About Us
The Blue Jay Recreation facility is located out in the rural part of Bertie County in eastern North Carolina and now serves as a safe place for youth to thrive and for the community to get together.
The Center is located off Indian Woods Road in Windsor, North Carolina. Blue Jay Recreation President, Ronald Rascoe says they are thrilled to finally have a dedicated space for our youth to learn, grow, and have fun.
“The kids here are from all over Bertie County. We solicit through the schools, so they are basically from all over Bertie.”
Events
YOUTH/ ADULTS KICKBALL & BASEBALL TOURNAMENT
June/ July
BLUE JAY RECREATION CENTER WALK- A – THON
October 18, 2025
BERTIE’S FORGOTTEN BLACK & NATIVE PATRIOTS OF THE
October 3ʳᵈ & 4ᵗʰ 2025
HUNTERS & LANDOWNERS BREAKFAST
September
BACK TO SCHOOL EXTRAVAGANZA/ BBQ CHICKEN COOKOFF
August 9, 2025
MOVIE NIGHT
July 26, 2025
History
While the residents of Indian Woods were impacted by the Great Migration and politics from 1960 to 1990, they were also more directly affected by community development. By 1965 most residents of Indian Woods had become very aware of the recreational needs of their community. One of these needs was some type of community recreation center for their children between the ages of 5 and 18. In response to this, a group of residents led by Bart F. Smallwood created a Little League baseball team in 1965, later building and chartering the Blue Jay Recreation Center in 1966. Although in the early stages of development Bart Smallwood acted alone, by 1967 he had solicited the support of the four area churches and interested residents. The pastors of these four churches encouraged their members to donate time and money to developing the recreation center. This set the stage for more community involvement and cooperation.
By working together to establish the recreation center, residents began to look beyond their church and local concerns and began to be concerned about what was happening to Blacks all over Bertie County. They became interested in things such as good roads, quality education, and economic opportunities.
The recreation center proposed by Smallwood represented an opportunity to improve the community and the lives of area children. Smallwood began to look for ways to help fund this center. The two methods he pursued were, first, asking for donations from the community churches whose members would directly benefit from its establishment, and second, seeking county and state funds earmarked for parks and recreation. After working exclusively with
donations from area churches from 1966 to 1972, Smallwood and a new board of directors made up of residents drafted a proposal in 1973 and submitted it to the Bertie County Recreation Committee for funding. In it the board presented a long-term plan and worked with county and state representatives to secure monies for the recreation center.
Tuscarora Nation in Indian Woods
Before the arrival of European explorers in 1585 and settlers in 1655, Indian Woods was inhabited by the Tuscarora who were part of the Iroquois linguistic group of the Northeastern Woodland Indians, who lived around the Great Lakes region of New York and Canada (see Appendix, Figure 6). The Tuscarora, with their neighbors the Algonquins, moved into the Carolina area around 2,000 to 5,000 years ago. The Tuscarora and their allies, the Nottoway and Meherrin Indians, settled in an area of eastern North Carolina and southeastern Virginia known as the western coastal plains. They and their allies established several towns up from the mouth of the Neuse River, in eastern North Carolina, north to the Nottoway River in Southeastern Virginia.
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News
Bertie Daily Advance
Bertie Ledger-Advance is an American newspaper based in Windsor, North Carolina covering Bertie County.
Roanoke Chowan News Herald
The Roanoke-Chowan News-Herald newspaper was founded in 1914 as the Ahoskie Patriot. It serves the rural North Carolina communities of Bertie, Hertford, Northampton, and Gates counties, including the towns of Ahoskie, Murfreesboro, and Windsor.
Support Your Community Center
Have questions, want to book our facility, or learn more about our programs? Reach out to the Blue Jay Recreation Center team today. We’re excited to hear from you and help make your experience memorable!
