Parks and Recreation Sites

The Park Point Beach House and adjacent recreation field, located in Park Point on Minnesota Point, were constructed by the Works Progress Administration (WPA).

"Forty are building a retaining wall at the foot of Morris avenue here near the Rockaway River. The plot will be filled with refuse and dirt after the wall is built. Eventually it will become a park." The park mentioned is today known as Grace Lord Park.

The WPA constructed a rock retaining wall in the parking lot at the James Marshall Monument, located within the Marshall Gold Discovery State Historic Park in Coloma, California.

This stone park shelter in the small town of Hubbard, Iowa, was built by the WPA in 1939.

Located in Veterans Memorial Campground, Shelter #1 was a combined effort between La Crosse County and the WPA. It's 1937 stone structure is in amazing shape as it is maintained by the county. It sits across the campground drive from a static tank display and a memorial sign. The shingled roof is in fine condition as well.

Fountain, center of Park Square, c. 1935, A WPA project, the fountain exhibits Art Moderne motifs, with stylized volutes and fluting ornamenting its basically plain mass. It serves to continue the public function of the square, and thus contributes to the integrity of the district.

In 1936, the Washington Post reported that Works Progress Administration (WPA) crews had done work on the Park View playground. This would have been part of a  nearly $1 million WPA program of park and playground improvements in 1935-36. The playground had been built in 1932 using district unemployment funds, prior to the New Deal but in the same spirit.  The attached photo dates from its original construction, not the WPA work.

3 CCC camps were actively involved in the park's development from 1933-1942. In addition to repairing the pond and building Parker Dam, the CCC cleared beaches and bought a bathhouse and other bathing facilities. They also carried out extensive reforestation efforts, and built miles of roads, trails and bridges. Some traces of the CCC camps still remain.

Built in 1936 by the Civilian Conservation Corps company quartered at Camp South Fork, the Parker Meadows Shelter is typical of "rustic" style trail shelters or fire guard shelters constructed on the National Forest during the period. Constructed along an important Forest road, the shelter was intended for recreational purposes and associated with a nearby campground. The shelter was open for use by anyone and probably contained a fire-tool cache in a locked box, for potential fire emergency use (LaLande, August 4, 1999). Records of CCC activity associated with Camp South Fork refer to five man-months of labor at Parker Meadows...

The federal Civil Works Administration (C.W.A.) funded labor toward the development of Parker Memorial Park in Branford, CT. The town's Report of the Parker Memorial Park Committee, 1934 said: "We have been able to accomplish this work in a much shorter time than expected owing to assistance received from the C. W. A."

The National Youth Administration built a running track for the Parkersburg High School in Parkersburg. At the time of its construction this was the only half-mile track in West Virginia.

1933 Mayor Alvin Lucier in his inaugural address listed 4 major projects done in cooperation with Federal Relief agencies. 3. PARKS AND COMMONS AND RECREATION FACILITIES. This project was designed to further develop the Artillery Pond project and includes some building. This would bring nearer to realization a well thought out plan for the development of an area particularly well suited by nature for a recreational center. It also includes work to be done at the South Common and at the swimming pool at Field's Grove. 1934 Mayor Lucier in his annual report wrote: "No less than seven Federal programs have directly affected our people. During...

Only 1933 and 1934 town reports were available, but even so, quite a lot of useful work was accomplished by CWA and FERA on unemployment relief. 1933: City Planning Board "In December a C W A project was started at the Park, Kirby Lake, and on our city trees. At the Park many changes and improvements have been made under this project. A new pavilion has been built, all bushes removed, drains put in, a new bed for the small stream being dug along the easterly line of the Park and the old bed filled in, making a new and ideal spot...

WPA Proj. No. 605-06-2-80. Total funds $1,480, September 10, 1938. "Improve grounds of the Parlier Union High School in Parlier, Fresno County, including constructing tennis courts, erecting fencing, and performing incidental and appurtenant work. Parlier Union High School District owned property. In addition to projects specifically approved. Average employed 24. Total Federal and Sponsor funds $3,794. Speaking with a facility member, he regretfully informed this researcher that the tennis courts had been removed about 9 years ago for the building of a new gymnasium.

"In 1930, the State purchased 918 acres of land and a 108 acre lake.  On September 12, 1931 the property was dedicated as Parvin State Park. The new Park continued to be a popular recreation area, adding camping to its list of activities.  Water festivals with swimming races were held each summer during the early years of the Park.  Joe Truncer was appointed as the first Park Superintendent and Bob Seymour, who had been the caretaker under the previous owner, became a Park employee.  Between 1932 and 1933 Almond Road was moved about 50 yards north of its earlier location in...

"The campsites are surrounded by and terraced with rockwork. The highlight of the CCC work in the campground is the Nature Den. It was originally built as the Winter Shelter. At that time, park activities included skiing, tobogganing, and ice skating. " from the Cuyamaca State Park CCC Heritage Adventure Site https://www.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=25411

According to the NYC Parks website: "The site of this ballfield was acquired by the City of New York for the construction of the Independent Subway whose line curves from the Avenue of the Americas to West Houston Street. In May 1934 the Board of Transportation granted the Department of Parks a permit to develop for playground purposes four parcels on West Houston Street. The park at the northeast corner of West Houston Street and the Avenue of the Americas was one of thirty-eight new playgrounds added to the Park system in the first four months of Robert Moses’s twenty-six...

A restroom facility in Pastorius Park, northwest Philadelphia, was constructed by the federal Works Progress Administration (WPA) in 1937. A stone stating such can be found beneath a circular vent on the building.

"Conservation efforts began in the river valley in 1907 when the Patapsco State Forest Reserve was established. During the Depression years of the 1930s, President Franklin D. Roosevelt's Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) planted trees and built trails, picnic areas, campsites and handsome cut-stone pavilions to improve what had by then become "Patapsco State Park". Company 356 of the Civilian Conservation Corps made its encampment near Lost Lake at Camp Tydings in the Avalon Area. The CCC built the stone picnic shelters in Orange Grove and Glen Artney (not visible from the river). The CCC was also responsible for planting trees in...

In 1936, the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) set up camp at Pattison State Park in Superior, Wisconsin. Pattison State Park was named for Martin Pattison, a wealthy Superiorite who had purchased the land in 1918 and gave it to the state in order to preserve its resources. The land became a state park in 1920. At Camp Pattison, the Corpsmen of Company 3663 would improve the park from a miniscule natural area to the expansive work of conservation it is today. During its construction, the men of Camp Pattison transformed the park by clearing out and building trails and bridges, renovating...

President Franklin Roosevelt created Patuxent Research Refuge (PRR) with Executive Order 7514, December 16, 1936, and Secretary of Agriculture Henry Wallace dedicated it on June 3, 1939.  The refuge began with 2,670 acres and has since grown to 12,841 acres. It is “the nation's only national wildlife refuge established to support wildlife research” (U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service). Several New Deal agencies helped to build the extensive facilities at the Patuxent Research Refuge. At the time, wildlife refuges came under the direction of the Bureau of Biological Survey (later merged into the Fish & Wildlife Service).  The Works Progress Administration (WPA)...

"The Paugnut Forest Administration Building (also known as Burr Pond Park Bungalow) is a historic building at 385 Burr Mountain Road in Burr Pond State Park, Torrington, Connecticut. Built in 1937 by a crew of the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC), it is one of the finest examples of Bungalow/Craftsman architecture built by the CCC in the state. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1986."

"The Paugussett Trail was a CCC project during the Great Depression and at one time stretched from Lake Zoar in Monroe all the way to Roosevelt Forest in Stratford. Some time prior to 1971, the trail south of Indian Well State Park was abandoned after it was cut off by new subdivisions, and the north end of the trail absorbed a reminent of the Pomperaug Trail in Monroe."

Football stadium constructed 1938-1939 by the Public Works Administration and the Works Progress Administration for $246,000. Currently home of the Massillon Washington High School football team.

Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) Company 572 worked at the Paul M. Demmick Grove in the Navarro River Redwoods State Park. They built a water system and started work on a campground and custodian's lodge.

Located within the Newberry National Volcanic Monument area of the Deschutes National Forest (approximately 36 miles southeast of Bend), the Paulina Lake Guard Station was built by Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) employees in 1938 to house a seasonal ranger responsible for patrolling the campground and surrounding forest during wildfire season.  It currently houses the Paulina Visitors Center, the interpretive center for the Newberry Caldera. Finished in horizontal clapboard, with vertical board and batten on its gable ends, the one-story wooden structure with an interior stone chimney reflects the rustic-style developed by the Forest Service in the Pacific Northwest during the early...

The federal Civil Works Administration (CWA) constructed a gymnasium at the old high school for the Paw Creek school district in Mecklenburg County, North Carolina (now within the city limits of Charlotte). The structure, whose exact location is unknown to Living New Deal, no longer exists. "The Long Creek High School Gymnasium was one of eight facilities of its general type constructed in Mecklenburg County under the arrangements outlined above, the others being at the high schools then in the local school districts of Huntersville, Paw Creek, Pineville, Sharon, Oakhurst, Berryhill, and Bain. Only the Long Creek Gymnasium survives from this...

The Pawnee bathhouse was built by the WPA in 1939: "The Pawnee Bath House, a WPA (Work Projects Administration) project built of hand-cut native stone with terraced stairway and landscaping, including a three acre lake for swimming, was originally intended to not only bring needed jobs for the area, but to also provide recreation for Pawnee and the surrounding communities. The project was an immediate success with the Grand Opening featuring a water carnival and dignitary visitation to include the Governor of Oklahoma along with the US WPA project coordinator. The bath house and swimming hole was a popular spot for...

The Works Progress Administration (WPA) constructed stone ovens and a stone comfort station at what was then Paxtang Park in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania.

The Federal Emergency Relief Administration (FERA) funded improvements at the Payne Playground in Washington DC between 1934 and 1935. The work consisted of the following improvements: “Removed old shelter and wrecked it; replaced with shelter moved from Lincoln; remodeled, repaired, and painted.”

The Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) made extensive recreational improvements on Mt. Nebo, the highest and southern-most peak of the Wasatch Mountains.  The CCC teams worked out of three camps: F-9 at the south end of the Mt. Nebo Loop, F-3 at Hubble Canyon and F-40 near Provo, from 1933 to 1938 – and possibly to 1941 when the last camp closed. After building the Mt Nebo Loop Road (Scenic Byway), the CCC enrollees created campgrounds, picnic areas and trails. Not all this work can be identified precisely, but some can be verified from reliable sources. Payson Lakes Guard Station was built in...

Wikipedia: "In 1938, the Works Progress Administration (WPA) built the football stadium limestone bleachers, west and north walls, picnic tables, fire pits, and various items in the park."

The Pear Lake Winter Hut was originally built by the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) in 1939-41 as a ranger station for Sequoia National Park.  It now serves as a ranger station in the summer and as a ski hut for backcountry skiers in winter.  The hut is 17' x 30' and constructed of stone in the national park rustic style.  The steeply pitched gable roof is supported by a framework of log rafters and brackets, with a shake roof.  A gable covers the second-story balcony and a rear gable is covered with board and batten. It sleeps ten people. The Peak Lake Winter...

In 1939 the Works Progress Administration (WPA) helped build the Pebble Lake Golf Course in Fergus Falls, Minnesota. “Through the assistance of a grant by WPA of $61,587,” a writer for Parks & Recreation reported in January of 1939, “construction of a municipal golf course will soon be under way at Pebble Lake, Fergus Falls, Minn.” City boosters and businessmen led the charge to locate a new golf course within the municipality of Fergus Falls. After much legal and political wrangling, WPA laborers eventually began constructing the course. “The 20 WPA workers” assigned to the project, historian Randy LaFoy documents, “used stones...

The Pecan Bowl was constructed as a Works Progress Administration (WPA) project. “Stadiums, like schools, came in many styles and colors, perhaps according to available rock or style of the nearby school. The Pecan Bowl in Okemah is especially attractive. The Okemah Stadium was built in an amphitheatre style, using a natural slope in the ground. It has dark red sandstone, typical of central and western Oklahoma.”

This is a suspension-type bridge with steel cables by 1936 by the Works Progress Administration (WPA). A restoration was completed in 2017 and was reopened for foot traffic. It is the only WPA project remaining in Fairfield County.

The New York City Parks Department website declares: "Despite the hardships endured by New Yorkers over the course of the World Wars and the Great Depression, the demand for golf courses increased steadily. Under the tenure of Parks Commissioner Robert Moses (1888-1981), New York City’s recreational facilities saw great changes. With federal funding provided by the Works Progress Administration, Moses created a variety of new public facilities and expanded others throughout the city. In 1936, the Pell Golf Course was refurbished, and renamed the Pelham Golf Course. That same year, the adjacent Split Rock Golf Course and clubhouse were built." Nonetheless, a Parks...

Pelham Bay Park, the largest in the city of New York (three times the size of Central Park), sits on Pelham Bay in the northeast corner of The Bronx. It was established in 1888, when The Bronx was still separate from New York City. The park was greatly improved by Robert Moses and the NY City Parks Department, with the help of federal New Deal funds and workers from the Civil Works Administration (CWA) and Works Progress Administration (WPA). On November 10, 1941, the New York City Department of Parks announced the completion of the massive overhaul of the 60-acre Isaac L. Rice Memorial...

The Pelham Parkway bicycle path east of White Plains Road. "The Parks Department website says "Bicycling was an integral part of the New Deal work relief projects of the 1930s and 1940s. The Moses administration planned bicycle paths using WPA funds along the Harlem River Speedway, in Hillside Park in Queens, along the center strip of Pelham Parkway in the Bronx"."   (https://kermitproject.org)

"A Civilian Conservation Corps Camp of 208 men completes projects like rebuilding Eagle Tower, constructing stone fences, clearing hiking trails and roads, planting trees and refurbishing the ski jump and toboggan run near today's Nature Center."  (https://dnr.wi.gov)