Annual event, new book celebrates legacy of Civilian Conservation Corps camp of Poe Valley

Just in time for the annual event to celebrate the history of the Civilian Conservation Corps, local historian and Legacy Days co-founder Bill Marcum recently released his debut book, “The Foreman’s Boys.”

The book, which took Marcum about three years to write, chronicles CCC Camp 1333 of Poe Valley and its efforts to develop the state park. During their time at the camp, the “boys” improved roadways, built bridges and helped support the regrowth of forested areas. Their biggest accomplishment was building the dam that helped create the 27-acre Poe Valley Lake.

“My late grandfather was a foreman for that camp. He left behind documents and memorabilia that have been overly influential in the creation of this book and Legacy Days,” Marcum said.

Created during The Great Depression, CCC camps put hundreds of thousands of young men to work in Pennsylvania, according to the state Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, which co-hosts the Legacy Day event with the Centre County Historical Society.

Marcum said that the young boys took guidance from the foremen on the camp despite their lack of experience.

“They all relied on one another to get the job done even though they were only making $1 a day,” he said.

The book takes a look at the enrollees’ accomplishments and provides details of daily life in the camps, which ran from 1933-1942.

“It talks about everything from the food they ate, what they did in their spare time, and how the camps shifted these young men’s lives,” said Marcum.

A glimpse into daily life at the camps is also the aim of Sunday’s Legacy Day event, which runs from 10 a.m.-3 p.m. A collection of memorabilia will be on display, and an original rare film featuring the Poe Valley Camp will be shown during the event, according to the historical society’s website.

“The Foreman’s Boys” lists approximately 80% of the boys that worked on the camp, said Marcum, who added that the records are not easy to come by. He hopes that people can discover if they had family members who worked on the camp alongside his grandfather.

Marcum will be signing books at Barnes & Noble in State College from 2-4 p.m. Saturday and books will also be available at the Legacy Days event Sunday at Poe Valley State Park.

Marcum will be one of the speakers at the event, and he encourages everyone to share their personal stories about the camp along with how it has affected their lives.

“My favorite part of the event is watching people find out that they had relatives that worked at the camp. It happens more often than you think,” he said.

For more information on Sunday’s event, and to RSVP, visit https://www.centrehistory.org/legacyday/.