Does your family have connections to the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC)? Morton Museum of Collierville History wants to hear from you.
An exhibit Collierville's Soil Soldiers: The Untold Story of the New Deal in Collierville (1935-1940) highlighting the Collierville CCC camp and its place in tbe town's history is on display through May 4. In conjunction with the display, the museum is looking for artifacts, pictures, and oral histories associated with Collierville’s CCC camp.
The CCC, part of President Franklin Roosevelt’s New Deal, was created to protect natural resources and provide jobs for unemployed men ages 17 to 23. The Collierville camp, established on August 26, 1935, consisted of 210 African American recruits who helped farmers with soil conservation and erosion prevention. The camp was located south of the town’s railroad tracks on the northwest corner of Byhalia and Shelby Drive.
“We’re excited to celebrate this relatively unknown story in Collierville’s history and highlight African American contributions to our community during this era,” notes museum director Ashley Carver.
The exhibit includes photos from the Collierville camp, a camp at T.O. Fuller State Park, and a portrait of recruit RD Brown, a Collierville resident enrolled in the camp from 1935-37.
If your grandfather, uncle, or other family member participated with this camp, contact the museum at 457-2650 or email: museum@ci.collierville.tn.us for more information.