[1][2] Between 1933 and 1937 the Federal Government began implementing a Resettlement Administration program, where rural farmers were supposed to be relocated to more fertile areas.

The RA bought 79 pieces of property in both Hickory Ridge and Batestown and condemned another 48, to form the Chopawamsic Recreational Demonstration Area.

[3] The area residents resisted the relocation efforts, sometimes retreating into the park boundaries to escape detection.

This continued until the beginning of World War II, where the park was taken over by the Office of Strategic Services as a spy training ground.

[4] At the end of the war, the displaced residents hoped their land would be restored, but to date these families have received no compensation.