History of Greenfield Lake

Most locals know Greenfield Lake for the 5-mile loop, the cypress trees, and the alligators sunning on the banks. But the park has a much longer story than most people realize, and in 2025 it officially turned 100. I’m kicking off a new series of fun Wilmington facts, and there was no better place to start.

1. It Started as a Millpond in 1730

Five creeks meet here to form the lake. In 1730, Dr. Samuel Green dammed those creeks to build a millpond and mill, and established Greenfields, a 470-acre rice plantation worked by enslaved people. That was about nine years before Wilmington itself was founded.

2. It Has a Moonshine Chapter

By the mid-1800s, the land had passed to Edward B. Dudley and later to T. C. McIlhenny. In 1902, McIlhenny’s distillery was raided for producing untaxed whiskey. For years, locals simply called the water McIlhenny Pond or Greenfield Pond, and neighbors rented rowboats and threw swimming parties there.

3. There Was Once a Roller Coaster on the Shore

In 1918, a carnival set up on the lake’s banks with a roller coaster, a performance space, and a petting zoo. The petting zoo stuck around until the early 1980s and, at one point or another, was home to monkeys, peacocks, deer, a pony, and a bear named Petunia. A trolley once carried visitors out to Greenfield, and a little train circled the zoo.

4. It Was Wilmington’s First City Park

In 1925, the City of Wilmington bought the lake and surrounding land for $25,000, making Greenfield Park the city’s very first municipal park. The Works Progress Administration later built the road that circles it, known today as East and West Lake Shore Drive.

5. The Amphitheater Benches Came From the Outer Banks

The amphitheater opened in 1967 with seating borrowed from the Lost Colony Playhouse on the Outer Banks. After major renovations in 2008, the Hugh Morton Amphitheatre became one of the region’s favorite outdoor concert venues.

6. A Few More Things You Might Not Know

• From 1950 to 1979, a carousel spun by the water and a miniature steamboat called the “showboat” gave sightseeing cruises around the lake.
• The 5-mile paved loop around the lake was completed in 1978.
• Thousands of azaleas were planted along the shoreline, which is why spring here is such a showstopper.
• Rotary Park, just outside the amphitheater entrance, is a garden shaped like a Rotary Club wheel.
• Yes, alligators really do live in the lake. Admire them from the path and skip the swim.

Visiting Greenfield Lake Today

Today the park has playgrounds, the Greenfield Grind skatepark, tennis and pickleball courts, docks, a boathouse, and plenty of spots to watch ospreys, hawks, ducks, geese, and turtles. For a guided introduction, Cape Fear Bird Observatory volunteers lead a family nature walk at 9 a.m. on the third Saturday of each month, starting at the boathouse. The city also has plans for new signage and mile markers, dock repairs, and more native plantings in the years ahead.

Living Near Greenfield Lake

The lake sits just south of downtown, so nearby neighborhoods offer easy access to both the park’s trails and everything happening on the riverfront. If you’d love to walk the loop every morning, I’m happy to show you what’s available close by.

Next up in the series: another piece of Wilmington history hiding in plain sight. Have a spot you’d love me to cover? Send me a note.

Source: Wilmington and Beaches, “Celebrate Greenfield Park’s Hundredth Birthday”