Bass River State Forest 1936
N 39° 37.259 W 074° 25.363
18S E 549548 N 4385850
Bass River became the first State Forest with the purchase of 597 acres in Nov. 1905 under Governor Edward Stokes program to to acquire and restore depleted woodlands. From 1933-1942 hundreds of men from CCC Companies 225 & 2201 were stationed here.
Waymark Code: WM2TMQ
Location: New Jersey, United States
Date Posted: 12/20/2007
Views: 40
Coordinates are for the welcome center. At the welcome center you will see an absolutely beautiful interpretative display which tells the story of the CCC involvement with the building and development of this state park.
Bass River State Forest was the first forest acquired by the state of New Jersey in 1905 for public recreation, water conservation, and wildlife and timber management. Lake Absegami, a 67-acre lake created in the 1930's, is the center of the forest's recreational activities and provides an area for swimming and a serene setting for boating and canoeing. A trail through the Absegami Natural Area wanders through a pine/oak woods and a small Atlantic white cedar bog.
In addition to planting 4,500 acres of forest, the CCC boys constructed park roads, trails, bridle paths, vehicular bridges, ponds for fish and waterfowl, lookout towers, nature observatory shelters, picnic areas, cabins, fireplaces, campgrounds, recreational lakes, and landscaping. One of their most significant accomplishments was the creation of 67-acre Lake Absegami, created by damming two stream flowing through the forest.
The CCC also helped battle some of the fierce forest fires that plagued the region. In the 1930s, several fires decimated the entire forest. Three CCC workers lost their lives battling a fire in 1936 that lasted four days and burned more than 90 square miles, A monument to the workers (soon to be waymarked) still stands today on East Greenbush Road. CCC activities in the forest ceased at the start of World War II due to the shortage of manpower
After reading several sources, interviewing park workers and reviewing a local Eagle Scout project, I was able to come up with the following information about The Corps in Bass River. (The old Civilian Conservation Corps camp is located near East Greenbush Road. You can get to it off of the pink trail):
Kitchen/Mess Hall: The kitchen had to feed up to 200 men a day. Evidence for the kitchen is seen in the use of floor tile which is found in no other location. Additionally, it is one of the largest buildings in the area.
Officer's Building (Or Possibly Medical Building): This is the only foundation to include stairs. Only one of these two would have had stairs as far as I can figure.
Trash Area: All non-reusable garbage was tossed in this centralized location. There is still evidence of this at the park.
Old Barracks: CCC Camp S-55/2201 WV had 5 barracks which housed up to 40 men each. They were constructed of wood with concrete pillars in the fall of 1933. Before this was constructed, the men lived in tents.
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