Craig Park

Front: This park was built in 1933-35 by three New Deal-era programs of Franklin D. Roosevelt’s first term. The land was donated by William D. Craig (1845-1935), once described as “one of Chesterfield’s busiest citizens.” Craig, a Confederate veteran, ran Craig’s Mill on Thompson Creek, owned a general store downtown, and founded the Chesterfield Light and Power Co. in 1910 to bring electric lights to Chesterfield. He died just as the park was being completed. Reverse: The land was cleared by the Civil Works Administration and the Federal Emergency Relief Administration built the “community hut,” a rustic log building finished in 1935. The Works Progress Administration completed the park. Notable plantings include dogwood (the town tree), mountain laurel, and azalea, and the park features a playground and an amphitheater. The WPA Guide to the Palmetto State (1941) calls the park “a municipal playground for old and young.”