by Adele Woodyard
Highlands Hammock State Park in Sebring is over 8000 acres of hardwood forest, pine flatwoods, scrub brush and marsh. You can ride a tram, bike a three-mile loop drive, or hike to remote areas for a possible glimpse of white-tailed deer, wading birds, otters, a bald eagle. Gators are a sure sight from the elevated boardwalk through a cypress swamp. A museum is open 9:30-3 p.m.. There’s a full service campground for overnighters and non-picnickers can enjoy a meal at an onsite restaurant. And on Saturday, November 6 you can have a day of fun at a special celebration of the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC). For more information, click on http://www.vacationfunflorida.com/bargains
During the Great Depression when one out of every four people was out of work, then. President Franklin Delano Roosevelt created the “New Deal”. One of the relief projects started in 1935, was the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC). By the time Congress pulled the plug in June 30, 1942, a total of three million young men had planted nearly three billion trees, constructed more than 800 parks and thousands of miles of roadway nationwide. In fact the CCC was the start of most of the nation’s state parks.
In Florida, a smaller Highlands Hammock park begun by private citizens. had opened to the public in 1931. The CCC came and built additional park facilities and began a botanical garden.
“Young men 18 to 25 signed on with the CCC for a year,” Ranger Eric Reardon told me. “They were paid $25 a month, $20 or which would be sent to the family. On the train, their first meal was a peanut butter and jelly sandwich and milk. But they were assured three meals a day, and guys often gained 10 pounds a month.”
A statue of a young corpsman stands before the museum. Dedicated to members who were “injured, disabled, or lost their lives in performance of their duty,” the plaque claims 228 alone perished in a 1935 hurricane in the Upper Keys.
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The Florida state park system was established in 1935 to take advantage of the CCC program. Other parks beside Highlands Hammock that were built in the 1930s, were Hillsborough River, Myakka River, Torreya , O’Leno, Mike Roesss Gold Head Branch and Ravine Gardens. Many of the CCC structures still stand.
At last count Florida State Parks that include historic sites, preserves, and recreation areas number 159—not counting the Skyway Fishing Pier. Entrance fee to 117 of them range from $2 per person, or $2 to $8 per vehicle holding up to 8 people. 40 of them have no admission fee at all. So pack a picnic basket and spend a family fun day in the state park nearest you. You’ll be glad you did.
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