Donate to preserve, protect, and enhance this park to promote equitable access and enjoyment for all.
The Friends of Duncan Park was established in the Summer of 2023 as the result of a partnership with the National Park Service. The NPS guided members of our community through several community meetings, resulting in a Revitalization Plan for the park. Friends of Duncan Park will work with the City of Spartanburg and PAL: Play. Advocate. Live Well. as parts of this plan are implemented.
Duncan Park is a 102-acre city-owned property consisting of about 60 acres of wooded area, a 14-acre lake built by the Works Progress Administration in the 1930s, an open field amphitheater with a small stage, two youth baseball fields, tennis courts and the historic Duncan Park Stadium. Though the park sits in the middle of the City of Spartanburg, and though some features like the tennis courts see pretty good use, the park is underused.
This project, based on a vision plan created with significant public input, will enliven and activate Duncan Park, much of which is currently not well used (wooded areas that include some trails) or is closed to public use (the lake has not been open since the 1950s). The master planning process has been facilitated by the Duncan Park steering committee, PAL: Play. Advocate. Live Well., City of Spartanburg and the National Park Service.
This master plan proposes new recreation facilities to include a picnic shelter with storage for kayaks and other equipment and an ADA dock. it will renovate two youth baseball fields, including adding historical markers celebrating Negro League baseball in Spartanburg, improving restrooms and the concession stand, and improving lighting as needed. It will add trails that tie in neighborhoods on both sides of the park to new and existing facilities. This plan was developed with the public input on three different surveys that gathered over 750 responses, as well as a steering committee and two open house meetings.
*PAL is the fiscal agent of the Friends of Duncan Park