Lecture by Historian Martin Podskoch on April 5, 2023
Montpelier, Vt. – The Vermont Division for Historic Preservation and the CCC Legacy are proud to offer a lecture by award-winning author and historian Martin Podskoch on the history and legacy of the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) in Vermont. The lecture will take place on April 5 from 5:00 PM to 6:30 PM in the Pavilion Auditorium at 109 State Street, Montpelier. Questions, personal remembrances, and knowledge of CCC camps in Vermont is welcomed at the end of the evening.
This program is presented in honor of the 90th Anniversary of the founding of the CCC, a significant public works program that gave meaningful work to unemployed young men during the Great Depression. The CCC operated from 1933 to 1942 as part of President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s New Deal to improve the nation’s public lands, forests, and parks.
The Green Mountain State was originally allocated just four CCC camps, but thanks to the dynamic presence of State Forester Perry H. Merrill, the State of Vermont received more assistance than many other states. Merrill’s foresight to develop long-range conservation, flood control, and forest management activities, and his lobbying of CCC National Director Robert Fechner, attracted substantially increased funding of CCC activities in Vermont. Thirty CCC camps operated in Vermont in 1937, and between 1933 and 1942, a total of 40,868 individuals worked in Vermont CCC camps.
“The CCC program had a profound impact on the landscape of Vermont that is still evident today,” said Devin Colman, State Architectural Historian. “Many of our beloved State Parks, State Forests, and winter recreation areas trace their origins back to the CCC and the hard work of the young men employed by this important federal program."
The Civilian Conservation Corps Legacy is a national organization dedicated to the research, preservation, and education of future generations to better understand the CCC and its continuing contribution to American life and culture. Anyone interested in learning about the work of the CCC Legacy and joining should visit www.ccclegacy.org or facebook.com/groups/ccclegacygroup.
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