076-5164

ECW Architecture at Prince William Forest Park (MPD)

VLR Listing Date

09/20/1988

NRHP Listing Date

06/12/1989

NRHP Reference Number

64500681

Representative of the 1930s New Deal efforts to provide recreational facilities for urban, low-income groups and families in the form of organized camping facilities, Prince William Forest Park is significant for its several complexes of rustic architecture set in natural landscaping with careful layouts. The park is historically important as one of six recreational demonstration areas (RDAs) established in Virginia, and the fourth largest in the nation. The project was carried out by Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) and Works Progress Administration (WPA) laborers from 1935 to 1942. Both the CCC and the WPA were outgrowths of President Franklin Roosevelt’s Emergency Conservation Work (ECW) Act of 1933. Remaining in the Prince William Forest Park’s four original camp complexes—Goodwill, Mawavi, Orenda, and Pleasant—are over 150 CCC-built rustic-style structures, including cottages, crafts lodges, dining halls, and various support structures.

Last Updated: January 8, 2024

Many properties listed in the registers are private dwellings and are not open to the public, however many are visible from the public right-of-way. Please be respectful of owner privacy.

Abbreviations:
VLR: Virginia Landmarks Register
NPS: National Park Service
NRHP: National Register of Historic Places
NHL: National Historic Landmark

For additional information Read

Nomination Form

500-0007

African American Watermen of the Virginia Chesapeake Bay Multiple Property Document

(MPD) Multiple Property Document

030-5932

African American Resources in Fauquier County, Virginia, 1865–1973

(MPD) Multiple Property Document

134-5721

Virginia Beach Oceanfront Resort Motels and Hotels (1955-1970)

(MPD) Multiple Property Document