The important history of Montgomery Hall Park will be permanently memorialized on Friday November 20 at 1 p.m. when a Virginia Department of Historic Resources Historical Highway Marker will be unveiled at the park entrance. The marker and the ceremony surrounding the unveiling is being directed by the area’s African American Research Committee and the Booker T. Washington Alumni Association.
Until the Civil Rights era of the 1960s, African Americans in the Jim Crow South lived under the harsh social and legal laws that created a separate and very unequal society. That was as true for African Americans in Staunton and Augusta County as it was anywhere else. However, in 1946, thanks to the perseverance and leadership of Staunton’s African American community, a beacon of light was created in the form of Montgomery Hall Park.
Staunton and Augusta County’s white residents had enjoyed Gypsy Hill Park well before the 20th century, but black residents were only allowed to visit the park one day each year. Shortly after World War II, leaders in the black community began asking for more use of Gypsy Hill. This was not an option that the city council approved of, however, the governing body did listen when African American leaders like the Rev. T.J. Jemison of Mount Zion Baptist Church suggested the city give his community a park of its own.
Staunton City Council minutes show that in June of 1946, the city paid $42,500 for 148 acres and the house that was once part of the historic farm called Montgomery Hall owned by the John Peyton family. The purchase noted in the minutes was for the purpose of creating “a negro park.” The park opened on July 4, 1947. For more than two decades after the park’s creation, busloads of African Americans routinely came from across the state to enjoy the amenities of Montgomery Hall Park.
After the purchase, the city placed the operations of the park in the hands of the black community. From 1947 until the fall of 1969 when integration brought the park into the city’s system, an African American committee ran the park with almost no support or interference from the city. That meant raising money for capital projects as well as daily operations. The park featured a swimming pool, bowling alley, picnic facilities, and offered a place to hold social events such as dances.
Today the park is managed by the Staunton Parks and Recreation Department, but there were many who wanted to ensure that the park’s important place in history was not forgotten. The African American Research Committee, headed by Dr. Laten G. Bechtel, researched the history of the park and worked with the Virginia Department of Historic Resources to write the text for the marker being unveiled November 20. She has been assisted in her efforts by the Booker T. Washington Alumni Association.
On November 20, visitors can park at the top of the hill in the Montgomery Hall Parking lot. Parks and recreation shuttles will be available to take people down to the unveiling site and back again. Following the unveiling ceremony, refreshments provided by the Booker T. Washington Alumni Association will be available in park building. A number of historic photographs will also be available for viewing as well.
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Chris Graham
