Want to keep up with all the latest Library news and events? 
Camp Waddington: CCC Camp at Oglebay
 |
|
||||
-from The Wheeling News-Register, April 4, 1937. © Wheeling News-Register; Reproduced with permission.
CAMP WADDINGTON HOLDS OPEN HOUSE TODAY
PUBLIC INVITED TO VIEW SETUP AT LOCAL PARK
ENROLEES AND STAFF ON DUTY AS GUIDES AT OGLEBAY PARK CCC CAMP
EVENT PART OF NATIONAL OBSERVANCE OF FOUNDING YOUTH LABOR CAMPS
Company 3529, CCC, holds open house today at its headquarters at Camp Waddington, Oglebay park.
Mr. and Mrs. John Public and relatives are cordially invited to attend.
That is the gist of the official invitation issued to the public in the behalf of Homer W. Fish, Oglebay park superintendent and park authority for the CCC camp; by Lieut. B. M. Kitchen, U.S.A. Res., camp commander; and by C.E. Dill of the National Park Service, camp superintendent.
Members of the camp staff and a group of enrollees will be on duty as personal guides of visiting parties throughout the day. Official hours of the open house and public inspection of the camp are 10:00 a.m. to 5 p.m.
The public inspection of the Oglebay Park camp is in line with nation-wide observance of the fourth anniversary of the founding of the Civilian Conservation Corps on April 4, 1933. Camp Waddington is one of more than 2,000 CCC camps of the country observing the anniversary.
How to Reach the Camp
Visitors motoring to the camp today will be assisted by enrollees in finding their way. Enrolled, uniformed men will be at principal road intersections along the route and visitors are invited to inquire of them the route to the camp, which is in a section of Oglebay Park that the average visitor often enough does not know exists.
For those familiar with the geography of the big park, camp officials yesterday briefly suggested the best route to be followed to reach the camp. Any park road intersecting with Bethany Pike (State Route 88) or the park road intersecting the Waddle's Run road near "The Falls" eventually will bring motorists to the camp site.
Perhaps the most convenient route is to enter the park by the Beech Drive off Route 88, the park road which leads to the Riding Academy, the golf course and the new swimming pool. The road to the camp, then, is the first turn to the left and is plainly marked. Experienced patrons of thePark may know the road as "Turkey Drive" an old name for it in the days of Waddington Farm.
At the camp, enrollees will direct the parking of automobiles and guide drivers toward the most convenient exit road at the conclusion of the guests' visit to the camp.
Members of the staff and enrollees will be on duty in the camp barracks, recreation hall, shops, mess hall and kitchen, headquarters and living quarters of the Army and technical service staffs, respectively. Visitors will be welcome to inspect the camp and its buildings and really to have a first hand contact with the company and its facilities. Official guides will be provided for each party of guests, if the latter so desire.
Soil and water conservation have advanced far beyond dreams of a few years ago through the cooperation of the CCC with the Soil Conservation service - Annual Report of the Director ofEmergency Relief Work.
RED CROSS THANKS
CCC Services in Flood are Cited By Officials of Local Chapter
The following letter has been received by Lieut. B.M. Kitchen, Inf. Res., commander of CampWaddington, at Oglebay Park:
Dear Lieutenant:
May we take this opportunity to express our appreciation to the Civilian Conservation Corps forits splendid cooperation with the Red Cross disaster relief committee during the January flood?
Your unit performed outstanding service. The contribution of man power, of trucks and of hours of service had definite bearing on the prevention of flood damage to hundreds of homes in the flood area.Furthermore, speedy rehabilitation of those homes was made possible through the service rendered in restoring stored household goods and in assisting housekeepers clean their premises.
The courteous, prompt and efficient service furnished by your boys has won our admiration and respect. We congratulate you on your fine organization and wish you continued success in yourfine program.
Signed: John D. Phillips, ChairmanDisaster Relief Committee
Edwin Spears, Chairman, Wheeling Chapter, A.R.C.
Of CCC enrollees accepted during the fall of 1935 and spring of 1936, less than one-tenth were over 23 years of age. Three-fourths had not yet reached their twenty-first birthdays.
During the fiscal year which ended June 30, 1936, the department of agriculture supervised 31 CCC camps for the Tennessee Valley Authority in Virginia, North Carolina, Tennessee and Alabama.
CAMP'S EDUCATIONAL PROGRAM INCLUDES NUMEROUS SUBJECTS
Piano Playing, Auto Mechanics Come Within Educational Range
Safety Meetings Held Weekly To Impress Importance of Care on Job
Approximately 80 percent of the 147 enrollees who make up Company 3529 at Camp Waddington participated in one or more of the classes of the company's voluntary educational program.
The figure is supplied by Earl Lindsey, educational adviser of the company.
Educational activities of the company have a wide range, but all agree in one particular - that is, that participation by the enrollees is entirely voluntary on their part. No one is compelled to "go to school" in CCC camps.
Each Camp Has Adviser
The educational set-up of the CCC is an interesting one. Each camp has a civilian educational adviser on full-time duty. These advisers are appointed by the office of education, department of the interior, and assigned to camps by the war department, as civilian employes of the war department. The individual camp education advisers have at their head a district adviser to each district commander. In the local case, Lindsey reports to Carl G. Campbell, who is at Charleston as adviser to Colonel William J. McCaughey, district commander. The district advisers, in their turn, report to Dr. Nat T. Frame, adviser to Major General William Cole, commanding generalFifth corps area with headquarters at Fort Hayes, Columbus, Ohio.
Lindsey's duties with the local command are, generally, to plan, organize and carry out an educational and recreational program of wide scope and to provide instructors, materials and facilities for carrying out that program. Lindsey is assisted by John Tomek, of Beyesville, O., an enrollee with the rank of assistant leader.
Instructors in Camp Waddington come from various sources. A few are provided from the rolls of the Emergency Education project. Others are volunteers and are recruited from the ranks of the army and technical officers of the camp itself, the personnel of the Oglebay institute staff, from more advanced enrollees and from interested outsiders.
Serves as Counsellor
The adviser, in addition to engineering this program, serves as counselor, with his services available to enrollees at all times. Enrollees are encouraged to bring personal problems of any character to him and in the local case, many of them do, Lindsey says.
Enrollment in classes is, of course, entirely voluntary. There is no feeling among the men that educational activities are being forced on them whatsoever.
Lindsey said yesterday: "The program is planned to eliminate illiteracy, to remove deficiencies in elementary school education for those who have not completed elementary school; to provide instruction correlated with work projects, this with the whole-hearted cooperation of C.E. Dill and his staff, both `on the job' and in after-work classes. We stress, too, vocational training, avocational and informal activity and cultural and citizenship training."
Classes offered include such elementary subjects as arithmetic, penmanship, spelling and reading. High school subjects are offered only on request and are considered of secondary importance to elementary and vocational subjects, so far as theCCC is concerned. Vocational training is given special attention. Classes are operating in carpentry, photography, journalism, typewriting, stenography, stone masonry, auto mechanics, electrical wiring and cooking. Informal activities include piano, handicrafts, chess, etc.
Safety Meetings Held
Safety meetings are held once each week to impress upon the men the importance of extreme care "on the job" and in camp.
A standard first-aid course is offered once each six months period by Dr. Donald Butterfield, camp surgeon.
In addition to Dr. Butterfield, instructors include Lieutenant Kitchen, E.M. Vanscoy, C.L. Long, W.Dale Hogg, A. Renner, George Koch, W.P. Halpin and John Fischer, all N.P.S. foremen; John W. Handlan,of the Oglebay institute staff; Ernest Stewart, Harold Timberlake, Eleanor Allen and Mary Lanos, of the E.E.P staff;Robert Bryte, enrollee leader; John Tomek, enrollee assistant leader and assistant educational advisor, and Earl G. G. Lindsey, educational adviser.
The camp recreational hall recently rebuilt after its partial destruction by fire is a particular charge of the educational adviser. The camp library includes magazines, tables and comfortable chairs for a reading room; the adviser's office and a recreation room with space for pool table, ping-pong table and canteen are located in the "rec" hall.
Classes meet in the "rec" hall and in other camp buildings best suited to the purpose.
NATIONAL PARK STAFF DIRECTS OGLEBAY WORK
Experienced Foremen Carry Out Plans of H.W. Fish, Park "Authority."
Services of NPS Consultants of Much Value to Big Local Park
When Homer W. Fish, Oglebay Park superintendent and park authority for CCC operations at the park, wants a job done by the CCC workers of Camp Waddington, he first turns to C.E. Dill, camp superintendent. Dill, in turn, may call upon members of a national park of technical and non-technical foremen, of which he is head and which represents varied talent.
Actually starting a job by the CCC isn't as simple as that, for the job must move through certain official channels before actual work is begun. It serves, however as an introduction to an experienced and talented lot of senior and junior foremen assigned to Camp Waddington under the aegis of the National Park service.
Bill himself one of the youngest superintendents of camps, in this area at least, succeeded to his present position upon the resignation of W.W. Kinsey, first superintendent. Dill became superintendent on May 16, 1936, stepping from his staff job as landscape architect.
Under his supervision he has George Koch, civil engineer and architect and technical or senior foreman.
Junior, or non-technical foremen of the Camp Waddington staff include Charles L. Long, stonemason foreman; Alvin C. Renner, construction foreman; W. Dale Hogg, general foreman; William J. Halpin, general foreman; Earl M. Vanscoy, cultural foreman, and John R. Fischer, mechanic.
Enrollees Help
Several enrollees assist the technical service as clerks, or office workers, stenographers, etc.
These include Robert Bryte, senior clerk; Michael Petrone, blacksmith; Harlan Sprinkle, assistant mechanic; George Murphy, tool clerk; James Bragg, gasoline and maintenance clerk, FranSebrok and Bernard Williams, tractor operatives, and Kenneth Bendle, shovel operator.
The camp superintendent, senior and junior foreman are paid directly by a United States army finance office from funds regularly allotted this particular camp, as all others in the country. Employed directly by the National Park service and by the Emergency Conservation Work organization E. L.Bathrust with headquarters at Charleston serves as administrative inspection of the local camp as well as all other National Park service camps in West Virginia. Various state, district and regional technicians of theNational Park service, all of them specialists in their various lines of work, frequently visit the local camp and consult with the park authority and men of the technical staff on various jobs under way or proposed.
How a Job Starts
Trail of a "job" through the labyrinth of official red tape which starts it on its way to completion is somewhat involved, although it functions smoothly and with reasonable speed.
The park authority, Homer Fish, and men of the camp technical staff have long since established a "master plan" for developments at Oglebay Park, the whole laid out on a map of the property. Work projects must be "balanced," that is, a certain number of man-days of labor must be expended in proportion to a certain amount of material to be used. Thus, some "jobs" in the park, requiring many man-days and little, or no, material must be done in the same period as other jobs in which material is relatively an important part of the picture, and labor less important.
With these things in mind, the park authority, with the help of the camp technical staff, lays out a work plan for six months at a time - a plan of which the separate jobs will total the required number of man-days and use no more than the amount for material provided for that period.
Agreed upon, each "job" is set down on official forms. It then goes to EarleBathrust, as state administrative inspector for the N.P.S., who in turn, routes it (with plans) to the various technicians concerned with jobs of the particular type called for in this particular plan, for their comment and approval. Approved at the Charleston office, the plan goes to the regional office at Richmond, Va., and from there, if approved, it goes on to the National Park Service headquarters at Washington.
The Plan Comes Back
If Washington approves it, the plan finds its way to the office of Tom Cheek, of the Department of Conservation, at Charleston, who serves as "Procurement officer" for the local as well as for certain others in the state. Check makes officially available the funds for skilled labor and materials for the "job."
All this accomplished, the actual work on the job at the park begins.
Enrollees are assigned to particular crews, each under the eye of a foreman especially fitted for the work. As nearly as possible, enrollees are given choice in the matter, and sometimes are permitted to transfer from one crew to another in order to do work which interests them more.
The technical staff has in charge the enrollees in actual working hours only. The men are officially turned over to their care each morning and each afternoon by the Army officials whose duties do not touch the actual work of the men.
To facilitate its work, the local camp's technical service has at its disposal, seven trucks, a power shovel, a bulldozer, and various other equipment, including a full supply of hand tools.
Offices of the technical staff and storage space and shops for machinery are in a permanent building, built by the CCC at the camp site and one which will be retained for use of the park after the CCC camp has completed its work here. Living quarters for the technical services are included in the camp setup and men of the technical and non-technical staff may secure their meals at the camp mess hall.
Official Visitors Many
Earle L. Bathrust is third of the state administrative inspectors assigned to territory which covers this camp. The first was J. T. McGovran, who assisted in having the camp located at the park. He was followed by John R. Teare, who in turn, was succeeded by Bathrust. Among other NPS state, district, and regional officials who have visited the camp and assisted in the work are: H. E. Weatherwax, formerly regional officer, with headquarters at Richmond, Va.; Wilbur L. Savage of the Cincinnati, Ohio, district office; a forester, R.W. Andrews, landscape technician; H.B. Shaw,Jr., engineer; C.F. Trudell, architect technician; H. Albert Hochbaum, assistant wildlife technician; Donald C. Hazlett, assistant geologist; E.L. Rider, traveling mechanic, and Mr. Arthur,field finance coordinator.
STAGE, PICNIC SHELTERS, TRAILS, TREE PLANTING, PROMINENT ITEMS
Camp Has Made Running Start On Construction Jobs At Park
Athletic Field, Cabin Building Included In Future Projects
What jobs has the CCC company completed at Oglebay Park? On what jobs is the company now at work? What are immediate jobs for the company in the future?
Those three questions addressed to two separate official sources at the park brought specific information from Homer W. Fish, park superintendent and park authority for the camp, and C. E. Dill, head of the National Park Service technical staff attached to the company at the park.
These Jobs Are Done
One of the company's first projects was building of a retaining wall, of native stone, and sloping road banks for planting along Bethany Pike within the park. Hard-surfaced road intersections connecting park drives with the Bethany Pike also were constructed. Another early job was construction of a garage and shops at the CCC camp, a permanent building of brick and frame construction which will be used for park equipment after the CCC camp is abandoned.
The big outdoor stage, built on the lawn at the rear of the formal garden, of brick, stone and cement is an especially noticeable CCC accomplishment, as is the building of a parking space near the old manager's residence there. This space is designed to hold 100 additional cars. The building, of approximately 100 picnic tables and benches and 30 fireplaces is an appreciated accomplishment of the camps. Enrollees did the grading and installed a sewer system for the swimming pool, previous to the start of work on that structure by the WPA.
Help in Flood Relief
The entire company worked in flood relief roles in the 1935 and 1936 floods. Such obsolete structures as the old warehouse, the steel tower at the rear of the mansion and the wooden silo at the camp unit were razed by the company. Park signs were made and placed by the enrollees.
Some fifty acres of woodland have been planted by the men and the "tree crew" also has pruned, repaired and otherwise looked after some 3,000 mature trees in the park. The first of five small picnic shelters has been built and is ready for use in the Beech Woods. CCC enrollees have served and are serving as assistants in the park office, the mansion museum, nature museum and with such activities as Arbor Day, etc.
These Jobs Are Being Done
The improvement of ten miles of bridle path and widening to "two horse" width is practically completed. The same situation exists with regard to the eleven miles of trail for pedestrians within the park. On these, make-shift bridges have been replaced by stone ones, dangerous slides have been stopped or trails rerouted. A few "short-cut" trails have been made connecting main arteries for pedestrians. Rustic benches have been placed along the trails at strategic points and two assembly places have been cleared out and fitted with rustic "speakers' stand" and rustic benches for auditors. Every care has been taken to make the trail improvements as naturalistic as possible, even to the extent of replacing dead leaves and other forest litter where it had been disturbed by the construction.
A big picnic shelter, capable of providing for 400 people, is being constructed near the swimming pool site, the first of two such big shelters.
In the same locality, automobile parking grounds are being graded and a bit athletic field is being constructed.
Four family cabins, the first of 100 proposed, are started in the vicinity of the camp unit in the big field where the tennis courts now exist.
A park road, to serve, also, as a service road to the CCC camp is being constructed in the eastern section of the park.
These Jobs Are in Future
A continuation of the projects now started, the athletic field, picnic shelters, additional picnic equipment, and the cabin-building program are, of course, definitely proposed. As with al CCCprojects, proposed work must go through "official channels" until it is officially approved for a definite CCC work period, or periods.
The carpenter crew, for example, is in position now to build "sunning benches" and other equipment for the swimming pool and has material on hand to complete the work.
Tree planting will continue, as will the attentions of tree surgeons to mature trees needing their care.
In short, the CCC has several years work ahead of it at the park, even with these comparatively few projects only, in sight.
Their work, supplemented by the accomplishments of WPA workers in the park will, within a very few years, make of Oglebay Park one of the best equipped and most serviceable parks of the country, local officials declare.
CCC "SLANGUAGE"
If the visiting public at Camp Waddington today should overhear such remarks by enrollees as the following, it need not be alarmed at what the possible meaning might be, for its perfect "CCC slanguage."
"The C.O. had the K.P's on the mat for scrubbing G.I's in their O.D's and if he racks `em up for the week-end it'll be too bad for the Grouchies."
Meaning - the commanding officer reprimanded the kitchen police for scrubbing garbage cans while in dress uniform and if the commander should confine the offenders to camp during the week-end their girl friends will be disappointed.
-Enrollee Harry Burke.
GENERAL CARE OF ENROLLEE'S IS ARMY'S JOB
CAMP WADDINGTON COMMANDER SEES TO WELFARE OF ENROLLEES
AN AIDE, A MEDICAL OFFICER, EDUCATIONAL ADVISER HELP THEM
One hundred and forty-seven CCC enrollees constitute the official "family" of Lieut. B.M.Kitchen, U.S.A. Res., commander of Camp Waddington, Oglebay Park. He has, of course, a second-in-command, Lieut. Jeff. S. Duan, a civilian educational adviser, Earl C. Lindsey, and the half-time services of Lieut. D.L. Butterfield, U.S.A. Med. Res.
A dozen odd buildings making up the cantonment, and various and other sundry items of government property are Lieut. Kitchen's responsibility, too; but looking after the general administration of the camp and welfare of men of the company provide him and his staff with the principal part of their program.
It is his job to see that the enrollees are fed, housed, clothed (and clothed neatly when occasion calls for it!) and - all important to the men - that "pay day" occurs regularly once a month. Lieut. Dunn assists in all these items, of course, and one or another of the officers always is in camp.
First Aid Station
A first-aid station is maintained at the camp and Lieut. Butterfield, who divides his time between the CCC camp at Moundsville and that of Oglebay Park, administers medical aid or surgical attention to the men if it is required.
In addition, the Army supplies a civilian adviser. In this case, Lindsey, whose job it is to see that the enrollees have recreational and educational opportunities after working hours.
A number of enrollees put in full time serving directly the needs of the men of the company, or assisting with company clerical work, as orderlies, etc. At Camp Waddington these "overhead" duties are handled by enrollees under the general direction of Arthur Ferguson, senior leader, whose duties correspond to that of a first sergeant in the regular army.
Along with the general job of this official and enrolled overhead setup, come such details as seeing that food supplies are on hand, checking water and power supplies, keeping barracks and mess hall clean, periodic inspection to see that enrollees each has the personal equipment issued to him or if items of this equipment have to be replaced, etc.
Camp Never Deserted
Safety talks, fire drills, and other measures are taken regularly to prepare for emergencies. The camp is never left deserted, a skeleton crew of approximately 20 men and at least one officer being always within the camp boundaries. This applies even in the case of general holidays such as Christmas, when part of the enrolled group was granted Christmas leave and part New Year'sleave.
The Army officials are responsible for discipline of the men. Enrollees must stand "retreat" before mess call at night. "Lights out" occurs at 10 p.m., excepting when a holiday occurs on the morrow. An enrollee may secure "late leave" one night a week. Various rules and regulations are laid down for life in the camp, those simple and easily met by the enrollees.
Discipline Maintained
For infractions of discipline the Army officials may penalize the men in a number of ways. The traditional "kitchen police" detail is one of them. Fines are another, although no man may be fined more than $3 from his month's pay of $5 ($25 of his pay is sent to his home each month). For very serious breaches of discipline, or repeated petty offenses an enrollee may be summarily dismissed from the service, and he cannot re-enroll in another company.
Camp Waddington is part of the Clarksburg sector camps in West Virginia and Lieut. Kitchen'simmediate superior in the CCC organization is Captain Thomas M. Barton Inf. Res. sector commander, with headquarters at Clarksburg. There are six sectors for CCC operations in WestVirginia, and sectors commanders report to the district commander, Colonel William J.McCaghey, Infantry, with offices at Charleston. In his turn, the district commander reports to headquarters of the Army's Fifth Corps Area, including the states of Ohio, Indiana, West Virginia and Kentucky with headquarters at Fort Hayes, Columbus, Ohio. The commander of the Fifth Corps Area is Major General William E. Cole.
The sector and district commanders have made frequent visits to Camp Waddington in the course of official inspections.
TOMLINSON RUN PARK DEVELOPS
When inspectors of the National Park Service come to this end of the state for their regular visit to Camp Waddington at Oglebay park they visit also, the state park being built in the Tomlinson Run section of Hancock county.
Largely promoted by Walter C. Gumbel, Hancock county agricultural agent, the Hancock county farm bureau, the Hancock county court, and the Weirton Steel company, this big natural park promises to be one of the best in the tri-state section. It is expected eventually to include 2,000 acres or more.
The National Park Service is operating with the West Virginia state department of conservation in planning and developing the park, approximately half of which is being left wild, as one of the most attractive natural areas in the panhandle. A lake which covers some 20 acres is contemplated as one feature of the park.
A transient camp of workers is engaged in development of the park.
Oglebay | Parks | Places of Wheeling Home | Wheeling History Home | OCPL Home
