Prince William County's first Civilian Conservation Corps camp, part of the national public relief program during the great Depression, encompassed a 396-acre tract purchased by the Virginia Forest Service and the Federal government from Jane Herrell. Camp construction began with the erection of a fire tower after the first enrollees arrived on October 15, 1933. Army Captain T.H. May commanded the initial 80 officers and men that formed Company 299, 3rd Corps. Chief Warden James M. Russell of the Virginia Forest Service supervised the fire control and forestry work. While officially designated "Camp P-71," a more fitting name, "Camp Recovery," won adoption. With over 200 men from New York stationed at the camp, all buildings with the exception of the recreation hall were completed by March 1934. Civilian Conservation Corps occupation of Camp Recovery ended on May 5, 1937. No camp structures have survived.
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