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Religion had a unique and significant role in the lives of CCC workers. Listed as its own field in camp reports, it was officially recognized and even facilitated by the government as part of the worker’s well-being. The majority of workers were Christian, but they practiced a variety of beliefs within that faith, including both Catholic and Protestant sects. Though many of the CCC workers shared Christian beliefs, they practiced their religion under racially segregated services.

Newspapers created by the CCC workers featured a recurring article on religion. These articles were sometimes written by the camp chaplain or local ministers, but camp workers also authored several articles. The accompanying illustrations, nearly always including a form of a cross or a Bible, made clear that Christianity was the predominant, publicly demonstrated religion in the camps. In fact, there is very little record of workers having organized religions other than Christianity in the camp newspapers or reports. One camp newspaper stressed the importance of religion along with options within the Christian faith by writing “FOR YOUR OWN GOOD, JOIN OR ATTEND THE CHURCH OF YOUR CHOICE.”

This variety of religious opportunities were detailed in official camp reports. A report from the Chancellorsville Battlefield in 1936 mentioned that trucks were provided by the camp to transport workers to several local church services (usually in Fredericksburg) on Wednesday and Sunday nights. The men considered this an opportunity to become familiar with the communities in which they worked. They also included reports of local ministers who came to the camp regularly. In Chancellorsville, these services were reported as being well-attended, but regular attendance was lower in the Wilderness camp; only about 30% of the men went to Sunday worship. Workers were given the day off on major Jewish and Christian holidays. 

The Chancellorsville reports also reflect the segregated nature of religious life in the 1930s. One of many references to a “colored minister” serving the camp was listed in 1937. These men were army chaplains. William Marsh, for example, was an army officer who was cited as serving the Chancellorsville camp in October of 1938. A 1936 report specified that trucks took workers to “local colored churches.” As officers of these camps were generally white, this distinction between black and white may have stood out in their minds. Segregation was present in every form of these camps, including the workers' faiths.

Sources:

The Battlefield News, Volume 2, Number 3. Fredericksburg and Spotsylvania National Military Parks

CCC Inspection Reports, 1933-1942, Fredericksburg and Spotsylvania National Military Parks

Salmond, John A. The Civilian Conservation Corps, 1933-1942: A New Deal Case Study. Durham: Duke University Press, 1967.

Photo Credit: Florida Baptist Historical Society