The West Virginia Conservation Commission, Division of State Parks, had expanded to 13 state parks by 1945; however, West Virginia still restricted the access of African Americans to its state parks. In 1940 the NAACP contacted the Division of State Parks and inquired about the accessibility of African Americans to West Virginia state parks. The Division of State Parks responded by stating: "Negro citizens would feel ill at ease" at visiting state parks alongside white residents, and that the division was deliberating the construction of a state park for African Americans.
