Franklin County’s Civil Conservation Corps is topic at county historical society annual meeting
Franklin County Historical Society News Release
Contact: Diana Staresinic-Deane, Executive Director
Franklin County Historical Society
Museum: (785) 242-1250
Cell (785) 242-4815
director@olddepotmuseum.org
Franklin County's Civil Conservation Corps is topic of this year's historical society annual meeting
Ottawa, Kansas From 1933 until 1942, the Civilian
Conservation Corps employed millions of young, unmarried men in jobs related to
conservation and natural resource development as part of President Franklin D.
Roosevelt's New Deal. Tod Bevitt will explore how the C.C.C. impacted Kansas
and Franklin County during their presentation at the 83
rd Annual
Meeting of the Members of the Franklin County Historical Society on Sunday,
January 26, 2 p.m. at Neosho County Community College in Ottawa, Kansas.
The Civilian Conservation Corps was arguably one of
Roosevelt's most successful New Deal programs. The C.C.C. was a program of
conservation and construction that changed the lives of more than three million
men and their families by offering employment opportunities during the Great
Depression. For the past 10 years, Tod Bevitt has been studying the C.C.C. in
Kansas, researching the men, their camps and the projects they completed. In
2018, he and his wife, Wendi, contracted with the Kansas Historical Society to
document what remains of the C.C.C. camps in Kansas. His presentation will give
an overview of the C.C.C. and specifically its impact in the Ottawa area.
Four enrollees at a camp northwest of Ottawa, Kansas.
Tod Bevitt is the owner and principal investigator for
Buried Past Consulting, LLC, performing cultural resource investigations
throughout the state of Kansas and the Great Plains. Wendi Bevitt has more than
20 years of experience conducting historical research and genealogy and is the
author of “Hidden History of Osage County,” a monthly column in the Osage County News.
The January 26 program will begin at 2 p.m. with a review of
2019 FCHS activities. Tod Bevitt’s presentation will begin at approximately
2:45 p.m. This program is free and open to the public. In the event of
inclement weather, this event will be held February 2 at 2 p.m. The Old Depot
Museum will be closed on January 26 so that all staff members and volunteers
can participate in the annual meeting.
For more information, please call (785) 242-1250.
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