Fort Necessity's CCC Picnic Area: Cultural Landscapes Inventory, Fort Necessity National Battlefield
Sams C, Brown N, Shields J. 2025. Fort Necessity's CCC Picnic Area: Cultural Landscapes Inventory, Fort Necessity National Battlefield. Cultural Landscapes Inventory Report. 300169. National Park Service. NPS Northeast Regional Office, Boston, Massachusetts / CRIS-CL Database
The Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) Picnic Area is located in Fort Necessity National Battlefield (NB) in southwestern Pennsylvania, authorized in 1932. The park was originally established in 1931 as the Fort Necessity National Battlefield Site to commemorate the 1754 Battle of Fort Necessity (also known as the Battle of Great Meadows) and George Washington’s progression as a military officer and leader. That same year, 311 acres of land around the 2-acre parcel became part of Fort Necessity State Park. In 1961, Congress established the 313-acre Fort Necessity National Battlefield, after which almost 600 acres were added through purchases and donations. Today, the park’s three units capture the story of the opening engagements of the French and Indian War, each of which George Washington played a role in. Additionally, the park interprets the development and operation of the National Road, the first federally-constructed interstate highway in the United States. The 210-acre CCC Picnic Area is situated in a wooded upland valley in the western part of the park. The picnic area was developed in 1935-1937 as a collaborative effort between CCC and the Pennsylvania Department of Forest and Waters, Bureau of Parks, when the land was part of the state park. The paved Gist Road, the historic entrance drive, tracks around a half a mile to a traffic circle, where a one-way gravel loop road encircles the primary picnic site that features two wood picnic shelters, numerous stone water fountains and fireplaces, restroom, and parking lot. Picnic tables and metal grills dot the grounds, set out amongst maintained lawns and under tall deciduous trees. The picnic area also includes pine and spruce plantations planted by the CCC on abandoned farm land. Other CCC features include stone bridges, drainage features, and a stone pump house. Remnant site features are also hidden in the woods, including ruins of a shelter house and restroom, underground reservoirs, road traces, and a small campground. A loop hiking trail connects to other park trails.
- Type
- Published Report
- Authors
- Sams, Cheryl; Brown, Nancy; Shields, Joshua
- Date of Issue
- 2025
- Publisher
- National Park Service
- Units
- FONE , NER
- Keywords
- Architecture, Campground/Picnic Area, Civilian Conservation Corps Picnic Area, Comfort Station (Latrine), Conservation, Conservation of Natural Resources, Entertainment – Recreation, Expressing Cultural Values, Fort Necessity, Fort Necessity National Battlefield, Fort Necessity National Battlefield Site, Fort Necessity State Park, Fort Necessity's CCC Picnic Area, Hiking Trail, Historic Designed Landscape, Landscape Architecture, Leisure-Passive (Park), Maintenance Facility, NPS Class I Principal Road, Picnic Shelter, Political and Military Affairs 1865-1939, Politics – Government, Ruin., Rustic Architecture, Shaping the Political Landscape, The 1930's: Era Of Public Works, The Great Depression And Conservation, The Great Depression And The New Deal 1929-1941, Transforming the Environment