CCC Museum & History

Bear Brook State Park's museum complex sits in a Civilian Conservation Corps camp from 1935 that is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and is one of the most complete CCC camps still standing and in use in the country. It is home to the Richard Diehl Civilian Conservation Corps Museum and the Old Allenstown Meeting House, and has been home to the New Hampshire Snowmobile Museum. In 2026 the CCC Museum opened Sundays 2 to 4 pm from June 21 through Labor Day, otherwise by appointment; call (603) 485-1031 to arrange a visit.

The Richard Diehl CCC Museum

The CCC Museum tells the story of the young men of the Civilian Conservation Corps who built much of the park. It is housed in the old camp buildings. NH State Parks publishes short summer hours: in 2026, Sundays from 2 to 4 pm starting June 21 and running through Labor Day. Outside those hours, and after Labor Day, visits are by appointment only at (603) 485-1031.

The CCC Camp

The camp went up in about two months in 1935. On October 15, 1935, the newly formed 1123rd Company of the CCC arrived to take it over. The buildings were Army-designed kits of tarpaper, two-by-fours and Southern yellow pine boards, built cheaply and meant to be temporary. Bear Brook's camp had 13 main buildings, smaller than the typical camp of about two dozen, laid out in a U around an open assembly ground where the men gathered each morning for their work orders.

Eight of those original 13 structures were still standing when the district was nominated to the National Register. The nomination describes a surviving barracks, the headquarters and officers' quarters, a Forestry garage, a blacksmith shop and an oil house, among others. The pines that shade the camp today were planted by the CCC men themselves. The camp closed as a CCC facility on January 10, 1942, and the district was listed on the National Register in 1992.

What the CCC Built Here

The federal government assembled the Bear Brook land in the mid-1930s as a recreation demonstration project with the National Park Service, one of 46 such projects in 24 states. Through the fall and winter of 1935 to 1936, the CCC crews built picnic and parking areas, playgrounds, picnic tables and benches, foot trails, footbridges and park roads, and fought tree pests and diseases. In March 1936 they were sent to help with flood recovery when the Merrimack River overflowed. More of the park's story is on the about page.

You can still use their work. The Smith Pond Shelter, a lean-to built by CCC members in 1937, is rented to campers, and the Shelter Pavilion near the day-use area is a CCC building with its original stonework and beams; see pavilion rentals.

The Old Allenstown Meeting House

NH State Parks lists the Old Allenstown Meeting House as part of the museum complex. The state does not publish its own hours or history for the meeting house, so call the museum number before you plan a visit around it.

The New Hampshire Snowmobile Museum

NH State Parks still lists the New Hampshire Antique Snowmobile Museum in the complex, but the museum's association says on its own website that it has lost its building. Its outdoor events continue as advertised. Check the association's site for event dates before you go looking for the museum in the park. Snowmobile trails in the park are covered on the winter page.

Finding the Museums

The camp is about half a mile from the park entrance, a short distance south of Deerfield Road in Allenstown, according to the National Register record. The park's group-use address for the area is 157 Deerfield Road. See parking and directions.

Good For

• History fans and families with CCC veterans in the family tree.
• A rainy summer Sunday afternoon.

Maybe Skip If

• You can only visit on a weekday without calling ahead. Regular hours are Sunday afternoons in summer.