Kingston’s Sojourner Truth State Park Breaks Ground for New Swimming Pool

On a hot July afternoon at Sojourner Truth State Park in Kingston, state and local officials broke ground on what will soon become a shimmering summer draw: Lake Sophia, the state’s first new park pool in 20 years. Construction is expected to be completed next summer.

“In cities and urban centers, there are not that many places to go to be able to swim. You have to pay a big membership to be a member of a club, you don’t actually get to go to a state park and have that opportunity,” says State Senator Michelle Hinchey, who spoke at the event. “Under the gloom and challenges that we’re seeing, these are the things that we get to celebrate.”

Lake Sophia will be developed from the existing quarry in the park. The pool, named for Sojourner Truth’s daughter Sophia Schuyler, has a 480-person swim capacity—nearly five times that of other pools in Kingston. The swimming area will hold a shallow swim crib that’s connected to a 20-foot “deep swim” area. On the shore, swimmers can grab snacks from local food trucks or wash off at the bathhouse. The beach is also connected to the trails in the park.

The $75.6 million expansion was made possible by funding from Governor Kathy Hochul’s 2022 Clean Water Clean Air, Green Jobs Environmental Bond Act. The Bond Act is part of a series of investments from Hochul that supports the environment and local communities, such as New York Swims, which gives grants for municipalities to refurbish their pools.

The 500-acre Sojourner Truth Park, located just north of Hutton Brickyard on the Hudson River, was opened last year. The land had a long industrial history, but once its last facility shut down, it sat abandoned for 40 years until Scenic Hudson acquired the property.

“[State parks] weren’t in a lot of cities,” says State Parks Commissioner Pro Tempore Randy Simons. “We had a chance, working with Scenic Hudson, to acquire the property. Once we had it, we said, ‘What is our canvas now?’”

In 2022, Hochul dedicated the park to iconic abolitionist and women’s rights activist Truth. At the nearby Kingston Courthouse, Truth was the first formerly enslaved person to win a case against her slavemaster in 1828. The courthouse steps she walked up were recovered and acquired by the state park, and the steps are set to be displayed in the future. In tandem, the park is adding more historical signage to ensure these stories are known.

“We are telling the untold stories of our history. Our whole history will be learned here and at parts of historic sites across the state,” says Simons.

At its core, the park’s expansion is a way to strengthen community bonds by providing a free space for people to congregate and socialize. It’s part of Gov. Hochul’s “Get Offline, Go Outside” campaign, which encourages disconnection from technology and reconnection with nature.

“Technologies aim to connect us, but at the same time, it disconnects us more than ever,” says Simons. “Listen to the birds. Just people watch, watch people swimming. There’s something healthy about that.”

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