Greenwood Lake Dam
Why it's listed
Built by the Civilian Conservation Corps at Greenwood Furnace State Park near Belleville in Huntingdon County, Pennsylvania, the dam is a concrete structure faced with stone in the rustic manner promoted by the National Park Service. It has a spillway at each end and a rectangular control tower of randomly laid ashlar with a gabled roof and exposed rafters. The park was first developed by the Pennsylvania Department of Forests and Waters as a Class A campground between 1922 and 1925. CCC Camp S-59 was established there in May 1933 and remained active until October 1935, when work on recreational facilities including the dam was carried out. The dam is regarded as an example of federal relief work during the New Deal and of the National Park Service's support for dams in state recreation areas. Its design, which masks modern materials behind natural-looking stone, illustrates the rustic style that shaped many later national and state parks. The nomination is limited to the dam itself, which measures 130 feet on its north and south sides and 25 feet on its east and west ends.
Significance in brief: The nomination argues the dam is significant for its association with the Civilian Conservation Corps, a major New Deal relief program, and as an example of the rustic architecture favored by the National Park Service. It is also presented as representative of federal recreation building and of state and federal cooperation on state-owned land. The nomination further links the work to the employment of many 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 87000050, listed May 11, 1987. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-haiku-5-5, prompt v1.1-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | 5 mi. N of Belleville off PA 305, Belleville |
|---|---|
| County | Huntingdon County |
| Listed | May 11, 1987 |
| Reference number | 87000050 |
| Resource type | Structure |
| Architect / builder | Civilian Conservation Corps |
| Architectural style | Rustic |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Landscape Architecture, Conservation, Politics/Government, Architecture, Social History |
| Level of significance | National |
| Acreage | 0.9 |
| Within district | Greenwood Furnace |
| Coordinates | 40.64877, -77.75867 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
For a publicly owned building or structure, listing mainly matters when federal funds, permits or licences are involved: projects then go through Section 106 review so effects on the property are considered. Listing also strengthens applications for preservation grants and, for leased income-producing uses, can enable the federal rehabilitation tax credit.
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 87000050.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikidata Q98844751
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.