Civilian Conservation Corps--Company 1371

Seashore State Park at Cape Henry, now known as First Landing State Park, was built by an all–African American regiment of the Civilian Conservation Corps, a New Deal–era relief program that employed young men ages 17 to 25. The CCC program provided food, clothing, medical care, and educational opportunities for men caught in the financial turmoil of the Great Depression. Company 1371 constructed more than 20 miles of trails, drained the marsh, built cabins, and planted a wide variety of trees and shrubs. In 1944, the CCC disbanded in response to recruitment efforts for WWII.