Right in my own backyard! Great Bend Park

Great Bend Park and the Haw River Trail

Last year, on Labor Day, we decided to go on an Adventure! We didn’t want to go far from home so we took a drive close to our neighborhood. We drove about a mile or two just outside of our neighborhood and we came upon a river, the Haw River. We have driven by this river many times before but never gave it much thought. Somewhere in the back of my mind, I had always wondered, “Is there a park or hiking trail by this river”?, but I had never explored that thought. Today, we decided to check it out!

We parked our car in a lot close to an abandoned textile mill and found the river trail!

Haw River

Let me back up and tell you about the Textile Mills of Alamance County in North Carolina. By the turn of the Century, 30 Cotton/Textile Mills had been built along the Haw River. Most of these mills used the water of the river to power their machinery. This is the closest Mill to our house, Carolina Mill.

Carolina Textile Mill

I’m telling you about these Mills because it pertains to what we found on our walk at Great Bend Park along the Haw River. Most of these mills had shut down by the 1970s. Alamance County is left with a lot of cool old mill buildings, some have been repurposed into stores, museums, or condos. I would love to see that happen to more of these great old buildings!

The Haw River Trail

The planned Haw River Trail corridor extends 80 miles along the river, from Haw River State Park on the Rockingham-Guilford county line through Alamance county to Jordon Lake State Recreational Area in Chatham County. At this time, 20 miles of land trails have been completed, as well as 40 miles of paddle trails, and 15 parks https://www.thehaw.org/

Great Bend Park

As we started down the park trail, we encountered a field of wildflowers, and then we entered the woods. The trail followed along the Haw River.

When we turned the corner, to our surprise, there was not just one, but 2 beautiful waterfalls! This first waterfall was made by nature.

The second waterfall is actually the Glencoe Dam. The water flow ran the machinery at Glencoe Textile/Cotton Mill. Workers used a hand-operated gate to control the water entering the Mill.

Check out this Historical Marker! Glencoe Grist Mill and Dam Site. https://www.hmdb.org/marker.asp?marker=31337

Saxapahaw

Saxapahaw is a town in Alamance County on the Haw River. It was a mill community built around a cotton mill and along the Haw River. The main cotton mill building has been repurposed into the Rivermill apartments and the Haw River Ballroom. The other mill buildings have been turned into a grocery store, butchery, and restaurant.

The Haw River Trail extends to the town of Saxapahaw. The new park is the Saxapahaw Island Park. This park spans 30 acres with walking trails, a playground, and river access.

Textile Heritage Museum

We visited this museum shortly after discovering the Glencoe waterfalls & Dam. This building was formerly the company store and management offices for Glencoe mill. The museum holds hundreds of original artifacts representing more than 50 cotton and textile mills. This museum shows the history of Glencoe Mill. It was very interesting to see the early textile manufacturing equipment.

My favorite part of the museum was the Owner/Manager’s office, which was quite large and had a vintage safe in it. https://textileheritagemuseum.org/

It was so surprising to me, to find all these beautiful and interesting things in my own backyard! I have developed a new appreciation for the city and county that I live it. It has kindled in me an excitement for learning more about the history of this area.

In conclusion..

Who knew that there was such a beautiful place along a river that we saw every day and took for granted! There is much more to explore! The Haw River trail goes on for miles and miles! I am also very interested in learning more about the old textile and cotton mills that are all around our town.

What have you discovered close to home? I would love to hear about it in the comments below. Please remember to share my post with your family and friends on your social media pages!

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