During the days of the Great Depression 200 Afro-American men found work building the Skyway Drive to Cheaha State Park and they lived in a camp which later became an upscale neighborhood in Heflin. U.S. Forestry Service archeologist Bob Pasquill Jr. has recorded their efforts along with other members of the Civilian Conservation Corp in his recently released book "The Civilian Conservation Corps in Alabama, 1933-1942" by the University of Alabama Press. Interest in the old camp in Heflin began shortly after the Mother's Day tornado which ripped through sections of Heflin including The Pines - an area of upscale, older homes dating from the 1950's, 60's and 70's. Entrance to the area via Brockford Road brings one through a stone entranceway, one side of which was damaged during the tornado. Both the City of Heflin and the Cleburne County Historical Society became interested in securing a grant to repair the damage to what was once the entrance to the 20-acre camp. Publication of Pasquill's book came on the heels this year of the CCC's 75th anniversary so there is a statewide interest in the CCC and the many camps scattered throughout the state and Pasquill is now considered the expert on them. According to a catalog describing his book, "The Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) was one of the better known and most successful of the New Deal programs following the Great Depression. . . By March of 1933, there were more than 13.6 million unemployed and more than 200,000 of them were wandering the country looking for work. Homes and families were fractured. President Roosevelt proposed to put 500,000 unemployed men from cities and towns into the woods to plant trees, reduce fire hazards, clear streams, check erosion and improve the park system all across America. With unprecedented speed, national legislation was written, passed, and funded, creating a myriad of programs - referred to as alphabet projects - in hopes of generating useful work and necessary paychecks and creating a "great and lasting good" for the American public." According to Pasquill's research, the CCC projects in Alabama would initially employ 20,000 men with projects in all 13 state forests and seven state parks. One of those projects was camp F-6, Company 3477, established in Heflin on July 17, 1935, housing 200 Afro-American workers who built the Skyway Drive. "They started on the south end and worked northward," Pasquill said. Congressman Joe Starnes was responsible for getting the camp located in Heflin. The Cleburne News reported on June 27, 1935 that a camp occupied by black enrollees would be coming to the area and a strong protest followed. Businessmen and merchants voted 51-2 in favor of no camp over one with blacks. Editor and publisher C.F. Dodson said, "the placing of a negro camp in the city limits is not now and never will be appreciated." Residents were assured the camp would not come but it did and was originally composed of men from throughout Alabama, Florida and Louisiana, most of whom had only a fourth grade education. One-third could not read or write and two classes were offered to teach them. They lived in temporary tents until houses could be built. Water came from a 220 ft. well and a 5,400 gallon storage tank. The camp stayed in Heflin until Oct. 1, 1939 when it was moved to Piedmont to a warmer welcome. "It was not initially welcomed in Heflin because the workers were Afro-American. So it later moved to the Piedmont area (off Forest Road 500) where it was more than welcomed because the camp was good for business, purchasing $5,000 per month in supplies. The folks in Piedmont worked hard to get it." Pasquill said. The new camp was designated Camp F-12. In his book he states, "Special Investigator J.C. Reddoch noted that the nearby town of Heflin was 'inhabited largely with white people who because of this the colored company would like to be furnished recreational trips to centers that are inhabited by their own race." On man recalled, "the relationship between the CCC enrollees and the people of Heflin was strained, all the citizens didn't care much for the CCCs. He remembered that an enrollee had been murdered in town and that incident had not helped relations." A July 2, 1936 issue of The Cleburne News reported thatan enrollee from the camp, Houston Hobson, was found dead along Bankhead Highway. Foul play, resulting in a fracture of the skull, was suspected but there was not enough evidence for an arrest. The article said he lay on side of the road for two hours before being reported to police. The Cleburne News of Aug. 1, 1935 reported that the camp enrollees would build the 75-mile Skyway Drive from Sylacauga to Borden Springs. Pasquill said the camps were set up military style with one company of around 200 men per camp, operated by the military usually with a military doctor on hand and six to eight technical supervisors - in Heflin's case, from the U.S. Forest Service. One of the Heflin camp leaders, Sentill Martin, was a "company sergeant", publisher of the camp newsletter 'The Carver Outlook', college educated and an jazz musician. Pasquill said the entranceway at The Pines, once the entranceway into the camp, is rare in Alabama, is eligible for placement on the National Register of Historic Places and should be preserved along with the placement of a plaque somewhere at the site. "There is a tremendous, growing interest," in this sort of thing he said and added that he would hate to see it left in disrepair or taken down. Pasquill's book may be purchased through the University of Alabama Press by calling 773-702-7000 Pasquill will be coming to Heflin on August 22 and doing a presentation on the CCC at 2 p.m. in the Heflin Arts Center for the Cleburne County Historical Society. Everyone is invited
About Wayne Ruple
Cleburne News editor Wayne Ruple is a native of Ashville. Before coming to Heflin, he worked for three years as a computer systems manager in Birmingham. Ruple has worked for The Sand Mountain Reporter in Albertville, and was the editor of The Independent in Robertsdale. He has also worked for the Shades Valley Sun, the St. Clair News-Aegis and The Daily Home in Talladega.
