Parks and Recreation Sites

Several oven shelters were built throughout Brown County State Park between 1934 and 1940 but only a few survived. The oven and drinking fountains are in the vicinity of Lower Shelter. The style of the shelter is classified as parks rustic.

The Weed Patch Shelter, also commonly known as Peach Tree Shelter, was completed by CCC laborers in 1935. The style of the shelter is classified as parks rustic.

The building was originally called Vermin Shelter, today it is known as the recreational building. Originally the building was used to educate people about local animals. The shelter hosted various small predatory animals (hence the name "vermin shelter") for public viewing. The shelter also helped keep individuals away from nesting areas. The structure was completed by CCC laborers in 1934. The style of the recreational building is parks rustic.

CCC workers completed the Brown County State Park saddle barn in 1936. It is the largest saddle barn of any Indiana state park, with stalls for 25 horses. The saddle barn is classified as Parks Rustic.

The shelter house was completed by CCC laborers in 1935. The shelter functions as a store.

Strahl Shelter was renovated by CCC laborers in 1935. The style of the shelter is classified as parks rustic.

The Upper Shelter House was completed  by CCC laborers in 1935. CCC workers also constructed a drinking fountain near the shelter. The style of the shelter is classified as parks rustic.

Using a variety of native materials, the CCC built gatehouses designed to appeal to the eye and draw in visitors with hints of the delights of nature within the park. The west gatehouse is one of two at Brown County State Park. It was completed by CCC laborers in 1935. The style of the gatehouse is classified as parks rustic.

The West Lookout Tower was completed by CCC laborers in 1936. The building is a two story structure overlooking a valley. The style of the lookout is classified as parks rustic.

"In Brown Deer Park the lagoon was enlarged during the WPA program, and a pavillion of English design utilizing stone and timber was constructed in the side of a hill overlooking the lagoon. A stone-faced arch bridge was built." The WPA project also included a skating rink.

This swimming pool, with a unique design (above ground, concrete), is in New Martinsville, West Virginia. It was operational until just a few years ago. I swam there often as a child. Unfortunately, though it is still in existence, the pool needs repairs, and the town council refused to spend the money on the project, to the chagrin of constituents. It was built by the WPA. See the attached news article for a photo and history. The signage is original to the period.

A former municipal golf course in Brunswick Georgia built by Donald Ross and the WPA. It was purchased in the 1950's as a private club and has recently been rehabilitated.

The WPA made extensive improvements to Brush School, Santa Rosa, California, under Official Project Number 65-3-364. The work to the one-room school house included building stone retaining walls, a playground and a presumed tennis court (Goddard, 1976: 72-74). Though now under private ownership, the stone walls and tennis court are visible from the public right-of-way. (Goddard does not identify the specific year of construction but it can be inferred from the WPA project number).

Just east of the Bryan Bridge across the Niobrara, the Veterans Conservation Corps completed a little park on 1.46 acres of ground purchased by the state for park purposes. A driveway was built at the east and south corner of the bridge. In the canyons and timber at the river’s edge, a footbridge was built, tables constructed, an oven built of concrete, and underbrush cleared away. Nearby residents considered the park one of the outstanding beauty spots of the state, taking advantage of the natural resources of the site for a marvelous park.

Bryant Park was redesigned and rebuilt between 1933 and 1935 with the help of New Deal funding and Civil Works Administration labor. The project was supervised by the Parks Department, led at the time by Robert Moses. The central role of the New Deal in the reconstruction of the park has received little recognition, with most of the credit going to Moses' Parks Department. Yet, New Deal support was substantial. Moses himself stated for the NewYork Times that " the projects of 1934, with the exception of the parkways, were done almost entirely with relief labor," mentioning the reconstruction of Bryant...

Bryce Canyon was originally designated as a national monument by President Warren G. Harding in 1923 and became a national park through an act of Congress in 1928. The park covers 35,835 acres in south-central Utah. The New Deal greatly improved Bryce Canyon National Park.  Along with the National Park Service, the Public Works Administration (PWA) provided special funds, the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) worked continuously in the park, and the Works Progress Administration (WPA) was also active. The National Park Service recognizes the CCC's contribution on its website for Bryce Canyon NP, but not that of the PWA or WPA:  “During the 1930s...

Several cabins for Bryce Canyon National Park employees were built by New Deal agencies over the course of the 1930s.  They appear  in the residential area of the Park near the lodge. The Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) built a 3-room employee cabin in 1937; the Public Works Administration (PWA) built two employee cabins in 1934; and the Works Progress Administration (WPA) build a rangers' dormitory in 1939 and remodeled a mess hall as a residence in 1938. It is not certain which of the present cabins are from the New Deal and which were built later; some park rangers believe that all of the cabins...

Rainbow Point was developed by the Civilian Conservation Corp (CCC) in 1939, and it has three different components.  First is the overlook area.  This has been refurbished in recent years, but the original stone and metal railings can be seen outside of the newer stone and log rails. Second is the "museum" at Rainbow Point.  The museum is not a building but an open structure with display cases featuring natural habitat, geology, etc.  The structure is relatively large (20 x 10 feet).  This is the most noted CCC project in Bryce Canyon National Park Third is the Bristlecone Trail at Rainbow Point.  This is a short, 1 mile...

The Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) performed road work in Bryce Canyon National Park from 1934-1941.  The CCC made grading improvements on the Rim Road (the 20 mile-long road through the park) and built service roads.  The exact locations of such work cannot be ascertained today, but the roads are still there. The CCC also built parking lots at the Bryce Canyon Lodge and the headquarters building in 1936 and 1939. The Works Progress Administration (WPA) did some road work as well, in 1938-1941.

The Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) laid out the first campground in Bryce Canyon National Park in 1934.  Several campsites are leveled using tell-tale CCC stone-work.  Water and sewer lines were laid.  The original tables no longer exist but metal fireplaces appear original. Also at the South Campground is the amphitheater, build by the CCC in 1934.  Originally called the "lecture circle," it has a simple wooden stage (which can be opened like a giant closet door) and rows of benches.  The old wooden benches have been replaced by plastic ones.

From 1934 to 1940, the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) built or improved major trails in Bryce Canyon National Park, greatly expanding the park's trail system.  The most impressive is the Under-The-Rim trail, running from Bryce Point to Rainbow Point (18.8 miles).  The second longest is the Rim trail from the administration area to Bryce Point.  The CCC also made improvements to the Fairyland Trail and trails from the South Campground to the rim. The Works Progress Administration (WPA) also did some unidentified trail work at Bryce Canyon National Park from 1938-1941.

The Civil Works Administration (CWA) and Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) worked to clear the land for / develop the then-new Buckhorn Island State Park.

'(36 Acres) Work done consisted of rocking 1,500 lineal feet of paths 8 feet wide, surfacing 132,960 square feet of foot paths, resurfacing 22,300 square feet of drives, laying 15, 455 lineal feet of rock gutters, building 6,000 square feet of log retaining walls, 72 rock steps and coping, rubble masonry wall, surfacing 21,600 square feet of tennis courts, erecting 13,590 square feet of standard chain link fence, installing 2,800 lineal feet of pipe irrigation system, grading two small playgrounds, constructing 18,900 square feet of artificial stone sidewalk, spreading 1,000 cubic yards loam, planting shrubs furnished by the Park Commission...

Buescher State Park is connected to Bastrop State Park via a scenic 11-mile drive. This CCC project opened to the public in 1940. Mr. Emil and Mrs. Elizabeth Buescher donated the original land to the state between 1933 and 1936. Buescher was spared from the September 2011 fire that swept through Bastrop County. The park has a beautiful lake with fishing, camping, and hiking trails. A plaque in front of the Recreation Hall states: CCC Companies 1805 and 1811 worked on Buescher between 1933 and 1939. Recruits enrolled for a six month period and received base pay of $30 month. Between...

A New York City Parks Department press release from August 26, 1939 describes the WPA’s role in developing what is now known as Bufano Park: “The Department of Parks announces that the two acre playground bounded by Bradford, Edison, LaSalle and Waterbury Avenues, in the Borough of The Bronx, will be opened to the general public without ceremony on Saturday, August 26th... This playground was planned by the Department of Parks and the work performed by the Work Projects Administration. Besides a completely equipped children's playground with wading pool, it includes eight handball courts, a softball diamond and a large asphalt surfaced...

In the early 1930s, the Buffalo County Fair was in dire straits. It went broke and was taken over by the County Farm Bureau, and thence was taken over by the newly formed Buffalo County Fair Board. In 1936, the old grandstand blew down in a storm. It appeared to many that the County Fair was becoming an extinct entity. Plans for a new and improved Buffalo County Fairgrounds were announced in February 1937. Buildings were planned for construction that would total a financial outlay of approximately $25,000.00 and included two horse barns, a double hog shed, two cattle sheds, a...

The Works Progress Administration built the club house for the Buffalo Golf Course in Buffalo, Johnson County.

The WPA constructed the 9-hole Cameron Course at what is now Buffalo Hill Golf Club. From the Buffalo Hill Golf Club website: "In the early 1930’s, land was purchased where part of the Cameron 9 holes now resides. The Cameron Course is named after Dave Cameron, who donated land to the city for golf course development. The original 9 hole course operated until the late 1930’s when the Works Progress Administration (WPA) built a nine hole, irrigated, green grass course; some holes are still in service today while others have been modified during subsequent expansions.”

The Buffalo Point Campground is the largest NPS campground on the Buffalo National River. It was originally an Arkansas State Park before being assumed by the National Park Service. The historically significant park and cabins were built by the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) before WWII. Cabins are perched on a tall bluff top with magnificent views of the lower Buffalo River. There is a Ranger Station, hiking trails including the famous Indian Rockhouse, and many interpretive programs. Buffalo Point is a very popular facility, reservations are recommended.

Works Progress Administration (WPA) laborers constructed and renovated animal houses in the Buffalo Zoo. WPA improvements at the Buffalo Zoo included work on the Sea Lion house and pool (shown above), and construction of new pens for the Sika and Fallow Deer (shown below). More information is needed to determine the current status of these projects.

"Buffalo Zoo Entrance Court – funded by the federal Works Progress Administration (WPA), the entry court and gates (1935-38) are the most intact surviving work of John Edmonston Brent, one of few African Americans practicing as both an architect and a landscape architect in the early twentieth century."

Bukolt Park was originally known as Water Works Park: "As with Iverson and Goerke Parks, Water Works Park got its big push during the recovery period of the 1930s when WPA construction was at its peak. Major improvements included landscaping, parkways, fireplaces, beautification of the lagoon including bridges and in 1935 and 1936 construction of the bathhouse, beach area, ramps and a diving tower. A large lodge built in the park was completed in 1940. On May 5, 1936, the council renamed the park the John J. Bukolt Park in honor of the founder of the Automatic Cradle Manufacturing Company, now Lullabye Furniture...

In 1942, the Washington Post reported the allocation of $32,800 to the Federal Works Agency (FWA) for work on the Bundy Recreation Center in the district's northwest quadrant. It is unclear whether funds were designated for new construction or improvements. Today, the site is known as Bundy Park, with a baseball field, soccer pitch and dog run. It appears to have been renovated in 2012.  It is likely that the baseball field has its origins in the New Deal work of the early 1940s.

"Constructing a brick and concrete field house containing toilet, assembly, checking and dressing rooms; erecting playground, apparatus, fencing around the outdoor theater at the Burbank Playground."

The Civilian Conservation Corps built roads, hiking and ski trails, and recreation facilities on Burke Mountain VT.

"During the 1930s, taking advantage of the public works programs offered by the Depression-era New Deal, Burlingame became home to the 141st Company of the Civilian Conservation Corps. It was the first, the state headquarters, and one of five such camps in Rhode Island. Beginning in 1933, out of work young men, in their late teens and early twenties were put to work making roads and trails. In addition they built fire places, camp sites, and picnic areas, while making recreational improvements to the beaches of Watchaug Pond. Forest management activities went on throughout Rhode Island, particularly in the aftermath of...

"The 31st Street Beach is located in Burnham Park, a green space first envisioned by renowned architect Daniel Burnham in his seminal 1909 Plan of Chicago...Burnham Park served as the site for Chicago’s second World’s Fair, A Century of Progress, between 1933 and 1934. After the fair, the newly consolidated Chicago Park District made additional plans for Burnham Park that echoed Burnham’s original vision for the space. With federal funding through the Works Progress Administration (WPA), the park district began improvements in the mid-1930s, including additional landfill, playfields, walkways, tennis courts, basketball courts, and the 31st Street Beach and beach...

A local newspaper reported that, “Sixty Morristown and ten Morris Township men went to work this morning on placing a rock bottom in Burnham Park swimming pool. This was one of two federal-aid projects approved for immediate start here in order to give unemployed work….Forty of the men are at Brookside Reservoir racking up the rock with which the bottom of the pool will be rip-rapped and 30 at Burnham Pool preparing it for the fill. It was at first hoped to be able to construct a concrete bottom but as this would involve too much material and not enough...

The Works Progress Administration (WPA) conducted a project "the clearing and grubbing of land on the eastern edge of the Burnside Avenue Playground and installation of drives and walks." Furthermore, the WPA installed a "new drinking fountain ... at the Burnside Avenue Plavground near the tennis courts. This was done in connection with the laying of a new six-inch water feed line for filling the wading pool." The park in question is unclear to Living New Deal.