Near Mountain Rest in Oconee County, South Carolina — The American South (South Atlantic)

A Building with a Past

Photographed by Duane and Tracy Marsteller, November 7, 2021

1. A Building with a Past Marker

Inscription. Though it seems ordinary, this building has led many lives. According to Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) workers, it was constructed by the CCC during the Great Depression as a mess hall or barracks for Camp F-1. Now one of the park's most functional buildings, it was designed to be disassembled and was likely moved here from some other location.

By 1944, the building was in place and adapted into a recreation center. In the 1980s, the restaurant and office transferred here from the bathhouse. Today, the building includes meeting facilities and park administration.

Captions (clockwise from top right)
• Mess Hall James Ford
• Although Oconee square dances have been held in the Barn since 1975, the tradition began in this building some thirty years earlier. In this 1944 photo, notice that the bracing between the walls and ceiling is similar to CCC construction shown in the photos above — a hint that this was once a CCC mess ball or barracks.
• Men from CCC camp F1, shown here, also helped construct the park between 1938 and 1940. Lila B. Staton

Erected by South Carolina State Park Service.

Topics. This historical

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marker is listed in these topic lists: Architecture • Charity & Public Work • Parks & Recreational Areas. A significant historical year for this entry is 1944.

Location. 34° 51.923′ N, 83° 6.324′ W. Marker is near Mountain Rest, South Carolina, in Oconee County. It can be reached from State Park Road west of State Highway 107, on the left when traveling south. Marker is by the Oconee State Park Visitor Center. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 624 State Park Rd, Mountain Rest SC 29664, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in South Carolina’s and pstate,

in the Foothills, in the Golden Corner. It is also in the American South,

specifically in the Deep South,

in Appalachia,

and specifically in Southern Appalachia. Globally, it is in North America,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once the original Cherokee Nation,

the territory of the Mississippian Culture,

one of the original Thirteen Colonies,

one of the Confederate States of America,

and the Antebellum South.

Other nearby markers. At

Photographed by Duane and Tracy Marsteller, November 7, 2021

2. A Building with a Past Marker

least 8 other markers are within 3 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: Civilian Conservation Corps Monument (a few steps from this marker); The Civilian Conservation Corps (a few steps from this marker); Oconee State Park (within shouting distance of this marker); Cherokee Boundary (1777) (within shouting distance of this marker); Building a Tradition (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line); The Oconee Waterwheel (about 500 feet away); Mountain Rest School / Hillbilly Day (approx. 2.3 miles away); Oconee Station / Oconee County (approx. 2.4 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Mountain Rest.

Credits. This page was last revised on November 10, 2021. It was originally submitted on November 7, 2021, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee. This page has been viewed 593 times since then and 36 times this year. Photos: 1. submitted on November 7, 2021, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee. 2. submitted on November 10, 2021, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee.