The Civilian Conservation Corps Builds the Franklin Delano State Park in Georgia
Presenter Mr. John E. Croom
The Chattahoochee Valley Historical Society would once again like to extend an open invitation to the general public to attend one of our fine quarterly presentations on Sunday, October 24th at 3:00 PM EST (2:00 PM CDT). Our presentation will be a live, on-site presentation held at Point University’s main campus, the Lanier Academic Center, in downtown West Point, GA.
Our presenter for this upcoming meeting will be John E. Croom. Mr. Croom’s presentation will focus on the Civilian Conservation Corps, a “New Deal”-era program designed by the Roosevelt Administration to provide employment to unmarried young men during the later years of the Great Depression. As many know, the CCC was responsible for many of the state and national parks we frequent and enjoy in Georgia and Alabama. The legacy of their workmanship can be seen in many places that Valley-area residents have probably frequented, such as Chewacla State Park in Auburn, AL or the “Bunker Tower” at the peak of Mount Cheaha (Alabama’s highest point). Most familiar of all of the CCC’s many work projects, however, is likely Franklin D. Roosevelt State Park (formerly “Pine Mountain State Park”) in Harris and Meriwether Counties in Georgia. The CCC’s involvement and contributions to FDR State Park in Georgia will be the specific focus of Mr. Croom’s presentation.
Franklin D. Roosevelt State Park is currently a Georgia State Park. The park is named after the former President because he spent much of his Presidency in Warm Springs, GA in a location now known as the “Little White House” (where a Federally run museum now sits giving a fascinating insight into his life). Because Roosevelt suffered from polio for most of his life, he came here to frequently visit the eponymous springs in Warm Springs, GA (whose waters were always at a constant 88 degrees F, ideal for those with polio and similar infirmities). The park consists of a main area centered around “Lake Delanor”, a lake named for both the President (his middle name being “Delano”) and his wife Eleanor. The park also contains the “Pine Mountain Trail”, a network of hiking trails that extend from the “Country Store” adjacent to Callaway Gardens all the way to the Georgia Public Television broadcast tower just south of Warm Springs, GA in Meriwether County. Other noteworthy locations within the park grounds itself include Dowdell’s Knob (the highest point on Pine Mountain) and “Cascade Falls”, a waterfall located just south of Warm Springs. All throughout the park today, there are vestiges of the CCC’s work (bridges, roads, and former fishery ponds now found on the “Mountain Creek Trail” south of Lake Delanor).
Our presenter Mr. Croom has long been affiliated with the Park itself, and has given many presentations there on the history of the CCC and its contributions to the park. He has also done the same for the “Little White House” Museum in nearby Warm Springs, making him an expert on the Roosevelt Administration’s connection to this area (in addition to the workings and doings of the CCC). His presentation for Sunday, October 24th will consist of four parts: the Depression’s impact in Georgia prior to 1933, the creation of the CCC, its local impact in Georgia (primarily in the Park), and its legacy today.
John E. Croom is a native of Columbus, GA, graduating from Columbus High School in 1973. He graduated from Columbus College (now CSU) in 1977, obtaining a B.A. in Fine Art. He would later graduate from the University of Montevallo in 2003 with a Masters in History, receiving several accolades including History Student of the Year and induction into the Phi Alpha Theta History Honor Society, both in 2003. Following his Graduate studies, he then became a history teacher in Oak Mountain, AL south of Birmingham. During his teaching career, he received the “teacher of the year” award at both Oak Mountain Middle School and Oak Mountain High School. He has been married to Sally McCamy Croom since 1981 and was also involved with the Boy Scouts of America (being on the Volunteer Boy Scouts of America Birmingham Council from 1992 to 2014). He is currently writing a book on the history of the CCC in the Pine Mountain Area from 1933 to 1942, and much of that research will be featured in his presentation.
This presentation will be held at Point University in West Point, GA (address: 507 W 10th Street, West Point, GA, 31833). Visitors are encouraged to park in the west parking lot and enter through the western entrance to the building (several CVHS members will be there to help them find their way to the presentation room). The presentation will start at 3:00 PM Eastern (2:00 PM Central) on Sunday, October 24th and will last approximately one hour (with time for questions at the end). If anyone has any questions concerning our presentation, please email our Program Chair Charlie Powers at ccpowers02@gmail.com for further information.
If you are unable to physically attend the meeting please join us at Chattahoochee Valley Historical Society on Facebook to view the meeting.