"Partial view of CCC Camp, TVA #24, located north of Clinch River and Big Sycamore Creek, east of Lone Mountain, Tennessee. The tents are being occupied temporarily pending the completion of the winter barracks. In the background is a spur of Comby Ridge."
Lewis Hine Photographs for the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA), Courtesy of National Archives
Following the Great Depression, Franklin D. Roosevelt introduced to Congress the creation of a program that would enroll young men (age 18-25) in work programs within America's public lands, forests, and parks to improve the Nation's conservation and natural resources. On March 31, 1933, Congress authorized the Emergency Conservation Work (ECW) Act and the Civilian Conservation Corp (CCC) was born under the Emergency Conservation Work Agency.
For many, just the prospect of three meals and a bed were enough to get young men to enroll. As jobs and income were incredibly scarce, the CCC for a lot of these young men was their first job. Enlisters would make $30 a month, $25 of which would be sent straight to their families, while the other five was for the worker to keep. Meals and lodging were provided in military camp fashion.
Education opportunities were an added bonus of joining the C’s. In fact, many completed their high school education while serving. Leadership advancement positions with an increase in pay were also offered to hard-workers.
In June 1937 Congress extended the CCC for three more years, making Civilian Conservation Corps its official name. Limits were also placed on the number of enrollments an individual could serve.
In 1939 the CCC was placed under the Federal Security Agency. Beginning in 1940, the CCC focused its efforts on military reservations. With the entry of the United States into World War II, Congress, against Roosevelt's wishes, abolished the CCC on June 30, 1942.
Many structures built by the CCC have since been designated historic structures and their legacy in national and state parks can still be seen today.
Source - National Park Service (NPS)
Association of Southeastern Research Libraries (ASERL) Center of Excellence (COE) Program
In 2012, as part of the Collaborative Federal Depository Program (CFDP), the University of Tennessee (UT) Libraries partnered with the Association of Southeastern Research Libraries (ASERL) to become a Center of Excellence (COE) for the Civilian Conservation Corps collections below.
Government Publishing Office (GPO) Preservation Steward Program
In 2023, The University of Tennessee (UT) Libraries partnered with the U.S. Government Publishing Office (GPO) to become a Preservation Steward for the Civilian Conservation Corps collections below.
The University of Tennessee is one of many libraries across the country that have signed memorandum of agreements to preserve government documents for future generations.
More about the Center of Excellence Program can be found at the Association of Southeastern Research Libraries (ASERL) Becoming a Center of Excellence (COE) website.
More about Preservation Stewards Partners can be found at the GPO Federal Depository Library Program (FDLP) Preservation Steward website.
The Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) collections (listed below) can be found in UT Special Collections (preservation copy - non circulating). Some of the collections can be found in Hodges Stacks (duplicate copies - circulating). The CCC began its life in 1933 as the Emergency Conservation Work Agency. In 1937, the Civilian Conservation Corps was officially named. In 1939, the CCC was transferred through executive action to the Federal Security Agency.
Emergency Conservation Work Agency (1933-1937)
Civilian Conservation Corps (1937-1939)
Federal Security Agency (1939-1953)
Below are PDF copies of current holdings to help with discovery and access to the collections. Library of Congress call numbers have been added to the holdings lists to aid with discovery. As we receive additional holdings, they will be added to the (PDF) lists below.
