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.
Significance in brief: The nomination argues the district is associated with Emergency Conservation Work by the CCC, a major New Deal relief program, and that its buildings exemplify the rustic style promoted by the National Park Service. It is also presented as representing federal and state cooperation on state-owned land and the humanitarian relief of jobless young men during the Depression.
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) · National Archives catalog entry. NRHP reference 87000054, listed February 11, 1987. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-haiku-5-5, prompt v1.1-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | 7 mi. NE of Morgantown on PA 345, Morgantown |
|---|---|
| County | Berks County |
| Listed | February 11, 1987 |
| Reference number | 87000054 |
| Resource type | District |
| Period of significance | 1925-1949 |
| Architectural style | Rustic |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Landscape Architecture, Conservation, Politics/Government, Architecture, Social History |
| Level of significance | National |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | The bathhouse is not in use; the form describes the condition as fair. |
| Acreage | 66 |
| Coordinates | 40.23335, -75.79462 (NPS GIS) |
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.
Sources and further reading
- National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places database (snapshot May 2026), reference 87000054.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikidata Q98893933
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.