| Sources |
- [S104] Cocke County, Tennessee, and its People, Cocke County Heritage Book Committee, (Walsworth Publishing, 1992), 22, 23, 203.
- [S9] Smoky Mountain Historical Society Newsletter, Smoky Mountain Historical Society, Vol. XXVI, Issue 1, page 7, 2000.
- [S24] The Newport Plain Talk, (http://www.newportplaintalk.com), 4 Jul 2009.
Conner celebrates the 4th of July
Conner Rubright, great-grandson of Clyde and Elsie Bell, drew thunderous applause from a crowd estimated at
over 100,000 who lined the streets early Saturday morning for Gatlinburg's Fourth of July parade. Dressed as
Uncle Sam, Conner proudly waved an American flag during the hour-long event which began at one minute past
midnight and which is billed as America's first holiday parade. While Conner joined over 30 family members on
the Bell family's float, his Great-grandfather Bell proudly rode on another float honoring surviving CCC boys
whose work in the 1930s built Great Smoky Mountains National Park.
- [S24] The Newport Plain Talk, (http://www.newportplaintalk.com), 24 Sep 2013.
CCC veteran, Clyde Bell, among those honored by GSMNP
Clyde Bell, Sr., right, 96, shows photos of his days as a CCC enrollee to Bill Valentine during the 80th anniversary celebration of Civilian Conservation Corps establishment.
Author: Duay O'Neil
GATLINBURG - Cocke County native Clyde Bell, now a resident of Hawthorne, Florida, was one of four Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) veterans honored Saturday, Sept. 14, by Great Smoky Mountains National Park.
In honor of the 80th anniversary of the establishment of the CCC, the Park hosted a special day of commemorative activities at Sugarlands Visitor Center.
These activities included an interpretive program, a panel discussion, and a walk to the site of one of the Park's many CCC camps.
Established in 1933 as a federal work project during the Great Depression, CCC employed young men in conservation work on federal and state lands.
At the time, work to develop the newly-established Great Smoky Mountains National Park continued and from 1933-1942 over 4,000 enrollees assigned to 22 CCC camps built roads, trails, fire towers, and structures, many of which remain today.
The program provided gainful employment and education to young men from all across the United States at the same time.
“Evidence of work by the Civilian Conservation Corps can be seen everywhere you travel in Great Smoky Mountains National Park,” said Park Superintendent Dale Ditmanson. “Roads, trails, and bridges built by the CCC in the 1930s are used every day by our visitors.”
Bell, now 96, was the third child of James and Nancy (Presnell) Bell of Cosby. He enrolled in the CCC on June 18, 1935 and was assigned to Company 1459 and later to Company 1458, both in Sugarlands.
During his tenure with the CCC, Bell served as assistant to Architectural Foreman Charles Grossman. Together they located and photographed hundreds of cabins, barns, sheds, schools, and other buildings within the Park boundaries. Many of these were later dismantled and their photographs serve as the last physical evidence of their existence.
Bell remained in the CCC until November 23, 1937. He then enlisted in the United States Army on December 21, 1937.
Accompanying Bell to the ceremony were his wife of over 70 years, Elsie Beckham Bell, his sister Wilma Bell Prof?tt, and other family members.
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