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The purpose of the South Carolina Picture Project is to celebrate the beauty of the Palmetto State while preserving some of its vanishing landscapes.

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Lawton Park and Pavilion

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SC Picture Project / Darlington County / Lawton Park and Pavilion

Prestwood Lake serves as a backdrop for this three-and-a-half acre park in Hartsville. The park was designed in 1938 and built between 1939 and 1941 by the WPA (Work Projects Administration), part of President Franklin Roosevelt’s New Deal. The land on which the park sits was donated to Hartsville for use as a public recreational facility by Joseph J. Lawton. The Colonial Revival pavilion seen here includes a caterer’s kitchen and is a popular event venue.

Lawton Park in Harstville, SC

Bill Segars of Hartsville, 2014 © Do Not Use Without Written Consent

Prestwood Lake itself, seen below, was created in 1896 when Black Creek was dammed for the Carolina Fiber Company – now Sonoco – paper mill. It is named for the Prestwood family who operated a ferry across the lake. A pier and boardwalk stretch into the water, and kayaks and canoes can be rented from Lawton Park, enabling visitors to enjoy fishing or paddling.

Prestwood Lake

Karen Creel of Florence, 2016 © Do Not Use Without Written Consent

Other park amenities include three tennis courts, a picnic shelter, and a playground. Both the park and pavilion were restored in 2008.

Lawton Pavilion Hartsville

Bill Segars of Hartsville, 2010 © Do Not Use Without Written Consent

Lawton Park and Pavilion are listed in the National Register:

Lawton Park and Lawton Park Pavilion are significant as examples of New Deal era public recreational facilities, funded by the federal government and built by the Works Progress Administration. Lawton Park, built 1939-1941, was planned as early as 1938. The park is a wooded, 3.5 acre, public recreation area including a swimming area, playground, picnic area, and tennis courts. The park includes three buildings: a pavilion, shed and keeper’s house. The keeper’s house has been extensively altered and does not contribute to the historic character of the park. The pavilion is an excellent example of a public recreational structure showing Colonial Revival influence. It is a frame, rectangular plan, two-story building with a hip roof and cupola. Bathhouse facilities including locker rooms and showers are located on the ground floor. The second floor consists of one large open room designed for dances and community activities. All four elevations feature bands of grouped windows at the second floor. Louvered vents are located immediately below the windows and also at the first floor. The façade is characterized by a central entry portico with paired slender Tuscan columns and flanking brick stairs.

Plan Your Trip: Lawton Park and Pavilion

Where is Lawton Park and Pavilion located?
Address: 716 Prestwood Drive, Hartsville, SC 29550
GPS Coordinates: 34.381994,-80.079985
Website: https://www.hartsvillesc.gov/residents/parks/lawton-park/
What else should I see?
J.B. Gilbert House 0.6 mile
First Baptist Church of Hartsville 0.7 mile
Hart-Mills Cottage 0.8 mile
First Presbyterian of Hartsville 0.8 mile
Show me more like this!
  • Hartsville Historic Sites
  • See other South Carolina Lakes
  • See other South Carolina National Register
  • See other South Carolina Parks
    Lawton Park and Pavilion Map

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    Comments

    1. Brendan Mulligan says

      October 23, 2022 at 6:49 PM

      Swimming area and bathhouse lockers and showers were closed in the 1990s. There is also a kayak dock and fishing area with a SC permit required.

      Reply

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    We are a federally-recognized 501(c)(3) nonprofit that works to preserve the history of South Carolina’s historic, natural, and cultural landmarks before they are lost to time. This website serves as a permanent digital archive of over 2,300 South Carolina landmarks – and counting. Learn more about our work.

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    ABOUT US

    We are a federally-recognized 501(c)(3) nonprofit that works to preserve the history of South Carolina’s historic, natural, and cultural landmarks before they are lost to time. This website serves as a permanent digital archive of over 2,300 South Carolina landmarks – and counting. Learn more about our work.

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