Whipple Dam State Park Day Use District
Why it's listed
Whipple Dam State Park's day use district sits on the shore of Whipple Lake in Jackson Township, Huntingdon County, and covers about 32 acres. Civilian Conservation Corps Camp S-60 built the district between 1933 and late 1941 as part of the Emergency Conservation Work program. The present dam dates from 1936 and replaced an earlier state dam of 1927, which itself succeeded a sawmill dam built by the Whipple family. The district includes ten buildings and nine structures, among them concession and storage buildings, latrines, picnic pavilions and picnic shelters. Most use local materials such as log columns, stone piers, stone fireplaces and wane-edged siding, and they are placed to blend with the surrounding landscape. The resources are important for their rustic architecture, their link to the New Deal relief program that employed many young men, and their role in providing public outdoor recreation.
Significance in brief: The district is associated with the Emergency Conservation Work of the Civilian Conservation Corps, one of the major New Deal relief efforts, and is regarded as exceptionally significant for architecture. Its buildings and structures exemplify the rustic style promoted by the National Park Service and represent an unprecedented cooperation between state and federal government on state-owned land.
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 87000109, listed February 12, 1987. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-haiku-5-5, prompt v1.1-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | 10 mi. S of State College, E of PA 26, Huntingdon |
|---|---|
| County | Huntingdon County |
| Listed | February 12, 1987 |
| Reference number | 87000109 |
| Resource type | District |
| Period of significance | 1933-1941 |
| 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) | Recreational facilities in use for approximately fifty years as stated; present condition recorded as fair. |
| Acreage | 32.1 |
| Coordinates | 40.68479, -77.86445 (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).
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 87000109.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikidata Q98844861
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.