Last year, the C&O Canal Trust and the C&O Canal National Historical Park worked with Dr. Josh Howard of Passel Historical Consulting on a project that traced the history of the African American Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) along the C&O Canal. The resulting report, “Our Only Alma Mater:” The Civilian Conservation Corps and the C&O Canal, was recently awarded an Excellence in Consulting Award from the National Council on Public History.
The project researched the work performed by the gentlemen of the two African American CCC camps that existed along the C&O Canal from 1938-1942. Located near Cabin John and Carderock, Maryland, the camps were established as a part of the New Deal program and are a unique lens to examine the African American experience in the CCC, as most of the CCC’s history has been based on its white enrollees. The research will be used to improve the interpretation of the CCC in Lockhouse 10, one of the Canal Quarters lockhouses that are open to guests for overnight stays.
Dr. Howard wrote three blog posts for us about his work, which you can revisit here:
- The CCC and the C&O
https://www.canaltrust.org/2018/02/the-ccc-and-the-co/
- Recreation After Restoration: CCC Life Along the Canal
https://www.canaltrust.org/2018/02/recreation-after-restoration-ccc-life-along-the-canal/
- Building a Future: CCC Education Along the Canal
Dr. Josh Howard is a public historian whose broad expertise includes Civil Rights history, Appalachia, and twentieth century United States history. Dr. Howard has worked as a Public History Fellow at the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum in Cooperstown, New York and was an Assistant Professor of Public History and Founding Director of the Public History Program at Lamar University. Dr. Josh Howard earned a Ph.D. in History from Middle Tennessee State University, a M.A. in history from West Virginia University, and a M.A. in statistics from Virginia Tech University.
We congratulate Dr. Howard on this prestigious honor!
