On June 29, 1941, Richmond’s Mayor Gordon Barbour Ambler ordered that Shields Lake be closed as a public swimming place. The lake in Byrd Park was one of several swimming spots around Richmond. It was whites-only.

The Mayor was responding to a letter from Welfare Director Jesse Johnson who described the lake as a “health menace” because of a high bacteria count in the water.

The Mayor directed that the lake stay closed until the necessary changes were made so that swimming could be safe again. As soon as the ban went into effect, workmen began draining the water to give the bottom of the lake a thorough cleaning.

Dr. R.M. Wilison, the city epidemiologist, found that the water showed a “bacterial count of 2,000 per cubic centimeter.” The count should not have been over 150. Thus, the doctor strongly recommended that swimming in the lake “cease at once” and “the lake bed drained and a 12-inch stream of water be sent in instead of the six-inch stream which is going in now.” The doctor also suggested chlorine as an effective option for sanitizing the lake.