Friends of Morrow Mountain State Park

We hope that all of our 200 plus members have taken time to see the park's front entrance with the renovated stone wall and the split rail fence. This $12,000 project was possible because of considerable financial and volunteer support from members and the community. The wall restoration is just one of several major undertakings from Friends of Morrow Mountain. The group has sponsored fundraisers through a Motorcycle Rally and Run the Trail, in addition to educational speaker events and guided hikes. FMMSP continues to assist with the park's annual Old Fashioned Day and various youth education programs.

An order is finally in process to purchase a new computer and software for the archival history project at the park, with designated contributions from ALCOA and Ms. Phyllis Hodum of Collierville, Tenn. She is a descendent of the Rev. William McGregor, an 18th Century Baptist preacher with roots around Morrow Mountain. Important efforts are also underway to preserve approximately seventy-five acres along Mountain Creek and bring that land into the park. This land expansion project involves property owners, the Land Trust for Central North Carolina, and the State of North Carolina.

Currently half of our Friends have lapsed memberships, and we are desperately seeking your continued support. Annual memberships remain at $10.00/person, and your contribution has a tremendous impact on future successes and accomplishments. Memberships are on an annual rolling basis, but we haven't notified those with lapsed memberships in a timely manner. The enclosed membership envelope includes a note indicating your membership status. Checks for yearly dues along with your home address, phone number, and email address should be mailed to Friends of MMSP, PO Box 306, Badin, NC, 28009. There is an effort afoot to accept online memberships via credit cards. We will keep you posted when this option is available on the FMMSP website.

The Spring FMMSP Spring Membership and Board Meeting will take place at 2:00 p.m. on Sunday, May 17th at the MMSP Lodge. We need you there as we prepare for future events and restorations. Plans are ongoing to restore the stone wall at the park entrance on the south side. The structure to the right of the entrance is much larger than the one recently completed, with an estimated cost of approximately $19,000. Preliminary consideration is also underway to restore the old barracks originally constructed at Morrow Mountain by the Civilian Conservation Corp. This is an estimated $50,000 project and will allow university professors and students to study unique geological and archaeological features of the park. The availability of the barracks will also allow AmeriCorps volunteers and other community service groups to assist park officials as needed. We encourage all members and anyone interested to attend the May 17th meeting as we welcome your insights and comments. It is also a good time to renew your annual memberships in person.

Keep up with all the latest FMMSP activities and events by visiting the website at www.morrowmountain.org. Important dates and details are available there about organized hikes, trail maintenance workdays, and upcoming meetings, events, and projects. You may also visit Friends of Morrow Mountain State Park Facebook page for information. We need your involvement and look forward to seeing each of you on Sunday, May 17th.