Millersylvania State Park

46°54′45″N 122°54′39″W / 46.91250°N 122.91083°W / 46.91250; -122.91083^[1]Area903 acres (365 ha)Elevation203 ft (62 m)^[1]Established1921OperatorWashington State Parks and Recreation CommissionWebsiteMillersylvania State Park Location12245 Tilley Road, Olympia, WashingtonArea842 acres (341 ha)ArchitectCivilian Conservation Corps;
Ebmeier, Ernest & Ellsworth StoreyArchitectural styleBungalow/CraftsmanNRHP reference No.09000732Added to NRHPSeptember 16, 2009^[2]

Millersylvania State Park is a public recreation area located on Deep Lake eight miles (13 km) south of Olympia, Washington. The state park's 903 acres (365 ha) include old-growth cedar and fir trees as well as 3,300 feet (1,000 m) of freshwater shoreline. In 2009, the park was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in recognition of its well-preserved Civilian Conservation Corps landscape. It is managed by the Washington State Parks and Recreation Commission.^[3]

History

The area was homesteaded by Squire Lathum in 1855 and then was sold to John Miller. The Miller family called the area Miller's Glade, before changing it Millersylvania and giving the property to the state in 1921 for perpetual use as a park. Remnants of a narrow-gauge railway, 19th-century skid roads, and other reminders of the logging industry can be found on park grounds, including tree stumps bearing the scars of springboards used by loggers.^[4] In 1935, the Civilian Conservation Corps became active in the park constructing buildings, trails, roads, picnic shelters, bathhouses and a caretaker's home, most of which remain intact and in use.^[3]

The park was temporarily closed in late January 2024 after a forced-entry incident at the area's reservoir. The water was tested for poisoning and contaminants though the parks department did not suspect there was tampering of the water system.^[5]

Activities and amenities

The park is situated in an old-growth forest and offers camping, 16 miles (26 km) of hiking and biking trails, boating, and fishing. The site contains two swimming beaches located on Deep Lake, which sits on the southern border of the area.^[3][5] Millersylvania was once reportedly home to a rare species of freshwater crab, as reported in the Miller family diaries, which became extinct due to overfishing by new settlers coming from the east.^{[citation needed]}

References

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