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The CCC in Florida State Parks: History you can touch from a simpler time

Our rustic log cabin in Myakka River State Park was full of charm and beauty, but what made it most special to us was that it was built by the men of the Civilian Conservation Corps during the Great Depression.

Maybe it’s just nostalgia for what seems like a simpler time, but I love the CCC.

As you travel Florida and explore its award-winning state parks, take special note of the buildings, trails and other amenities we still enjoy because of the work of the CCC. There are CCC Florida projects in nine state parks, and one, Highland Hammock State Park in Sebring, has a fascinating museum devoted to the history of the CCC in Florida.

A statue in front of the Civilian Conservation Corps Museum at Highland Hammock State Park.
CCC Florida: A statue in front of the Civilian Conservation Corps Museum at Highland Hammock State Park. (Photo: Bonnie Gross)

CCC ramped up in record time

The CCC was a program introduced by President Franklin Delano Roosevelt to employ poor young men in planting trees, building parks and conserving natural resources.

Talk about simpler times.

The speed with which this program took shape is breath-taking. FDR was inaugurated as president on March 4, 1933. He proposed  the CCC on March 9. Congress authorized it March 27. On April 7, the first men were enrolled and began serving. Eventually, more than 3 million men ages 17 to 28 served in the CCC.

A plaque marking a building by the Civilian Conservation Corps at Highland Hammocks State Park.
CCC Florida: A plaque marking a building by the Civilian Conservation Corps at Highland Hammocks State Park.

The program had great public support; even Republicans liked it. (A poll of Republicans showed 67 percent supported the program, according to CCClegacy.org, a non-profit devoted to preserving CCC history.)

The biggest critics? Organized labor thought it might cut into union jobs and worried that the Army’s involvement might be a bad trend for the workplace.

A map at the Civilian Conservation Corps Museum at Highland Hammock State Park shows the sites of CCC projects in Florida, which included a number of projects outside the state park system.
A map at the Civilian Conservation Corps Museum at Highland Hammock State Park shows the sites of CCC projects in Florida, which included projects outside the state park system.

What CCC Florida built

In Florida, 50,000 young men from poverty-stricken families earned $30 a month while receiving food and housing as they worked. ($25 was to be sent home.) Each had to sign up for at least six months.

What did they do?

The CCC developed many of Florida’s oldest parks:

Interior of log cabin at Myakka River State Park.
Interior of a CCC Florida-built log cabin at Myakka River State Park. (Photo: David Blasco)

In some parks, the CCC built rustic cabins and shelters admired today for their beauty and sturdiness. In others, the very roads and trails were created by the CCC.

At Highland Hammock State Park, for example, one recruit is quoted in the museum that when he learned they were to build a road there, he couldn’t believe it; the area was nothing but swamp.

Were it not for the CCC, there might never have been Florida Caverns State Park. In the late 1930s, a government surveyor had crawled into a cave where he could see beautiful rock formations.

Inside the Civilian Conservation Corps Museum at Highland Hammocks State Park., the field-stone fireplace has a photo of FDR on the mantle.
CCC Florida: Inside the Civilian Conservation Corps Museum at Highland Hammock State Park., the field-stone fireplace has a photo of FDR on the mantle. (Photo: Bonnie Gross)

In 1938, a camp was established to make this cavern accessible. The CCC men removed tons of rock and mud from the cave floor and constructed underground trails into three rooms. After thousands of man-hours of work, the cave opened in 1941. The men also built the visitor center, which houses a museum.

The transformation at Ravine Gardens was equally dramatic. The workers  started with a deep, raw ravine formed by a spring-fed tributary to the nearby St. Johns River. They planted nearly 100,000 flowering plants — azaleas, dogwoods, redbud and camellias — creating a formal garden around the splashing stream that is still a blooming wonder every spring.

You can stay in CCC-built cabins at Myakka, Gold Head Branch State Park and O’Leno State Park . (Here’s a guide to cabins in Florida State Parks.)

CCC Florida Museum

A worthwhile stop for history lovers is the well-done CCC museum, located in a CCC-built building in Highland Hammock State Park . There are at least 15 CCC museums all over the country, and an additional two dozen exhibits on the CCC’s work in parks and history museums.

Exterior of Civilian Conservation Corps Museum at Highland Hammock State Park.
CCC Florida: Exterior of Civilian Conservation Corps Museum at Highland Hammock State Park. (Photo: Bonnie Gross)

But the Highland Hammock State Park museum tells the Florida story.

There are photos of work in progress and the leisure activities of the young men, and one thing is quite striking: So many are so skinny! (One of the benefits of the CCC was improving the health of malnourished young men who would soon be soldiers in World War II.)

I thought I knew a lot about the CCC but I learned a few things.

Exhibit inside the Civilian Conservation Corps Museum at Highland Hammocks State Park.
CCC Florida: Exhibit inside the Civilian Conservation Corps Museum at Highland Hammocks State Park. (Photo: Bonnie Gross)

For example, CCC camps were segregated, and by 1935, there were 13 camps for 10,000 African Americans in Florida. The Black CCC workers did the same work as white workers did, and helped build Myakka and Torreya state parks. There were two CCC camps especially for Seminole Indians, near Brighton and Immokalee.

The CCC was never envisioned as a permanent agency. With a draft in place and war being fought, the program was closed.

Today, however, we can touch and be touched by all that it accomplished.

Highland Hammock State Park

5931 Hammock Rd, Sebring, FL 33872

In winter 2023-24, the museum is open Friday through Sunday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.

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Sheryl

Thursday 14th of July 2022

Awesome article. I am currently staying at Florida Caverns SP. We had been here once before about 8 years ago. Hurricane Michael came through here and the park was closed for about 2 years and the campsite almost 3 years. I wish I could see photos of specifically the campsites before and after hurricane Micheal. They have created a informative sign for people who visit to see and understand the damage that was done. FCSP lost so many trees. But the campgrounds here are like new and have sewer hookups at every site. Flat pebble spots but the new saplings are just little buds. No real shade as of yet. But the buildings built but CCC workers are still standing.

Dorothy Cruse

Saturday 18th of July 2020

My uncle was enrolled in this Sebring camp as a young man before joining the Marines in WWII. Where would I find a listing of those enrolled that identify him by name, age and home location? Can't seem to find it in NARA or Library of Congress. This is such a wonderful resource for amateur genealogists. Thank you for your work.

Eva F.

Monday 11th of May 2020

Thank you for the information, Ms. Gross!

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