During the Depression, local admirers of famous naturalist and bird illustrator John Audubon lobbied congress to create a park in his name.
From 1810-1819, Audubon had lived in the Henderson area, roaming the woods, finding and painting birds in their natural habitat.
As a result, a crew of some 150 young men from the Civilian Conservation Corps were dispatched to the area and worked for a number of years.
In 2005, this statue was erected in honor of their excellent and enduring work.
In the process, they built roads, campgrounds, picnic shelters, hiking trails, and cottages like the one shown below. They even hand dug the large lake in the background.
The twin jewels of the facility are the Norman style museum building, in honor of Audubon's French heritage, and the Tudor style park headquarters, in honor of his wife's English background.
Happy and I spent far more time there than we planned for a simple mid-day walk, but we could have easily stayed longer. The park is a lovely mixed-use facility that is well worth a visit for as long as you can spare, whether an hour, day, weekend or longer.
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