- City:
- Boonsboro, MD
- Site Type:
- Civic Facilities, Parks and Recreation, Monuments and Memorials, Paths and Trails, Picnic and Other Facilities
- New Deal Agencies:
- Work Relief Programs, Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC)
Description
Washington Monument State Park was first developed by the CCC, circa 1934-1936. The CCC built a number of structures in the park, but the most well-known is the Washington Monument, the first completed monument to honor George Washington. The monument was first built in 1827, by the townspeople of nearby Boonsboro; but by 1934 it was in near-complete ruin. The CCC demolished what was left, and rebuilt the monument to its original specifications.
This relatively small park is a good location for hiking (the park’s hiking trail is part of the Appalachian Trail), picnicking, and is “an ideal site for spotting migratory birds such as hawks, eagles and falcons” (Maryland Department of Natural Resources).
Source notes
(1) Maryland Department of Natural Resources at https://www.dnr.state.md.us/publiclands/western/washington.asp & https://www.dnr.state.md.us/centennial/CCC_History_Part_II.asp, accessed August 11, 2013. (2) “Maryland’s Forests and Parks: A Century of Progress,” by Robert F. Bailey III on behalf of the Maryland Department of Natural Resources, Arcadia Publishing, 2006. (3) “Roosevelt’s Forest Army: A History of the Civilian Conservation Corps,” by Perry H. Merrill, 1981. (4) Maryland Historical Trust, Inventory Form for State Historic Sites Survey, “Washington Monument State Park,” 1979, available to view or download at https://msa.maryland.gov/megafile/msa/stagsere/se1/se5/021000/021900/021918/pdf/msa_se5_21918.pdf, accessed August 11, 2013.Site originally submitted by Brent McKee on August 12, 2013.
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Sarah Mullen
My father supervised a team working on a CCC Project in Boonsboro in 1939/1940. I’m trying to learn what the project might have been. Can you refer me to any sources that might help?