New Deal Accomplishment: New and improved beaches, all across the country


Above: The Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) built the lake, bathhouse (since expanded), and beach at Herrington Manor State Park in western Maryland (see, e.g., "Herrington Manor Gains Popularity," Cumberland Evening Times (Cumberland, Maryland), September 30, 1948, p. 12). Across the nation, the CCC created nearly 3,500 acres of new beaches for our leisure and recreation. Photo by Brent McKee, 2013.


Above: These are members of CCC Company 1421, ca 1937. While stationed in Miami, Florida, Company 1421 worked at Matheson Hammock Park (near Coral Gables, Florida) and their projects included "the building of roads, the creation of several lakes, the construction of a yacht basin and a shark proof swimming beach, as well as the building of many permanent park structures from native stone" (CCC, Annual of District F, Fourth Corps Area, Direct Advertising Company, 1937, p. 103). Ultimately, two beaches would be built by the CCC, as the Miami Herald explained: "A maze of curving drives winds among the mangrove swamps and two swimming beaches are under construction, one in each end of the park" ("South Miami CCC Camp Today Invites Public For Open House Celebration On Fifth Anniversary and Founding of Company," April 3, 1938). Matheson Hammock Park is still used today: "Its tranquil breeze-swept beach is a haven for families who enjoy its warm, safe waters and beautiful waterside views" ("Matheson Hammock Park," Miami-Dade County Government, accessed September 9, 2025).


Above: The WPA-built Aquatic Park in San Francisco. The building and overall park area "changed an unsightly area into a beautiful bathing beach" (quote in: San Francisco Improved: Report of Clyde E. Healy, Assistant City Engineer - City of San Francisco and Coordinator of W.P.A. Projects, October 10, 1935 to August 31, 1939. See the Living New Deal project page "Maritime National Historical Park (Aquatic Park) - San Francisco.) Photo from a June 30, 1940 WPA Progress Report.


Above: The description for this photograph, taken on April 22, 1936, reads: "O.P. 65-22-741, Ocean City, New Jersey. WPA men are shown putting into shape for the coming season boardwalks in many of the seaside resorts. Men are shown tearing up old boardwalk and redecking it with new lumber. Carpenters are shown laying new boardwalk." Photo from the National Archives.


Above: The New Deal created and improved many beaches in the middle sections of the United States too. This photo collage is from The Escanaba Daily Press (Escanaba, Michigan), August 5, 1936, p. 12. Also see: "Use New Filtration Equipment At Beach: WPA Project Is Completed... Most Modern In Middle West," The Wichita Eagle (Wichita, Kansas), July 9, 1939, p. 11; "Island WPA Beach Project Improved," The Houston Post (Houston, Texas), August 26, 1937, p. 13; "WPA Improves Swimming Beaches With Sand...," The Minneapolis Journal (Minneapolis, Minnesota), May 21, 1936, p. 21; and "WPA Builds Sea Wall for Bathing Beach at E. Chicago," The Hammond Times (Hammond, Indiana), May 5, 1936, p. 29). Image above from newspapers.com, used here for educational and non-commercial purposes.


Above: This is a memorial stone at the Cudworth Cemetery on Roanoke Island, North Carolina, commemorating several men who died while working on a beach erosion control project in Dare and nearby counties, most of it contributing to the Cape Hatteras National Seashore. The men lived in a WPA transient camp, a type of camp that was set up to house Americans who were traveling across the country in search of jobs. These workers were either permanently homeless, or homeless in the sense that they had no place to stay while they were away from their home state. We do not know exactly how they died, but many of them were upwards in years and may have died of natural causes (i.e., not from worksite injuries). Photo by Brent McKee, 2013.


Above: WPA workers constructing a new beach at Jordan Park in Allentown, Pennsylvania, January 1936. Photo from the National Archives.


Above: The WPA-constructed beach at Jordan Park (see previous photo) proved to be very popular with the local residents. This photo was taken by the Allentown Morning Call newspaper and appeared on page 1 of their July 9, 1937 edition. Image from newspapers.com, used here for educational and non-commercial purposes.


Above: New Deal beach work was often done during winter months, in preparation for the swimming season. This clipping is part of a longer article in the Daily News (New York, New York), January 11, 1940, p. B13. Image from newspapers.com, used here for educational and non-commercial purposes.

Fun in the Sun, Courtesy of the New Deal

An accurate estimate of New Deal beach work is hard, or perhaps even impossible to do. We know it was extensive, for example: the final report of FERA's Work Division reports 143 new beaches constructed and 104 beaches improved (p. 93); the final report of the CCC director notes 3,462 acres of beach improvement (p. 106); and there are numerous articles in newspaper archives describing WPA beach work. But there doesn't seem to be enough uniformity or completeness in the statistical reporting to calculate a total number. Perhaps the best we can say is: New Deal beach construction and improvement was nationwide and substantial.

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