Jean Stephenson (left) and Marion Park (right) on a day hike on the Appalachian Trail sometime in the 1930s or 1940s. Stephenson was the long-time second in command to ATC Chairman Myron Avery and Park was the long-serving secretary of the ATC.

The South River Shelter, pictured here just after its completion in the summer of 1940, is one of the original trail shelters built in Shenandoah National Park by the Civilian Conservation Corps. This shelter is no longer in use as a trail shelter and instead is used as a trail maintenance storage facility by the Potomac Appalachian Trail Club, which maintains all the shelters in the Park.

The Rod Hollow Shelter was constructed by volunteers from the Potomac Appalachian Trail Club in the summer of 1985. It is located several miles north of Paris, Virginia and is the last stop south of the "rollercoaster" section of the Trail in Northern Virginia (or the first shelter south for southbound hikers).

The Rocky Run Shelter in Maryland pictured here is the original shelter built in 1940 by the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC). This Adirondack style log lean-to remains on the Trail but in 2008 volunteers from the Potomac Appalachian Trail Club constructed a new two story shelter.

The Rocky Mountain Shelters were built by the North Chapter of the Potomac Appalachian Trail Club in 1989. The construction of these shelters, in the paired style typical of the Trail in southern Pennsylvania, was the result of a relocation of the Trail away from Route 233 during the late 1980s. That relocation meant that the old Raccoon Run Shelters were no longer needed and were thus torn down. The Rocky Run Shelters are also known for being a place where hikers may find a hand carved wooden spoon, left for them by a local provider of trail magic.

The Wilson Gap Shelter was built in 1941, by the Potomac Appalachian Trail Club's shelter crew. It was an atypical trail shelter, because it was built of stone, with an internal fireplace. This particular design happened because the landowner felt that such a structure would present less of a fire hazard on his land. It was the second trail shelter south of the Potomac River, near the present Blackburn Trail Center. It no longer exists, because by the late 1970s, its proximity to a county road meant it had become a party location for non-hikers. It was torn down in 1978.

The Three Springs Lean-to (shelter) in Northern Virginia was located on a stretch of the Trail just north of FEMA's Mount Weather Emergency Management base. This shelter no longer exists, because in the late 1970s the Trail was relocated away from the site and the shelter was torn down. It was maintained by the Potomac Appalachian Trail Club.

The Birch Run lean-tos were built in 1934 by workers from the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) in the Michaux State Forest in Pennsylvania. Like other shelters in this stretch of the Trail, these lean-tos were constructed in pairs of smaller shelters, rather than as one larger shelter. The original structures were torn down in the 1980s, and replaced with a single, larger shelter. These shelters were and the new shelter is maintained by the Potomac Appalachian Trail Club (PATC).

The Tumbling Run Shelter in the Mont Alto (now Michaux) State Forest (PA) was built in 1936, by the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC). The original structure was torn down and rebuilt in the 1980s by the Potomac Appalachian Trail Club, as a pair of shelters, in keeping with the other shelters in this stretch of the Appalachian Trail.

The Racoon Run Shelters in the Michaux State Forest (PA), were built by workers from the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) in 1934. Smaller than the standard Appalachian Trail lean-tos built at this time, the paired shelters in this stretch of the Trail in Pennsylvania are unique along the Trail. The Raccoon Run Shelters were maintained by the Potomac Appalachian Trail Club, but they were torn down in the 1980s when the AT was relocated away from its current route. The Raccoon Run Shelters were among those too close to the road, and often frequented by non-hikers.

The map shown here is from the PATC Map No. 4 (1980) and it depicts the location of the shelters on the old route of the AT. This image was provided by Stuart O. Smith, Jr.

The Quarry Gap shelters in Michaux State Forest (now Caledonia State Park) were built in 1934 by workers from the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC). The trail shelters in Michaux State Forest at this time were unique in that they were built as pairs of smaller structures rather than one larger lean-to. At some point in their history, the Quarry Gap shelters were re-roofed with a single, continuous roof, providing shelter for hikers between the two structures. These shelters are maintained by the Potomac Appalachian Trail Club.

The Mosby Shelter was located on the Appalachian Trail between Manassas Gap and Chester Gap in Northern Virginia. It was built in 1939 by the Civilian Conservation Corps, operating from their camp in Linden, Virginia, just north of the site of the shelter. Today, the location of the former shelter is called the "Mosby Campsite" and the nearby Tom Sealock Spring, which is one of the sources of the Rappahannock River.

The 1941 edition of the ATC's Guide to the Paths of the Blue Ridgeoffers this description of the shelter:

Mosby Lean-to is situated on the edge of a clearing on the crest of the long spur extending to the east from High Knob, about half way between Manassas and Chester Gaps. A small settlement that formerly was in this locality is said to have been called "Mosby" because several of Colonel Mosby's rangers resided nearby.

In 1980, the Mosby Shelter was stolen. Hikers arrived at the site to find that the shelter had been dismantled and removed, likely for the chestnut logs that had been used in its construction. It was not rebuilt.