This photograph shows Camp Monticello, the CCC camp that was located near Boswell's Tavern. Camp Monticello was begun in 1939 to provide work for men ages 18-25 during the Great Depression and existed until WWII. Most of the workers at Camp Monticello came to Louisa from Pennsylvania, though the camp did provide work for local men as well. The work consisted of clearing forest trails, fighting fires, and stringing and repairing farm fences.
Highway markers were erected in 1996 at the sites of the CCC camps to commemorate the history of the CCC in Louisa County. The sign for Camp Monticello reads, "Here at Burnley's Farm was the site of Camp Monticello, CCC Company 2347, Boswell's Tavern, Virginia. The Camp, originally located near Rocky Mount, Virginia, was moved here in the fall of 1939 and remained until it was dismantled on 18 September 1942, during World War II. I provided work for about two hundred young men from Pennsylvania near the end of the Great Depression Their responsibilities included clearing forest trails, fighting fires, and stringing and repairing farm fences. They also helped to construct the Skyline Drive."
This photograph shows where workers lived during their employment at CCC Camp P-82, which was located in Mineral. Camp P-82 provided work during the Great Depression beginning in 1932 until WWII in 1942. Like at Camp Monticello, the workers cleared forest trails and fought fires, and they were also responsible for improving the area's roads and building the fire tower on Route 33.
The highway marker at the site of Camp P-82 was erected in 1996 with the marker for Camp Monticello. It reads, "This is the site of Camp P-82, CCC Company 2359, Mineral, Virginia. The camp was established in 1934 and provided work for more than two hundred young men during the depths of the Great Depression. Their responsibilities included clearing forest trails, fighting fires, and improving the area's roads. In 1937, Camp 2359 built the 102-foot fire tower on Route 33. The tower was listed in the National Historic Lookout Register in 1994. The camp disbanded in 1942 after World War II began."
Fighting fires was one of the jobs of the workers at CCC Camp Monticello. Mike Fabian and Ben Fields, pictured here with fire buckets, were among the men who performed this duty.
The CCC employed unmarried men ages 18 to 25. This photograph of Bill Hamborsky and John Chesko emphasizes the youth of the men who went to work at the for the CCC to support their families. CCC workers earned $1 per day for six months. $25 was either sent home each month to the workers' families or held in escrow until the end of the employment.
Chuck Cetera, a Louisa County local, stands in front of a building at CCC camp 2347, Camp Monticello. Cetera was employed by the CCC in the early 1940s.
