MANSFIELD — Michigan based author Bill Jamerson will present an hour-long music and storytelling program about the Civilian Conservation Corps at the Mansfield-Richland County Public Library on Tuesday, April 19, at 6 pm.
The program is free and open to the public. Refreshments will be served.
Dressed in uniform, Jamerson tells stories, shows a clip from his PBS film, reads excerpts from his novel, and sings original songs with his guitar. It’s a nostalgic, music-filled program with heartfelt stories and lots of laughter. He has performed at CCC reunions across the country and at dozens of CCC-built state and national parks. His presentation is as entertaining as it is important; as honest as it is fun. It’s about people both ordinary and extraordinary, with stories of strength, wit and charm.
The Civilian Conservation Corps was a federal works program created by President Franklin Roosevelt in the heart of The Great Depression. During its nine year run beginning in 1933, over 139,000 young men in Ohio enrolled in the camps. The camps were run by the army with an average of 33 camps in operation for each year. The enrolllees were paid $1 a day with $25 sent home to their families each month. The money kept many families from starving.
The C’s in Ohio planted millions of trees, built hundreds of bridges and dams, constructed over 2000 miles of roads, worked on erosion control, built check dams, stocked fish, fought forest fires, and built a dozen state parks including Tar Hollow, Scioto Trail, John Bryan, Jefferson Lake and Shawnee State Park. The C’s restored the mounds and trenches at Great Circle Earthworks near Newark. They also planted millions of trees at Blue Rock State Forest. Over 4000 enrollees helped in the rescue and clean-up efforts during the Ohio River flood of 1937. At Cuyahoga Valley National Park, the C’s used wormy chestnut wood to construct many of the buildings including the well-known Happy Days Lodge. The camps not only revitalized Ohio’s natural resources but also turned the boys into men by teaching them discipline and work skills.
“Camp Rocky Ford” opened on June 1, 1940, 3.4 miles southeast of Mansfield. The men came into town on weekends and patronized stores, went to the movies, saloons, billiard halls, bowling alleys and roller skating rinks. They also attended church and helped out in emergencies. The camp members spent an average of $5,000 a month in Mansfield which helped keep many businesses solvent in The Great Depression.
Jamerson’s book, BIG SHOULDERS is a historical novel that follows a year in the life of a seventeen-year-old youth from Detroit who enlisted in the CCC in 1937. The enrollee joins two hundred other young men at Camp Raco, a work camp in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula run by reserve army officers. It is a coming-of-age story of an angry teenager who faces the rigors of hard work, learning to cope with a difficult sergeant and fending off a bully.
Some of the songs Jamerson performs with his guitar include Franklin D., written by an appreciative CCC Boy. Chowtime is a fun look at the camp food, City Slicker, is about the mischief the boys find in the woods, and Tree Plantin’, Fire Fightin’ Blues tells the hardships of work out in the woods. Wood Tick is a C’s lament about the nicknames the locals gave them. The folk songs range from heartwarming ballads to foot stomping jigs.
Along with a novel and CD of songs, Jamerson produced a PBS film, Camp Forgotten, which aired on Ohio Public Television in 1994. In his presentation, Bill will tell many stories about the enrollees he has met over the years. A question and answer period and book signing will follow his presentation. People are invited to bring photo albums and CCC memorabilia. For more information please call the library at 521-3100 or visit Jamerson’s website at: billjamerson.com.
