Hungry Mother State Park in southwestern Virginia opened on June 15, 1936, as one of Virginia’s six original state parks, developed with major assistance from the Civilian Conservation Corps. Centered on a 108-acre lake, the park was created on land largely donated by local owners along Hungry Mother Creek, where the CCC built the original grounds, trails, and campsites. Governor George C. Peery attended its opening as part of Virginia’s early state park system. The park’s distinctive name comes from a local legend about Molly Marley and her child. In 2007, it was added to the National Register of Historic Places for its Depression-era design and construction.