Civilian Conservation Corps at Fort Griffin

THE CIVILIAN CONSERVATION CORPS (CCC) OPERATED NATIONWIDE BETWEEN 1933 AND 1942 TO CONSERVE NATURAL RESOURCES AND TO PROVIDE WORK FOR YOUNG MEN DURING THE GREAT DEPRESSION. THE FEDERAL PROGRAM PROVIDED EMPLOYMENT FOR 2.5 MILLION YOUNG MEN WORKING OUT OF 3,000 CAMPS. ROUGHLY 50,000 TEXANS WERE ENROLLED IN THE CCC AND MADE A SIGNIFICANT CONTRIBUTION TO THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE STATE’S PARK SYSTEM. THE COLORFUL FRONTIER HISTORY OF FORT GRIFFIN AND THE NEED FOR ITS PRESERVATION PROMPTED CITIZENS OF SHACKELFORD COUNTY TO DONATE THE HISTORIC SITE TO THE STATE. THE NATIONAL PARK SERVICE APPROVED A NEW CCC CAMP AT FORT GRIFFIN STATE PARK IN 1939. CREWS FROM EXISTING CAMPS IN CLEBURNE AND LOCKHART ARRIVED IN 1939 AND 1940. IN THE SPRING OF 1940, AS ORIGINAL COMPANY MEMBERS WERE DISCHARGED, LOCAL AREA MEN SIGNED UP AND WERE ASSIGNED TO FORT GRIFFIN. MANY OF THESE MEN ENROLLED IN CLASSES AT THE CAMP AND LOCAL HIGH SCHOOL, AND PARTICIPATED IN LOCAL SPORTS AND ACTIVITIES. AROUND 200 MEN COMPLETED A STONE PAVILION, PARK ROADS, 24 TABLE AND BENCH COMBINATIONS, 14 CAMP FIRE PLACES, TWO LATRINES, SURVEYS OF THE PARK, A WATER DRAINAGE SYSTEM AND ENTRANCE GATE, AND PLANTED TREES AND SHRUBS ON HUNDREDS OF ACRES. ALTHOUGH SOME LOCAL GROUPS HOPED THAT THE FOCUS WOULD BE ON THE RESTORATION OF HISTORICAL FEATURES, MOST OF THE WORK COMPLETED AT THE TIME WAS ON RECREATIONAL AMENITIES. THE ROCK GATE, ROADS, FORT RUINS AND PAVILION REMAIN AT THE SITE. THE CAMP WAS ABANDONED ON DEC. 1, 1941. MANY OF THE YOUNG MEN WENT STRAIGHT INTO MILITARY SERVICE AND WWII. IN THE 1940s, MANY BUILDINGS USED BY THE CCC WERE MOVED TO MILITARY CAMPS OR SCHOOLS THROUGHOUT TEXAS.

Civilian Conservation Corps at Fort Griffin is a historical marker in Albany, Shackelford County, dedicated in 2011. It is one of 36 historical markers documented in Shackelford County in the Texas Historical Commission Atlas, among 57 historic sites cataloged across the county.

The site sits at 32.9222, -99.2325 near Albany. The nearest cataloged historic site is Fort Griffin Military (Former location, graves removed) (cemetery), about 0.3 miles away. Others within a short drive include Fort Griffin Cemetery, Fort Griffin State Historic Site, and Frontier Town of Fort Griffin.

This record corresponds to Texas Historical Commission Atlas #5507016822. Use the map below for its exact position and turn-by-turn directions.