“Big Thinking Precedes Great Achievement”
— Wilfred A Peterson

Hope Mills’ celebration of the opening of Phase 1 of Heritage Park was a rainy day on Nov. 20, 2024. This was the physical manifestation of a sustained vision.
Chancer McLaughlin, Town Manager, Hope Mills, shared, “We are here to witness something never before in the history of this town. We are here today at the opening of a park dedicated to the history of Hope Mills. We are also here today because of the challenging work, dedication, vision, and most importantly the desire of citizens and Hope Mills to come together.”
Lamarco Morrison, Parks and Recreation Director, Hope Mills shares the process and challenges.
“The fifteen-year journey from concept to opening involved several other entities before Parks and Recreation became heavily involved. The conceptional plan began in 2010 with the Hope Mills Historic Preservation Committee and students from the Landscape Architecture Department of NC State. The students, with heavy input from HPC, developed the first conceptual plans, which became the basic framework for the adopted Master Plan. The master plan process did not begin until the fall of 2019 when the town contracted with McAdams to complete the master plan document. The challenges were funding the project and convincing the Town to move forward with the Master Plan and construction documents,” Morrison said.
“The Board of Commissioners needed to commit to the design phase of the project, public education about the approval process for construction, bid documents, and permitting. Fortunately, in 2019, the Board agreed to fund the design engineering phase of the project and move forward to applying for grants to help fund the projects. Public hearings were held for community support for the proposed park elements. The Board of Commissioners adopted the Master Plan.
"The adoption of the master plan created eligibility for a Parks and Recreation Trust Fund. The Town of Hope Mills was required to have to match dollar for dollar with the PARTF grant. The Town was awarded $300,000 for seed money to address engineering drawings and matching funds as part of the fiscal budget. ARPA funds were used to address escalating costs during COVID. The funding sources were PARTF grant funding, matching funds from the Town of Hope Mills, a Division of Water Quality grant to fund a flume storm water feature, and EPA grant for Storm Water Management.
"The Town received over 740,000 dollars in grant funding for Heritage Park. The rich history also proved a challenge. The construction of the park was delayed for 8 months for archaeological recovery according to guidelines of the State Historic Preservation Office.”
Morrison shared the rationale for the State Historical Preservation participation in the Heritage Park Project.
“Hope Mills was once a settlement known as Rock Fish Village. This remained the name of the village until the village including the mills were burned during the Civil War in 1865. In 1872, the mill on Heritage Park was rebuilt and renamed Hope Mills. In 1891, after much rebuilding of the village and the mills, the settlement was incorporated and named Hope Mills,” he said.
“This rich history is a recognition of distinction and economic development factors for Hope Mills,” Morrison stated. “The intent of the park initially was to display the Town’s rich history. The centerpiece of the park, the flume, is one of a kind, unique feature that has gotten state-wide attention to ingenious design. A visit to the park consists of interpretative signage telling the story of the site. The historic flume’s unique and beautiful design is a topic for conversation and research. What we did not expect is that the park's open space would be sought after as an outdoor venue for weddings, performances, plays, fitness classes, and musical performances. The potential is limitless.”
Future plans for Heritage Park include an expansion of the concept of an outdoor venue.
Hope Mills administration also is taking initiatives in the area of flood control. The innovative solution to this environmental issue is the flume. Morrison expounds on the concept.
“The flume was restored and transformed to a storm water feature. Heritage Park site is highly prone to flooding, with proximity to Little Rock Fish Creek and Lake Hope Mills. Since the installation of the stormwater feature, there has been no flooding. A second crucial factor in the design is stormwater is now filtered through the soil, and plant materials in the flume to filter runoff water before it reaches the creek,” he said.
“My appreciation is that so many artifacts were preserved and re-purposed in an area where so many historic structures have been destroyed. Heritage Park creates the public experience of the historic flume, the turbine, the pump house, refurbished flood gates, the winch, and the millstone. When I visit the park and observe the artifacts, the average age is at least 300 years old. It gives me a better appreciation of history and the Town,” Morrison said.
Visit Heritage Park, Hope Mills, and experience history. Heritage Park is located at 5445 Lakeview Road, Hope Mills, 28348. For more information about Heritage Park, contact Lamarco Morrison, Parks and Recreation Director, at 910-426-4109.

(Photo: Heritage Park is Hope Mills' newest park; a lovely new space dedicated to sustainability and the people of Hope Mills. Photo courtesy of Hope Mills Parks & Recreation)