Lumber River State Park will open a new section this week, dedicated to the culture of the native Americans who call the area home.
The State Parks, Lumbee Tribe of North Carolina, Robeson County, and the Museum of the Southeast American Indian at University of North Carolina at Pembroke are co-hosting.
The ribbon-cutting event to celebrate the grand opening of Lumber River State Park’s Wire Pasture access. The event is Friday from 10 a.m. until 1 p.m., at the Wire Pasture Access, 11764 U.S. 74 W., Maxton, NC 28364
The event will kick off with remarks from Div. of Natural and Cultural Resources Secretary Pamela Cashwell, State Parks Director Brian Strong, Lumber River State Park Superintendent Brett Godwin, Lumbee Tribe leadership, and Robeson County Manager Kellie Blue.
Visitors can enjoy a staff-led guided hike, a self-guided paddle on the river, and craft activities. Friends of State Parks, the American Indian Heritage Commission, and the Lumbee Tribe Agricultural and Natural Resources Department will also have booths at the event. Visitors can purchase lunch from food truck vendors and visit other local vendors on site.
Located about halfway along the river between the Lumber River State Park’s two current public accesses (Princess Ann in Orrum and Chalk Banks in Wagram) the access is located along U.S. Highway 74 in Maxton in Robeson County. It is situated minutes from the Lumbee Tribe Cultural Center and UNC-Pembroke.
The development of the access is the park’s Connect N.C. Bond project. The N.C. Parks and Recreation Trust Fund provided supplemental funding to complete the project.
The $7.5 million project added a 3,000-square-foot-visitor center with exhibits, a classroom, and office spaces; picnic areas, including a picnic pavilion; parking area; and a short hiking trail. Exhibits feature the state’s eight recognized tribes and four Urban Indian Organizations, as well as the natural and cultural history of the river and the area.
Designs incorporated throughout the visitor center, exhibit space, and the picnic pavilion pay homage to the Lumbee Tribe, whose ancestral homelands include the state park. There is also a spotlight on Lumbee artisans, with art pieces on loan from the Museum of the Southeast American Indian.
Visitors will also be able to put in kayaks or canoes at the access, located on a scenic bend on the Lumber River. This segment is federally designated as a National Wild and Scenic River and state-designated as a North Carolina Natural and Scenic River, both for its scenic properties.
Native American Design Services was the designer, and Driven Contractors was the general contractor.
The property was allocated to State Parks pursuant to Session Law 2013-186. The area was closed for a few years to conduct site assessments, including archaeological surveys, before a groundbreaking in November 2024.
