Parks and Recreation Sites

The Works Progress Administration built cages for, and landscaped the grounds of, the Bird and Animal Sanctuary in Shade Swamp CT, circa 1937. The Civilian Conservation Corps built a log and shingle shelter in 1934. The structure is is still on site and was placed on the National Register of Historic Places. The Shade Swamp Bird and Animal Sanctuary is still extant, but the site is abandoned.

In 1936, after an earthwork dam that protected local roads from being flooded by Shadow Lake washed out, the Works Progress Administration (WPA) re-built it.

Shady Lake is a popular 25-acre recreational impoundment in the Ouachita National Forest served by an accompanying U.S. Forest Service recreation area. The Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) was involved in construction of a bathhouse (1936), dam and picnic pavilion (1938), and a caretakers house (1940).

“The pine tree motif is characteristic of the CCC presence in the national forests, and was used for entrance signs at several Klamath National Forest campgrounds. One of them, Shafter, is located several miles south of Macdoel and Mount Hebron, on the road to Bray in northeast California. Shafter also has several Klamath stoves, designed on the forest by CCC foreman Robert Brown. Klamath stoves have a closed firebox instead of an open grill, to both maintain heat and lessen fire danger. The Klamath stove took several different forms as its popularity spread across the West, and CCC enrollees provided...

Shakamak is an attractive site today, but in 1930 when it opened as a state park, much of the parcel was a wasteland of abandoned strip mines. Shakamak State Park entered a new phase of development during the Great Depression. In the winter of 1933-34, the Civil Works Administration (CWA) employed hundreds of local men to build trails, shelters, and a new lake. The dam was completed by the Federal Emergency Relief Administration (FERA) which also constructed fish ponds and pens for exotic animals. In 1937, the Works Progress Administration (WPA) finished the projects. The Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) constructed...

The west shelter was completed by CCC laborers in 1935. The style of the shelter is classified as parks rustic.

The CCC workers completed an outdoor amphitheater using natural terrain. The amphitheater was completed in 1934.

The bath house, or beach pavilion, was a cooperative effort between CCC and WPA workers. The structure was left unfinished at the start of World War II. Park employees were able to complete the pavilion in 1942.

The beach shelter was completed in 1935 by CCC laborers. The style of the shelter is classified as parks rustic.

An abandoned coal mine drift was used as a "coal exhibit" from 1935 through the 1940s. The park discontinued the exhibit but the remains of the site are still visible from trail 2.

The dams were completed by Federal Emergency Relief Administration (FERA) in 1937.

The CCC completed nine identical family cabins between 1938 and 1939. The cabins are typical of CCC construction, and represent the movement in recreational developed in the 1930s toward promoting group and family camping.

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 Shakamak gatehouse was completed by CCC laborers in 1936. The style of the gatehouse is classified as parks rustic.

The Civil Works Administration (CWA) started construction on a new lake. Lake Jason, now known as Lake Lenope, was completed by Works Progress Administration (WPA) in 1937.

The maintenance shed was constructed by CCC laborers in 1938. The CCC used the maintenance shed for storage and truck maintenance.

The oven shelter was completed by CCC workers in 1935. It is a good representation of the CCC development of Indiana state parks. The style of the shelter is classified as parks rustic.

In 1940 CCC laborers completed the Shakamak saddle barn. The style of the barn is classified as parks rustic.

The service building was completed by CCC workers in 1941.

"In the late 1800s, the Shannon Springs artesian well was used as a watering hole on the Chisholm Trail, bringing cattle from Texas to the railheads up north. This park was established at the site of these springs, at least during the first years of the 1900s, and perhaps before that. This is a 43-acre park with a very large lake, in which fishing is allowed. Evidence of the work of the WPA is seen everywhere. Low walls and drainage ditches made of native sandstone border the curving driveways. Occasional stone pillars bear the WPA engraving. Work was done between 1936...

"Shannon Springs Park is a large recreational area, constructed also by the WPA. With its ponds, playground, sports areas,and amphitheater, it is the center of many activities throughout the year. The large Christmas Light display in December brings tens of thousands. "The original swimming pool is gone, but the WPA-constructed bathhouse stands today. Built in 1935 with an appropriation of $11,479, this is a one-story concrete block building, with a Spanish Mission flavor. In 1987 when the building was added to the Oklahoma Landmark Database, the building was boarded up and in disrepair. Today, it has been refurbished, is painted...

"Shannon Springs Park dates back to the early 1900s, but in the mid-1930s, the WPA constructed many things in the park, including this lovely amphitheater. The seats are constructed of native sandstone, in two sections, with a center and outside aisles. The semi-circular stage area is also made of stone. A WPA shield in concrete showing the year 1939 is located on the back side of the stage area, and numerous shields have been engraved in the concrete walkways. The amphitheater is still actively in use today, and can be rented for an event by contacting the City of Chickasha. It is...

"The caretaker's house is a one-story native sandstone building, with a steep gable roof with reverse gables on the north and south. The entrance is on the southeast corner and has a covered porch. The house stands higher than the parking area, and has a low stone wall and stone steps leading to the house level. On the north side, a metal door leads to an area beneath the ground floor of the home. This area has no windows. The two-over-two windows in the main house have been replaced with aluminum framing. Several years ago, the building was used as a...

"This is a rectangular native stone building, with no windows. Two graduated rows of stone are added at the roof line on each corner. On the east side of the front of the building, as large opening which once had a metal sliding door, has been fitted with an overhead door. Above the door and on the upper wall on each end, is a concrete inset engraved "WPA 1938". The building appears to still be in use today. It is listed on the Oklahoma landmarks Inventory database."   (waymarking.com)

The federal Civil Works Administration (CWA) constructed a gymnasium at the old high school for the Sharon 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 initial round...

"The construction of Sharon Woods Golf Course began in 1936. WPA crews did most of the groundwork on the project. Tons of topsoil were dredged from the east side of the lake for constructing greens. The course opened in 1938 when legendary amateur golfer Bobby Jones hit the first golf ball on May 27... Mr. William H. Diddel was the golf course architect of Sharon Woods Golf Course. A native of Indianapolis, Indiana, Mr. Diddel designed over 70 courses in his career."   (https://greatparks.org/)

"Sharon Woods Park was first established in 1932, making it the oldest park managed by Hamilton County. Many of the park's amenities, including the dam and golf course were built by the Civilian Conservation Corps under President Franklin Delano Roosevelt. Today it remains a popular recreation destination for local residents and boasts miles of multipurpose trails, boat rentals, picnic shelters, and much more."   (https://recplanet.com/node/26678) The WPA was also involved in developing the park.

This Spanish hacienda-style clubhouse (now housing the Sharp Park Restaurant) was built by the WPA in 1935-1936. A WPA plaque can still be found on the building.

(463 Acres) Work consisted of installing water pipe line for golf course from county jail reservoir and the construction of a concrete pressure reducing tank 20 feet wide by 150 feet long.--Healy, p. 53

The Works Progress Administration built the Sharpe Memorial Park Arena in Purcell OK. Contributor note: "The building of these grandstands showed the openness the WPA had to building items which were of particular interest to the local community - hence a rodeo arena. The grandstands are constructed of poured concrete and are located at the north end of 2nd Street, north of Van Buren. They run north-south with a large area to the east. During our visit in the fall of 2018, dirt work was underway. This area appears to have previously been a baseball field. (Two baseball fields have now been built to...

Constructed in 1940 in the Delta community of Shaw.

Shaw Park was developed by the WPA in 1935-1936 and formally dedicated in 1937. The park is 30 acres total and is on land donated by the Shaw family. The total cost for the project was $280,000 - a $250,000 federal contribution and $30,000 bond from the city of Clayton. The park is just west of the St. Louis County courthouse and is adjacent to the Clayton High School (constructed later). The largest part of the project is the olympic swimming pool that was the only pool in the midwest meeting requirements for Olympic competition. It has since been modified...

"Located on the northern end of Pleasant Mountain, Shawnee Peak is the oldest major ski area in Maine. Shawnee Peak's skiing history dates back to 1935, when multiple groups started developing a winter recreation area on the northern slopes of Pleasant Mountain. The Bridgton Lions Club, Bridgton Chamber of Commerce, Bridgton Academy, Portland Ski Club, and Bridgton Civilian Conservation Corps joined together to construct the Wayshego Trail. Laid out by Max Wheildon, Bud Dow, and Clarence Kneeland, the 1.5 mile trail was only the start of what was to come. In 1937, Bridgton selectmen obtained a Works Progress Administration grant for further...

In the late 1930s, the WPA rebuilt the piers along Emmons Avenue and the pedestrian footbridge spanning Sheepshead Bay. The footbridge connects Emmons Avenue with Shore Boulevard and Manhattan Beach. Excerpt from the (1939) WPA Guide to New York City, Federal Writers Project: The Sheepshead Bay Neighborhood, whose low wooden houses spread north of Emmons Avenue from the basin, has drawn metropolitan anglers and epicures since its founding in the early 1800's. Fronting the bay are many restaurants noted for their shore dinners. Best known are Lundy's, Villepigue's, Seidel's, the Beau Rivage, and Tappen's.   The Sheephead Bay fishing "fleet," consisting of about fifty boats,...

The following is an excerpt from an interview with Abe Boehm, a CCC enrollee (Company 3740) stationed at Camp Clear Lake in northeastern California between February and June of 1937: “The CCC boys from Clear Lake fenced off the Petroglyphs. The reason they needed a fence was that the tourists would chip the rocks off for souvenirs . When we first went there, 90% of the Petroglyphs were still intact, but every day you’d see a few fresh chips missing. So out crew’s job was to build the fence and a tower that the game wardens and sheriffs could use for...

"Shelbina boasts a beautiful city lake, built in 1936 as a WPA project, to serve as the city's water reservoir. A second WPA project begun in 1941, added picnic tables, landscaping, shelter houses, and a 9 hole golf course. The lake area is beautifully maintained by the city. This beauty enhanced by mature trees and grassy rolling hills, makes camping, picnicking, fishing, or just visiting the lake area, a very pleasant experience for both young and old." -City of Shelbina

"Shelbina boasts a beautiful city lake, built in 1936 as a WPA project, to serve as the city's water reservoir. A second WPA project begun in 1941, added picnic tables, landscaping, shelter houses, and a 9 hole golf course. The lake area is beautifully maintained by the city. This beauty enhanced by mature trees and grassy rolling hills, makes camping, picnicking, fishing, or just visiting the lake area, a very pleasant experience for both young and old." -City of Shelbina

"Shelbina boasts a beautiful city lake, built in 1936 as a WPA project, to serve as the city's water reservoir. A second WPA project begun in 1941, added picnic tables, landscaping, shelter houses, and a 9 hole golf course. The lake area is beautifully maintained by the city. This beauty enhanced by mature trees and grassy rolling hills, makes camping, picnicking, fishing, or just visiting the lake area, a very pleasant experience for both young and old." -City of Shelbina

The Sheldon National Wildlife Refuge was established in 1931 in the desert landscape of northern Nevada and eastern Oregon and enlarged by order of President Franklin Roosevelt in December 1936, under the auspices of the Bureau of Biological Survey (Fish and Wildlife Service after 1940).  It now covers 573,000 acres and is part of the Sheldon-Hart Mountain National Wildlife Refuge Complex, which is headquartered in Oregon.  It harbors one of the last reasonably intact examples of a sagebrush-steppe ecosystem in the Great Basin and is known for its populations of bighorn sheep, pronghorn antelope and wild mustangs (since removed). The Civilian...

The Civilian Conservation Corps built a shelter and picnic facilities at Mount Kearsarge between 1933-1942.

This stone construction in Yellowwood State Forest, features two stone chimneys, was completed in 1938 with funds and labor provided by the Works Progress Administration (WPA).