Promised Land State Park Whittaker Lodge District
Why it's listed
Whittaker Lodge is a multi-room, rectangular log building with saddle corners and white cement chinking, set on a wooded spit of land that extends into Promised Land Lake in Pike County, Pennsylvania. Built between 1933 and 1941 by the Civilian Conservation Corps at Camp S-139, the lodge has a gabled roof, an inset porch with log supports, and two stone chimneys. It stands with a small three-sided wood shed and a roadway gate of two stone piers flanking a wooden pole barrier. The district is regarded as an example of the rustic style promoted by the National Park Service, which used local natural materials and was designed to blend with the landscape. Its significance lies in its link to the Civilian Conservation Corps, a New Deal relief program that employed thousands of young men during the Depression and represented cooperation between state and federal government. The lodge has been used for recreation for roughly fifty years and continues to serve state park staff and visitors.
Significance in brief: The district is argued to meet Criteria A and C, associated with the Emergency Conservation Work of the Civilian Conservation Corps, one of the major New Deal relief efforts. Its buildings and structures are presented as examples of the rustic style promoted by the National Park Service, which is described as characterizing many national and state parks. The form also cites the employment of jobless young men and the federal-state cooperation involved in building 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). NRHP reference 86003752. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-haiku-5-5, prompt v1.1-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | 10 mi. N of Canaddensis on PA 390, Canadensis |
|---|---|
| County | Pike County |
| Listed | — |
| Reference number | 86003752 |
| Resource type | District |
| Period of significance | 1933-1941 |
| Architect / builder | CCC Camp S-139 |
| 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) | Used by Department of Environmental Resources personnel, their families, and dignitaries. |
| Acreage | 11 |
| Within district | Promised Land State Park Whittaker Lodge District |
| Coordinates | 41.31184, -75.19122 (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 86003752.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives)
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.