Event to share legacy of Civilian Conservation Corps enrollees

William Marcum’s grandfather kept all kinds of documents and photographs of his time at the Poe Valley Civilian Conservation Corps camp.

He was there from June 1933 until February 1938, Marcum, a local historian, said.

When his grandfather died, Marcum inherited that material and endeavored to learn more about the CCC, he said.

So with the help of his mother, wife and a couple CCC veterans, Marcum organized a reunion in 1983 for vets of the Poe Valley camp.

This year, he’s partnered with the Centre County Historical Society and state Department of Conservation and Natural Resources to provide a daylong program about life in the camps, which will include a free authentic meal.

Created during The Great Depression, CCC camps put hundreds of thousands of young men to work in Pennsylvania, according to DCNR. The camps ran from 1933-42.

The purpose of the camps was to provide employment for unmarried men ages 18-23, who were hardest hit in employment during the Depression, Marcum said.

At Poe Valley, they did everything from create trails and roads to take out unwanted vegetation, he said.

They also created a 27-acre lake by constructing a dam, much of it by hand, he said.

“A lot of hard work for $1 a day,” Marcum said.

It gave young men the opportunity to learn a trade and continue their education, he said. With the skills they learned at the camps, they’d have a leg up in finding employment as it became available back home.

On Sunday, those who attend CCC Legacy Day at Poe Valley State Park can expect to learn about life in the camp, see photographs and movie clips from the camp — an “extreme rarity,” he said.

Family members of CCC veterans will also have the chance to connect with each other and hear stories, Marcum said.

This story was originally published July 20, 2017 at 10:37 AM with the headline "Event to share legacy of Civilian Conservation Corps enrollees."