Hanging Rock State Park Bathhouse
Why it's listed
Hanging Rock State Park Bathhouse is a large stone and heavy-timber building on the edge of a twelve-acre lake in the Sauratown Mountains of Stokes County. Federal architect Robert S. Ormand designed it for Civilian Conservation Corps crews to build, and it was completed in 1939 to serve up to 1,000 swimmers a day. The lower level holds dressing areas and basket check space, while the upper level is an open pavilion under a scissors truss roof, with a large stone fireplace. A sandy beach separates the building from the water. Corps crews also built the concrete and stone dam that created the lake. The district includes the bathhouse, lake, shoreline and dam, with a later diving platform and boathouse counted as non-contributing. The property was listed as the largest and most distinctive CCC facility in North Carolina, an example of rustic park design using local stone and timber, and a record of the Depression-era work that shaped the state park system. It remains in its original use.
Significance in brief: The nomination argues the bathhouse is the largest and most distinctive facility built by the CCC in North Carolina and the most prominent example of CCC rustic park architecture in the state (Criterion C). With the lake and dam, it is also significant under Criterion A for its link to the CCC program in North Carolina and to the early development of Hanging Rock State Park.
Machine-generated summary. This summary was generated by a language model from the official nomination document and has not been reviewed line by line by an editor. It may contain errors. Check the source document before relying on any detail. Source: nomination document (PDF) · National Archives catalog entry. NRHP reference 91001507, listed October 24, 1991. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | End of NC 2015 S of jct. with NC 1001, Hanging Rock State Park, Danbury |
|---|---|
| County | Stokes County |
| Listed | October 24, 1991 |
| Reference number | 91001507 |
| Resource type | District |
| Period of significance | 1939-1941 |
| Architect / builder | Ormand, Robert S. |
| Architectural style | OTHER: CCC rustic architecture |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Entertainment/Recreation, Architecture, Social History |
| Level of significance | State |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Recently rehabilitated by the North Carolina Division of Parks and Recreation; continues in use in its original function as a bathhouse and pavilion. |
| Acreage | 24 |
| Coordinates | 36.39082, -80.26907 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
This is a historic district. Buildings within its boundary are either contributing (they add to the district's significance) or non-contributing. Owners of contributing income-producing buildings can claim the 20% federal rehabilitation tax credit; homeowners should look at state credits. National Register districts impose no design review by themselves; a local historic district ordinance, if one exists, does (the difference explained).
General information, not legal or tax advice. Rules change; confirm with your State Historic Preservation Office or a qualified adviser.
Sources and further reading
- National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places database (snapshot May 2026), reference 91001507.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikidata Q24261059
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.