Seeking records of Serpent Mound Park, Peebles, OH

The Guide to Federal Records lists quite a lot of microfilm, photos, and other types of records for Ohio for the Public Works Administration https://www.archives.gov/research/guide-fed-records/groups/069.html

All photographs and moving pictures are at NARA-College Park, MD and they probably have all the other records, but I suggest contacting them to make certain

Dear Ms. Wilson,

Thank you for posting your request on History Hub!

According to the National Register of Historic Places submission for “Twentieth-Century African American Civil Rights Movement in Ohio,” Camp Pine Gap in Peebles was a CCC camp for African American veterans that performed work for the Soil Conservation Service.

We searched the National Archives Catalog and located 43 records series relating to camps in the Records of the Civilian Conservation Corps (Record Group 35) and 92 record series relating to Civilian Conservation Corps camps in the Records of the Records of the Natural Resources Conservation Service (Record Group 114). For more information about these records, please email the reference unit listed as the contact in the Catalog description.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic and pursuant to guidance received from the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), NARA has adjusted its normal operations to balance the need of completing its mission-critical work while also adhering to the recommended social distancing for the safety of NARA staff. As a result of this re-prioritization of activities, you may experience a delay in receiving an initial acknowledgement as well as a substantive response to your reference request from the various NARA units. We apologize for this inconvenience and appreciate your understanding and patience.

Camp Pine Gap is listed on the webpages CCC Camps Supervised by the Soil Conservation Service and CCC Camps Ohio. We also searched online for "Camp Pine Gap" CCC and "Camp Pine Gap" "Soil Conservation Service" and located a number of additional sources, to include newspaper articles.

We suggest performing the deed search you said you were considering.  We also suggest contacting local and state libraries, historical societies and similar institutions such as Ohio History Connection.

We hope this is helpful. Best of luck with your research!

Hi Delsey,

Welcome to History Hub.

lots of photos of the park https://www.bing.com/images/search?q=serpent+mound+park+history&qpvt=serpent+mound+park+history&form=IQFRML&first=1&scen…

Found this on Library of Congress Chronicling America, Historic American Newspapers

An 1897 article about the park

https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn85038161/1897-05-27/ed-1/seq-1/#date1=1789&index=2&rows=20&words=Mound+P

another article from 1895.....there are other articles....https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/search/pages/results/?state=Ohio&date1=1789&date2=1963&proxtext=serpent+mound+park&x=…

Alice Lane....Volunteer Researcher

Thank you Jason,

Sorry, my comment wasn't clear that the camp I am looking for is not Pine Gap, but the one next to Serpent Mound. Pine Gap is the closest one that I can find any mention of but not the camp I am looking for.

The locals all say it was a CCC camp, however, I have found many local references both from the state Ohio Historical Societies Records and local newspapers that mention several of the New Deal branches worked there - WPA, NYA, CCC,

  "The forty State Memorials (State parks) in custody of the Society have profited greatly during the past year through resources of WPA and the National Park Service, under the energetic guidance of Curator McPherson and Assistant Curator Zepp. A number of smaller memorials virtually have been brought up to date, while the larger properties, as Fort Ancient, Serpent Mound and Schoenbrunn, will require from one to two years' additional attention before the improvements which they merit will be completed. Some $200,000 have been spent in this quarter, the generosity of the two government agencies, thus advancing these areas far beyond what could be expected under normal State appropriations."  APRIL 21, 1936-APRIL 20, 1937. VOL. 46
  "The Society cannot overestimate the aid accorded by the National Park Service, through CCC and WPA, in this important development." APRIL 21, 1936-APRIL 20, 1937. VOL. 46

"C.C.C. labor has been provided by the Soil Conservation Service at Fort Ancient, Fort Hill and Serpent Mound." 

1940 Vol. 49, pg.225

"The Secretary reported that the Sundry Claims Board had allowed a claim for $164.1O in settlement for delinquent taxes due prior to the purchase of the Hanby Memorial at Westerville, but had rejected the claim for reimbursement of $5,360.27 expended in 1936 and 1937 on W.P.A. projects at Fort Ancient, Hanby House, Mound City, Serpent Mound, and Tarlton Cross." 1941 VOL. 50

Should I be searching for a WPA Camp instead? Or looking under the National Park Service? I will try walking the property back to see "Who" owned it during the 30's and 40's.

Alice,

Thank you for your generous suggestions. Since my husband and I are avid Serpent Mound Researchers, we have already acquired all of the multitude of articles on Serpent Mound from the Library of Congress Chronicling America, Historic American Newspapers. Through that I had previously also identified from local newspapers several of the projects done by the WPA, CCC, or NYA.

My Husband and I have been researching all things Serpent Mound since 2004, he is compiling a very large and informative collection and turning it into a coffee table size book. We are also founding members of the Friends of Serpent Mound. Which was created to help the park with volunteer projects, events, and such. In 2009, we even helped the Park Manager operate the park for several months before the owning organization turned over Management to another organization. During that time, we found that in the attic of the museum was a box of original blue prints from the WPA Construction Projects for Serpent Mound and Fort Hill Parks of all of their buildings. My husband was able to bring a scanner there and digitize them. Fast forward a few years later and no one has any idea where went. Then last year or the year before, the large multi-bay garage built to those specks in the 30's-40's burns down and we learned that those and several other historic items were in the attic.

Delsey,

Is there something specific that you are looking for?

I can try again.

Alice

Thank you Alice. I am trying to find out more about the actual Camp that was next to Serpent Mound. I would love to see if there is any pictures, descriptions, or maps/drawings of the layout. We are trying to find, locate, and identify things in the landscape. As we have found clay pipes, foundations, road indents, well heads, trash dump, and a fireplace that is said to be from the foreman/overseer's house. We are looking for septic tanks and other underground projects. For the most part, I believe this was a tent based camp and not a permanent or complete camp. I know that Camp Fort Hill did do a few projects at Serpent Mound, so maybe it actually housed the workers and this was a management site? Were there different types or sizes of camps? I guess, I have a lot of questions and not sure where to look for the answers, since I can't visit the Archives.

Alice!

I decided to try a few different terms and wording groups in Google and I found it! Well, at least that there was one. It looks like maybe I have been looking under the wrong group. So, now I will have to try looking under the WPA and  National Park Service and not the CCC. It seems sometimes one just needs to talk through their research brick wall.

Thanks you all!

Delsey

Are you an Ohio Native, if you are I thought you might be interested in this find. An 1880 map of Adams County from Library of Congress showing property owner.

http://www.historicmapworks.com/Map/US/170349/Green+Township+++Right/Adams+County+1880/Ohio/

Map Information

Here is how I found the map...a lot more information about Adams county by clicking link below.

https://www.bing.com/images/search?q=adams+county+ohio+historical+map&form=HDRSC2&first=1&scenario=ImageBasicHover

Alice Lane