Historic Marker: Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC)

On April 5, 2008 at Lake Accotink Park, Fairfax County celebrated the CCC's 75th anniversary and unveiled an historic marker commemorating the CCC's contributions to the county.


In the photo on the right, Fairfax County Board of Supervisors Chairman Gerald E. Connolly (center), Vice Chairman and Braddock District Supervisor Sharon Bulova, and Bill Sheads unveil the marker. In the second photo, Park Director Tawny Hammond (left, partially obscured) and Mary Lipsey join the group.

Bill Sheads' memory of a CCC-built fire road provided the seed for Mary Lipsey's research and effort within the Fairfax County History Commission to approve the historic marker.

The marker stands beside the path of the former fire road, now entrance to the park headquarters building. It reads: "THE CIVILIAN CONSERVATION CORPS - During the Depression, in 1933, President Franklin D. Roosevelt's administration established the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) to help unemployed men, ages 18 to 25. CCC men created state parks, improved soil conservation, conducted reforestation and constructed fire trails. The men received food, clothing, shelter, health care, education and were paid $30 monthly, of which $25 was sent home. Projects of the racially segregated Fort Belvoir CCC camp, Army 3 VA-2399 C ("Colored"), included building fire trails through forested areas of Fairfax County. One such trail started at Old Keene Mill Road, crossed nearby Accotink Creek, and ended at Backlick Road. The Fairfax County History Commission, 2007"

Photos courtesy of John Browne

Camp Reports: Civilian Conservation Corps No. 2339C Camp

CCC No. 2399C Camp, also known as Army-3VA Camp, was located at the U.S. Army's Fort Belvoir in Fairfax County. A racially segregated unit, it was comprised of African Americans except for assigned Army Reserve officers and other leaders. The Camp's work on reforestation and fire control projects included road construction and firefighting in and near Braddock District. A significant but nearly forgotten contribution was construction in the 1930s of an access road through an extensive forest area bounded by Braddock, Rolling, Backlick and Old Keene Mill roads. Erased by suburban development, the road no longer appears on current maps. Today, that former forest has been replaced largely by the community of Springfield and Lake Accotink Park. Lake Accotink was originally created during World War I as a water source for Fort Belvoir.

Two camp inspection reports - for March 21, 1936 and March 8, 1938 - provide insights into the people, operations and life of CCC No. 2399C Camp, including:
--Location, size and description of camp and its facilities
--U.S. Army Reserve officers, camp leaders and personnel assigned
--Compensation
--Details about camp sanitation, medical services, motor vehicles and safety program
--Evaluation ratings on camp facilities, conditions, personnel and morale
--Food, meals and daily menus
--Mission, responsibilities, work projects and plans
--Sports and recreation
--Religious services
--Health, including deaths of camp personnel
--Education, including efforts to eliminate illiteracy

Courtesy of Mary Lipsey; obtained during her research of the CCC from the The National Archives and Records Administration.

Essay: Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC)

In a chance conversation with Mary Lipsey, Bill Sheads mentioned the CCC's work in the 1930s in building a road through what was then an extensive forest, likely for fire control access. The CCC's role was all but forgotten and the road, erased by suburban development, had disappeared from current maps. Mary's research has verified the road's construction and location and led to creation of the first historic marker to commemorate the CCC's contributions to Fairfax County.

Courtesy of Mary Lipsey

Memorial Marker: Howery Field

On June 1, 1967, six young soldiers from Fort Belvoir died in an accident while working on a community service project to help build the Howery Field athletic complex. They were electrocuted when the flagpole they were erecting contacted a high voltage power line. The marker reads: "These fields are dedicated in the memory of the servicemen who died onsite in June, 1967, while volunteering to help make these athletic fields possible for the community. Lest we forget...
PVT. Paul D. Briggs
PVT. Anthony B. Evans
PFC. Marvin D. Harrison
PVT. Charles R. Oliver
SPC. 4 Kenneth G. Steiner
PVT. Charles M. Whaley"
Howery Field Park, a Fairfax County Park Authority facility, was named in honor of the donor of the land, Edward F. Howrey, who had once owned Oak Hill.

Courtesy John Browne

Lake Accotink Dam, circa 1918

In 1912, the War Department established a summer camp and rifle range for engineering corps stationed in Washington, DC. During World War I, the camp became a permanent establishment. Known today as Fort Belvoir, the property was originally named Camp A. A. Humphreys after a Union general and distinguished engineer. The Army Corps of Engineers constructed a dam which created Lake Accotink to serve as a water source for the Camp.

Photograph from Fairfax County Public Library, Virginia Room, Photographic Archive

Lake Accotink Boating

After Lake Accotink, formerly the reservoir for Fort Belvoir, became a public park, the Lake Accotink Yacht Club, founded by Ernest (Buddy) Belote, sailed there between 1972 and 1982. Members raced according to the rules of the International Yacht Racing Association and applied the rules of the America's Cup to the eight-foot dinghies on Accotink waters.

Lake Accotink Boat Race

Lake Accotink served as a water supply for Fort Belvoir until 1963 when the Fairfax County Park Authority opened recreational facilties there, purchasing it from the government in 1965 for $88,250.

A cardboard boat regatta is among park community activities. The Park staff teaches a workshop on constructing a cardboard boat that can be paddled.

Photo courtesy Tawny Hammond

Burke Lake Park Boat Launch Platform, circa 1963

Burke Lake Park is an example of county and citizens groups working together to create a recreational area. In the late 1950s, sport fishing leagues and conservative groups suggested to the Fairfax County Park Authority that a public fishing lake be created. The Park Authority found a suitable location in Burke and initially purchased 218 acres. The lake began to fill in 1961 after dam construction. Stocked with fish for opening day, May 25, 1963, nearly 2,000 anglers attended the opening ceremony. Including the lake, Burke Lake Park occupies nearly 900 acres on land that Fairfax County acquired from the federal government, after local citizens defeated a plan to build an international airport near Burke.

Photograph from Fairfax County Public Library, Virginia Room, Photographic Archive

Oral History: Donna Soderholm

Donna Soderholm moved to the Braddock District of Fairfax County in 1963. Compared to Chicago, the Virginia suburbs were undeveloped and her husband's commute to downtown DC took only a half hour. Most families in her neighborhood had four or more children who spent most of their free time outdoors playing together. She compares earlier days with the present time.

Oral History: Elizabeth Silliman

Elizabeth Silliman first came to Northern Virginia in 1950, and to the Braddock District of Fairfax County in 1970. She talks about physical changes in the community.