The Northeast States Civilian Conservation Corps Museum at Shenipsit State Forest in Stafford Springs will open for the season beginning this Saturday and Sunday, May 26th and 27th from 12-4pm (closed Memorial Day).

 

Regular Seasonal Days/Hours will be Thursday-Sunday, 12-4pm through Labor Day weekend, and Sundays 12-4 until Columbus Day weekend. Other days/hours by chance or appointment.

 

The Northeast States Civilian Conservation Corps Museum, located in the only remaining CCC Camp Headquarter's building in Connecticut (Co. 1192 Camp Conner),  has the largest public display of CCC memorabilia in the Country...including 100's of photographs depicting CCC work projects, activities and camp life...equipment and tools (and yes, in case you were wondering -we do have an original "Polaski"), 100's of documents and many more interesting memorabilia items from not only the Northeast, but from all over the U.S.

 

While in the area, plan to enjoy a hike up nearby Soapstone Mountain in Shenipsit State Forest. Along the trails there are interpretive signs for the natural and cultural history and prehistory of the mountain/forest. Atop the mountain, you can enjoy the wonderful vistas from both the lookout tower and mountain top. These vistas were created through a beautification project by the CCC from Camp Conner, and are maintained by Connecticut's State Parks Seasonal Maintenance crew. If you prefer, you may drive up to the lookout tower via road - a "truck trail" (now paved) constructed by the C's.

 

15 miles East of the CCC Museum on Rte. 190 in Union, CT -be sure to visit the Mountain Laurel Sanctuary in the Nipmunk State Forest. Mountain Laurel is Connecticut's State Flower *read below about what was happening in the 1920's that prompted the passage of the "Laurel Law"...and, as would be my guess, is why "fake" garland became so popular (and probably fake trees too!).

 

Mountain Laurel is expected to be in full bloom around Father's Day. The entrance to the Mountain Laurel Sanctuary begins on Snow Hill Road. The the first 1.7 miles of road or "truck trail" (the Federal Agency, Emergency Conservation Work and the U. S. Forest Service approved CCC projects for "truck trails", rather than "roads". Truck trails in the forests are not as wide as roads, but will have "turnoffs" to allow vehicles to pass when traveling in opposite directions) -was graded by the CCC's from nearby Camp Grave's in 1935.

 

Enrollees from Camp Conner (some of whom transferred from Grave's) completed the truck trail project. While this project was nearing completion, a Junior Forester supervised a crew of about 12 CCC boys from Camp Conner for this beautification project...releasing Mountain Laurel along Snow Hill Road, Bucner Road and Old County Road in Nipmuck State Forest.

 

Today, a large portion of the Mountain Laurel Sanctuary on Snow Hill Road is maintained by Seasonal Staff from the Shenipsit State Forest Headquarters.

 

*Excerpts from, Connecticut's State Flower THE MOUNTAIN LAUREL A Forest Plant by P.L. Buttrick, M.F., Secretary of the Connecticut Forestry Association. Marsh Botanical Garden Publication, Number One. March Botanical Garden of Yale University, New Haven 1924. [pages 19-23]

 

 

    The large firms send out their own collecting gangs or purchase from collectors. There are a few dealers in small towns in regions where laurel is abundant...But most of the pickers are men who follow the work regularly, They are sent about the country by the larger firms in gangs. These gangs are generally composed of foreigners, often Greeks or Italians. They are frequently of the class which has no great regard for property rights, and they are apt to do their collecting where it is most convenient -without regard to the desires of the owner of the land, Occasionally they have succeeded by superior numbers in driving off owners who wished to eject them and in escaping their booty. They often break down fences, cut trees, and otherwise injure the property upon which they are collecting and have even been accused of setting forest fires to cover their trail. The larger dealers pay the collectors without inquiring as to the source of supply, and probably a great deal of the laurel which reaches the market is stolen from the landowners...

    ...It is difficult to estimate the amount of laurel used, but the New York dealer who claims to handle the largest amount says he uses three hundred tons per annum...The figure of one thousand tons per annum would probably cover the New York market. Let us assume that Boston consumes as much...Philadelphia...Washington,,,Baltimore...This would make a total of four thousand tons...Laurel is not shipped much to the western states, but to be on the sage side let us add town thousand tons for the western territory. We then arrive at a rough estimate of ten thousand tons as the maximum amount of laurel used annually in the United States for decorative purposes...

    ...many farmers are glad to be rid of their laurel and so give it away or allow it to be stolen. Thus dealers frequently get their entire supply without paying anything, or at least a nominal price...

 

    ...A recent factor in diminution of laurel shipments out of the state has been the federal gypsy moth quarantine, which prevents shipment of mountain laurel or other plant material outside the zone of gypsy moth infestation without a government inspection...