- City:
- Villa Rica, GA
- Site Type:
- Forestry and Agriculture, CCC Camps
- New Deal Agencies:
- Work Relief Programs, Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC)
- Started:
- 1936
- Quality of Information:
- Very Good
- Marked:
- No
- Site Survival:
- No Longer Extant
Description
Located on the original Bankhead Highway, also known as the Villa Rica-Carrollton Road (1917 route) the Williams Family farm is southwest of Villa Rica, Georgia. The farmhouse was built in 1891 and the farm remained in business in the Great Depression. In the 1930s, Felix Williams with the assistance of the Carroll County Commissioner went to Washington, DC to lobby for a CCC camp on the farm. Their efforts were award a camp on 18 August1935. A portion of the farm was leased to the CCC. In 1936 the CCC built a road from the Carrollton-Villa Rica Road to the CCC Camp. Construction began in 1937 and completed by that fall. In addition to pay the CCC was supplied milk and dairy products from the camp. Camp Lacretia camp number 3437 and classified as a SCS-4 (soil conservation). Camp Lacretia was named after the wife of the commander at Fort McPhearson in Atlanta. Division B, CCC Headquarters was at Fort McPherson. In addition to soil conservation the enrollees at Camp Lacretia built furniture which was used in other CCC camps including FDR State Park in Pine Mountain, Georgia.
The camp relocated to Macon in late 1940 or early 1941 removing all the buildings. The stone foundations and some of the camp features remain.
Foundation of the recreation hall., 2007
Foundation ruins of the recreation hall.
Photo Credit: Ernest Everett Blevins, MFA © All Rights Reserved
Source notes
https://www.ccclegacy.org/CCC_Camps_Georgia.html Blevins, Ernest E., "Preservation Assessment and Plan, Mitchell-Williams Farm, Villa Rica, Georgia," University of West Georgia Internship, 2003 "Williams Family Farm," National Register Nomination #05000193Site originally submitted by Ernest Everett Blevins on April 12, 2017.
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Tom McKoy
Gabriel Milner
Ernnest Blevins
JoAnne P. Brown
Patrick Shaw
Mike Brookshire
My Dad was in the CCC at this camp for a short period of time. Can you advise who would have the photo of the enrollees shown above. Just curious to know if he is in the picture.
Unfortunately we don’t have that info and found the photo in the public domain.
The Douglas County Museum has some additional photographs they apparently received years ago from a former enrollee who lived in Douglas County, Georgia (this is next to Carroll County and Villa Rica is in both counties). They might be able to assist in your question.
My grandfather was the Army Sargent in charge of Camp Lacretia during the 1930’s. The Atlanta Journal magazine ran an article about the camp when he took over, entitled “Sargent Pitts Leads Again.” Sure wish I could find the article. His name was William Pitts.
The Cobb County Library has the microfilm of the Atlanta Journal. If you are not in the area I sometimes am still. Contact me and I can try to run by and pull it.
Ernnest, I discovered your work here while searching to determine if the Goldworth farm still existed in some form. I am searching for an old cultivar of a Honey Locust that was documented on the Goldworth farm in 1929. Ellen Williams was the person quoted for the book’s reference. Do you know if the farm is still owned by the descendants or still operating in a farm capacity?
Mr Shaw,
The property known as the Goldworth Farm is still there. However, the farm itself is not really a working farm as they still have a few pigs on the property. There is currently a family living in the modern brick house that is now on the property and they actually keep the older structures up as best they can. It is also no longer owned by the original family. After receiving permission for the owner of the property, I have been doing research and relic hunting on the property for the past 6 months and much of the property where the older structured are located is vastly overgrown. The house that was built in the1890’s is still present and in really good shape. The barns and old storage buildings are also still intact.
We have gone through the Atlanta Journal newspaper archives for the article on Sargeant Pitts, my grandfather, but it was in the Sunday magazine, which does not appear to be microfilmed. Thank you for offering to search at the Cobb County Library. Joanne Pitts Brown