Providence Canyon State Park in Stewart to Expand

Southwest Georgia's popular Providence Canyon State Park in the Lumpkin area of Stewart County is about to become significantly larger.
The state Board of Natural Resources voted last week to purchase two parcels of land next to the park totaling just more than 1,700 acres for $3.3 million, at approximately $1,941 per acre.
The larger of the two tracts - 1,488 acres - is being bought from private owners for $2.9 million. Most of the funding - $2.4 million - is coming through the Georgia Outdoor Stewardship Act, which voters approved in a 2018 referendum. The remaining $500,000 was donated by the Knobloch Family Foundation, Steve Friedman, the state Department of Natural Resources' real estate chief, told board members.
The smaller parcel at 215 acres is pri...