Comments on: No Swimming at Sesqui: 1990s

By: CDelaplace

CDelaplace — Thu, 23 Feb 2012 23:27:16 +0000

Any more information about the Pickett -Thomas Park appreciated. Dr. Thomas He was my great uncle. Im writing about their lives, thanks

By: Mark

Mark — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 23:13:15 +0000

Back in the late 70s I was a lifeguard at Rockbridge Country Club earning money during the summer between clollege years. One of my buddies was the head lifeguard at Sesqui and asked me to fill in during the 4th of July weekend due to a shortage of guards. I was working the diving dock and man was that lake packed! I watched a mom swim out from the shore and her young teen daughter start after her. As I watched the girl get out over her head I realized she couldn't really swim. On her second bob below the water I dove in and came up behind her. My training kicked in and I put her in a rescue hold. Swam her back to shore and got her up on the beach. The funny thing was, the lake was so crowded that no one saw a thing - no other guard, no swimmer, no on sitting on the shore. I looked around a few times, made sure she was OK and swam back out to my station.

By: JBL

JBL — Tue, 30 Aug 2011 05:08:14 +0000

Thanks for the info, stacie.
Sorry for highjacking the thread, ted.

By: Cindy

Cindy — Sat, 27 Aug 2011 14:09:08 +0000

Ahhhh, Sesqui! I remember the floating dock and diving boards too! But I was too youn to swim to them. I remember the bathrooms pictured above, and the strange musky smell. I got TORN UP by some fire ants there one year. Guess I was about 4 or 5. LOL

By: Blaine

Blaine — Fri, 26 Aug 2011 14:09:10 +0000

I used to like swimming at Sesqui, though not as often as at Bell Camp. Seems to me as long as you were in the swimming area, there were less snapping turtles and snakes than at Bell Camp (though on the other side, I wouldn't want to venture past that point). What I really liked were the pedal boats and canoes. I liked that you could go behind the little island, made it a liiitle more of an 'adventure'. I too heard the story that it was too hard to get lifeguards, is that really all it was?

By: Miz T

Miz T — Thu, 11 Aug 2011 20:35:39 +0000

I took my swimming lessons at age 7 at Sesqui. The water was nasty, but not as bad as it is now because there were a lot of people swimming there! I'd dive off that high dive once a year on a dare...did a belly buster every time. I'd do fine on the low dive, but that high dive was a mental challenge. We used to swim under that dock. Now THAT was yucky! We'd also see how deep we could go and the slime near the bottom was really bad. We didn't do it often. Kids are nuts sometimes. I do remember the tale of the kid that dove into the nest of water moccasins. I never believed it, but I never went out of my comfort zone either for just that reason. LOL

By: stacie

stacie — Sun, 19 Jun 2011 00:09:33 +0000

The Pickett Thomas golf course, just down the road from Goodale, was considered part of the state park and is now, unfortunately, closed and grown over. White Pines is also down the road (the other way) but is a private golf course.

By: brad benggio

brad benggio — Wed, 01 Jun 2011 21:33:47 +0000

Interesting site and historic information. I found this while trying to find something about SIlver Lake where I used to swim as a kid. It was in Pine Ridge just outside of Cayce and was most fun in the day with swimming, diving, canoeing, fishing. It also had a pavillion with a juke box where people would dance and the best burgers I can remember. Anyone know what happened to Silver Lake or its present status? Its clearly visible on Google Earth and the old dive platforms and buildings are still there.

By: Javier

Javier — Mon, 27 Sep 2010 01:31:35 +0000

a guy said that they closed swiming because the water got dirty

By: JBL

JBL — Sat, 25 Sep 2010 05:07:54 +0000

Thanks. This has got to be the course that I hacked around on in the early 80s that had nothing more than greens and mowed fields for fairways. I remember it being part of the park. It may have been, because some websites have the gof club starting in 1985, while others have the course being built in 1974.