Civilian Conservation Corp Camp at Harold Parker State Forest
In the 1930s, two Civilian Conservation Corps Camps were established in Harold Parker State Forest, Camp S-5 (Company 110) and Camp S-76 (Company 167). The camps work included reforestation work, damming ponds, road and trail creation, building recreational facilities. Camp S-76 also provided assistance to local communities during emergencies. [1] [2] Creating stocked ponds, available to the public, was a major goal of Harold Parker camp leadership, [3] Hundreds of men, many of them local worked in and led the camps' work. [4]
The camp crews provided recreational opportunities for themselves and the Town of Andover. [5] The Town of Andover invited CCC camp crews to take classes at Punchard High School, to borrow library books and to generally be a part of town life. The Andover Selectmen voted to allow the C.C.C. crews use of Pomp's Pond for recreation. [6] There is some evidence that camp crew used their time to become qualified for permanent employment. [7]
Massachusetts Senator, David I. Walsh, inspected the camp in 1934. [8] Four-term Boston Mayor and one-term MA governor, James Michael Curley visited the camps with his daughter Mary in February 1935. [9] Employment counselors were brought in to advise the camp crew on tips and techniques for finding stable employment. [10]
The C.C.C. Camp facilities in Harold Parker State Forest officially closed on July 28, 1941. [11] Military police batallions were in residence at Harold Parker in the early years of World War II, after the C.C.C. camps shuttered. [12]
HAROLD PARKER REVIEW CAMP NEWSLETTER ARCHIVES
The Harold Parker Review was a type-written and hand-illustrated camp newsletter begun in 1934. [13]Digitized copies of The Harold Parker Review, a type-written and hand-illustrated CCC camp newsletter are available from the Center for Research Libraries digital collections.
REFERENCES
- ↑ https://archive.org/details/civilianconserva00berg/mode/2up?q=harold+parker Civilian Conservation Corps : shaping the forests and parks of Massachusetts : a statewide survey of Civilian Conservation Corps resources]
- ↑ Annual Report of the Commissioner of Conservation and State Forester (1920-1938)
- ↑ Ponds in Parker forest for fish raising,The Andover Townsman, June 30, 1933.
- ↑ State forest to be recreational park, The Andover Townsman, June 1, 1934
- ↑ C.C.C. recreation program launched, The Andover Townsman, July 20, 1934.
- ↑ C.C.C. Camps enjoying sports, The Andover Townsman, September 7, 1934.
- ↑ CCC member becomes state police officer, The Andover Townsman, January 8, 1937.
- ↑ C.C.C. Inspected by Senator Walsh, The Andover Townsman, August 31, 1934.
- ↑ Governor visits camp in Andover, Lawrence Evening Sun, February 17, 1935.
- ↑ Employment counselor talks to C.C.C. boys, The Andover Townsman, May 25, 1934.
- ↑ Local C.C.C. Camp closes July 28, The Andover Townsman, July 24, 1941.
- ↑ New tenants at state forest, The Andover Townsman, March 19, 1942.
- ↑ Paper published by C.C.C. boys, The Andover Townsman, August 3, 1934.