Hard Labor Creek State Park

Hard Labor Creek State Park. . On the occasion of its Bicentennial, Morgan County placed this marker here to commemorate Hard Labor Creek State Park. This park was built in 1934 by the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC), a New Deal program sponsored by President Roosevelt. It was administered as a division of the U.S. Army to reclaim unusable farm land, create recreational areas, and teach young men a skill or trade. Enlistees of the CCC were paid about $30 for a six-month enlistment, $25 of which was automatically sent to the enlistee's family., There were two CCC camps housed at the Park. The first camp, District "B" Company 450 Ga. SP-8, Rutledge, GA. operated from 1934-1939. The second one, 3442nd Company CCC Camp Ga. SP-11, Rutledge, GA., operated from 1935-1937., The National Park Service designed the park's layout. This site had been a vacant, overworked agricultural land at the time the government purchased it for a recreation demonstration project. The plan included the construction of two lakes, camping areas, observation tower, boat house, trails and other amenities. A February 1935 nursery plan included the cultivation of over 850,000 trees on site including pines, oaks, maples, and sweet gums to reforest the park., These CCC camps, together with the U.S. Forestry service, are responsible for many of the park's original structures and landscapes. They built roads, bridges, retaining walls, Camp Rutledge, Lake Rutledge, the superintendent's home, and several structures located at Camp Daniel Morgan. Much of the work stopped at the start of World War II., Hard Labor Creek Park became a National Park in 1939. It served as a National Park until 1946 when it was turned over to the state of Georgia, which continues to operate and maintain it today.