State Parks and National Parks

The wooded hillsides that once provided timber and pasture land for the Watkins Farm now provide a scenic setting for recreation.

The 818-acre park, adjacent to Watkins Mill and other plantation buildings, features a 100-acre lake for fishing, swimming and boating.

It also has camping and picnicking areas, an equestrian trail and a scenic, paved biking and hiking trail that circles the lake.

Watkins Woolen Mill State Historic Site was known as the Bethany Plantation during the mid-19th century. The owner’s house and outbuildings, the woolen factory and gristmill, and the nearby church and an unusual octagonal schoolhouse have been restored.

The factory, the only 19th-century woolen mill with its original machinery still intact, is a National Historic Landmark. House and mill tours are available, and a visitor center contains exhibits describing the mill and its history.

Photo credits in order: Courtesy of Watkins Mill State Park and Historic Site.