Welcome to my web page for the Chewacla State Park trails. This is another trail out of the Passport to Fitness program. I hiked the Mountain Laurel trail (trail 7) Sunday (May 16, 2010). The trail description, according to the park, is "Mountain Laurel Trail - The Mountain Laurel Trail begins at the Upper Pavilion area, goes down to Chewacla Falls and then follows Chewacla Lake. The trail has several connecting trails that lead back to the Upper Pavilion area. This trail takes about 1 hour to complete."

You will find pictures and descriptions from my walk below. If you have any comments or questions please feel free to drop me an email through the link below. Enjoy! :)

Just inside the park entrance are several historical markers. The first one reads,
"Chewacla State Park

Under President Franklin D. Roosevelt's New Deal (1933-1942), the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) was established to provide work for single young men. The CCC's Company 4448, Camp Alabama SP-12, began work in September 1935 to construct Chewacla Park. By March 1941, they had built a dam and 26-acre lake, roads, trails, cabins, bath-house, manager's house, arch bridge, and office. Barracks, mess hall, and canteen were also built on site to house the men who were from Alabama and other Southern States.

Company 4447, Camp SCS-9, was located in Lee County about one mile south of Auburn. Company 4447 did soil conservation work on farms, controlled highway erosion, and assisted Company 4448 with quarrying stone for the new park. These camps were in District H, headquartered in Fort Benning, Georgia. Vocational and eduational opportunities were made available to enrollees of the CCC program. The park was turned over to the State of Alabama, with the creation of the Alabama State Park System in 1939, and CCC work continued through 1941."

A little further down the road you will find another marker. This one reads,
"WRIGHT'S MILL

A popular recreation area for more than 100 years. Original dam located a short distnace below Chewacla Lake Dam. Mill located on the west bank and ground both corn and wheat. Earlier mill owners from 1840's were Echols, Hiram Reed, Charles Nelms, and John F. Lewis. W.W. Wright (1825-1905) owned the mill from about 1873 into early 1900's when it was abandoned. Most of these years his miller was Joe Broome. Just before Town Creek enters the Chewacla is the Gin-Saw Hole. A water powered gin and sawmill were located here around the 1840's. For many years it was a very popular swimming hole.

In early 1890's a club house was built on the hill between Wright's Mill and the Gin-Saw Hole. This was a favorite recreation area for Auburnites before Town Creek was contaminated by Auburn sewage. A bicycle club was formed in Auburn circa 1900. George Petrie and B.B. Ross were prominent members. A bicycle path was constructed from Auburn to Wright's Mill. It began where Gay Street formerly terminated at Samford Avenue following the east bank of Town Creek much of the way. Chewacla State Park was opened in 1939 and this park includes the Wright's Mill area."

• March 23, 2012 - updated page layout
• July 15, 2010 - updated page content, added links to pictures
• July 9, 2010 - created web page