The Town of Ramseur, in partnership with the non-profit conservation organization Unique Places to Save, and Randolph County Trails, have been awarded $128,922 in grant funds by the North Carolina Parks and Recreation Trust Fund (PARTF) to extend and enhance the Deep River State Trail (Rail Trail) and Blueway. To date, the town has completed a 1.25-mile section of trail from US 64 to Harlan’s Creek, and from Harlan’s Creek to Liberty St. This grant-funded, community project will help purchase 27 acres of land along the Deep River that will enable the completion of other section of trail that will connect the trail to Allen H. Leonard Memorial Park, establish a new trailhead at Brooklyn Avenue Bridge, create a publicly accessible portage around Ramseur Dam, and acquire a location for public river access near the downtown area, which the town lacks.

The community recreation improvements of this project will directly benefit local residents and visitors in many ways. The trail will help connect the Deep River State Trail to downtown Ramseur and the Allen H. Leonard Memorial Park. Linking the town’s popular park using the expanded trail is expected to boost the use of both recreational assets. The publicly accessible portage around Ramseur Dam will allow paddlers to safely pass the dam on their journeys down river. A crosswalk and trailhead located at the Brooklyn Avenue bridge will serve as a recreation gateway for residents and visitors to easily access the trail, river, and historic dam. Interpretive signage will describe the historical significance of the site to the community and ecological importance of the Deep River.

Additional financial and in-kind support for this community project is sourced from a North Carolina Land and Water Fund grant to Unique Places to Save, a line item budget allocation request from State Representative Allen McNeill, the Town of Ramseur, private landowners who are donating a portion of the land, and Randolph County Trails.