- City:
- Sweetwater, TX
- Site Type:
- Parks and Recreation, Lodges, Ranger Stations and Visitor Centers, Golf Courses, Amphitheaters and Bandshells, Shelters
- New Deal Agencies:
- Work Relief Programs, Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC), Civil Works Administration (CWA)
- Started:
- 1933
- Completed:
- 1935
- Designer:
- Dewitt Carlock Greer
- Quality of Information:
- Moderate
- Marked:
- No
- Site Survival:
- Extant
Description
In the summer of 1933, the City of Sweetwater offered land on Lake Sweetwater to the State of Texas in exchange for the state developing a park. Development started with the Civil Works Administration in the winter of 1933 with construction of a refectory at the site.
In fall 1934, Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) Company 1823(V) arrived to continue work. The company was a mix of white and black enrollees. Six months later the unit became the state’s only all black company. As a result, politicians demanded the removal of the camp, and the company moved to Lake Abilene State Park.
While the CCC was at Lake Sweetwater, they improved the golf course and added shelters, overlooks and other features. The refectory became the park keeper’s residence for awhile. Most of the structures are now abandoned and suffering from neglect.
The land transaction from the city to the state never took place. The project was changed from a state park to a metropolitan park, which it remains today.
Source notes
Steely, James Wright. "Parks For Texas: Enduring Landscapes of the New Deal." Austin: U of Texas, 1999. Print. p215.Site originally submitted by Larry Moore on November 9, 2015.
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Thank you for sharing this! My grandfather was John C. Morris, and he was the city civil engineer and was involved with these and other projects around Sweetwater.