Kooser State Park
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| Kooser State Park | |||||||
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 Interactive map of Kooser State Park | |||||||
| Location | Jefferson Township, Somerset County, Pennsylvania, United States | ||||||
| Coordinates | 40°03′35″N 79°13′42″W / 40.05983°N 79.22842°W[1] | ||||||
| Area | 250 acres (100 ha)[1] | ||||||
| Elevation | 2,313 feet (705 m) | ||||||
| Established | 1922 | ||||||
| Administered by | Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources | ||||||
| Website | Official website  | ||||||
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Kooser State Park Family Cabin District | |||||||
 Two of the cabins | |||||||
| Nearest city | Jefferson, Pennsylvania | ||||||
| Area | 9.2 acres (3.7 ha) | ||||||
| Built | 1933 | ||||||
| Architect | Civilian Conservation Corps | ||||||
| Architectural style | Log Cabin style | ||||||
| MPS | Emergency Conservation Work (ECW) Architecture in Pennsylvania State Parks: 1933-1942, TR | ||||||
| NRHP reference No. | 87000111 | ||||||
| Added to NRHP | February 12, 1987 | ||||||
Kooser State Park is a 250-acre (100 ha) Pennsylvania state park in Jefferson Township, Somerset County, Pennsylvania, in the United States. The park, which borders Forbes State Forest, was built in the 1930s by the Civilian Conservation Corps, who also built the 4-acre (1.6 ha) Kooser Lake by damming Kooser Run. Kooser State Park is on Pennsylvania Route 31 a one-hour drive from Pittsburgh. The park is surrounded by Forbes State Forest.
The earliest settlers to the Kooser Run area told of an American Indian battle that took place near Kooser Run. A large number of war arrows and spearheads have since been found in the area. The area was also crossed by participants in the Whiskey Rebellion. The park is named for John Kooser. He settled near Kooser Spring in what is now the western edge of Kooser State Park.[1]
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania purchased the land for Kooser State Park in 1922. The land had been stripped of its old-growth forest during the lumber era that swept through Pennsylvania during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The forests slowly grew back with the help of the Civilian Conservation Corps. The CCC established by President Franklin D. Roosevelt during the Great Depression built a camp on the western edge of Kooser State Park. The young men of the CCC built the dam on Kooser Run creating Kooser Lake. They also built roads, outdoor fireplaces and cabins. Much of their work can still be seen today at Kooser State Park. They used the materials at hand to create the buildings and facilities of the park. The cabins are made from logs plucked from the nearby forests. They used native stone to create the fireplaces. All repairs made to the park facilities today are made with the rustic nature of the park in mind.[2] The Kooser State Park Family Cabin District was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1987, as a national historic district. The district includes 13 contributing buildings.[3]
