1938 - 1942 — Legacy of the Civilian Conservation Corps

Members of the Civilian Conservation Corps repairing a section of the towpath of the C&O Canal.

NPS Photo

 

The Civil Conservation Corps (CCC) and the C&O Canal

In 1939, if you stood where the Carderock picnic pavilion now stands just outside the I-495 loop, you would have been in the center of Camp NP-2-Md., the bustling home of nearly 200 enrollees of the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC). Young men, between the ages of 17 and 25, lived here year-round as they worked to provide for themselves and their families while restoring the first 22 miles of the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal as a national park. As part of CCC Company 333, each enrollee received dress and work uniforms, was assigned a bunk in a barracks, and received three meals a day. The enrollee's daily life was commanded by reserve officers of the United States Army. Their work projects were supervised by the National Park Service.

 

Read more about the CCC at the C&O Canal

Canal History: The CCC

The legacy of the CCC at the C&O Canal is a rich history of hard work, perseverance, and early environmental stewardship. Read more about the important projects the CCC participated in and helped repair.

Read more →

The C&O Canal Trust Articles

The C&O Canal Trust Presents

Read more the C&O Canal and the CCC from our official Park Partner—the C&O Canal Trust.

• The CCC and the C&O
• Building a Future: CCC Education Along the Canal

WETA Local History on the CCC

The C&O Canal Owes a Lot to Black Workers of the CCC

Read the Washington Educational Television Authority (WETA) article that discusses the significance of the CCC on the preservation of the C&O Canal, its infrastructures, and cultural resources.

Read more →
 

_{Reference
Muth, C. (2020, November 13). Boundary Stones: WETA's Local History Website. Retrieved from Washington Educational Television Authority (WETA): https://boundarystones.weta.org/2020/11/13/co-canal-owes-lot-black-workers-ccc}

 

 

Men of the CCC repairing towpath damage at the Widewater portion of the C&O Canal.

NPS Photo

NPS Story Map: A New Deal for the Canal and the Civilian Conservation Corps

What are your favorite "second chance" stories? The flood of 1924 that closed the C&O Canal and the historic flood of 1936 seemed to doom the canal to complete collapse. Purchased by the U.S. government in 1938, the canal was revived and restored by the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC). From 1938 to 1941, these young African American men restored the damaged canal. Their work both in the canal and in the CCC classrooms built a loved National Historical Park and empowered them to develop the qualities of "cooperation, concentration, and dedication".

 

Historical images highlighting members engaged in educational activities available with the Civilian Conservation Corps program in Allegany County, MD.

Photo courtesy of the Western Maryland's Historical Library

Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC)

Allegany County, Maryland

The photographs depicted left are from a "pictorial review" of Company 335-C at Camp Green Ridge, Flintstone.

Click the drop-down link below to read the entire image description provided by the Western Maryland's Historical Library.

 

Read More about the CCC

Image description provided by the Western Maryland's Historical Library

The Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) was one of the New Deal programs established by President Franklin Roosevelt in 1933. Known as FDR's "tree army," these men did public improvements and conservation work across the country until 1942. Company 335-C (colored) of the CCC consisted of over 100 men and was stationed at Camp Green Ridge near Flintstone in Allegany County, Maryland. The camp featured a reading room, baseball team, basketball team, dispensary, education building, vocational shop, retreat, canteen, and camp quartet. Educational activities, much of which was undertaken in nearby Cumberland, included classes in woodworking, photography, motion picture projection, soldering, and more.

By 1935 and 1936 the number of CCC camps in the "Northern District", including Co. 335-C, were reduced or abandoned or transferred. On June 8, 1936, almost 200 men enrolled in CCC Camp Company 1359, S-58-Md., Paw Paw, West Virginia. The camp was actually located in Green Ridge State Forest in Maryland near the intersection of Oldtown Road and Martens Avenue, but was referred to as the Paw Paw CCC as that was the closest town with a post office. There were seventeen educational subjects offered at the camp, which included four elementary, three high school, and ten vocational. Over 90% of the enrollees participated in the educational activities. Nearby Paw Paw High School permitted enrollees to use the gymnasium and the local ball park provided free use of its facilities. Cumberland's WTBO Radio Station even provided a regular program each Saturday on the public work improvements undertaken by the camp.

According to a 1936 roster, some of the enrollees from the Cumberland area included: G.D. Baker of Westernport who served as a Camp Leader, G. Ashby and P. Edmonson of Cumberland who served as Assistant Camp Leaders, C. Bailey of Frostburg, H.E. Bullett and K. Bullett of Cumberland, C. Morgan of Westernport, W. Washington of Cumberland, and J. Carrigan of Cumberland.

References

• Whilbr - Western Maryland Historical Library | The photographs depicted here are from a "pictorial review" of Company 335-C at Camp Green Ridge, Flintstone.

 

The Civilian Conservation Corps and the Student Conservation Association

Left image
Historical image of CCC members repairing a section of towpath of the C&O Canal.
Credit: NPS Photo

Right image
Student Conservation Association crew members trail building in Montgomery County, MD, during the Summer of 2019..
Credit: Photo courtesy of the Student Conservation Association / Raisa Barrera

Past and Present Conservationists

Slide the arrow left and right. On the left you'll see Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) members of the past helping repair the towpath. On the right you'll see Student Conservation Association (SCA) members from Summer 2019 working on trail building project in Montgomery County, Maryland.

The CCC had a major influence on the nonprofit organization the SCA. SCA's founder, Liz Putnam, while still attending Vassar College, modeled the SCA on the CCC and enlisted student volunteers to assist with the upkeep of U.S. national parks and public spaces. Even today the CCC has a lasting impact on conservation.

SCA’s mission is to build the next generation of conservation leaders and inspire lifelong stewardship of the environment and communities by engaging young people in hands-on service to the land.