Lockhart State Park is located at the southwestern edge of Lockhart, Texas and is administered by the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department. The park consists of 263.7 acres of land that was purchased by the State of Texas on December… read more
CCC crews built this small recreational lake on Mill Creek in Mark Twain National Forest in 1940. It is at least partially spring-fed and tends to be clear. The dam has a simple concrete spillway. In addition to the lake,… read more
“… [P]icnic shelters are integral to the public image and identity of West Virginia’s New Deal projects. The shelters also represent the essence of rustic architectural and landscape design. Among the most impressive examples is the Long Branch Picnic Shelter… read more
A marker erected in 1998 describes the CCC’s role in developing Loy Park and Loy Lake: “Grayson County officials became aware of a growing need for a public recreation facility for the area’s approximately 65,500 residents in 1930. Three years… read more
CCC Camp SP-1, 1191 was established in Macedonia Brook State Park in 1935. The CCC “did much site development here in the 1930s, including construction of a pavilion and a carriage road with massive retaining walls constructed without mortar.” (www.townofkentct.org)… read more
The Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) developed Vermont’s Maidstone State Park during the 1930s. “Maidstone was designated by the state of Vermont as a state park in 1938. The camp areas were wilderness, but the area around the lodge was a… read more
Works Progress Administration (WPA) built the Manter Dam in Johnson KS. According to Rural Kansas, “Manter Dam, on Bear Creek, was a WPA project intended to be the second or third largest recreational lake in Kansas. Engineers’ drawings for the… read more
Company 1743 of the CCC was an all-black company that came to Mark Twain State Park from Washington State Park in De Soto. There was initial resistance to having an all-black company in the area, but the quality of their… read more
WPA Bulletin, 1937: “Picnic Cave Unusual Feature of Playground Lunenburg — An underground cave equipped with a fireplace and picnic facilities for 40 persons is the outstanding feature of Lunenburg’s WPA-built recreation centre at Marshall Field. The grounds also boasts… read more
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… read more
In 1933, the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) built the Recreation Center at McCormick’s Creek State Park. The building served as the CCC’s Camp 589 Recreation Hall. After the CCC vacated the camp, a WPA project adapted it into a nature museum in… read more
At Camp McCormick, CCC laborers completed a Dining Hall (1935) as well as cabins #22-#26 (1934-35). The buildings are classified as in the Parks Rustic style.
Camp Na Wa Kwa was constructed by the CCC. In 1935, CCC laborers completed a log cabin, the dining hall, and cabins, all in the Parks Rustic style.
The Old Concession Stand was completed by CCC laborers in 1935. The style of the Old Concession Stand is classified as Parks Rustic.
In 1851, Dr. John McLoughlin formally platted Oregon City reserving land along the city’s prominent bluff for use as a park and naming that public amenity the Promenade. For decades, the Promenade’s minimally improved walkway provided a view of the… read more
The Works Progress Administration (WPA) contributed to the improvement of Oklahoma City’s McMechan Park in 1940. “McMechan Park at Oklahoma City, Okla., will be expanded to a 17-acre development,” a reporter noted in January 1940, “according to plans disclosed by… read more
Medicine Lake National Wildlife Refuge is located in northeastern Montana between the Missouri River and the Canadian border. Medicine Lake NWR encompasses 31,702 acres and consists of the 28,438-acre north tract, which includes Medicine Lake, and seventeen smaller water units…. read more
“A significant addition to the park occurred in 1941, with the construction of a large stone pavilion on high ground west of the memorial grove. Architect Leroy Bradley designed the pavilion, and the Works Progress Administration (WPA) provided the labor… read more
The WPA conducted extensive work on Memory Grove Park, or Memory Park, including landscaping, building rock walls, cutting paths, and so on.
Meridian State Park is located along the 98th meridian on the edge of a natural transition zone between prairie and hill country. The land was acquired from private owners between 1933 and 1935 and the 505.4-acre park opened to the… read more
The Middlesex Fells Reservation spans multiple towns north of Boston. The Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC), Civil Works Administration (CWA), and Works Progress Administration (WPA) were each active in developing the area. Massachusetts Metropolitan District Commission annual reports detail the work… read more
The WPA (and possibly CCC) conducted extensive work to create Miller Park from 1935 to 1936. From the Intermountain Antiquities Computer System (IMACS) report: Site 42SL000711 is Miller Park, a historic public park, with seven built features, in Salt Lake… read more
Franciscan Monks established the Spanish Mission San Francisco de los Tejas in what is now East Texas in 1690. The monks were forced by the local Indians to abandon the mission in 1693. The monks burned the mission when they… read more
The WPA constructed stone walks, walls, benches, tables, fireplace, pavilions, and footbridges to build Monocacy Park between 1936 and 1937. A swimming pool was also constructed above the dam, but this feature is no longer in use due to sediment…. read more
The seven-acre Montclair Park in Oakland was built with the aid of the Works Progress Administration (WPA) in 1938-40. This gem of a park lies just north of Montclair Village in the Oakland hills and below Montclair Elementary School. … read more
An annual town report for 1939 describes WPA improvements to Moody Park: “The Commissioners of the Park are pleased to report that the interest in the Park is increasing each year. More and more people are finding out about it… read more
Moran State Park opened in 1921 when Robert Moran, shipbuilder and former mayor of Seattle, donated more than 2,700-acres to the state for a park. Most of the trails, roads, bridges, and buildings in the park were built by the… read more
Stone foundation, board and batten walls, wood shingles, gabled roof, and stone chimney. Virtually identical to Bryant Creek shelter house. Constructed by the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) in 1934.
The Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) made extensive improvements Morro Bay State Park, as it did throughout California’s new state park system. These included picnic areas, an entrance road, comfort staton, ranger lodge, and stone walls. The work was continued by… read more
Mother Neff State Park is located on the Leon River west of Moody, Texas in Coryell County and is administered by the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department. The park consists of 259 acres of donated land. The park was constructed… read more
The National Youth Administration (NYA) built the Mounds State Park Pavilion in Anderson IN. The pavilion holds up to 150 people and is still in service.
The Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) built over fifty picnic areas in Mt. Diablo State Park. Most are small sites tucked into the trees along the roads up the mountain, each with a couple tables and stoves done in rustic style… read more
The Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) made extensive improvements to the newly-formed Mount Tamalpais State Park on Mount Tamalpais – a favorite hiking and recreational spot for San Franciscans all the way back to the Gold Rush era (1850s). The California… read more
According to the Wikipedia page for Mount Tom, “In 1933 the Civilian Conservation Corps assisted with the construction of reservation structures and park roads; their work also remains visible today.”
Providing the western edge of ridge of downtown basin sits Mt. Echo Park, with a sweeping view of the Ohio River. Starting with purchase of the land in 1908, over the following decades the park say numerous improvements. The pavilion… read more
The Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) was very active in the Coronado National Forest during the 1930s. Coronado National Forest is discontinuous across southeastern Arizona and southwestern New Mexico because the forested areas occur only on isolated mountain ranges called “Sky… read more
The CCC did extensive work in Muir Woods National Monument. The National Park Service site summarizes their activity: “The men began work in Muir Woods and the surrounding Tamalpais State Park. Projects included a revetment (rockwork stream banks) in Redwood… read more
Although the golf course is no longer being maintained or used, the fairways and recently constructed cart paths remain. It was part of a larger WPA project that included development of the municipal park and swimming pool construction. The park… read more
The Oklahoma Landmarks Inventory Nomination for WPA properties lists this city park as constructed by the WPA in 1935: “This city park was developed by the WPA. A small ditch was constructed and runs through the middle of the park…. read more
There are quite a few picnic tables and other amenities which were built in the mid-1930’s by the Federal Works Progress Administration (WPA) in this municipal park. They have brick support posts and concrete table tops and benches. Some are… read more
Check out our latest map and guide to the work of the New Deal in Washington, D.C. It includes 500 New Deal sites in the District alone, highlighting 34 notable sites, and includes an inset map of the area around the National Mall which can be used for self-guided walking tours.
Take a look at our previous guides, equally comprehensive, covering key New Deal sites in San Francisco and New York City.
