Picnic and Other Facilities Sites

"On the north shore of Lake Ponchartrain, this 2800-acre park encompasses the remains of a nineteenth-century plantation, Fontainebleau, named after the Parisian forest... The plantation was converted to a park beginning in 1938, one of Louisiana’s first state parks. Originally called Tchefuncte State Park, it opened in 1943 as Fontainebleau State Park. The State Parks Commission hired landscape architect William W. Wells to design the master plan, which was partially implemented by the Civilian Conservation Corp. The plan included group campsites, numerous Creole-influenced brick and rustic wood buildings, a beach, and a picnic area with an open-air shelter. An access road...

Fort Bunker Hill was a part of the Civil War ring of forts defending the capital. The site was transformed into a park in the 1930s by the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) as a park for a recently built suburban neighborhood. Sadly, it has been abandonned by the city park authorities and left in an overgrown and dilapidated condition. A HABS report details the CCC development of the park: “By the end of 1935, CCC work had begun at the site with Camp NP-11-DC planting trees and constructing walks.  Work at the site continued into at least early 1937.  This Camp and...

Picnic pavilion and meeting place. The pavilion was built in the 1930s by the Works Progress Administration. It was the only structure at the newly donated 10 acre park at the time. The community subsequently built a baseball field at the park and in 1976, at also added the replica of the 1837 Fort Christmas. The community has always used the pavilion as a meeting place for community events. The pavilion has been renovated and preserved by the community. 

From a HABS Survey Report on CCC involvement in the park's development: "This park is located on the east side of the Anacostia River just to the south of East Capitol Street in Southeast Washington.  The initial, roughly sixteen-acre land purchase encompassing the original section of Fort Dupont Park, including the fort, occurred in 1916.   In 1933, the site came under the purview of the NPS and they quickly advanced existing plans to enlarge the park.  They envisioned ‘that the ultimate development of Fort Dupont will be somewhat similar to Rock Creek Park’ and ‘will serve the large population of Northeast...

The 3803 Junior White Company was established in Texas Jan. 5, 1938. They worked for three years prior to the program's discontinuance developing the park's campground, roads, and completing a partial reconstruction of the fort. The fort's bakery was one of the buildings reconstructed. The camp was abandoned in 1941 due to World War II.      

The Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) developed the Fort Hunt site as a recreational park from 1936 to 1939.  The work was very extensive, including excavating a lake, a golf course, roads and parking areas, and a storm drainage system.  The CCC enrollees built 8 acres of picnic areas with tables, stone fireplaces, restrooms, water pipes and drinking fountains, plus a trail system for hikers.  Lastly, they constructed a park ranger home, shop buildings and an oil storage house, and planted trees and other landscaping. Little of the original work remains, since the park has undergone a great deal of renovation over...

The WPA restored this fort at some point prior to 1938. From Rhode Island: A Guide to the Smallest State: "he Works Progress Administration has restored the old fort, graded the land, and converted it into a park." The site is now the Columbia Park Playground.

Fort Mahan, in NE Washington DC, was a part of the Civil War defensive ring of forts circling the capital. The site was transformed into a park in the 1930s by the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC).  The CCC tasked Camp NP-11-DC (National Arboretum) with transforming a hillside site into a picnic grounds.  A HABS Survey Report provides details on the CCC improvements to the park and their current condition: “... In creating the grounds, the enrollees filled a borrow pit dug to provide fill for other area projects, channeled a spring, cleared trash and dead trees and brush, and graded the entire...

Fort Mountain State Park in northern Georgia was constructed by the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) during the 1930s. Part of the Cohutta Mountain Range, the park gained its name for a stone structure located along a mountaintop in the area.   The park officially opened in 1936. The CCC built the park’s infrastructure and constructed many of its facilities such as the lake and recreational buildings. CCC work crews also did forestry work and made hiking trails. “One of the most notable contributions by the CCC,” according to Georgia State Parks and Historic Sites, “is the large stone fire tower that stands...

Fort Necessity National Battlefield in Fayette County, Pennsylvania, preserves the site of the Battle of Fort Necessity. "In 1935-37, a Civilian Conservation Corps camp was located at Fort Necessity. The Corps constructed barracks and other support buildings at the site of the present day administration and maintenance facilities. The Fort Necessity Memorial Association had hoped the CCC would repair and restore the tavern, but very little, if any, of this work was actually done by the Corps. The Corps planted trees, constructed small dams, built bridges, culverts, picnic areas and roadways. The buildings were razed, but many of the other structures...

A historical marker explains the CCC's role in developing the Fort Parker State Park: "In August 1935, construction of a state park began here on the former town site of Springfield under the direction of the Civilian Conservation Corps. The group assigned to build Fort Parker State Park was Company 3807(C), an African American CCC Camp. From 1935 to 1942, the park company constructed park buildings, roads and facilities, erected a dam across the Navasota River, and reconstructed old Fort Parker. Located nearby, old Fort Parker was rebuilt in preparation for a Texas Centennial observance in 1936, and was the first...

The Public Works Administration (PWA) and Federal Works Administration (FWA) both funded improvements at Fort Reno Park in 1942. In October 1942, the Washington Post reported that the FWA would demolish a 5 million gallon reservoir to construct a 20 million gallon reservoir in its place. PWA work reported by the paper was not specified. The park is no longer a working reservoir. After WWII, it was a White House Army Signal Agency facility, and it is now best known for hosting a yearly free summer concert series. There are several play fields at the park and it is unknown if...

The Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) is primarily responsible for building the Fort Worth Nature Center and Refuge (FWNC&R) which is located just inside the city limits of Fort Worth, TX. CCC Company 1816, Lake Worth Camp SP-31-T served in this area from 1934-1938. It's projects planned and supervised by the National Park Service included roads, bridges, bridle paths, nature trails, picnic areas and stone shelter houses.

The Civil Works Administration (CWA) put more than 100 men to work developing Foster Park on Spring Creek southwest of San Angelo. The 10-acre park received $11,000 in improvements made possible by the CWA. In Feb. 1934 the San Angelo Morning Times noted that work was being "completed rapidly." It is probable that the CWA constructed many of the stone facilities that still serve the park today, including picnic benches, fireplaces, and a sizable shelter.

Park Rustic-style pavilion constructed by the WPA in 1938. Rectangular in plan, the building is constructed of rustic stone with chamfered timber beams and has the form of an open pavilion with enclosed ends. The roof is covered with wood shingles and is hipped on the north end, while the south end has a parapetted gable with a massive stone chimney. There were two outdoor fire places on the south and one on the interior that have been infilled with stone. Flooring is stone and concrete. A former kitchen is located at the north end with two arched windows and a door....

The CCC assisted in the creation of this state forest between 1933 and 1942. From the Massachusetts Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs: "The well preserved CCC roads and water holes illustrate the importance of the CCC in creating park infrastructure. The stone arch bridge shown here is an outstanding example of CCC craftsmanship."

"During the Great Depression in the 1930s, the Federal government purchased much of the land used for charcoal production as part of a national project to reclaim marginal lands. This project provided jobs and improved local economies by developing recreation sites called recreation demonstration areas. Two Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) camps were built at French Creek and operated until the early 1940s. The camps built two dams, two group camps, several tent camping areas, beaches, roads, picnic areas, and started the restoration process for the historic core of Hopewell Furnace." "The National Park Service built five Recreation Demonstration Areas through CCC and...

In 1933, a troop of men from the Civilian Conservation Corps troop V-1668, made up of veterans, started building what would become the Fullersburg Forest Preserve. The men built a caretakers cottage (Old Water Mill), a boathouse, bridges, and picnic shelters at the site. They also renovated a mill located at the site. The work in the park was largely finished by 1936 (Du Page Clerk), and by 1937 the historic Graue Mill, originally built in 1852, was functioning as an educational facility for the community (Sweet). The oldest standing part of the Fullersburg Forest Preserve is the Graue Mill. The...

In 1938 the WPA workers assisted in the construction of Geiger Grade lookout and Park along Geiger Grade Road which, in 1936, also underwent a WPA road improvement project. The photos here show typical WPA rock work. In their book entitled Building Nevada's Highways, Jennifer E. Riddle and Elizabeth Dickey tell us that "...the Highway Department and the WPA worked together to construct a park along Geiger Grade (Route 341), that snaking section of roadway that was the historic lifeline between supplies in Washoe Valley and Comstock Bullion. 'WPA boys' and highway department day laborers used local stone to build barbecues, wells,...

Sequoia National Park and Kings Canyon National Parks were created separately, but because they are contiguous they are administered today by the National Park Service (NPS) as a single unit. Sequoia was the third national park, created in 1893, while Kings Canyon became a national park in 1941, under the administration of Franklin D. Roosevelt.   During the New Deal of the 1930s, the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) did extensive work in both national parks, building campgrounds, trails, roads, ranger stations and other facilities.  More specific information is needed on these projects.  

The federal Works Progress Administration (WPA) contributed greatly to the development of the park system in Woonsocket, R.I. Globe Park benefited from landscaping improvements and the construction of picnic areas and fireplaces.

WPA crews built fireplaces and reproduction Narragansett Indian villages for Warwick's 300th anniversary in 1936. Crews also built a field house in the park, but it does not appear to be extant. The precise location of fireplaces is unclear in the roughly 400 acre park.

Goose Island State Park is on Aransas Bay near Rockport, Texas. The 321.4-acre park was acquired in 1931-1935 by deeds from private owners and a legislative act setting aside the state-owned Goose Island as a state park. The park is currently administered by the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department. Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) Company 1801 performed initial development work on Goose Island State Park during two six-month periods in 1934 and 1935. The CCC worked in clearing undergrowth, planting trees, and caring for "Big Tree," a 1000 year old coastal live oak thought to be one of the largest in the...

Eighty years ago a park was developed by Minnesota Department of Transportation that would become of historic significance some years later. That park is Graeser Park, named after Carl Graeser, designer of State Highway 100, aka Beltline and Lilac Parkway. Through time, change and neglect many of those roadside rest stops have been lost. Robbinsdale is fortunate to have one of the only two remaining in the country, with a Beehive fireplace. Graeser Park has shared many years of enjoyment, in addition to its share of neglect. Many groups and individuals have helped to dig out the limestone benches, paths and ponds...

"Camps were set up at several locations in the valley, at Leigh Lake, Lizard Point, and "Hot Springs" near Colter Bay. In 1934, Camp NP-4, the most prominent camp, was built at the south end of Jenny Lake. CCC crews manned this camp through 1942. Civilian Conservation Corps laborers worked on a variety of projects. The Superintendent's Report for August 1936 listed the following: landscaping headquarters; improvement and development of a campground at Jenny Lake; construction of fireplaces; construction of barriers at Jenny Lake campground; construction of table and bench combinations at Jenny Lake; construction of permanent employees' dwellings headquarters; extension...

Prior to colonial settlement, the area of Granville State Forest was inhabited by the Tunxis Native American tribe. In the mid-1700s, English pioneer Samuel Hubbard purchased the land for farming and pasturage, and the river that runs through the forest is now named the Hubbard River. The property was bought and owned by Tiffany and Pickett Lumber Company near the turn of the 20th century. In the 1920s, the Commonwealth obtained the land from the lumber company but little improvements were made before the CCC Camp was established. The Civilian Conservation Corps began work on Granville State Forest in 1933. CCC...

Great Smoky Mountains National Park occupies large areas of western North Carolina and eastern Tennessee. The park’s creation was a decades-long process, including advocacy in the late 19th century; legislation signed by President Calvin Coolidge in 1926; and donations and land acquisitions from small donors, the governments of North Carolina and Tennessee, and charitable organizations, such as the Laura Spelman Rockefeller Memorial Fund. Once the park’s existence was firmly established, funding from the Public Works Administration (PWA) and labor from the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) made it both accessible and accommodating to the public. President Franklin Roosevelt dedicated the park on...

The CCC built comfort stations out of rustic stone at the Chimneys Picnic Area.

The Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) developed Green Mountain National Forest in Vermont during the 1930s. "The Depression-era legacy of the Civilian Conservation Corps (established in 1933 as part of Roosevelt’s “New Deal”) is reflected on the Forest. At one time during the 1930's there were 5 active CCC camps on the Forest (Mt Tabor, Weston, Peru, West River and Rochester).  The men at these camps built roads, trails and campgrounds, fought fires, planted trees and generally established much of the infrastructure of the early National Forest. Today a few of the buildings and many of the features, travel ways and landscapes...

Miami and the surrounding Dade County were effectively without city or county parks until the 1930s.  The city got its first park in 1925, after which the city was devastated by a hurricane the following year. The county received its first donation of land for a park in 1929, which became Matheson Hammock Park.  In 1930, the park system got its own director and a beach park, Surfside, was added in 1932. The county began improvements on the parks using mostly convict labor and men sent by the Charity Office once the Depression hit, as well as starting a Roadside...

Guernsey State Park is built around the Guernsey Dam and Reservoir, constructed in the 1920s as a U.S. Bureau of Reclamation project along the North Platte River in  southeastern Wyoming. In the 1930s, the Bureau worked with the National Park Service and the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) to develop the area around the reservoir as a recreational park. The land is owned by the Bureau and managed by the state of Wyoming. The CCC developed the park's recreational facilities from 1934 to 1937, working out of two camps: Camp BR-9, on a bluff north of Guernsey Dam, and Camp BR-10, about a...

Guy W. Talbot State Park, also known as Latourell Falls State Park, entered the Oregon State Park system in 1929 when the Talbot family donated 125 acres of land adjacent to Latourell Falls. Significant development of the park, however, began in 1933 when Civilian Conservation Corps enrollees from nearby CCC Camp Benson initiated work. CCC projects improved the park during the second period of the CCC (October 1933 to Arpil 1934), the third period (April to October 1934), and the fifth period (April to October 1935). As noted in a report completed in 1946 under the supervision of the Oregon State...

The Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) worked to develop New Jersey's Hacklebarney State Park during the 1930s.

Hanging Rock State Park was developed as a federal Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) project during the 1930s. "Many facilities in the park were constructed by the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) between 1935 and 1942. A concrete and earthen dam completed in 1938 impounded a 12-acre lake, and a stone bathhouse, diving tower and sandy beach also were built. Other facilities constructed by the CCC include a park road and parking area, a picnic area and shelter, and hiking trails. In 1991, the bathhouse was added to the National Register of Historic Places." The Works Progress Administration (WPA) is also cited in some...

National Youth Administration built a picnic shelter and stone community building and did landscaping work in Hanna-Nuttman Park, Decatur, Indiana. The community building does not appear to be in use but retains the NYA plaque. The parks department did not respond to an inquiry through their web site about the status of the building (in 2023).

The National Youth Administration completed improvements in Harmon Park in Stamford TX. While the Park itself still exists, the only item that I identified as possibly being the work of the NYA is the rock pillar at the park entrance. It is possible that they planted the trees, or even dug the small duck pond. "HARMON PARK - Harmon park, improved during the winter and spring through A NYA project directed by Bernard Buie, is a popular picnic and outing site favored by school and church groups. It is a customary meal site for visitors to Stamford's annual Texas Cowboy Reunion and...

The land that makes up Harold Parker State Forest was formed by the action of glaciers thousands of years ago, and the area has undergone numerous man-made changes since then. The Pentacook Indians were the first people to reside on the land and they called this place home for a few thousand years before it was settled by colonial English farmers in the 1650s. By the mid-nineteenth century many people abandoned the land for agricultural purposes, and moved closer to the towns of North Andover, Andover, North Reading, and Middleton, and the forest area reverted to a more wild character....

"AT THE park's entrance is a 20-acre tract known as HARPER MEADOW, which was filled in and landscaped by WPA under sponsorship of the Friends of the Wissahickon, to serve as a picnic ground and a recreation spot. The plot which is named in honor of William Warner Harper, of Andorra, "a lover of nature in all its forms," was formally dedicated in the spring of 1937."

Harris Beach State Park was one of 45 state parks improved through the work of Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) enrollees during the New Deal era. The CCC improvements took place there in 1934 and 1935. Only a seventeen-acre park at the time, the CCC workers undertook the early development of the grounds, providing picnic stoves and tables as well as services necessary for day use. While aspects of the park required replacement and reconfiguration as the acreage grew, the park became available to the public thanks to the CCC.

The National Youth Administration provided labor to beautify the park for African Americans in Belton in 1938. They constructed a native rock speaker stand and four picnic tables with benches. Twenty-three youth, including both White and African American, were employed on the work. The entrance gate was also made of natural rock, and a the park was surround by a low fence. Five natural rock flower beds were constructed. The speakers stand held a plaque indicating construction by the NYA. The park is located between N. Smith and N. Alexander streets north of the Harris Community Center (former school).