Boykin Springs Shelter Restoration Volunteers

Spring into action to help restore the shelter at Boykin Springs Recreation Area, nestled inside the tranquil Angelina National Forest!

The Pineywoods of East Texas is a region thick with rolling hills, swamps, and pinewood forests that extend eastward into Louisiana, Arkansas, and Oklahoma. It’s the kind of place that is naturally equipped for outdoor activities and perfect for recreation areas like the one at Boykin Springs. Developed by the Civilian Conservation Corps in the 1930s, the Boykin Springs Recreation area is one of thousands like it featuring picnic areas, established campsites, and a prominent shelter like the one we’ll be working on.

Centered within the Angelina National Forest, the Boykin Springs Recreation area sits in a cozy pocket of land just west of the popular Sam Rayburn Reservoir and features its own man made lake built by the CCC with headwaters flowing from the Boykin Creek. The springs that flow through Boykin Creek are know for their cascading waterfalls and pools up to six feet deep, which are popular among locals yearning for a quick dip. Boykin Springs along with Boykin creek is named after Sterling Boykin, who settled the area and is buried within the campground.

From late April into May HistoriCorps is excited to engage volunteers in the restoration of this fabled shelter which features and open-air log pavilion with a cross gabled roof composed of log posts and log rails, a stone chimney, and and exposed truss roof system, classic of the 1930s time period in which it was built. You can learn more about the history and use of the Boykin Springs Recreation Area by reading the Lufkin Daily News article or going to the Angelina National Forest website.

SESSION DATES: April 21-26, April 28 – May 3, and May 5-10

Please plan to arrive at the campsite no earlier than 5pm and no later than 7pm on the first day of your session.

HistoriCorps is committed to educating and training volunteers in preservation skills, with an overarching mission of inspiring a preservation ethic in all those involved. Learning and working alongside expert HistoriCorps field staff, volunteers and applying the traditional skills necessary to restore the Boykin Springs Shelter:

• Replace asphalt roofing with architectural shingles
• Repair eroding and damaged logs

Click here for more information!

Click here to register!

You will know your registration was successful when you receive a confirmation email. Contact volunteer@historicorps.org for assistance.