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Weekly 150: Camp Gordon Browning

The New Deal in McKenzie (Part II)

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On June 3, 1934, local Civilian Conservation Corps. (CCC) camps were granted the authority to enroll fifteen local men. The purpose behind the authorization was to bring in individuals with local knowledge and experience. The locals would be more familiar with the area and had certain training and experience that could be used to the camp’s advantage. Some of the locals enrolled at the camp were Bailess Simmons, Morris Beadles, Howard Sparks, David Chandler, Hugh Brooks, Wilburn Aden, Graden Featherstone and Joe McClure.
The camp developed a newsletter called The Tomahawk which was printed by The McKenzie Banner. David Chandler and Joe McClure were responsible for content. The newsletter was published each Friday and a copy was given to every enrollee.
The camp was under the direction of the Army except for the fieldwork which was under the direction of the Tennessee Division of Forestry and the Soil Conservation Service. All enrollees were assigned a shift on guard duty. Five guards were on post each night, working a two-hour shift walking around the grounds and buildings. Bed check was at 11 p.m. and anyone not in bed at the time was reported to the top sergeant, Bailess Simmons. The consequences were usually an assignment on KP duty (kitchen patrol).
Camp cooks had their own living quarters at one end of the barracks. There were three full-time cooks plus an Army mess sergeant and one of the Army officers was in charge of the mess hall, food, food preparation and all things food-related. The cooks started their day at 3 a.m. getting reading breakfast and were on duty until after 8 p.m. with the conclusion and cleanup of dinner.
The field crews started work at 7:30 a.m. and worked until 3:30 p.m. The camp rule was to get in at least 40 hours of work each week and if the weather was not bad then the men did not have to Saturday. Some days during the rainy seasons and winter months, crews were unable to work outside. This forced the men to work Saturdays to clock their 40 hours.
A sub-camp with 20 men was established at Pilot Knob on the Tennessee River. The Pilot Knob work project, which later became Nathan Bedford Forrest State Park, was designed to build a large stone building on the top of the hill. Not only did the crew construct the building, but they also built the road leading to the top of the hill. As a rule, the men would go to Pilot Knob on Sunday afternoon and return to Camp Gordon Browning on Friday.
Toward the end of 1935, Camp Gordon Browning was transferred to the Soil Conservation Service. This provided an enlarged and more balanced land use program; not only in soil erosion work but helping farmers establish a system of crop rotation fertilization and soil conservation at the individual farm level.
Starting in December 1935 through December 1937, the camp had 61 farms under contract in Carroll, Henry and Weakley counties covering 12,757 acres and 200 other farms were under application covering 40,000 acres. Work completed to November 30, 1937, on farmed under contract in this area were 279 miles of terraces, protecting 4,640 acres, 512 concrete dams built in gullies and outlets for erosion control; 68,212 yards of Bermuda sod set in gullies, 119,400 black locust trees set out; trees planted 15,910 white ash, 4,650 yellow popular, 20,700 red oak, 13,000 shortleaf pine, 36,000 loblolly pine, 26,580 black walnut; and seed collected from planting 24,650 pounds.

In the Banner archives, it is reported in the January 29, 1937 edition the local CCC camp was playing a major role in helping after a major flood occurred along the Mississippi River near Tiptonville, Tennessee, Hickman and Paducah, Kentucky. The archive stated, “the entire camp personnel along with their trucks and equipment were used to help get thousands of people out of the flooded areas and to the homes, schools, churches all over West Tennessee.”
Camp personnel spent several weeks working to hold the levies from breaking and transporting people. The entire camp moved to strategic areas along the river to put down sandbags and reinforce levees for two weeks. Camp personnel suffered long hours in cold and wet conditions in the emergency.
As time progressed, it became obvious Camp Gordon Browning could not do work on all the farms that had asked for its assistance. A different approach was decided; local farmers would have to learn the various conservation practices used by the camp and put the practices to work for themselves.
Camp officials choose representative demonstration farms in various communities. The owners of the farms had to enter into a contract with the Soil Conservation Service for five years. The agronomist, engineers and forester then made a detailed study of the farm making a map showing all fields, ponds, fences, wooded areas, eroded areas, soil types, and crop history.
Then a plan was developed to include whatever practice was determined to be needed including terracing, crop rotation, fertilization and erosion control. The farm operator had to agree to work closely with the camp officials. Camp personnel did much of the work with the help of the farm operator. Local farmers observed what was being done and could see actual results while learning what they could do to their farms.
By 1939, it was decided the Tri-County area had been adequately served. Since other portions of the state had areas in desperate need of their services, the camp relocated. On June 15, 1939, Camp Gordon Browning was moved to Bolivar, Tennessee. The entire complex, people, equipment and anything mobile were transported to the new location. Camp 1470SC-4 lasted another four years in Bolivar.
The work and accomplishments of Camp Gordon Browning provided a great service to this area and its farmers. Much of what we see in terms of soil conservation around Carroll County is thanks to this great group of men.
On a side note, I have wanted to write this two-part series since the inception of the Weekly 150 but finding much in regards to research proved to be tedious. At one point, I contacted the National Archives in Washington, D.C. requesting any records they had about Camp Gordon Browning.
The response was not encouraging, “Contact your local newspaper.” They didn’t read my email signature. Either way, I tabled the idea to a later date. Then one day, I came across a story and research by Joe McClure about the camp. So, I can’t take full credit for this series but I am so thankful for Mr. McClure doing most of the leg work for me as the story of Camp Gordon Browning can be preserved a little longer.