Vermont CCC Camps
Vermont received more Civilian Conservation Corps camps than almost any other state, 36 in all, thanks to the lobbying of state forester Perry Merrill. This is their story, from Martin Podskoch’s newest book.
Perry Merrill’s Tree Army
The Civilian Conservation Corps was a public works program that operated from 1933 to 1942 as part of President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s New Deal, targeting single men aged 18 to 25 and World War I veterans who had difficulty finding jobs during the Great Depression.
Vermont was originally allotted just four or five camps. State forester Perry Merrill had already envisioned putting the unemployed to work on state lands before Roosevelt did, and his lobbying of national CCC director Robert Fechner brought Vermont far more than its share: 36 camps and supply depots, employing more than 40,000 young men in nine years.
In just nine years, CCC crews established and developed half of Vermont’s state parks, built three major flood-control dams by hand, and planted more than a million trees. Podskoch spent four years visiting former camp sites and gathering photographs and memories from historical societies, museums, and families before the stories were lost.
Vermont’s State Parks, Built by Hand
Dams, bathhouses, ski trails, and campgrounds built by CCC crews are still in daily use across Vermont’s state park system.
Groton State Forest
Seven state parks including New Discovery and Ricker Pond, their roads and trails built by CCC crews
Elmore State Park
Elmore · the elegant stone-and-timber bathhouse the Corps built
Waterbury Dam & Reservoir
Waterbury · a major flood-control dam moved by 160 CCC trucks
Wrightsville Dam
Middlesex · flood control on the Winooski River watershed
St. Albans State Park
St. Albans · the bathhouse and retaining wall on Lake Champlain
Underhill State Park
Underhill Center · the ski trail and Mount Mansfield side camps
Inside Vermont’s CCC Story
A 456-page softcover history of all 36 Vermont CCC camps and supply depots, with more than 1,500 photographs, 48 maps, and extensive interviews with CCC members and their families.
Released in August 2026 by Podskoch Press, it documents the dams, state parks, and forests these young men built across Vermont from 1933 to 1942.
See artifacts and photographs from CCC camps across the Northeast at the Historical Museum of the Civilian Conservation Corps in Stafford Springs, Connecticut.
The Civilian Conservation Corps Series
Four regional histories documenting the CCC camps of the Northeast, state by state.
Vermont CCC Camps FAQ
How many CCC camps were there in Vermont?
Vermont had 36 Civilian Conservation Corps camps and supply depots active between 1933 and 1942, far more than its original allotment of four or five, thanks to state forester Perry Merrill's lobbying.
What did the CCC build in Vermont?
CCC crews built the bathhouse at Elmore State Park, developed Groton State Forest's seven parks, constructed the Waterbury and Wrightsville flood-control dams, and cut ski trails at Underhill and Stowe.
Why did Vermont get so many CCC camps?
State forester Perry Merrill had already planned to put unemployed Vermonters to work on state land before the CCC existed, and his lobbying of national director Robert Fechner secured Vermont a disproportionately large share of camps and funding.
When was the Vermont CCC Camps book published?
Martin Podskoch's "Vermont Civilian Conservation Corps Camps: History, Memories & Legacy of the CCC" was released in August 2026 after four years of research.
Who wrote the Vermont CCC Camps book?
Martin "Marty" Podskoch, a Connecticut author and historian, spent four years visiting former camp sites and gathering photographs and interviews from historical societies, museums, and families of CCC enrollees.
What’s Inside the Vermont CCC Book
The book describes the history of the 36 CCC Camps and supply depots where young men (18-25 years) and WWI Veterans built dams, and state parks & forests from 1933-42.
For the past four years Marty has visited and explored the 36 VT CCC Camps and gathered the camps’ history and photos from historical societies, museums, libraries, personal interviews, and state & college archives. Families of CCC young men and Veterans shared their relatives’ memories and photos of camp life and work projects.
Order directly from the Author
Please add any applicable state sales tax and $6 for shipping.
Please send a check or money order to:
Marty Podskoch
70 Harvest Moon Rd., Easton, CT 06612
The History and Legacy of Vermont's CCC Camps
The Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) began on March 31, 1933 under President Roosevelt’s “New Deal” to relieve the poverty and unemployment of the Depression. CCC Camps were set up in many VT towns, state parks, and forests. Workers built trails, roads, campsites, & dams, stocked fish, and built & maintained fire towers, observer’s cabins & telephone lines. They also fought fires and planted millions of trees. The CCC disbanded in 1942 due to the need for men in WW II.
The history of the following 36 Vermont towns with CCC Camps & supply depots is told in Podskoch’s book:
- Barre Supply Depot
- Bellows Falls
- Bethel
- Brunswick
- Colchester Supply Depot
- Colchester/Army
- Cuttingsville/Shrewsbury
- Danby/Mt. Tabor
- East Barre
- East Burke
- East Wallingford/WestonElmore
- Jericho/Firing Range
- Ludlow, Marshfield/Groton, Mendon
- Middlesex, Milton
- Montpelier/Middlesex/Wrightsville
- Montpelier/McKee, Moscow
- Northfield, North Thetford
- Peru
- Plymouth
- Poultney
- Ricker Mills
- Rochester, St. Albans
- Sharon
- Underhill Center/Firing Range
- Waterbury/Village
- Waterbury/Dam West Burke/Sutton
- Wilmington, and Windsor
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