Celebrating Women’s History Month
While Camp Helen State Park is a relatively young park, its history is not. Margaret Hicks was the first to develop the property at Camp Helen when her husband unexpectedly passed away.
She built what's referred to as the Lodge for herself and her daughter, Margaret. She also built the Rainbow Cottages, which she rented to travelers to supplement her income during the Great Depression.
These historic buildings, along with several others built by Margaret Hicks, are on the National Historic Register. She and her daughter resided on this piece of paradise until selling the property to the Avondale Textile Mills Company, which utilized it as an employee retreat for the next 40-plus years before it became a beloved state park.
