HHA Sponsors Field Trip About Civilian Conservation Corps

Sept. 14 meeting at Virginia Kendall Park’s Ledges Shelter will feature
 Kent State professor and author Dr. Kenneth J. Bindas.

Hudson Heritage Association begins its 2017-2018 programming schedule on Thursday, Sept. 14, with a special meeting at the Ledges Shelter in Virginia Kendall Park to learn about the work of the Civilian Conservation Corps, a New Deal program signed into law by President Franklin Roosevelt in 1933. The meeting begins at 7:30 p.m. and is free and open to the public.

Dr. Kenneth J. Bindas, professor of history at Kent State University and author of “The Civilian Conservation Corps and the Construction of the Virginia Kendall Reserve, 1933-1939,” will speak about the CCC’s work in the Cuyahoga Valley during the Great Depression and the many buildings and structures that still stand as testament to the program, which was conceived as a way to put Americans back to work while rebuilding the country’s abused and neglected parklands.

Virginia Kendall Park began as a hunting retreat for Cleveland industrialist Hayward Kendall. After his death, the 530-acre property was given to the state of Ohio, with the stipulation that it be named in honor of his mother. In 1933, the Akron Metropolitan Park District applied to create a CCC camp there. The trails and buildings throughout Virginia Kendall that are still in use today, including the Ledges Shelter, were constructed by members of the CCC.

Dr. Bindas specializes in modern American culture and has written widely on the intersection of politics, culture and class during the Depression era. In addition to his book on Virginia Kendall Park, he has authored several other books, written and produced for public television and published numerous book chapters, articles, essays and reviews in a wide variety of scholarly journals. He received his bachelor’s degree in education from Youngstown State University and his master’s and doctorate from the University of Toledo.

The Ledges Shelter is located on Truxell Road in Peninsula, one mile west of Akron Cleveland Road. A parking lot is located near the shelter entrance. Refreshments will be served following the presentation.

The September program marks the start of HHA’s 56th year. Officers for 2017-2018 include Co-Presidents Inga Walker and Donovan Husat, Secretary Francoise Massardier Kenney and Treasurer Elizabeth King.