Parks and Recreation Sites

Sirrine Stadium, in Greenville, South Carolina, was constructed with the assistance of federal Public Works Administration (PWA) funds in 1936. The stadium, as of 2014, was last renovated in 2002. Greenville schools: "Sirrine Stadium has a long and rich history of tradition in the Greenville Community. Once the home of the Furman University Paladins, it also supported the Greenville Senior High School Raiders. Fall weekend nights and afternoons around Sirrine Stadium have been filled with the noise and hoopla of football for generations of Greenvillians. The efforts to preserve this center of cultural and athletic tradition have culminated in a outstanding center...

"Sitting Bull Falls Recreation Area is an oasis in the desert featuring a 150-foot waterfall. The natural setting of rock cliffs, cascading water and riparian vegetation along with historic structures built by the Civilian Conservation Corps attracts many visitors to this unique spot. Sitting Bull Falls is located in the Lincoln National Forest, Guadalupe Ranger District, about 42 miles Southwest of Carlsbad, New Mexico. Drinking water fountains, modern restrooms, rock cabanas, picnic tables, grills and trash bins are provided for visitors. Sidewalks provide easy access to the waterfall with a viewing deck near the falls for handicapped visitors who are...

The park was designed along a main axis—Totem Road—with totem poles on each side, and a rectangular area enclosed with logs carved with frog heads. Leading to the square, there are two stairways marked by totem poles on each side. U.S. Forest Service Architect Linn A. Forrest designed the sixteen frogs breakers. In 1938, the Civilian Conservation Corps developed the Saxman Totem Park. The program was part of a larger U.S. Forest Service effort to employ Alaska Natives and conserve totems and Native cultural assets. Many of the poles that the CCC recovered from abandoned villages were found in an advanced state...

"Originally acquired by the City in 1934 in connection with the construction of a subway, this site was owned by the Board of Transportation until it was assigned to Parks in 1961. In 1935, workers in the brand-new Works Progress Administration (WPA) planned and constructed Sixteen Sycamores Playground... Sixteen Sycamores Playground opened to the public on June 6, 1935. The playground, bursting with green foliage around its perimeter, offers several sets of play equipment with safety surfacing, handball courts, swings, and a comfort station. A yardarm flagpole stands in the center of the playground, and benches offer a peaceful spot to...

The Civil Works Administration (CWA) developed a school skating pond in Superior, Wyoming in 1933/4. Cassity: "School life appears to have been significantly upgraded by the CWA workers at schools in the towns and countryside alike. ... Superior’s students got a skating pond courtesy of CWA workers."

In discussing recreational projects constructed by National Youth Administration labor in early 1937, Montana's Big Timber Pioneer newspaper reported: "At Clyde Park the city officials sponsored a project which made it possible for the town to secure its first and only skating rink."

Bartlett, Texas's Tribune and News noted in mid-1939 an "unusual" PWA-funded project being constructed in West Portal, Colorado -- a ski-tow.

Skokie Lagoons is a 190 acre nature preserve in Glencoe and Winnetka, Illinois. The Skokie Lagoons are notable as a CCC work because the project merged the ideas of fixing a pertinent mosquito issue in the area and of developing the area into an escape to nature for the community. The Skokie Lagoons project began in 1933 with with 1100 eager, working men from the CCC (“Start Digging First Lagoon in Skokie Project”). Soon after the Forest Army downsized to 1000 men looking to aid in clearing the area of mosquitoes, which used the weedy swamps as a breeding ground. The...

The 2 rock structures were originally adjacent to a fish pond, in turn adjacent to a WPA built swimming pool that was dedicated by Harold Ickes.  Also present are Horseshoe pits, presumably built by the WPA.

"The Sleeping Giant Tower was built at the top in 1936 by the Works Progress Administration. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1986 as part of the Connecticut State Park and Forest Depression-Era Federal Work Relief Programs Structures."   (wikipedia.org) A tour of Sleeping Giant State Park described by The New York Times recommends: "Swing left on the blue path at Hezekiah’s Knob. Among the many highlights of this return route are the stone tower, built by the Works Progress Administration; the sheer drop from the jutting basaltic shelf of the chin; and a vertiginous scramble down the...

The WPA built a new shelter and recreation center at Smith Park.

In 1936 Work: A Journal of Progress reported that Works Progress Administration (WPA) relief crews had conducted grounds maintenance at the Smithsonian Institution, not specified but likely consisting of planting shrubs, turning soil, and other landscaping work.

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 C.C.C.'s Camp Graves "created trails to the Soapstone Mountain Fire Tower in Shenipsit State Forest."

The Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) and Works Progress Administration (WPA) were called on to aid local farmers in control works for soil erosion.  Their work played an essential role in the origins of the Soil Conservation Service (SCS).   "Farmers in Arroyo Grande, desperate to eke out a living during the Great Depression, were plowing their land to plant bean and pea crops. The unintended result was massive erosion. 'Arroyo Grande was an eye opener', Hugh Bennett, the first chief of the Soil Conservation Service, wrote in 1935.  'I can think of no other place in the United States where erosion is...

The WPA awarded $7,380 for park improvements and the park's scout cabin.

The oldest intact house in Atlantic County, the Somers Mansion dates to the 1720s and was "continuously occupied by the Somers family for over 200 years. In 1937, Somers family descendants deeded it to the Atlantic County Historical Society. New Jersey took ownership of the Somers Mansion in 1941, and began an extensive restoration" through the Works Progress Administration (WPA). Laborers for the WPA both renovated the extant furnishings and conducted historical restoration, including the elimination of rooms dating to the Victorian era. (ettc.net)

New Deal relief workers made some improvements to state beaches along the Sonoma County coast, all of which are now included in the Sonoma Coast State Park that runs from Bodega  Bay to Jenner, California. The Works Progress Administration (WPA) constructed trails at Salmon Creek Beach, Portuguese Beach, Schoolhouse Beach, Wright's Beach and Goat Rock.  Relief workers also added pit latrines at the first three of those and transplanted of dunes grasses to prevent wind erosion of sand dunes at some of these beaches. At Jenner Beach, CCC Company 572 built a parking lot by the road and a hiking trail down...

In 1934, the Public Works Administration (PWA) funded the creation of the South Gate Entrance Station to Yosemite National Park.  This followed enlargement of the park by the addition of the area from Wawona south and was done as part of the Wawona Road reconstruction.  The new entrance station included a parking area, entrance station, comfort station (restroom), residences for park rangers and a garage. Of this work, the restroom and ranger residence are original New Deal structures.   The Historic American Engineer Record (HAER) report on the Wawona Road provides these details:  "In 1934, roads around the South Entrance station were...

In 1935, the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) built the Park Store building at South Higgins Lake State Park, which still stands.   It is "one of the many buildings constructed around Northern Michigan by during the depths of the Great Depression... and it  has stood the test of time, but not without some periodic restoration." (Reznich 2012) The CCC undoubtedly did other improvements in the park, but we do not have details on that.

This campground offers a variety of opportunities for campers including fishing, hiking, mountain biking, canoeing, boating, and bird watching. Sites sit well above the river. The historic log pavilion was built by the Civilian Conservation Corps in 1933 and is available for rent.

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...

South Mountain Park in Phoenix AZ was developed for public recreation by the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) from 1933 to 1940.  The best known of the works by the CCC is the large stone shelter at the Dobbins Lookout, which is the popular symbol of the park and famous for its spectacular views of the city of Phoenix.  Dobbins lookout is accessible by car via Summit Road, which has a large parking area with low stone walls (presumably by the CCC, as well). There is a small stone shelter not far west of Dobbins Lookout and a platform lookout, with a low...

South Mountain Park in Phoenix AZ was developed for public recreation by the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) from 1933 to 1940. Among the works of the CCC were two ramadas, which are large, elaborate picnic areas, with stunning views north over the city of Phoenix. The ramadas consist of polished concrete picnic tables protected from the desert sun by wooden roofs raised on stone or concrete pillars, with large central spaces surrounded by stone walls.  The big ramada is very extensive and reached by stone steps.  Low stone walls line the approach road to the ramadas and the complex includes a path...

South Mountain Park in Phoenix AZ was developed for public recreation by the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) from 1933 to 1940. One the main works done by the CCC was  an entrance station complex that included a museum, administrative offices, caretaker's house and entrance kiosk.  The museum and office building was completed in 1934 and was the first permanent structure in the park;  the residence and kiosk were added in 1937-38 (NNDPA 2012).  The entire complex is the present Ranger Station at the park entrance. The ranger station is a remarkable stone structure, built of flat, dark stones and projecting roof...

South Mountain Park in Phoenix AZ was developed for public recreation by the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) from 1933 to 1940.  During that time, the CCC enrollees built many, if not most, of the roads and trails in the park – though we cannot be sure exactly which ones.       

"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."

On July 28, 1937, the Department of Parks announced the opening of "five playgrounds, constructed by the Department of Parks with relief labor and funds," noting that "These playgrounds are five of the twenty-four sites in neglected areas selected by the Commissioner of Parks and acquired by condemnation after authorization by the Board of Estimate and Apportionment on July 15, 1936." One of these five playgrounds was the South Pacific Playground. It is still extant. Although the 1937 press release does not mention which New Deal agencies were involved, researcher Frank da Cruz explains here that almost all New York City Parks...

Among the 26 WPA projects in Allegheny County approved in Sept. 1935 were two allocations for improvements to South Park, which lies about 10 miles south of downtown Pittsburgh. The allocations were approved for "construction of a grandstand," for which the Federal government allocated $40,057 and local sponsors supplied $39,981; and "construction of picnic tables, shelters, and ovens," for which the Federal government allocated $26,118 and local sponsors supplied $18,604.

South Park and the nearby Cazenovia Park in Buffalo were designed by Frederick Law Olmsted in the late 19th century. The caption to the Works Progress Administration (WPA) photo pictured here lists this water tank as one of five water tanks built by the Public Works Administration (PWA) in South Park during the Great Depression. It notes that while the PWA built the water tank structure, the WPA laid the foundations for the steel work "...and put in water lines." More information is needed to determine the present status and exact location of this water tank.

In 1939 and 1940, WPA workers made several improvements to the South Seattle Playground, beginning with the demolition of the four-story former South Seattle School building, which had closed in 1932 but remained on the site. Much of the brick from the old school building was reused by WPA workers to build a shelter house for the playground in 1939. The following year, workers re-graded the south half of the field. The playground and shelter house were demolished as part of the South Seattle Industrial Park urban renewal project in the late 1960s.

"The magnificent pavilion was built with relief labor in South Shore Park in 1933. It replaced an earlier bathhouse built in 1912. The park is located on the shore of Lake Michigan in the Bay View neighborhood of Milwaukee." --Milwaukee County Parks

The federal Works Progress Administration (WPA) worked on a land reclamation and shore beautification project on the south shore of Perth Amboy, New Jersey. "The Dawn," a WPA publication, Oct. 1936: "Road construction and other operations by Works Progress Administration men of District 4 have transformed a mile and a half of Perth Amboy's South Shore so that the area's reclamation and development soon will be accomplished facts. The waterfront project from Second Street to Lewis Street, along Raritan River and Raritan Bay, has engaged the services of an average of 200 men for a year. The Federal Government allotted 85 per cent of...

On June 18, 1941, the Department of Parks announced the completion a large recreation area stretching from 114th to 121st Streets along the Southern Parkway (part of the Belt Parkway): "At the 114th to 121st location the construction of five softball diamonds, chain link fence enclosures, grading and seeding is completed. Separating the two ballfields opposite 114th Place and again, the two opposite 116th Street, sets of three-tier concrete bleachers have been constructed in a double or back-to-back arrangement, so that each of the four ballfields is provided with spectator accommodations. The diamonds all have hooded backstops. An irrigation system has...

These buildings are now opened by the Central Idaho Historical Museum. The museum "occupies a five-acre site that consists of log structures built by the Civilian Conservation Corps (C.C.C.) in 1937 for the Southern Idaho Timber Protective Association (SITPA).   All eight buildings are listed on the National Register of Historic Places.  The Warden’s House was built to house the Fire Warden’s family and SITPA operations, as well as provide lodging for various dignitaries from the Governor to the Land Board.  The Fire Warden’s House is an example of American Rustic Architecture combined with a Scandinavian influence due to the three...

From the Wisconsin Historical Society entry on the beach house: Southport Beach House, like most of Kenosha's park structures, was the product of Roosevelt's Works Progress Administration (WPA). The Southport Beach House, begun in 1936, used recycled materials to cut costs. This way, rather than paying for new materials, the city paid workers to tear down condemned buildings as well as build new ones. The beach house uses luxurious slate, stone and marble materials salvaged from the old Kenosha post office, which would have been otherwise unaffordable. The beach house is an eclectic mix of popular architectural styles. The east side combines Tudor...

This stage was built by the CWA as a memorial to a popular Sacramento supervisor.

The CCC worked in Spavinaw Hills park from the early 1930s until 1938.

“WASHINGTON, (AP) – The Works Progress Administration advised Senator W. Warren Barbour, N.J. Rep., today that applications from Morristown, N.J., for allocations for the proposed Speedwell dam and Speedwell Lake bottom construction projects had been approved here and treasury warrants signed for release of the money….The two Speedwell Lake projects would cost $49,614, of which $43,429 would be financed Federally and $6,185 by the town of Morristown. One job stipulates the construction of a completely new concrete dam above the Whippany River bed, and it would mean virtual recreation of the once beautiful Speedwell Lake. As a regular unit in...

The Works Progress Administration (WPA) built concrete bleachers for the Spencer High School near in Spencer, Roane County.