. To date, the system includes thirty-four state parks and nearly as many natural areas. In 2001, the goals and actions of this agency were recognized as being the best among state park systems in the nation—an award that bodes well for the future of Virginia's state parks.