- City:
- Rodanthe, NC
- Site Type:
- Parks and Recreation, Landscaping and Tree Planting
- New Deal Agencies:
- Work Relief Programs, Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC), Works Progress Administration (WPA)
- Started:
- 1934
- Completed:
- 1942
Description
The CCC began working along Cape Hatteras National Seashore in 1934 (this was actually three years before it was officially named “Cape Hatteras National Seashore”). The first CCC boys on this project were based out of Manteo, North Carolina, Camp P 63. The work they performed included the creation of sand dunes and the planting of grasses, shrubs, and trees. The plantings included Bermuda grass, wax myrtle, water bush, loblolly pine, bald cypress, and more (the shrubs and trees were obviously planted a little inland from the beaches and sand dunes).
To facilitate the planting, two nurseries were created, one in Buxton and one in Manteo. And, of course, the tree planting in this area was but a small part of the overall tree planting in the state. Across North Carolina, 30 million trees were planted by the CCC.
This shoreline work of the CCC actually extended from the “Hatteras Inlet to the Virginia state line, a distance of about 125 miles.” (Merrill, see source listed below)
The WPA also contributed to North Carolina’s shoreline work, performing some of the same tasks as the CCC (see project card images). There is a memorial to homeless men who died while in the WPA, working on these projects, on the south end of Roanoke Island.
Source notes
(1) Roosevelt’s Forest Army: A History of the Civilian Conservation Corps, by Perry H. Merrill, 1981. (2) 2013 exhibit at the Outer Banks History Center in Manteo, North Carolina. (3) Conversations with local residents. (4) National Archives, Record Group 69, Record of the Work Projects Administration. (5) Memorial stone, in a cemetery on the south end of Roanoke Island.Site originally submitted by Brent McKee - wpatoday.org on September 21, 2013.
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Dana
I was in Nags Head several years ago watching the public access channel and saw the tail end of a documentary about this project. It featured archived film and photos throughout. I’d love to find this documentary and watch it in entirety. Do you by chance know about this documentary? It’s title? How I can view it? Any info is appreciated.