Dedication ceremony held in Hamlin
The Brockport Community Museum, in cooperation with the Town of Hamlin, the NYS Department of Parks (HBSP), and the Hamlin Highway Department, developed and installed a historic marker dedicated to preserving the memory of the former Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) and POW camp in Hamlin. The ceremony dedicating the marker was held on Saturday, October 25, 2025, on Moscow Road in Hamlin. None of this would have been possible without the dedication, teamwork, and sheer grit of Ed Evans and his team of dedicated volunteers who unburied the site and gave it new life.
The Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) was a national program in the 1930s that provided young men with the opportunity to earn money for their families while helping to build national and state parks, among other projects. They were housed in a camp in Hamlin and helped to turn a small county park into Hamlin Beach State Park. Once the camp closed, it became a WWII Prisoner of War Camp, first for Italian and then German prisoners. When the camp closed in 1946, it gradually disappeared and was overtaken by Mother Nature. In 2008, Evans and a group of volunteers began working to unbury the site. After six years of hard work, an interpretive trail opened explaining the camp’s history. Volunteers continue to work to preserve this historic treasure.
Special thanks to Jennifer Goodrich-Voelkl, Hamlin Town Board member, who worked to coordinate this project.
The Brockport Community Museum is a “museum without walls” committed to bringing local history to residents and visitors. For more information, visit https://www.brockportcommunitymuseum.org/.
Pictured are (l-r) Sue Evans, Ed Evans, and Nick Kramer – some of the volunteers who helped to reclaim the camp from 70 years of nature’s work. Photo from Friends of Hamlin Beach State Park on Facebook.
