French Creek State Park Six Penny Day Use District
Why it's listed
Six Penny Lake Day Use Historic District is a group of recreational buildings and structures beside a lake in French Creek State Park, in Berks County, Pennsylvania. Civilian Conservation Corps crews built the facilities between 1935 and 1942 under Camp SP-17, as part of the Recreation Demonstration Area program. The district contains a large bathhouse with two hipped-roof wings flanking a central pavilion, two open pavilions with gabled roofs and log supports, four gable-roofed latrines with wane-edged siding, and a dry-laid, cut-stone arched dam across Six Penny Run with a stone splash apron below its spillway. The buildings use local natural materials and are placed to blend with the surrounding landscape, reflecting the rustic style favored by the National Park Service. The district is significant for its ties to the CCC, one of the most important New Deal relief programs, and for its representation of federal and state cooperation during the Depression. The bathhouse is no longer in use.
Machine-generated summary. This summary was generated by a language model from the official nomination document and has not been reviewed line by line by an editor. It may contain errors. Check the source document before relying on any detail. Source: nomination document (PDF) · catalog entry. Generated October 2026 (model claude-haiku-5-5, prompt v1.1-2026-10-29).
| Period of significance | 1925-1949 |
|---|---|
| Styles | Rustic |
| Areas of significance | Landscape Architecture, Conservation, Politics/Government, Architecture, Social History |
| Acreage | 66 |
| Boundary source | NPS cultural-resource GIS polygon |
| Full listing page | French Creek State Park Six Penny Day Use District (property record) |
What listing means for this property
This is a historic district. Buildings within its boundary are either contributing (they add to the district's significance) or non-contributing. Owners of contributing income-producing buildings can claim the 20% federal rehabilitation tax credit; homeowners should look at state credits. National Register districts impose no design review by themselves; a local historic district ordinance, if one exists, does (the difference explained).
Noted as vacant in the nomination. Nomination documents can be decades old; current status may differ. If you are considering buying an empty listed property, read the due-diligence checklist.
General information, not legal or tax advice. Rules change; confirm with your State Historic Preservation Office or a qualified adviser.