Elmore State Park
National Register of Historic Places Nomination Form
Description

The 755-acre Elmore State Park in Elmore, Vermont is south of the Town of Morrisville and north of the Town of Worcester along the western side of Vermont Route Twelve. Situated between the shore of Elmore Lake and the summit of Elmore Mountain, this state park was begun in 1934 under the care of the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC). The CCC transformed this wooded wilderness area into a recreational space easily accessible by automobile with large grassy areas as well as large wooded areas. This transformation of the landscape began with the construction of a bath house (#1), access road (#2), and beach (#3) along the shore of Elmore Lake. After the CCC completed their work in 1936, the park was sold to the State of Vermont for use as a state park. Since 1936, the Vermont Department of Forests, Parks and Recreation has maintained the park, its landscape, and its structures. The State of Vermont has also increased accessibility to the park and it opportunities for recreation by constructing new structures and buildings, such as the 1939 fire tower at the summit of Elmore Mountain, that are sympathetic to the construction and landscaping of the CCC. For these reasons, Elmore State Park continues to serve its original purpose and possess a high level of historic integrity.

There are three general areas to the park. The original park, or first, area is adjacent to the beach (3#). The Elmore Lake beach (#3) was constructed by the CCC in the 1930s and is accessed by a road off Vermont Route 12 that was also designed and built by the CCC (#2). A bath house (#1) and a 1960s parking area are located adjacent to the beach. To the north of the beach area and up a knoll is the modern park entrance from VT Route 12. This paved road (#4) begins at the stone pillar gate (#6), and provides access to the modern campground. The ranger cottages (#13) and garage (#12) are to the right as you enter. A booth (#6), to collect park fees, is at the center of the road about one eighth of a mile in. At this booth, the road splits. In the center of the split is a firewood shed (#9). A small secondary road branches down to the beach parking area. Along this secondary road are day-use barbecuing sites with metal grills on poles. A picnic shelter (#11) is located along the western edge of the park between the toll booth and the bath house. The main road continues to the west. Off the main road is a secondary road in the shape of a figure eight that leads to the campsites (#7) and lean-to shelters (#10). Within this area are two bathroom facilities (#8), one within each loop of the figure eight layout. This secondary road creates a loop and meets the main road again farther to the north. As the access road continues toward Elmore Mountain, it turns to the north (#4). On the south side of the road is an abandoned bathroom facility (#8). The road continues on and, after about one mile from the gate, the road ends and a hiking trail begins (#4). This is the third general area of the park. A picnic shelter (#11) is located to the north of the end of the road. To the south of the road is the area where the Civilian Conservation Corps once was housed. This area has been overgrown with small trees and underbrush. The archaeological potential of the area is high, as there are many visible features present. Cellar holes and metal pipes clearly denote human occupation of the site. At the end of the road, is a trail to the summit of Elmore Mountain (#4). The fire tower (#5) lies at the trail end and the summit of Elmore Mountain at 795 feet above sea level. For many years, this manned lookout functioned as fire tower US #140, VT #03 in an effort to provide advanced warning of and protection against forest fires.


1. Bath House, 1936, contributing
Exterior
The plans for the bath house were developed in 1935 after the federal government purchased the land. The building was to serve as a point at the park that would allow visitors to access Elmore Lake. In 1936 the Civilian Conservation Corps began construction of the structure completing it later that same year. The ground plan of the gabled-roofed bath house is "H" shaped with the centerline measuring 92' and the flanking loggias measuring 40' in width. Walls are covered with split log siding while the roofs consist of shallow gables covered in wood shingle. The centerline of the H is one-story plan with seven bays on the front, or south, facade and four bays on the rear, or north, facade. The primary entrance is the center bay on the front facade. There are two smaller doorways on the north facade. The symmetrical wings flanking the center section are one by four bays with shallow gable roofs. The siding is stained a dark brown. Windows have white wood frames and sash with six over six pane, double hung construction. Most of the doorways and windows are boarded up for the winter with plywood stained to match the siding. The roof line is trimmed in thin white molding strips. A light brown wood shingling covers the various roof pitches without a break in consistency except for two fixed skylights on the south side of the gable. In the center of the north fa�ade, a massive rubble-stone chimney projects through roof line.

Interior
The center of the building is entered through a primary entrance on the south fa�ade. The central lobby is square in plan and measures approximately 30' by 30'. The walls are stained dark brown split log construction. The roof is open to the gable and covered in much the same manner as the walls with wood structural supports clearly visible. The room is open with the exception of a concessions counter on the east side of the room. The counter is no more than two feet in width and fifteen feet in length, approximately three feet from the wall. A small storage closet is located off the north end of the concession area. The rest of the room is furnished with tables and benches and little else. A massive stone fireplace dominates the center of the north wall. The base of the fireplace is in the shape of a "C" with two projecting arms. This fireplace tapers upward slightly and lacks a mantle. To each side of the chimney are smaller doors to the lobby. To either side of the lobby are locker rooms. The door to a women's locker room is located in the southwest corner of the lobby while the door to the men's locker room is located in the southeast corner of the building. The walls and roof of the locker rooms are similar to the lobby space with the exception of the presence of toilet stalls. The locker rooms are sparse and are only intruded upon by toilet stalls and sinks along the walls. The bathroom fixtures are porcelain, stalls are metal, and glass mirrors are hung on the walls.


2. Beach Access Road, 1934, contributing
When the Civilian Conservation Corps began work at Elmore in 1934, one of the first projects that had to be undertaken was a way to access to the property. The road that connects the bath house to Vermont Route 12 was built by the CCC to provide automobile access to the park. Photographs taken at the time the bath house was under construction indicate that road leveling work was also occurring at the same time. There is no evidence to suggest that the road has changed much since the date of its construction. The surface is still gravel and the level appears to be the same as indicated by the photographs. The road appears to have been extended recently past the bath house to provide access to private properties adjacent to the park. The road's integrity remains, as does its original association with the bath house.

3. Beach, 1934, contributing
Beach landscaping work came with the construction of the bath house. In 1934, when the bath house was begun, CCC workers began to reshape the land adjacent to the new bath house to provide easy automobile access as well as easy access to the beach. Large rocks were removed and sand was brought in to smooth out the shore line. Landscaping timbers denote where the grounds of the bath house end and the sandy beach area begins. The beach maintains its integrity as it does its original association with the bath house. While landscaping timbers may have been replaced, the physical contouring of the shore line and the sandy soil are little changed.

4. Access Routes, 1934, contributing
The Civilian Conservation Corps needed to provide access to their living quarters and the areas in which they worked. With the beginning of construction in 1934, the CCC carved out routes of access to their camp from Vermont Route 12. The archaeological remains of the CCC camp are located at the top of the modern access road. While the modern access road is paved, it is likely that an unpaved primitive path may have originally existed underneath the present road. The modern road begins at Route 12 and continues westward through the park to the beginning of the trail to the fire tower. Since the road to the bath house was under construction at the same time as the CCC, it is probable that the CCC had another way to access their camp. The route of the modern road was likely this route of access to the camp from 1934 until work was finished in 1936. With the end of the CCC work, the construction of the fire tower began in 1939. It was probably at this time that the primitive access road was extended upward to the summit of Elmore Mountain. This route would have been necessary to deliver the steel beams for construction to the summit. Today, the summit is accessed by a dirt hiking path that begins at the end of the modern access road. Originally, the access road was probably little more than a primitive dirt road. In this manner, the path to the summit still maintains its integrity and its relationship to the landscape while the modern access road maintains only its historic relationship with the landscape. It should be noted that all other trails and forms of access within the park are of recent construction and therefore non-contributing resources due to age.

5. Fire Tower, 1939, contributing
Completed shortly after the Civilian Conservation Corps left the area, this fire tower was constructed by the Vermont Division of Forestry at the summit of Elmore Mountain. The construction was part of a federal forestry mission to rehabilitate the forests of the area after a 1938 hurricane caused extensive damage to forests throughout New England. A cabin, which is no longer standing, was completed the following year to provide a manned lookout at the summit. No traces remain of the cabin. This lookout remained active as US #140, VT #03 until 1974. The structure is a square skeleton steel tower that reaches a height of roughly forty-six feet, has four legs that taper upward from a fourteen-foot square concrete base to a seven-foot platform on top. The framing is steel angle stock of differing gauge and weight. The legs are of the heaviest weight, horizontal braces are of a medium weight, and braces are the lightest. The steel is bolted together using steel plates at major connections. Within the skeleton of the tower, an open steel and wood stair rises to the viewing platform. The stair consists of five diagonal flights with latticed steel stringers, wood treads, and steel angle stock hand rails. A single room observation area is located at the top of the tower. The room is entered at the top of the stairway through a trap door in the room's wood plank floor. The observation area is square in plan, single story in elevation, and projects slightly from the steel frame skeleton of the tower. The lower halves of the walls of the room are steel bolted to vertical angle stock at the corners. The upper half of the walls are lined with metal-framed sash mounted windows (two per wall). The hipped roof of the room is constructed of sheets of steel with a center cylindrical vent. Any fire viewing equipment that may have once been present has now been removed.

6. Toll Booth and Gate, 1963, non-contributing due to age
The current entrance to the park is through a pair of stone pillars located along VT Route Twelve. These pillars are made of fieldstones piled on top of each other and bonded with concrete. The base of the pillars is square and they taper upward. Wood planks are attached to the top of the pillars by metal pins. These planks swing together to block access to the road. Once a car has passed through the gates, a toll booth in the middle of the road is the second point of access control. The booth is a rectangular 15' by 17' one story structure. The wood siding is of board and batten construction and employs a dark brown stain. The roof is gabled with light brown wood shingles. The width of the east side of the building faces the road. This east fa�ade has one fixed center window flanked by a one over one double hung window on each side. A small-hipped porch roof projects from the side of the main structure's gable. Two dark brown wood posts support the light brown wood shingled porch roof. On the north and south facades of the building, a single sliding window is present for the purpose of collecting park fees. A metal door is located on the west side of the building for entry. Two flag poles are located immediately adjacent to the east side of the building.

7. Campsites, 1963, non-contributing due to age
These 45 campsites are open-air, cleared, grassy areas scattered throughout the second part of the park. Characteristics that denote these areas are small natural brown numbered plaques and fireplaces in a cleared 100' by 70' grassy area. Fireplaces are of a simple stone and concrete construction that are square in plan with one side of the square and the interior open to a metal grill. The side opposite the open side of the square has a small, tapered chimney. These campsites are unobtrusive to the landscape and therefore in keeping with the historical character of the park.

8. Bathroom Facilities, 1963, non-contributing due to age
There are three bathroom facilities within the park. One facility is located in the tent site area while a matching facility is present in the lean-to area. An abandoned bathroom facility, dating to the 1960s, is in serious disrepair and is located north of the campground along the road to the fire tower. All of the bathroom facilities are rectangular in plan and 50' by 15' in dimension. The siding is a dark brown stained board and batten construction in an effort to create an unobtrusive design and keep with the historical nature of the park. The roofs are gabled with light brown wood shingles. Two doors are located along the length of the building, leading to separated men's and women's facilities. Windows are small rectangular metal-framed sash mounted windows that are irregularly placed along the top of the walls. All of the bathrooms are equipped with shower facilities, at least three toilets, and three sinks. The bathroom fixtures are porcelain while interior dividing walls are metal.

9. Wood Shed, 1963, non-contributing due to age
This 15' by 20' service shed is a one and a half story storage facility adjacent to the modern park entrance. The foundation is concrete piers and the floor is wood plank. The wood siding is board and batten stained a dark brown so as to keep a low profile and to keep with the historical character of the park. The roof is gabled with light brown wood shingles. A single entrance is located on the north side of the building and consists of two large hinged wood doors with x-shaped braces. The interior of the shed is open and used for the storage of firewood. Campers often buy wood at this shed to build camp fires during the summer months. There is a basketball hoop on the west fa�ade. Two bike racks are located immediately adjacent to the north fa�ade of the building.

10. Lean-to shelters, 1979, non-contributing due to age
Within the second area of the park are fifteen shelters that are 12' by 15' in plan and constructed of logs with concrete bases. One of the short sides is open to the air while the other three sides are stacked logs that support a shed log roof covered with wood shingles. The shelters have concrete bases which anchor two log columns that support the highest point of the roof.

11. Picnic Shelters, 1983, non-contributing due to age
There are two picnic shelters that are 16' by 40' skeleton constructions with open walls that consist only of regularly spaced posts. The first shelter is located between the old access road and the modern access road. The second shelter is located at the foot of the path to the fire tower within the third part of the park. These stained brown log posts that support the wood shingled, gable roof are anchored in a concrete slab. These structures are in keeping with the historical character of the park by maintaining an unobtrusive profile.

12. Garage, 1984, non-contributing due to age
Located between the modern gate to the park and the toll booth are the rangers' quarters and the garage. This simple square plan structure is one story in height with a window in each bay with the exception of the east facade where a garage door is present. The roof is gabled with light-brown wood-shingles. The siding is vertical shiplap clapboard that is stained dark brown to keep with the historical character of the park. Six over six double hung windows are trimmed in white. The garage door is paneled and stained white. A simple trim board work stained white sets off the roof line.

13. Ranger Quarters, 1984, non-contributing due to age
Two identical cottages, single story, three by two bay homes are on the eastern edge of the park between the gate and the toll booth. The homes are side gabled with vertical, shiplap clapboard that is stained dark brown to keep with the historical character of the park. The roofs are light brown wood shingled with white trim. Primary entrances are on the south facades through a metal storm door with a center pane of glass. To either side of the door are paired six over six double hung stained white wood windows. White novelty shutters flank all windows. The gable ends are covered in white clapboard.