Pleasant Historic District, Chopawamsic RDA Camp 4
Also known as: Prince William Forest Park
Why it's listed
Camp 4, known as Pleasant, is a summer camp complex within Prince William Forest Park near Triangle, Virginia. Covering about 132 acres, it was built between 1937 and 1940 by Civilian Conservation Corps and Works Progress Administration crews as part of the Chopawamsic Recreational Demonstration Area. Its buildings are arranged like the spokes of a wheel. A hub of dining hall, craft building, infirmary, administration and staff quarters is surrounded by five unit camps, each with a lodge, a latrine and three cabins for eight to 10 campers. Construction relied on local timber, hewn into bark-edged waney board siding, with concrete piers and foundations. The district also includes two dams that form a lake on Quantico Creek, a recreation building used as a basketball court and theater, and a cable suspension footbridge from about 1936. It contains 36 contributing buildings, three contributing structures and three non-contributing resources. Its simple rustic design and its role as a model recreation project account for its listing.
Significance in brief: The district is presented as the culmination of a New Deal movement to build model resource-reclamation projects, and as an example of NPS rustic architecture. Its buildings combine quality craftsmanship with careful attention to the relationship between architecture and landscape. The camp keeps the spirit and character of its original design.
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 89000459, listed June 12, 1989. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | Off VA 234 W of I-95, Triangle |
|---|---|
| County | Prince William County |
| Listed | June 12, 1989 |
| Reference number | 89000459 |
| Resource type | District |
| Architect / builder | Built by CCC (SP-25) and WPA laborers; project manager W.R. Hall; planned by the NPS Branch of Planning and State Cooperation, Region 1, Richmond |
| Architectural style | NPS rustic architecture |
| Areas of significance | Conservation, Entertainment/Recreation, Architecture |
| Level of significance | State, Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Current functions listed are camp, outdoor recreation and forest landscape; the camp's cabins, lodges and other buildings remain largely intact, though some doors, decks and rustic features have been replaced. |
| Acreage | 132 |
| Within district | Prince William Forest Park Historic District |
| Coordinates | 38.58990, -77.35503 (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 89000459.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q7203885
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.