Opened in 2006, this 30-acre park was one of the first on the Haw River Trail. Protecting over a mile of riverfront, the park also conserves one of the most historically important river crossings in Alamance County. The park offers nearly two miles of walking trails, fishing, and picnicking. There are two entrances to the park. The upper entrance allows access to the take-out for paddlers coming downstream from Haw River and Graham. The lower entrance provides a put-in for paddlers heading downstream to Saxapahaw or paddling up Great Alamance Creek.
Just downstream from the upper parking lot is the remnant of an old dam. The first mill at this site was constructed by John Armstrong around 1760. The site was purchased by Senator Archibald DeBow Murphey in 1804 and later by Chief Justice Thomas Ruffin. Ruffin’s financial trouble led to the sale of the property at sheriff’s auction to George W. Swepson. In 1868, Swepson began Falls Neuse Manufacturing Company on the east bank of the river. Swepson used mule-drawn and poled barges to transfer goods to the mills in Haw River. The complex eventually became Virginia Cotton Mills and remained until the mill closed in 1970. It was destroyed by fire in 1989.
