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WPA and CCC National Register of Historic Places Historic Preservation Activities
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WPA and CCC Works Progress Administration and the Civilian Conservation CorpsEstablishment of the Recreational Demonstration Area Program:
Franklin Delano Roosevelt was inaugurated to the Presidency of the United States on March 4, 1933, bringing with him a hope for better times in the midst of the Great Depression. In May of 1933 the Federal EmergencyRelief Administration was allocated $500,000,000 in direct relief of money to be spent by the federal government through state and local agencies. The National Industrial Recovery Act passed by Congress and signed by FDR on June 16, 1933, supported an enormous appropriation of money in the sum of $3,300,000,000 for relief through public works to be dispensed at FDR's discretion. By January 1934, a Land Planning Committee had been set up within the Federal Emergency Relief Act to consider the problem of land utilization in the country. Land use and maintenance had become an important economic topic during the New Deal, since the income from poor lands was less than the cost to maintain services such as roads and schools for the residents of the land. Conrad L. Wirth, Assistant Director, Chief of the Branch of Planning of the National Park Service (NPS), became the Department of the Interior's representative on the Land Planning Committee. He was in charge of the State Park Emergency Conservation Program and he also had administrative oversight of all the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) camps operated by the NPS. Wirth was familiar with the 1928 report of the Joint Committee on Recreational Survey of Federal Lands that revealed an "urgent need" for natural areas near large cities for recreation. Mr. Wirth proposed a program to buy land near metropolitan areas no longer suitable for agriculture, in order to "provide quality outdoor recreation facilities at the lowest cost for the benefit of people of lower and middle incomes." Farmlands sought for this program were those abused by erosion and poor farming practiecs and labeled with the phrase "submarginal land."
As a result of the Land Planning Committee's recommendation and approval of President Roosevelt, the Secretary of the Interior and head of the Public Works Administration transferred $25 million from the Public Works Administration tot he Federal Emergency Relief Administration. Five million dollars of that figure was to be used to purchase submarginal lands for recreational demonstration areas. Catoctin's mountainous land had been ravaged by years of industrial and agricultural abuse. Hunting Creek and Owens Creek tumbled through picturesque valleys, providing water based activity areas for sportsmen and families from the population centers 55 miles away in Washington, D.C. and Baltimore, MD. Blighted chestnut trees and field stone provided building materials and th former Catoctin Furnace, closed in 1903, provided historical interest. Catoctin was placed into this new program on January 7, 1935 and was titled the Catoctin Recreational Demonstration Area by August 8, 1936. Work at Catoctin:
Initial employment was provided through the Works Progress Administration (WPA). Bids were taken on a sawmill, rock crusher and tools in the fall of 1935. Plans for a residential work camp were scrapped when sufficient numbers of workers were found within commuting distance. The WPA construction started in 1936 with the central garage unit, located in Camp Round Meadow, and ended in 1941 with the Blue Blazes Contact Statin which is now the park visitor center.
Park structures and facilities were built using the rustic arch style characteristic of National Park Service buildings of that era. The buildings were in harmony with nature, using natural colors and few straight lines. Horizontal lines were emphasized to blend in with nature and the settings. The rough stone and logs were characteristic of the structure in the local area. The local workers were familiar with the necessary construction methods and the materials used. Initial construction utilized dead, standing trees. Only 40% of the logs could be used for boards. The remaining timber was hewn into logs, pinned with locust and fashioned into rustic cabins. Chestnut ws the preferred building material. Red oak was rived into shingles. Interior siding was fashioned from chestnut, oak, or hemlock. Horses pulled the logs from the forest to prevent the soil from being compacted by tractors. Eventually, live trees were harvested for construction under the guidance of Maryland foresters. The 125 men who began cutting timber and clearing for camps swelled to 500 by April 30, 1936. Peak employment was reached in May, 1936, when 595 men were employed, mostly as unskilled laborers. The number decreased to 250 workers of various skill levels who built the administrative area and cabins, ran the sawmill and built roads. The Project Headquarters was finished in July 1936. This building served as a planning, construction and operating center, and later as a residence. Today, it is utilized as a Resource Management Center. Plans for the blacksmith shop were rejected by the technical staff. The found it to be "out of scale." the original plans called for a rectangular building estimated to cost $612 for labor and materials. A design compromise was reached allowing construction of an "L" shaped building with a final cost of $920. A local blacksmith was hired in November 1936. The blacksmith shop remained in operation for the duration of the program. The smith fashioned hardware for the buildings, and manufactured and repaired tools and machinery. The focus of operation shifted to public facilities upon completion of the shops. A total of four cabin camps and two picnic areas were proposed. The camps followed standard configurations. Natural features were preserved and cabins situated to take the best advantage of the terrain when placing foundations. Trees were left in place when possible and protected by boxing. Steps were taken to preserve the precious topsoil. The first picnic area, situated east of Cunningham Falls on the banks of Big Hunting Creek was ready for public use in June 1936. It was used until submerged by the construction of the lake at the William Houck Area of Cunningham Falls State Park. Construction of Camp Misty Mount placed $5,843 in the hands of WPA workers who were paid for harvesting timber for the project. The 30 acre camp was completed in 1937. Camp Greentop was finished in 1938, and Camp Hi-Catoctin in 1939. The fourth camp was never built. CCC Role at Catoctin The first contingent of Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) workers arrived at Catoctin on April 1, 1939. The recruits lived in canvas tents pitched in a wooded area adjacent to the central garage unit in what is today Camp Round Meadow. The transferred to barracks as soon as they built them.
Enlistment was for three months with reenlistment possible. Young recruits were issued oversized uniforms as prior experience had proven that hard work and adequate food would soon enlarge their bodies. The program aimed to build useful citizens by instructing these young men to use tools, take orders, respect their supervisors and to give an honest days work. The objectives, to "promote conservation, secondly to instill and develop leadership abilities, third to train young men in a least one skill enabling them to get a job in the future," raised expectatins that the men would develop social, educational and personal skills, a work ethic, self-discipline and citizenship. The recruits were supervised by "local experienced men" known as LEM's.
Project Director Mike Williams had developed plans for reforestation of the mountain. He requested that the Maryland Forestry Department provide 100,000 native trees of which a minimum of 25% were to be oak. The state was unable to provide these trees but Williams eventually secured 2,000 red maple and 2,000 pitch pine trees that were planted. The CCC rehabilitated 800 acres of fields. Strips of lespendeza and grains were planted on the contours for the benefit of quail, turkeys, rabbits, and song birds. Forest encroachment was controlled by planting strips of grain along the edge of the fields. Soon, the diversity and numbers of wildlife increased.
Stream improvement projects on Big Hunting Creek and Owens Creek were initiated in 1939. Pools were deepened to provide cool water and cover for the fish. As a result, sport angling improved. Fishermen were pleased that the natural appearance of the stream was retained. Native trees, that were obtained later in 1939, were planted to obliterate open areas created by construction and to reclaim old logging roads. In August, the corpsmen dug the water system for the visitor center, built the dry stone walls behind the building, built guardrails and landscaped the area. Director Mike Williams considered this project to be the finest work completed in the park. Gettysburg National Military Battlefield was undergoing a period of restoration at this time. The CCC retrieved old wooden fences from deep in the forest to assist in this effort. These aged rails gave a realistic appearance to the battlefield scene. The corps helped nature tighten her grasp on the area as the program wound down in 1940 and 1941. Over 75 openings created by man's intrusion were blocked and made inaccessible to vehicles. Old roads were broken up and covered with topsoil. As a result, rubbish dumping in the park was reduced. The Catoctin CCC unit completed their final project in 1941 with the construction of two trailside shelters. These shelters were built along the Appalachian Trail in nearby Washington County. The numbers of young men seeking employment dwindled in 1941 with the onset of World War II. The Catoctin CCC Camp closed November 7, 1941.
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