Chopawamsic Recreational Demonstration Area - Cabin Camp 1, Infirmary, Prince William Forest Park, Triangle, Prince William County, Virginia

Significance: The Infirmary at Cabin Camp 1 was a key building in the administrative group for the camp. It was built by the National Park Service with Civilian Conservation Corps labor as part of the development of Chopawamsic Recreational Demonstration Area (RDA) in 1935-38. The RDA program was a New Deal initiative which repurposed underutilized agricultural land near urban centers into outdoor recreational areas. The five cabin camps at Chopawamsic were intended to serve social service groups in Washington, DC that offered group camping experiences to underprivileged children. Camp 1 was used as Camp Lichtman for many years, hosting groups of African-American boys from the Twelfth Street YMCA in Washington, DC. By the 1960s, Camp 1 was used as co-ed and integrated Camp Goodwill by Family and Child Services of Washington, DC.
Like the other historic Camp 1 buildings, the Infirmary features rustic log and heavy timber construction representative of the National Park Service/Civilian Conservation Corps aesthetic of the 1930s. Characteristic features include waney-edge siding that retains the irregular profile of the log and is applied in vertical and horizontal sections. The porch has log posts and the roof was originally covered with wood shingles. The Infirmary includes nurses' quarters and a small ward. It is grouped with the dining hall, staff quarters, administration building, craft lodge, staff bath house, and helps' quarters near the entrance to Camp 1. The Infirmary is sited in a quiet location behind these other structures and away from the road. These buildings served the approximately 100 campers in the four cabin units.
Unprocessed Field note material exists for this structure: N1812
Survey number: HABS VA-1494-C
Building/structure dates: 1936 Initial Construction
National Register of Historic Places NRIS Number: 89000456