Virginia Department of Historic Resources Virginia Department of Historic Resources
For additional information, read the Nomination Form PDF
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 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.
Abbreviations:
VLR: Virginia Landmarks Register
NPS: National Park Service
NRHP: National Register of Historic Places
NHL: National Historic Landmark
Updated: November 15, 2018
