Cream Hill Shelter facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
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Cream Hill Shelter
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The 1988 shelter, as seen in 2019
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 Location in Connecticut
Location in the United States
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| Location | Wickwire Rd., Cornwall, Connecticut |
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| Area | 6.5 acres (2.6 ha) |
| Built | 1935 |
| Built by | Civilian Conservation Corps |
| Architectural style | Adirondack-Rustic |
| MPS | Connecticut State Park and Forest Depression-Era Federal Work Relief Programs Structures TR |
| NRHP reference No. | 86001727 |
| Added to NRHP | September 4, 1986 |
The Cream Hill Shelter is a cool, rustic log cabin located in the beautiful Housatonic State Forest in Cornwall, Connecticut. It's a special place for hikers! The shelter you see today was built in 1988. It replaced an older, historic shelter from 1935. That first shelter was built by a group called the Civilian Conservation Corps, or CCC. It was so important that it was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1986.
Contents
What is the Cream Hill Shelter?
The Cream Hill Shelter is found deep inside the woods of northern Cornwall. You can reach it from Wickwire Road, which is a forest road. This road is closed to cars because of a washed-out stream crossing. The shelter sits on a special path called a Blue-Blazed Trail. It's about 0.75 miles (1.2 km) east of Cream Hill Road.
How is the Shelter Built?
The shelter is a small building made from logs. It has a sloped roof, called a gabled roof. Its base is made of stones that are carefully stacked without using cement. This is called a dry-laid foundation. The building is shaped like a rectangle and is open on one side. The logs are joined together using a method called saddle-notching. There's also a log sill, or beam, at the bottom of the open side. This helps make the shelter strong and stable.
History of the Cream Hill Shelter
The very first shelter on this spot was built in 1935. It was constructed by a team from the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC). The CCC was a special program in the United States during the 1930s. It helped young men find work during a tough economic time. These young men built many parks, roads, and buildings across the country.
The Civilian Conservation Corps' Role
The CCC team that built the Cream Hill Shelter came from Camp Cross. This camp was also located in Housatonic State Forest. The same CCC team also built another shelter, the Red Mountain Shelter. That one is in Mohawk State Forest. Both of these shelters were built along the original path of the Appalachian Trail. The Appalachian Trail is a very long hiking path in the eastern United States.
The state first created the Appalachian Trail in this area between 1930 and 1933. The CCC teams worked from 1933 to 1941. They helped open up this part of the forest for people to enjoy hiking and other outdoor activities. The Cream Hill Shelter was one of two shelters the CCC built close by. The other shelter, about a mile north, was taken down before the Cream Hill Shelter was listed as historic.
The Shelter Today
The original 1935 shelter was replaced in 1988. The new shelter was built by the Appalachian Mountain Club. This group helps people enjoy and protect the outdoors. The new shelter looks a bit different from the old one. However, it is still made of logs, just like the original.
