Attorney Gary Locklear pours over renderings of the Wire Pasture access point for the Lumber River State Park. Robeson County and state officials turned dirt Friday for the new access point located on U.S. 74 Alternate, about 5 miles from Maxton’s town limits and 7 miles from Pembroke’s.
Tomeka Sinclair | The Laurinburg Exchange
Robeson County and state officials turned dirt Friday at the site of the new Wire Pasture access point for Lumber River State Park, located on U.S. 74 Alternate, about 5 miles from Maxton’s town limits and 7 miles from Pembroke’s.
Tomeka Sinclair | The Laurinburg Exchange
Shown is a rendering of a pavilion and picnic tables at the Wire Pasture access point for the Lumber River State Park to be constructed. The design is by Native American Design Services.
Tomeka Sinclair | The Laurinburg Exchange
MAXTON — A plan years in the making came to fruition with the groundbreaking of the new Wire Pasture access to the Lumber River State Park.
Robeson County and state officials turned dirt Friday at the site of the new access point, located on U.S. 74 Alternate, about 5 miles from Maxton’s town limits and 7 miles from Pembroke’s.
The project includes the construction of a 5,100-square-foot visitor center with exhibits showcasing Lumbee Tribal culture, and classrooms, according to Brian Strong, director of NC Division of Parks and Recreation. The project will also include an educational trail with wayside exhibits, a picnic area, and river beach access improvements.
With Mike Clark, of Native American Design Services, heading the design and Driven Contractors named the general contractor, the new access has a price tag of $5.3 million which will be paid for with the help of a N.C. Connect Bond.
“I am thrilled today to finally break ground on this project … The learning area, the pavilion area, the beach property, it’s all going to be amazing,” said Pamela Brewington Cashwell Secretary of the N.C. Department of Administration.
The Lumber River State Park has two access areas roughly an hour from each other, Chalk Banks in Wagram and Princess Ann in Orrum. The Wire Pasture access, which has a Maxton address, will be at the halfway point between the Orrum and Wagram sites. Unlike Chalk Banks and Princess Ann, the Wire Pasture access will be for day use only. The other two sites have well-developed camping areas.
The project, many years in the making, is the first step in construction, which is expected to last through 2026, according to North Carolina State Parks.
The Wire Pasture opening has been anticipated since the area was closed by the state in 2020 because of illegal activity in the area, according to Kris Anne Bonifacio, public information officer with the North Carolina Department of Parks and Recreation.
“This is a project that has taken too long to do and I’ll be the first person to admit that … It’s just sometime crap takes longer than it should,” Cashwell said.
Robeson County Manager Kellie Blue said she recalled some years back getting a call from a friend in Raleigh who said “If you’re up for a fight, you might have the opportunity to get an additional state park in Robeson.”
“My immediate response was ‘Heck yes. What do we need to do?” Blue said.
In August 2021 the deed to about eight acres of land in Maxton was ordered by the Brunswick County Superior Court to be transferred to Robeson County so a 100-acre state park could be built. The smaller parcel is on land near the Lumbee Tribe of North Carolina property, but the eight acres is not affiliated with the Tribe. Still, the Tribe’s influence will be part of the new visitor center’s historical exhibits planned for the new site.
“We know that our rivers are essential to the identities to the communities through which they flow and I think that is especially true for the Lumber River with its deep connections with the Lumbee people,” said Reid Wilson, Secretary of the NC Department of Natural and Cultural Resources.
John Cummings, Chair of the Robeson County Board of Commissioners, said he was “proud of this park” which has come a long way since it was established in 1989.
“The world found out about them gem we have here … This gem is so bright, its so shiny, it is so wonderful that the world should know about it,” Cummings said.
The chairman, whose district will encompass the park encouraged people from all around to experience the Lumber River for themselves.
“You need to have the opportunity to sometime float on this river … You’ll feel peace and calmness and serenity. This water here is not like fast-running water,” Cummings said.