The Delaware Public Archives is presenting a new digital exhibit exploring one of the most influential conservation and employment programs of the 20th century. Roots of Renewal: The Civilian Conservation Corps in Delaware examines how a New Deal initiative launched during the Great Depression transformed both the state’s landscape and the lives of the men who served.

Created under President Franklin D. Roosevelt, the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) combined job training, economic relief, and environmental restoration. In Delaware, CCC companies built embankments and roads, cleared wetlands, developed public lands, and laid the groundwork for spaces that remain vital today.

The exhibit highlights both the projects and the people behind them. Visitors will encounter stories of Delaware’s all-Black Company 3269-C and its work at what became Bombay Hook National Wildlife Refuge, mosquito-control innovator Colonel Wilbur S. Corkran, and artist Jack Lewis, who captured daily life in CCC camps.

Roots of Renewal will be on display in the lobby of the Delaware Public Archives from January 9 through April 30, 2026. A complimentary 28-page booklet featuring exhibit text and images is available in the lobby, with a downloadable PDF version at: https://archivesfiles.delaware.gov/ebooks/Roots-of-renewal-CCC-in-DE.pdf

For more information about the Delaware Public Archives and other exhibits and events, visit archives.delaware.gov.

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