Franklin D. Roosevelt State Park
|
Harris County In 1924 Franklin Delano Roosevelt first visited the nearby warm springs searching for relief from polio. In the warm mineral waters of the health spa that had been built in the mid-1800s, he found some relief. He built his home away from home, The Little White House, and often traveled in a car modified with hand controls to Dowdel's Knob. Here the president would have picnics and think about the troubles of the nation that he was to guide through the Depression and World War II. As president, FDR had the task of helping thousands of jobless, hungry people. His solution included various work programs: the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA), Work Progress Agency (WPA), and the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC). In 1935, CCC Camp Kimbrough in Chipley, Ga. (now known as Pine Mountain, Ga.) built F.D. Roosevelt State Park and the WPA built Highway 190. Lake Delano (in the campground) and Lake Franklin were dug by hand. Picks, shovels, wheelbarrows, mules, and human muscle made these lakes, as well as the swimming pool, cabins, inn, fish hatchery ponds, roads, hiking trails, and boathouse. At almost 10,000 acres, this is the largest state park in Georgia. The park preserves the legacy of FDR and his CCC program, as well as providing many recreational activities on 40 miles of the Pine Mountain Trail. Amenities include the 500,000-gallon Liberty Bell swimming pool, 28 miles of horseback riding trails, 2 lakes for boating and fishing, 140 tent/trailer/RV campsites, 22 cottages, 2 picnic shelters, a group shelter, 2 group camps, 4 pioneer campgrounds, and interpretive educational and recreational programs. |