Time is Flying

Open rain or shine, but during stormy weather the museum will be closed.
 For volunteering opportunities or to make a appointment to see the museum, call 256.997.5025

Park Superintendent Ken Thomas speaks during the dedication of the CCC Museum

Everything went extremely well for the dedication of our CCC Museum, and now the days are rolling forward! We had a great crowd of people that came and braved the rain to help us dedicate the museum. In the short and sweet ceremony Park Superintendent Ken Thomas said a few words and thanked all the volunteers and contributors of the museum, and he invited former CCC Company 472 Member Jimmy Griffin and myself to cut the yellow ribbon. After the snip we the opened up the door and the visitors streamed in. The day passed in a blur for me, but I was extremely excited to be able to talk with several people about their family members and gather some information that we will be able to put in our archives. I left the museum later that day with a handful of borrowed artifacts that are now being cataloged and will be shared with the public. Many thanks to everyone that came to check out this project that we are so proud of!

Visitor checking out the museum (Photo courtesy of Paige Mewes)

CCC Company 472 enrollee Jimmy Griffin(center) with JW & Mary Nell Dutton, and Bill & Shelia Parker(L to R)

Our newest staff member, Nikki Stowe

Besides the artifacts being scanned and cataloged, we have been interviewing applicants for a temporary job that was made possible by a grant from the Alabama Historical Commission, and we have found the perfect person for the job. Nikki Stowe is originally from the Gadsden/Rainsville area and will be working with us thru September. She will be helping us to man and interpret the museum, will be recruiting volunteers for the museum, and researching our local CCC camps. In addition she will be developing a
program about the CCC and presenting it in the park and out in the local community. Nikki will be a wonderful addition to DeSoto State Park’s staff and I look forward to working with her in continuing the work of sharing the CCC’s legacy with the public.

~Brittney Hughes, DSP Park Naturalist

Some upcoming Civilian Conservation Corps events:

 

The 'Unfinished" Bridge

Civilian Conservation Corps History Hike: The ‘Unfinished Bridge”

The Civilian Conservation Corps was one of the better known and most successful of the New Deal programs following the Great Depression; one that did a lot of good for forests, recreation, and the men for whom it provided short-term jobs. Between 1933 and 1942, an average of 30 camps operated across Alabama. CCC boys helped fight fires, reforest lands, protect the state’s then newly acquired national forests and build roads and recreational facilities in Alabama State Parks.

In celebration of DeSoto State Park’s 74th Anniversary of its dedication day, join DSP Staff on a moderate hike to the Civilian Conservation Corp’s ‘unfinished’ Bridge. Learn the history of why the CCC left it standing and see several original structures. Moderate hike on old CCC roadbed. Almost 4 miles round trip.For more information:

http://alapark.com/events/details.cfm?id=3030

       

The Civilian Conservation Corps in DeSoto State Park

The Civilian Conservation Corps was one of the better known and most successful of the New Deal programs following the Great Depression; one that did a lot of good for forests, recreation, and the men for whom it provided short-term jobs. Between 1933 and 1942, an average of 30 camps operated across Alabama. CCC boys helped fight fires, reforest lands, protect the state’s then newly acquired national forests and build roads and recreational facilities in its state parks.

Learn about these great men that built DeSoto State Park & see pictures & artifacts from the 1930-1940s.

Date: Saturday, May 25, 2013

Time: 8:00-9:00 p.m.

Where: DeSoto State Park’s Campfire Ring in the Improved Campground
Fee: Free and open to the Public; Great for all ages!

Call 256.997.5025 or email Brittney.Hughes@dcnr.alabama.gov for more details.

The Civilian Conservation Corps in Alabama

1933-1942: A Great and Lasting Good

Bob Pasquill, Alabama’s devoted historian of the Civilian Conservation Corps, will present the continuing legacy of Alabama’s CCC boys. His book, The Civilian Conservation Corps in Alabama, 1933-1942: A Great and Lasting Good (2008) covers the 100 plus camps in Alabama between 1933 and 1942, including the work projects on the first state parks in Alabama.

The Civilian Conservation Corps was one of the better known and most successful of the New Deal programs following the Great Depression; one that did a lot of good for forests, recreation, and the men for whom it provided short-term jobs. Between 1933 and 1942, an average of 30 camps operated across Alabama. CCC boys helped fight fires, reforest lands, protect the state’s then newly acquired national forests and build roads and recreational facilities in its state parks.

Date: Friday, May 31, 2013

Time: 7:00 p.m.

Where: DeSoto State Park Nature Center-Fort Payne, Alabama

Fee: Free and open to the public

For any information, call DeSoto State Park at 256.997.5025 or email DeSoto.State Park@dcnr.alabama.gov

Civilian Conservation Corps History Hike: The CCC Quarry

The Civilian Conservation Corps was one of the better known and most successful of the New Deal programs following the Great Depression; one that did a lot of good for forests, recreation, and the men for whom it provided short-term jobs. Between 1933 and 1942, an average of 30 camps operated across Alabama. CCC boys helped fight fires, reforest lands, protect the state’s then newly acquired national forests and build roads and recreational facilities in Alabama State Parks.

In celebration of DeSoto State Park’s 74th Anniversary of its dedication day, join DSP Staff on a moderate to mildly-strenuous hike to the CCC Quarry. Learn how the Civilian Conservation Corps constructed the original structures that you can still see in the park today. Moderate hike along mountainous terrain, mildly strenuous due to rocky terrain. Roughly 2 miles round trip

For more details: http://alapark.com/events/details.cfm?id=3031

Beginnings

*We will be posting May hours soon.

Hello all,

Tomorrow is the dedication and opening of DeSoto State Park's Civilian Conservation Corps Museum and everything is ready for our guests. The staff of DSP wants to invite everyone to come and see the museum, and we also would like to thank all of our friends and supporters that helped us to make this museum possible.

DeSoto State Park CCC Museum Project

Alabama Tourism Department Grant

Governor Robert Bentley

Alabama Tourism Director, Lee Sentell

Conservation Commissioner, N. Gunter Guy, Jr.

 Conservation Deputy Commissioner, Curtis Jones

Alabama State Park Director, Gregory M. Lein

DeSoto State Park Superintendent, Ken Thomas

DeSoto State Park Naturalist, Brittney Hughes

Contributors

Josh Hughes, DeSoto Assistant Superintendent

Lynn Scruggs, DeSoto Lodge Manager

Shane Gilliam, DeSoto Maintenance Supervisor

Billy Johnson, DeSoto Maintenance

Mike Bare, DeSoto Maintenance

Shane Grider, DeSoto Maintenance

Jimmy Williams, DeSoto Maintenance

Jared McWilliams, DeSoto Maintenance

Clint McNeal, DeSoto Maintenance

Randy Parker, Joe Wheeler Maintenance

Kim Nix, Conservation Information & Education Section

Billy Pope, Conservation Information & Education Section

Cy Thomas, State Park Volunteer

Pam Thomas, State Park Volunteer

Ian Thomas, State Park Volunteer

Larry Roden, State Park Volunteer

Tom & Linda Link, State Park Volunteers

Jim & Sharon Whittle, State Park Volunteers

Margaret Summersell, State Park Volunteer

Joe & Judy Brown, State Park Volunteer

Paul Wolfe, Artifact Donor

Jimmy Griffin, Artifact Donor

Robert Pasquill, Consultant & Artifact Donor

Family of Pete Leath, Artifact Donors

J.W. & Mary Nell Dutton, Artifact Donors

Family of J.O. Evans, Artifact Donors

Willard Starnes, Artifact Donor

Jerry Gregg, Artifact Donor

Terry & Bobbie Fables, Artifact Donors

David Raines, Artifact Donors

Sand Mountain Electric Coop

GH Metal Solutions

Rainsville Glass

D.J.’s Knot Only Wood, Inc.

Ladd Environmental Consultants, Inc.

Fort Payne High School Ag Department

Camp Comer Scout Reservation

Many thanks to Larry Roden and Jordan Hilyer from GH Metal Solutions for the beautiful custom signs!

The Time has Come!

DeSoto State Park’s Staff invites you to see our latest new endeavor!

Staff member Mike working his magic
 with sandstone.

Hello all,

For over a year, DeSoto State Park staff and volunteers have been hard at work with the goal of opening a Civilian Conservation Corps Museum in DeSoto State Park. Many long hours have been put into the maintenance and planning of this effort to present this often overlooked part of history. This museum has long been a dream of many of our staff members here at DSP, and the dream is finally coming true.

Since DeSoto State Park received this grant in late 2011, I have often asked myself, “How do we even begin to paint a picture of what these CCC boys did?” Can we really interpret to today’s society what exactly the Civilian Conservation Corps was, how it helped our country to develop, and more importantly, what a major achievement these ‘boys’ accomplished in history?



Mike's finished project.



Over the many months of working on this project, the museum has gradually taken shape and grown to the point where I feel like it can answer some of those questions.

Every project has a beginning point, and as any person that has experience with starting a project knows, there is a point at the beginning where you just do not know where to start.

Of course our first goal was to get the building ready, with all those many details that go into a building’s renovation.

We had to start planning the interior while the building was still being worked on, which requires a good deal of thought and creativity. Research and preservation of this history has been done at the same time, scanning and photographing memorabilia of the CCC in the Fort Payne area. We have made many friends while working on this project, with many reaching out to us and supplying us with information and artifacts. DeSoto State Park is located in a wonderful community of good people, and we are lucky to have such support.

Museum work
 in progress

In my last post, one thing that was mentioned was the $10,000 grant we received from the Alabama Historical Commission, which was to pay for technology to use for interpretation and for the salary of a seasonal staff member to assist in manning and interpreting the Museum to the public. We are currently interviewing applicants for this position, and we hope to hire a staff member soon. (see info below on how to apply)

The staff of DeSoto State Park personally invites you to the grand dedication and opening of our new Civilian Conservation Corps Museum on Friday, April 19, 2013, at 1:00 p.m. in the afternoon.

After the opening, the museum will be open on weekends and by appointment.

We hope that you can visit us soon!

Brittney M. Hughes-DeSoto State Park Naturalist

CCC Museum Dedication Flier (PDF)

CCC Museum Dedication Press Release (PDF)

Be looking for several new programs and events this year pertaining to the Civilian Conservation Corps in DSP on www.Alapark.com/events





Our new interpretive sign being installed at the CCC Quarry



CCC Quarry sign

Thanks to our hardworking staff & volunteers, the Museum
 has come a very long way since this picture was taken!



Undated photo of the original entrance into DeSoto State Park. At one time this was the only entrance into the park, before modern roads were built. The Contact Station, where the museum is now located, is the right of the entrance.

Temporary Job Opening: Assistant Park Naturalist

DeSoto State Park has received a grant that will enable us to hire a person on a temporary basis to assist the Park Naturalist. The job is from April thru September, 30 to 40 hours a week, $7.25/hour.
Job duties will consist of manning and interpreting DeSoto’s Civilian Conservation Corps Museum, researching the local history of DeSoto State Park, and developing a PowerPoint program around the history of the CCC to present to the local community (i.e. schools, scout groups, civic groups, etc.).
Computer skills are necessary.

Other job duties include assisting staff with planning and conducting of interpretive programs and events, help to keep DSP’s Nature Center and Museum in proper order, etc. To apply, call Brittney Hughes at DeSoto State Park-256.997.5025 or email Brittney.Hughes@dcnr.alabama.gov for the job description and goals.

Summer endings and Fall beginnings

Hello all!

Here it is October (Already!) with tourist season in full swing and the fall leaves color getting just right. When I last posted in July, I had no idea that I would be so late in updating, but please forgive me. Between 26 programs and hikes since July and planning the Fall schedule I have been lax in my blogger duties, but never fear, the CCC Museum and our CCC boys are never far from my mind.

The interior roof has been finished, and the light fixtures put in..
thanks to our hard-working maintenance guys!

 At this point we don't have a firm idea of when we will open the museum, but work is moving along very well. The building is getting extremely close to being finished, and when that happens we can start on the museum design. I feel like the work can move fairly quickly after the building is finished. Interior work is ongoing now, with the floor being sealed and the finishing touches being done.

We have also received some wonderful news in the past several days…DeSoto State Park has received another $10,000 grant for the Civilian Conservation Corps Museum!

With this grant we will be able to get more technology, such as an Ipad and a projector; and possibly hire a student for a short time to help run the museum, present programs to schools groups, and to research our local CCC camp. I am extremely excited about getting the grant, and I feel that we are so lucky to have the opportunity to educate future generations about FDR’s ‘Tree Army’. More info coming soon!

~Brittney Hughes, Park Naturalist

 

 The interpretive display signs have been written up for the museum and are being designed now, with the help of our wonderful colleagues from Outdoor Alabama, Kim Nix & Billy Pope. This is a sign that has been designed to go outside the museum, intended to give visitors an over-view of the wonderful work of the CCC in DeSoto State Park.



Some photos that have been 'unearthed' in some of our research...

The main fireplace taking shape, during the building of the DeSoto State Park Lodge

The small fireplace in the Lodge, which is now the DeSoto Room

Members of the Company 472 Basketball Team-1939

Company 472's Reading Room at the camp

Serving up supper

Checking out books in the library. Brother Jimmy Griffin is featured in the foreground(he is one of the few remaining Company 472 boys still with us)



Dinner in the Mess Hall



Grass Grows Fast & the Tourist Season Lasts

Just a quick update about what we have been doing in the last several months since I have last posted: A Lot. As we say here at the park, “Summer Happens” and things have been very busy. Spring Break season, mowing a lot of grass, several holiday weekends, and over 50 interpretive programs & hikes later, a little work has been done to the CCC Museum building with the help of volunteers & employees. The building itself has recently had electrical wiring put in the rafters of the ceiling, with insulation put in after that. Currently the insulation is being covered and the track lights, ceiling fan, and switches are being put in as well. Most of the display cases have been built (thanks to Fort Payne High School’s Ag Department) and will be finished and glass ordered soon.

Some of the fine display cases for the museum, built by the Fort Payne High Ag Dept.



The CCC had 'yearbooks' for each district,
we managed to snag a 1938 District D one
that feature our local guys

Also over a period of time plans have solidified a little for the museum content and displays, with even more research being done on our Fort Payne CCC “boys” and their camp life. We have acquired more “artifacts” such as patches, books, and pins, with hopes that we can find even more. One of the recent finds that has fascinated me is a digital copy of the CCC Handbook, which was given to the boys as they ‘signed on the dotted line” to join. The handbook shows a small glimpse into what camp life would have been like first starting out living in the camp, and what was expected of them. I can only imagine what it would have been like to first join something like the CCC, and to enter the camp life completely new to the structure of an Army camp; I’m sure it was a huge change for these guys!

I hope to be able to update you soon on even more changes and work being done on the museum, and also hope to give you a better outlook at the opening date when we know it. Stay tuned!

~Brittney Hughes-Park Naturalist

Link to the Civilian Conservation Corps Handbook:
Your CCC: A Handbook for Enrollees



Another new acquisition we are very excited about.....our new CCC Quarry sign! This will be installed soon at the quarry where our CCC boys quarried the rock to make the original structures here at the park, located on the white trail.

Company 472-Fort Payne's CCC Camp. This was located where Big Lots, Tractor Supply, etc. now sits. This photo would have been taken from what is now Hwy 11.



Welcome to DeSoto State Park's Blog!

Welcome to DeSoto State Park's blog on our favorite subject....the Civilian Conservation Corps!

DeSoto State Park was built by the CCC in the late 1930s and has been here ever since. For those that don't know about the Civilian Conservation Corps, this program was part of Franklin D. Roosevelt's New Deal, designed to bring relief to millions of unemployed Americans during the Great Depression. The CCC planted trees to help reforest America, constructed more than 800 parks nationwide and much more.
This blog was started in an effort to educate the public on the work of the Civilian Conservation Corps in Fort Payne, Alabama. We want to showcase the hard work that went into all of the projects that the CCC boys did in Fort Payne as well as share information with others in order for the history of this wonderful program to continue on.

For a great writeup about the CCC's work in Fort Payne see our 'Legends on the Lookout' page at

http://alapark.com/DeSotoResort/Legends%20on%20the%20Lookout/

& if you wish to learn more about the Civilian Conservation Corps and other New Deal era programs, go to http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Civilian_Conservation_Corps

or your local library.

Intro-Brittney Hughes, DeSoto State Park Naturalist

Since I started working at the park almost 7 years ago, the history of this region has become a special interest of mine.  My love of history has certainly grown over time, especially working in my job as a state park naturalist. Being in this position, it really helps to be able to answer MOST of the questions that our guests ask us, especially when it pertains to the history of the area. When I first started, it was pretty unsettling to be asked a question and find that I could not answer it; so as anyone in my position would do, I started studying, HARD. What I discovered were some pretty interesting characters lived in this area, such as Milford W. Howard (founder of the Sallie Howard Memorial Chapel), Granny Dollar (a famous Cherokee women that lived in the area), Arthur A. Miller (builder of the hydroelectric dam above DeSoto Falls), and much more.

The Civilian Conservation Corp was another part of our history that I had studied in high school, but other than that had no previous experience with. Talking with some of my fellow co-workers definitely helped to open my understanding of all the work that was put into this park, as well as learning more about individual men that worked here. Some former employees had previously  researched the CCC who were located in Fort Payne, so I was lucky enough to not have to start from scratch. With their help, scraps of information, photos, & info about the lives of the CCC 'boys' have been gathered to create a modest collection. As this project has progressed, I find that this 'hobby' has grown into something of a passion, one that I never expected. I feel that as time passes on the history of the Civilian Conservation Corps and the era of the Great Depression will start to fade in people's minds; and we need to be able to pass this history along.

And with that thought, I have some wonderful news to share.



DSP's Contact Station and original entrance

 One of the dreams that some of my fellow co-workers and I have had for years was to have someplace in the park where the history of the Park and the Civilian Conservation Corps could be shown. Space, money, & time were some major considerations that we have had to think about, and it seemed like the idea would never work, especially as time went on.

 One of the spaces that has always been considered was the small CCC-built 'Contact Station' at the original entrance of DeSoto State Park, which served as the park office before the construction of County Road 89. Money was an issue there as well, as the building had no electricity or running water attached to it and had been used as storage space for decades. The building was so full that you could only step about a foot or so inside; even some of the most veteran employees could not remember last when it had been completely empty.

Finally, we got some news: our dream was going to come true! We received a grant that  Superintendent, Ken Thomas, had written requesting the funds needed to finish the project and in the fall of 2011 DeSoto State Park was awarded 10,000 for the construction of one of Alabama’s first CCC museums. It was wonderful news when I heard about it and a wake up call as well. It is almost like wishing and hoping for something so much, and when you finally receive it you don’t really know what to do with it. In the past, learning about the CCC had been almost like a hobby for me, to do in the (little spare) time that I have in my job; and now the real work of preserving the history of the CCC in DeSoto State Park has begun.

The fireplace in the Contact Station



Window where the fee for entrance to DeSoto State Park was collected.



Over the last several months things are starting to shape up. Thanks to DeSoto State Park’s VERY dedicated maintenance crew as well as other employees and volunteers the building is cleaned out and being prepared for the museum. The building is even getting a new roof as of next week and has already been freshly painted on the outside. Electricity and water have been attached to the building for the first time ever (which was no easy feat in itself) and the outside as well as the inside has been pressure washed thanks to volunteers. Some preliminary planning & designing of the content of the museum has been done, and we will continue to do research and gather materials with the help of DSP employees and locals from the surrounding area.



DSP's Mike & Billy working on the exterior of the contact station

Volunteers Cy, Pam, Ian were a tremendous help, as they worked
extremely hard to pressure-wash the building inside & out


I personally hope that we can pique your interest about the history of this great program, and please follow this blog to see more Civilian Conservation Corps information, photos, and all of the updates about our CCC museum as we move forward with this wonderful project.

~Brittney~