The Civilian Conservation Corps and the C&O Canal: Special History Study

Howard, Josh

On November 6, 1938, a Baltimore Sun newspaper article informed readers the Chesapeake and Ohio (C&O) Canal would soon be watered again – only this time, it would be open to the public for recreational purposes. By next autumn, canoeists and other recreational boaters could travel between Georgetown and Seneca, MD, roughly the first twenty-two miles of the 184.5 mile defunct canal. This new usage was a far cry from the commercial coal transportation seen at the canal over the previous century. All this was thanks to the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC). The Sun did not explain any projects in depth but promised CCC workers were hard at work building roads and clearing the right of way. Beyond this, the article was short on details regarding the CCC. One detail is noticeable in its absence – the fact that all of these CCC enrollees were African American men. Many of the African American men who worked for the CCC at the C&O Canal were experienced conservationists by the time of their arrival. A little under half of all CCC men at the canal labored previously at Wilderness, VA, part of Fredericksburg-Spotsylvania National Military Park, on restoring the battlefield to its wartime appearance. Before Wilderness, a few worked in conservation and recreational work in Wolf Gap, VA, a United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Forest Service administered project. This camp's administrators had experience as well, such as Major Lewis Heider's previous five years as superintendent of Vicksburg National Military Park. CCC projects at the canal demanded such experience as the labor required to convert the C&O Canal into a recreational park was immense. Enrollees were up to the task. As of January 1, 1942 the CCC men logged 83,800 and 74,900 "man days," which a man day meaning the amount of work that can be done by one person in an eight-hour period, at Camps NP-1-MD and NP-2-MD respectively completing a herculean amount of work along the canal's first twenty-two miles. Compared to other CCC camps, both canal camps demonstrated remarkable consistency over their existence with few changes in administration and a high standard of work. Even after both camps closed in 1941 and 1942, CCC administrators hoped to re-establish both once the war ended because of the immense amount of work still needed. This obviously did not happen given the agency's official and final closure in 1942. Instead, the National Park Service stepped in during and after World War II to further develop the canal property into a public recreational site. The property would be designated a National Monument by President Dwight Eisenhower under the Antiquities Act in 1961 and as a National Historical Park by act of Congress in 1971. What follows in this text is a special history study that focuses on a single theme to provide a basis for new interpretation of the C&O Canal by the NPS, C&O Canal Trust, or any other interested party and. As required by DO-28, this study is not a baseline document. The hope is that this document will inform future interpretation such as tours, wayside exhibits, and exhibits within Lockhouse 10 and any future research studies on related topics. . The primary goal is to outline all known information stemming from Camp NP-1 housing Company 325 (Co. 325) and Camp NP-2 housing Company 333 (Co. 333), both located in Cabin John less than one mile apart. The CCC story actually begins before Cabin John with Co. 333's prior assignments in Wolf Gap and Wilderness, VA. After tracing the enrollee experience in Virginia, the narrative moves to the C&O Canal. The bulk of this manuscript simultaneously traces the work projects carried out by CCC enrollees at the canal and the enrollee lived experience, including their experience with education, religion, media, recreation, and so on. Finally, this work documents the legacy of the CCC by discussing still standing structures, identifiable alumni, and the presence of the canal camps in public memory.

The Civilian Conservation Corps and the C&O Canal: Special History Study

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