Long Branch Picnic Shelter – Cabwaylingo State Forest WV

Description

“… [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 at Cabwaylingo. The ca. 1936 building is a one-story, side-gabled building with cut stone pillars supporting the roof. The 1-by-1 bay building measures 20 feet wide by 12 feet deep on the exterior. A stone wall encircles the shelter. The stone floor featu res a raised relief carving of a pine tree with crossed axes and the words “U.S.” and “CCC” alongside it. Such artistic embellishments are emblematic of the high level of craftsmanship practiced by CCC enrollees and are found on other New Deal-era architectural resources in West Virginia as well.”