Federal Facilities Sites

The Shenandoah Memorial in Ava, Ohio was built to honor those lost in a 1925 airship crash that occurred in Noble County. The memorial was constructed with Treasury Department funds. The contractor was George Dodds & Sons Granite Company of Xenia, Ohio. Archival photos suggest the project was completed in September or October 1938. The memorial, according to Roadside America, "originally stood at the spot where the stern section of the Shenandoah fell to earth, but that was back in the wooded hills where few people could visit. The people of Ava have since moved it to a convenient spot along...

"Between May 11, 1933 and March 31, 1942, ten CCC camps were established within, or on leased land adjacent to, Shenandoah. At any one time, more than 1,000 boys and young men lived in camps supervised by the Army and worked on projects directed by the Service and the Bureau of Public Roads. Until the park was established officially on December 26, 1935, the bulk of CCC activity took place on the narrow 100 foot right-of-way of the Skyline Drive, in the few areas of purchased or donated land transferred to the federal government by the Commonwealth of Virginia, or on...

One of the first CCC camps in the park, (Camp N.P.-2), was established at Big Meadows. Some of the CCC camp structures remain. The CCC also created many of the structures that make up today's Big Meadows Campground. CCC works remaining include water fountains, comfort stations, picnic grounds, roads, cabins, a maintenance office, a gas/oil building, a stable/storage structure and more.

The Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) conducted substantial work at Shenipsit State Forest in northern Connecticut. Work was undertaken by Camp Conner, housing Company #1192, which operated from Sept. 5, 1935 to May 23, 1941. Projects, which include those given separate pages on this website, included "miles of hiking trails" and "clean-up after the Flood of 1936 and the Hurricane of 1938 in East Hartford, Stafford Springs, and South Windsor."

Emergency relief crews, including WPA and CCC workers, undertook cleanup and dredging in Wallace and nearby towns after persistent flooding of the Coeur d'Alene River in 1933 and 1934. From the University of Idaho archives, describing the collection on file: "The floods of 1933 were by far the worst. Three days of torrential rains in early June sent the Coeur d'Alene River and its tributaries over their banks. Then on December 21 a sudden thaw accompanied by heavy rains caused landslides and flooding. Coeur d'Alene Lake reached an all time high level of 2139.5 feet above sea level--two feet higher than...

Although the State's initial acquisition of land for the park occurred in 1931, the early development of Silver Falls State Park can be credited to several of the New Deal programs. A significant portion of the land for the park was purchased by the federal Resettlement Administration (RA) c 1935, and developed for recreational use through the work of the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) and Works Progress Administration (WPA) between 1935 and 1942. As shown on the map below, a portion of the land that became Silver Falls State Park was once Silver Falls City.  Surrounding this old logging town, the...

The Sims Flat Campground on the Sacramento River occupies the site of a former  Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) camp, known as the Castella Camp (Castella is a larger town just to the north).  The CCC camp operated from 1934 to 1939. It is unknown to us when the US Forest Service opened the campground at this site.  Traces of the CCC camp still remain, such as the stone steps that led up to the former commanding officer's house and administration building. A plaque at the bottom of the steps reads: "CCC Camp (1934-1939). With its wooded valley and beautiful river setting, Sims was...

"In 1936, through a federally financed work program, the National Park Service bought portions of the land surrounding Singletary Lake for a recreational demonstration project. One of two projects in North Carolina, the federal government purchased the land at an average cost of $4.51 per acre. The land was managed by the Resettlement Administration until 1939, and during this period resettlement workers and local residents constructed Singletary Recreation Center, which included an office, maintenance building and recreation facilities. In addition, using local talents and materials, an infirmary building, ten cabins, a dining and recreation hall, and a workshop—a fully operational group...

The CCC operated camp F-6 on Soapstone Creek near Kamas. The site appears to have served as YMCA Camp Roger since 1948, though the extent to which CCC traces remain is unknown. Based on the link to the "Camp Roger, Then and Now" photograph, the YMCA appears to have occupied already extant cabins in 1948; if these were CCC structures it would suggest they are still in use.

The post office in South Denver was completed in 1940 with funds provided by the Treasury Department. It is also the site of Ethel Magafan's 1942 mural, "The Horse Corral," completed with funds provided by the Treasury Section of Fine Arts and viewable in the lobby.

South Mountain Park in Phoenix AZ was the site of two Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) camps from 1933 to 1940, labeled SP-3A and SP-4A.  Around 4,000 CCC enrollees passed through the camps over that time, in Companies 864, 874, and possibly others. The camps appear to have been located on level ground near the entrance to the park, perhaps near the present site of the Environmental Education Center.  It is not clear from historic photographs and their labels if the camps were at a single site or were separate.  Remnants of CCC barracks are said to be still visible (NNDPA 2012). The...

"Development of land in what is now South Mountains State Park began in the 1930s when Camp Dryer, a Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) camp, was established at Enola. Those employed at the camp constructed forest service roads, cleaned stream beds and built a forest observation tower. The Lower and Upper CCC roads are still in use as trails at the park today."

Built in 1939.

Philadelphia's historic Southwark Station post office was constructed in 1936 with federal Treasury Department funds. The building, which houses an example of New Deal artwork, is still in service.

Constructed with U.S. Treasury Department funds in 1937.

The CCC Camp SP10 is located west of the service building. At the site there are multiple stone markers. "Here Lies Old Man Carelessness, September 1939" is inscribed on a limestone marker. The significance of the marker has not been identified.

Now known as the Springer Cultural Center, what was then the main post office for Champaign, Illinois received a New Deal-era addition. Actually, the building received an addition in 1929, though it was razed seven years later to accommodate the larger construction, which effectively doubled the size of the original building, in 1936. A home behind the property was also demolished to make way for the new rear addition. The facility was converted into a what was known as the Springer Federal Building in 1966. Listed to the National Register of Historic Places in 1976, the building was deeded to the...

The Civilian Conservation Corps (C.C.C.)’s Camp Hook was stationed at Squantz Pond State Park from May 24, 1933 to Oct. 30, 1935. Projects undertaken at the park included: foot trails along Squantz Pond construction of the Squantz Pond entrance road recreation area improvements at Squantz Pond gypsy moth removal tree planting

The Squirrel Hill Station post office in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania was constructed in 1938 with federal Treasury Department funds. The building, which houses a New Deal mural in its lobby, is still in use today.

What is today the St. Marks Wildlife Refuge was originally established in 1931 as the St. Marks Migratory Waterfowl Refuge, a key link in protecting the Atlantic flyway. It cover over 70,000 acres spread out between Wakulla, Jefferson, and Taylor counties in Florida and includes about 43 miles of the Gulf Coast. In the summer of 1933, Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) Camp BF-1 was established near Newport to begin work on various improvements to the refuge under the auspices of the Bureau of Biological Survey (from 1940 the Fish & Wildlife Service). It was one of the few all African American camps...

"This building to the west of the Capitol Building was built as Salem's Post Office at a cost of $310,000, and was dedicated on October 16, 1937. It was the only marble post office west of the Mississippi River beside Denver's. It served as Salem's post office until 1976, when a new building on 25th Street took its place (until 2012, when it was decided to cease operations at that location). Today it serves as the State of Oregon Executive Building."

Cleveland's historic Station A post office was constructed with federal funds in 1935-6. The building, which features Deco details, was designed by Julius Boenisch.

There was a Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) on Steamboat Creek,  ~1.5 miles up Steamboat Road from Highway 138, along this tributary of the North Umpqua River.   We were not able to locate a likely site for the camp on our visit to the area in 2022. According to a plaque put up by the National Association of CCC Alumni, Region 4, at Mott Bridge just east of the river and road junction, Steamboat Camp was occupied by CCC Companies 927, 703 and 3450 from 1933 to 1941 (not 1944 as stated on the informational panel nearby, because the CCC was...

The downtown post office and federal building in Salinas, California, was constructed by the Treasury Department in 1936.  It is now known as the Steinbeck Station Post Office. The lobby appears to be unchanged from the 1930s.  It contains two wooden bas-relief sculptures by Richard O'Hanlon.

The Works Progress Administration (W.P.A.) conducted development / improvement projects at what was Stones Ranch Military Reservation in East Lyme. "Improve public buildings" Official Project Numbers: 465‐15‐2‐113 Total project cost: $12,687.00 Sponsor: Quartermaster General's Department, State of Connecticut Additionally, Stones Ranch was the site of one of the few Civilian Conservation Corps (C.C.C.) camps located on a military reservation: Camp Chapman, C.C.C. Company #177. Work included "recreation area improvements, road building, gypsy moth removal, and Dutch Elm disease sanitation."

The historic former Sugar House Station post office was constructed in 1939-1940 with federal Treasury Department funds. The building is now privately owned. NHRP Nomination form: The May 7, 1936 edition of the Sugar House Bulletin reported a "rousing talk" by local Postmaster Smoot that was a 'call to arms' to members of the newly-formed Sugar House Rotary. Mr. Smoot stated that a new federal building was seriously needed to handle the sixteen percent increase in mail during just the preceding twenty months. ... On March 19, 1938, the Salt Lake Tribune announced that the House Appropriations Committee had approved $150,000 for a...

Located in the Umatilla Forest of northeastern Oregon, the Summit Creek Guard Station provides an early example of the US Forest Service's development of such forest management complexes. Overtime, guard stations replaced lookout towers. Civilian Conservation Corps enrollees began construction of the complex in 1933. Other sources attribute development of the complex to work completed in 1938. The Depression-era bunkhouse and warehouse still stand. The bunkhouse is available for rental use.    

The historic former Sweetgrass U.S. Border Inspection Station was constructed with federal Treasury Department funds. The facility was completed in 1936. Since replaced, according to the GSA, "The building was bought and relocated by a private company, and is  no longer under federal ownership." Its current location and status is presently unknown to Living New Deal.

The Mary E. Switzer Building was originally built for the Railroad Retirement Board in 1940. The building was constructed in conjunction with the original Social Security headquarters, now the Wilbur J. Cohen building.  The two stand across C street from each other.  They were the first federal buildings constructed south of the Mall.   The Railroad Retirement Board (RBB), formed in 1934, was a precursor to the Social Security Act in 1935.  Its responsibilities and funds grew with additional legislation in 1935 and 1937, providing taxes to support railway worker pensions. As plans were underway for the headquarters of Social Security, the...

A Public Works Administration grant of $97,795 funded new construction work on the Tax Office building in Honolulu. The work was underway in 1938. Listed as Docket No. TH-1035-DS, the project was part of the PWA’s non-federal projects expenditure for the Territory of Hawaii for 1938-1939. The building, also known as Hale Auhau, which translates as “tax house,” served as the headquarters of the Department of Taxation. Designed by Henry Stuart, architect for the Territorial Department of Public Works, the building is representative of the Mission Revival or California Mission style. Architects of that era designed numerous public buildings in...

The historic Terminal Annex Federal Building in Dallas, Texas was constructed during the Great Depression with federal Treasury Department funds. The building, which houses examples of New Deal artwork inside, was constructed in 1936 and is still in use today.

 Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) enrollees removed snow from the grounds of the White House after a snowstorm in March 1941.

In 1934, the Public Works Administration (PWA) funded the expansion of the White House West Wing, which houses the Executive Offices of the President of the United States.  The West Wing contains the Oval Office, Cabinet Room, Situation Room, and Roosevelt Room.  The West Wing's four floors also contain offices for the vice president, chief of staff, counselor to the president, the senior advisor to the president, the White House press secretary, and their support staffs. There had been three expansions of the West Wing prior to the New Deal, in 1902, 1909 and 1929, but this one was the most thorough-going. When Franklin...

According to the Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation, “The CCC improved the nation’s natural and human resources and also created opportunities for the public to recreate and appreciate a healthy outdoor experience. At Tolland ‘Pinecone Johnnies’ built access roads, bridges, trails, the peninsula campground, beach, picnic area and parking lot. Visit the beach and see the bathhouse they built in 1939.”

This historic post office was built by the Treasury in 1936-37. It now houses the Tracy Historical Museum.

The present Harry S. Truman Federal Building consists of two monumental halves. The first was built under the New Deal for the War Department in 1940-41 (and is still commonly referred to as the War Department building).  When the War Department (now Department of Defense) moved across the Potomac to the Pentagon in 1943, the State Department moved in and has remained ever since. The State Department building was renamed the Harry S. Truman Building in 2000. Consolidating the War Department had become a priority in the lead-up to the Second World War.  A second building was envisioned, but not built until...

The Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC)'s Camp Robinson, which housed Company #180, was stationed at Tunxis State Forest in Hartland, Connecticut. The camp was established June 13, 1933 and was discontinued July 18, 1941. Among other projects independently listed on other pages, work included: "12 miles of truck trails including today's ... Hall Road, construction of a house for the Forest Ranger, and miles of cross-country ski trails." The ski cabin and ski trail remain today. Other improvements included access roads and a cross country ski loop trail.

ParkRec.nd.gov: "Established in 1934, Turtle River State Park was one of a number of new parks built in North Dakota under President Franklin Delano Roosevelt's "New Deal" programs. ... In 1935, a CCC transient work camp, SP-5, was built in Larimore. It initially housed 185 young men, along with their commanding officers. They were assigned to build a new park nearby, originally called Grand Forks State Park. CCC construction projects in the park included bridges, roads, parking areas, foot paths and a number of stone and log buildings, many of which are still in use today. One of their notable achievements was the...

The one-story, brick Colonial Revival style post office was constructed in 1939. It is currently in use as the Chancery Clerk's office. Details include a basement, semicircular granite steps leading to the entrance, cast iron railings, and a limestone frieze and cornice with a semicircular portico over the steps. It contains a mural by Stefan Hirsch, completed and installed in 1943.

Constructed in 1935-6, this historic Beaux Arts federal building "originally housed the United States District Court for the Northern District of Florida, and served it as Tallahassee's main post office until the early 1970s. In 1979, the courthouse was listed in the National Register of Historic Places as part of the Park Avenue Historic District. The courthouse is now occupied by the U.S. Bankruptcy Court of the Northern District of Florida." The lobby continues to house a set of New Deal murals created for the building.