Contextualizing the Civilian Conservation Corps in Florida’s Ocala National Forest

Summary

This is a poster submission presented at the 2022 annual meeting of the Society for Historical Archaeology.

The Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) played a crucial role in the development of Florida’s parks and forests. By 1933, young men were deployed in rural areas constructing vital infrastructure, controlling fires, and rehabilitating natural resources. In the Ocala National Forest (ONF) efforts focused on developing visitor infrastructure at various attractions, including the numerous freshwater springs across the forest. As a result, many of the forest’s current buildings are representative of New Deal era architecture. This poster discusses preliminary work using archival research to contextualize New Deal activities in the ONF, reconstruct a timeline of the work, and support further archaeological work on this fascinating period of the forest’s history. This is particularly important as structures continue to deteriorate, in turn justifying the need to document and draw attention to their significance in an effort to preserve them for future generations.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• 2022 SHA Poster Submissions   •
• Society for Historical Archaeology 2022

Keywords

Individual & Institutional Roles

Contact(s): Society for Historical Archaeology