Civilian Conservation Corps - Franklin, Massachusetts - Massachusetts Historical Markers on Waymarking.com

A Civilian Conservation Corps historical marker is at the Healthy Heart Trail parking area in Franklin State Forest in Franklin, Massachusetts. Find foundation ruins of a CCC camp a few hundred yards up from Grove Street at the west end of Camp Road. This suburban slice of protected woodland is bound by Grove Street to the east, Forge Hill Road to the west, and private property north and south. A pair of loop trails - Healthy Heart (1.2 miles, blue blazes) and CCC Trail (0.7 mile, green blazes) - trek the slightly hilly terrain.

At the paved parking area is a historical marker which reads:

Civilian Conservation Corps

The Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) was created by President Franklin Roosevelt during the Great Depression to provide employment opportunities and to improve the country's forest and recreational resources. Administration and logistics were the responsibility of the U.S. Army, while work projects were directed by the U.S. Forest Service and the National Park Service. Locally experienced men (LEMs) were hired to serve as foremen and liaisons with the community.

At its peak in Massachusetts, the CCC had a total of 51 camps that enrolled 10,000 men. The first year was spent setting up campsites and providing access to forest areas. In the years that followed, the men had five primary tasks: forest management, fire hazard reduction, pest control, wildlife enhancement and recreational development. In addition to work experience, a wide variety of educational opportunities were offered, ranging from academic coursework to crafts and culinary arts.

The program not only touched the lives of these Pine Cone Johnnies, but also left a lasting legacy of forest improvements and recreational resources throughout the state. These included roads, bridges, ponds, picnic areas and campgrounds, wells, hiking, riding and skiing trails, log cabins and bathhouses. Sixty years later, many of the facilities built by the CCC, including one in the vicinity of this sign, are still in use.

This sign was erected in 1998 as part of the Centennial celebration of Massachusetts State Forests and Parks.

Just a few yards north of the path and a wood "Camp Road" post are two small, square, concrete remnants with moss-covered tops poking a couple feet above ground. The smaller structure is about four feet on each side, the larger about 12 feet on each side. They were filled with standing water, sticks, and fallen leaves the morning of my visit.

Marker and map at Grove Street trailhead parking lot: 42.0801311, -71.4237112

CCC Camp Ruins: 42.081111, -71.426667

Agency Responsible for Placement: Unknown Year Placed: 1998 County: Norfolk City/Town Name: Franklin Agency Responsible for Placement (if not in list above): Not listed Relevant Web Site: Not listed

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