COMPANY 1433
The Company 1433 Project celebrates the legacy of the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge's Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) Company 1433, an all-Black unit of the CCC that opened up much of the Okefenokee region for tourism and commerce in the 1930s and 40s. Through research, community engagement, and construction of a digital archive of objects, documents, and photographs detailing the CCC’s work, the project preserves and shares the important, but largely overlooked history of Black conservationists in south Georgia.
What is the CCC?
The Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC), established by Congress on March 31, 1933, played a vital role in the United States during the Great Depression, combining environmental conservation with job creation for young, unemployed men. Adopting the motto “We can take it,” and nicknamed Roosevelt’s “Tree Army,” the CCC employed over 3 million men during its 9-year lifespan from 1933-1942, and made invaluable contributions to forest management, flood control, fire management, conservation projects, and the development of state and national park forests, and historic sites.
Georgia's CCC
While the CCC made a significant impact on conservation efforts nationwide, the legacy of the CCC in Georgia is evidenced in 10 State parks, 3 national forests, 2 national battlefields (Kennesaw and Chickmauga-Chattanooga National Military Park), Ocmulgee National Monument, Fort Pulaski National Monuments, and parts of the Okefenokee Wildlife Refuge.
African-American CCC Companies in Georgia
Georgia had a total of approximately 127 CCC camps, 19 of which were worked by the 13 African-American companies in the state. The CCC camps in Georgia that employed African Americans were Army Post camps at Fort Benning, Fort Stewart, and Fort Gillem, two Military Park camps at Fort Oglethorpe, one Private Forest near Waynesville, and one Federal Game Refuge in the Okefenokee Swamp.
Okefenokee Company 1433
In 1937 the federal government purchased the Hebard Lumber Company property, and Roosevelt created the Okefenokee Wildlife Refuge (now the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge) by executive order. Company 1433, an all-Black unit of the Civilian Conservation Corps, was transferred to the refuge, and between 1937 and 1941 they developed facilities there, which are still in use today. Additionally, the almost 200 member Black conservation camp worked to build bridges and roads, firebreaks, planted trees, developed recreational facilities, and more in the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge. Notably, Company 1433 carved out, by hand, the Okefenokee Wilderness Canoe Trail, a main attraction in swamp-based tourism.
Overlooked Histories
Despite the work done by Company 1433 to develop the Okefenokee, the history of African American members of the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) isn’t as widely known in CCC history. This, in part, is because contributions by African Americans were often overlooked or underrepresented in historical records. Despite playing a significant role in the CCC, segregation and discrimination within the program led to the stories of African American corps members being marginalized or omitted from mainstream narratives of that time.
Funding
Funding for this project comes from Senator Reverend Raphael Warnock and the National Historical Publications and Records Commission.
