United States Depaftment of the Interior Presidential Sites Theme National Park Service National Register of Historic Places Registration Form Th~sfwm 19for use in nominating or resuesting determinstbns of eligibility for lndii~dualprowrties w distnm. SHI ~nstmaions~n GWhos lor Cemplsting Namnal slbgtsfctr Foms (National Regtster Bulletln 16). Complete each Item by marking "w" In the approprratr hw or by entenng the raquwted rnlormatm. If an item doss not apply to the 0- being dmumemed. enter "MIA" for "not app~rcabte.''Foa functions. styles, marenas. and areas of sign~ficance,enter only the caregomas and subcatmnes Ilstmd In ths ~nstructlona.For addltlonal space use cwtrnuat~onsheets (Form lG900a). Tyw all entrres 1. Name of Property hlslor~cname Camp Hoover other namsdsite number Cam~sRaidan 2. Location street & number Shenandoah Natsonal Park nd for publication city, town Graves Yill I.x v~cin~ty state Vir~inia- - cde VA county Yad isan code VA-! 11 z~pcad9 2277 I 3. CSassltlestlan -. Ownersh~pof Prowrty Category of Property Number af Resources mth~nProperty Eprivate [7 building(s) Contr~butlng Noncantrrbutrng public-locat distrrcl 3 Q buildings public-State stte 4 sftes @ public-fed- G structura 16 11 Szructures • object o Qobjects 2 -1 27 Total Nams of related multiple property listing: Numbsr of contributing resources prevrousl~ N, A liwed rn the National Regtstsr 0 4. StatelFederal Agency CerLlflcstion As the designated authority under the National Historic Preservation Act of t 968, as amended, I hereby cenlty that this 1 nan!namn viquslt for dehrmination of eligibilfty mans the dmumentatlon standards for registering propenlar in the 1 National Register 01 Historic Places and Nnr the pawural and prof-iwl rqulretnenta set fonh in 36 CFR Part MI. In my oplnion, the property 0m e does not meet the National Register criteria. See contlnuatlon sheet. t ) Signature of cmltylng onlcial Date . I In my opinion. the prwy meeta Odoa mt meel the NatloM Reglstsr criteria* somnuamn sns*. - Sigrrature of commenting w othr official Date 5. National Park Sarvice CurtHlcatton I, hereby, csrti(y that rnis property IS: Dentored in the National Regrster. 0See continuation sheet. mdetsrmined eligible for the National Register. Eontlnuatlon sheet. mdetermrned not eligible for the National Reglstsr. removed from the National Register. other, (sxptain:) S~gnatutect the Keepr Date of Aclron 6. Function or Un - Htstorlc Funct~ons(enter categortes from ~nstruct~ons) Current Functions (enter cateaortes- from ~nsrruclions) Ln~prnm~n~lslLaIV~Wh'rp HLJ1lSa Recreation and Culture Outdoor Recrea~~7n Domestlc/Cam~ Government~Recreat Recreatlon and CultureiOutdcor Recreat~on - 7. Derrlption Archlteclural Class~f~cation Materials lenter caleaortes- from instructtons\ (enter categories from instructions) foundation Stone i boulder s other; Rustic Cam0 walls &%ud&wtherboard roof 1 t other -one Firedaces Deacnbs present and hlstorlc physical appearance. At the headwaters of Virginia's Rapidan River. secluded among the hemlocks at the base of For-k-Mountain, is what remains of the retreat developed. between 1929 and 1932 as a "summer White House" for U.S President Herbert Hoover. Of "Camp Rapidan's" 13 original buildings, three still exist: as do trails, stone bridges, man-made trout pools, a stone fountain, a massive outdoor stone fireplace and other resources :hac contribute to an understanding of the camp's original function, appearance, appeal and significance. Originally built on a 164-acre parcel owned by Herbert and Lou Henry Hoover, the camp is now within the boundaries of the Shenandoah Vational Park. The extant buildings are maintained by the National Park Service. As requested by Herbert Hoover when he deeded the camp to the State of Virginia in 1932, it is administered and equipped as a summer weekend retreat for the President of the United States. Located 100 rilles southwest of Washington, the camp's lodging Facilities can accommodate up to 20 persons. When nor being used by the President. the camp's facilities are made available on a rental basis to members and staff of the President's Cabinet and the U.S. Congress. For the benefit of park users exploring the area on foot or on horseback, the grounds surrounding the buildings are marked with a system of informational signs, maps and photographs that interpret the camp's historical significance. One 'weekend a year, the National Park Service hosts public tours oE two of the three surviving cabins -- The President (Site Plan "A", building No. licontributing Resource No. 11, and The Prlme Ylinister (Site Plan "A", building :Go. 6iContributing Resource No. 6). The Creel (Site Plan "A", building No. 3lContributing Resource No. 3) is not included because of the extent of its lnterior modernization. The boundaries stipul-ated in and surveyed inr ik~rsnomination combine natural topographic features (Hill and Laurel Prongs) and edges that mark a diminishing concentration of contributing resources. In addltion to the three existing buildings, the boundaries encompass 20 resoLrces that contribute directly to :he camp's significance as a presidential retreat during the Hoover Administration (1929- 1933). These are shown on Sketch Hap 7-A. .:d;acent to the three,existing cab~nsare two contributing resources -- a four-tierea scene foundation (Contributing Resource continualion sheet 8. Statement of Significance Cenltylng offlc~ai has considered the slgnlftcanceof thls Property In relatlon to other propenres j? nat~onally j? statewide C locally Applicable National Register Criteria =A C B 5c C D N/A Crlteria Considerations (Exceptions)- j?~C B OC ED C E CF 00 S/A Areas of Significance (enter categories from instructions) Period of Significance Significant Dates --?iI-fi Political and Xilitary Affairs, 1865-1339 The Great 3epression and the -- New Deal (1929-1941) Cultural Affiliation NIA Significant Person ArchitecVBuilder Hoover. Herberf Clark WVPT.1.n~~-11 S %vine Corps State significance of propeny, and junihl criteria, crlterig considerations, and areas and periods of significance noted above. What remains of the Hoovers' Camp on the Rapidan offers more than a "Hoover Slept Here" significance in its direct association from 1929 to 1933 with the lives of President Herbert Hoover and First Lady Lou Henry Hoover. The tranquility afforded by the camp's surroundings -- the liquid lullabye of Laurel and Mill Prongs as they flow together to form the headwaters of the Rapidan River only a stone's throw from the deck of the President's cabin -- persists today. Their Rapidan Camp speaks to the value the Hoovers, both geologists, placed throughout their lives in natural surroundings as a spiritual resource (Historic Photo 8-A). "The joyous rush of the brook, the contemplation of,the eternal flow of the stream, the stretch of forest and mountain all reduce our e otism, soothe our troubles and shame our wickedness," Herbert Hoover wrote in 1930. 5 While Herbert Hoover considered the camp a source of spiritual renewal, his personal physician credits Camp Rapidan with allowing the President and Mrs. Hoover to remaln healthy throughout their White House years. "The Camp made it possible. I feel as a physician, for President and Mrs. Hoover to come through a very arduous four-year Presidential administration period without any serious physical impairments," Admiral Joel T. Boone wrote in a reflection on the retreat. "Without the Rapidan Camp, now more specifically referred to as the Hoover Camp, President and Mrs. Hoover could hardly have left offflal- life without any serious ailments." For both Herbert and Lou Henry Hoover, the Rapidan Camp served as an oasis from the political firestorms that surrounded the Hoover Administration's efforts to deal effectively with a failing world economy. As a presidential retreat, the Hoovers' camp is the forerunner of the modern-day "summer White House" concept. It was the "Camp David" of its day; in fact. President Franklin Delano Roosevelt established his Shangri-La retreat in Maryland's Catoctin Mountarns (now known as "Camp David") after his first and only visit determined that the terrain surrounding Camp Rapidan, which the Hoovers had deeded to the State of Virginia in 1932 for use by future Chief Executives, was too rugged to accommodate FDR's physical disability. The last President to make use of the camp was Jimmy Carter. who spent a weekend in May. 1979. with his wife, Rosalynn, and his daughter, Amy. aSea continuation sheet 9. Major Blbllographical Refermces Herbert Clark Hoover. -A Remedy for Disappearing --Game Fishes (Sew York: Huntington Press. 1930). p. 33. Joel T. Boone. preface to Herbert Hoover's Hideaway, Darwin Lambert, author (Luray, A: The ShFnandoah Yatural History Association, Inc.. 1971). p.x. Darwin Lambert, Herbert Hoover's Hideaway (Luray. Vh: The Shenandoah Yatural History Association, Inc., 1971), p. 13. Herbert Clark Hoover, The lemoirs -of Herbert Hoover 1920-1933: The Cabinet -aca The Presidency (Yew ~ork:~he?lacmillan Co., 1952). p. 322. See continuation sheet Previous documentation on file (NPS): N/A Gpreiirninary determination of individual listing (36 CFR 67) Primary location of additional data: has been reiluested Star? - storlc preservation office Opreviously listed in the National Register rn Otr. .-teagency . previously determined eligible by the National ~e~kter Feae: 1. ;gency adesignated a National Historic Landmark - Locat .;uvernment 0recorded by Hiator~cAmerican Buildings UUniven~ty Survey # qOther qrecorded by Historic Amer~canEngineering Specify repository: Record I# Herbert Hoover Presidential Liorar:: 10. Gaoanphl~IData Acreage of propeny 106 acres UTM References A 1 71 21 61 2. 1101 (412\61 21 9111 0) hd 1-5/ 1 41 21 61 3 3 5 Zone Eastlng Northing Zone Eastmg Nonhlng cu171216/9~401 141216131312101 D 171 21 4u1 Ll 21 61 3 6 S - . G;isw continuatson sheet Verbal Boundary Descr~ptlon The boundary of Camp Hocver is ehown as the dottee line on the acccmpanying map entitled sketch map 7-A -- 0Sw continuation sheet Boundary Justification The Zcunckry includes ku::lings.