Tennessee Sites

Tennessee Encyclopedia: "Some of Tennessee's largest WPA projects reflected the arrival of the age of flight. WPA workers helped complete landing fields and airports at Jellico, Cookeville, Lebanon, Jackson, and Milan." The location of the facility, which has long closed, is difficult to discern, as the airport is not recorded on readily accessible topographic maps (the early ones predate the site and the 1954 topographic and 1951 aerials show development along the reported site). It appears the Jellico Aero Club was in existence by 1921 owned 60 acres of ideal field, with hangars and gas listed in the Flying Guide and Log...

This 100-unit public housing complex was constructed for whites during the era of segregation. Allenton Heights was located on larger, landscaped lots on 13 acres with open space.  Units contained a back yard with clotheslines (which are still in use today) and a front yard with grassy lawns and shade trees. After the PWA public housing programs were expanded and the U. S. Housing Authority was created, public housing expanded in Tennessee. Allenton Heights was started in December 1940.  Algernon Blair was construction company, and construction superintendent estimated employment of 150 on both Allenton Heights and Merry Lane Court.  Allenton Heights was projected...

The federal Work Projects Administration (WPA) constructed an amphitheater on the campus of what is now Eastern Tennessee State University (ETSU). The amphitheater is located between the University Center and Roy S. Nicks Hall. Waymarking: "Once known as "the passion pit," this area was completed by Works Progress Administration workers in 1941. The amphitheater is used for student assemblies and staff picnics and is still a wonderful place to enjoy the sunshine with friends."

The Andrew Jackson Courts public housing complex was undertaken in Nashville, Tennessee  following the passage of the Housing Act of 1937 and establishment of the United States Housing Authority (USHA). The USHA worked in conjunction with the Public Works Administration (PWA) in providing funds for local housing development projects, two of which were the segregated communities of Cheatham Place and Andrew Jackson Courts. The rowhouse appearance, clustered two-story houses were constructed for African American residents. The 398 unit buildings cost $1,890,000. They remain in use today.

The Civil Works Administration (CWA) conducted an improvement project at Andrew Johnson National Cemetery in Greeneville, Tennessee, providing work for about 35 laborers.

The National Guard Armory in Clarksville was one of several Art Deco-styled armories in the state. The site was surveyed January 1940, located north of the Austin Peay Normal School on Drane and Marion Street. Excavation and pouring of the concrete footings was done in October. Larry Bryant was superintendent for the project. A 6-yard scraper and tractor was used for excavation. Engineer Manley of the state supervised construction and John R. Dickson was the chief WPA office clerk. The number of workers varied during the project but by completion was about 81, including 76 WPA certified workers, along with skilled...

The Public Works Administration (PWA) funded additions to three existing schools in Nashville 1938-1940. Supervising architects for the projects were Hart, Freeland, and Roberts of Nashville, although the design architects for projects varied. The Nashville firm of Dougherty, Clemmons and Seale designed the elementary wing and gymnasium addition to Bailey. Original cost was planned at $72,000, but at completion was $82,000. A two-story elementary wing accommodating 300 children, and a basement were added to the southeast corner of the building. A gymnasium at the rear of the original building (partially destroyed by the 1933 tornado) was also constructed next to...

This oil-on-canvas mural by Grace Greenwood, entitled "The Progress of Power," was commissioned by the Treasury Section of Fine Arts and completed in 1940. It is housed in the Beech River Heritage Museum, which is the former post office.

The old Nashville City Market was constructed in 1936-1937 with funding from the Public Works Administration (PWA).  The chief contractor for the project was Foster & Creighton Construction Company. Project cost was "almost a half a million dollars" (Van West, 2000, p. 81). The building's design by Henry Hibbs is "Adamesque Revival Style" with a classical temple entrance and a dome just behind.  The walls are brick over reinforced concrete. The window frames and sashes are steel and the roof is copper.  The original interior had five-foot wainscoting of glazed tile and terrazzo flooring.  It included stalls, restaurants, and rest rooms.  The market's construction...

"Big Ridge State Park was one of five demonstration parks developed by the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) in cooperation with the National Park Service and the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) as an example of public recreation development along TVA lakeshores. The structures on the park reflect the craftsmanship and stonework of the CCC. Along the trails you may see remnants of the  homes and farms that existed here prior to the birth of the TVA."   (https://tnstateparks.com) This park was actually part of the greater Norris Project. "Civilian Conservation Corps Company 4495, which was originally based in Loyston, began work on Big...

Constructed with funds and labor from the Works Progress Administration and the Civilian Conservation Corps, the Booker T. Washington State Park was established in 1938 as a segregated recreational facility for African Americans, the second such facility in the state of Tennessee (the other being T. O. Fuller State Park near Memphis). The park is situated on Lake Chickamauga, which was created with the construction of the Chickamauga Dam by the Tennessee Valley Authority. The nearby Harrison Bay State Park was built at the same time for white Tennesseans. Tennessee parks were formally desegregated in 1964 with the passage of...

The Civil Works Administration (CWA) conducted work at what was then known as Brushy Mountain Prison in Petros, Tennessee.

The Public Works Administration (PWA) provide funding for the construction of Cameron Middle School in South Nashville, an historically African American school in what was then a fully segregated city.  It was one of many PWA grants for Black schools and colleges around the country, including Pearl High School and Tennessee A & I College in Nashville.  Cameron later became a high school. "Located at 1034 First Avenue South, the school was constructed with PWA funding support in 1939-40 and is important for its local significance in African-American social history. Cameron played a central community role for South Nashville’s African-American population....

The Campbell County War Memorial was built by the National Youth Administration in 1938. The monument is shaped as a stone obelisk set on a base of stone infilled with earth. It is flanked by two World War I period cannons. A metal American Eagle rests on top of the memorial. The monument, sponsored by the American Legion and the Spanish-American War Veterans, was dedicated to the Campbell County troops who died in the Spanish American War and World War I.

The School was founded in 1939 as part of the New Deal program for Education. Original structure was built with labor provided through the Works Progress Administration. When new school was built in 2002, old building was razed. Original front entrance is all that remains.

The creation of the Cedars of Lebanon State Park in Tennessee was a multifaceted joint project of the Resettlement Administration, the CCC, the forestry division, NPS and the WPA: "Project development began in the fall of 1935, with forestry personnel, along with RA and CCC workers, planting new seedlings of juniper cedar, black walnut, black locust, ash, yellow poplar, and mulberry trees. The crews introduced erosion controls and built roads and trails... The WPA constructed recreational facilities, including picnic areas, overlook shelters on the Jackson Cave Trail, and the original park lodge. Lebanon Cedar Forest was officially opened in September 1937...

One-story, brick, H-shaped building with tile roof. This building was originally constructed by the Works Progress Administration as the swimming pool and bathhouse for Nashville's Centennial Park. The swimming pool and bathhouse were closed during the Civil Rights movement as many Southern communities simply closed pools rather than de-segregating them. In 1972, the bathhouse was converted to the Centennial Art Center, and the pool converted to a sunken sculpture garden.

The Works Progress Administration (WPA) constructed a bandshell ca. 1939 at Centennial Park in Nashville, Tennessee, "to the right of the present structure." That structure, which Living New Deal believes served between 1937 and 1963, has since been demolished and replaced.

Central Elementary School in Union City, Tennessee was undertaken by the Public Works Administration (PWA) during the Great Depression. The PWA Moderne building, with a distinctive blend of classicism and Art Deco style, was designed to stand out from the more conservative architecture of Union City. Local reformers celebrated its "fireproof construction, circulation flow, ample light and air, structural insulation, sound proofing, sanitary floors, attractive furniture, drinking fountains, modern plumbing, and its auditorium," (Van West, pg. 114). The total federal cost for school construction reached $105,000, while student workers trained in wood- and metalworking by the National Youth Administration (NYA) furnished...

Central High School was built in 1931. The Works Progress Administration (WPA) added a "school room equipment." The WPA cost was $3,085.66. The WPA also did work on the football field and grounds improvements. The WPA cost was $4,750.76.

Chattanooga Metropolitan Airport was developed in part by the Works Progress Administration, a New Deal program. Tennessee Encyclopedia: "Some of Tennessee's largest WPA projects reflected the arrival of the age of flight. WPA workers ... built major airports in Memphis, Chattanooga, Knoxville, Nashville, and at the Tri-Cities."

The Cheatham Place public housing complex was undertaken in Nashville, Tennessee  following the passage of the Housing Act of 1937 and establishment of the United States Housing Authority (USHA). The USHA worked in conjunction with the Public Works Administration (PWA) in providing funds for local housing development projects, two of which were the segregated communities of Cheatham Place and Andrew Jackson Court. The Cheatham Place project was a Colonial Revival Style Community Building centered the 352 apartments of 2, 3, and 4 room units, located on 21 acres. The complex was constructed for white families, at a total cost of $2,000,000....

"Cherokee was built to generate hydroelectric power during the World War II emergency, but it also plays an important role as one of the chain of TVA-managed reservoirs that have prevented billions of dollars in flood damage over the years... Construction of Cherokee Dam began in Aug. 1, 1940, and was completed on a crash schedule on Dec. 5, 1941."  (www.tva.gov) It is located on the Holston River between Grainger County and Jefferson County.

Chickamauga Dam is located on the Tennessee River in south-central Tennessee just east of downtown Chattanooga. Construction began in 1936 as a part of Tennessee Valley Authority’s area improvements and was completed in 1940. Before the dam’s construction, the city of Chattanooga often experienced major flooding. The dam provides hydroelectric power to the area and creates Chickamauga Lake, which is used for recreation and a wildlife reserve. Two segregated recreation areas- Booker T. Washington State Park and Harrison Bay State Park- were also created with the construction of the dam and lake. "When the Tennessee Valley Authority was formed in the...

This two-story, red-brick building, was funded by the PWA with a $9,395 grant, and constructed by the WPA.

Originally built as the city's Civic Auditorium and Armory. It was built with assistance from the PWA in 1938-1940. It now houses the Administrative Offices and Athletics Office of Kingsport Parks and Recreation: "Planning began in the autumn of 1938 during the mayoralty of W.L. Holyoke, ground was broken on 22 December, and the dedication occurred on 9 March 1940. With a seating capacity of 2,032 in the auditorium and with areas for the exclusive use of the 191st Field Artillery of the Tennessee National Guard, the building owed its existence to $125,000 from the city and a grant of $97,510...

The Clarence T. Jones Observatory was designed by its namesake, who was both and architect and amateur astronomer. Jones presented city officials with plans for an observatory and a telescope, which would be constructed almost exclusively through volunteer labor. Built on donated land, construction was mostly funded by $17,000, divided about equally between a United States Public Works Administration (PWA) grant and the City of Chattanooga. The building was completed in 1936 while the telescope was still being assembled. The observatory was officially dedicated in 1938. The 20.5-inch telescope was the largest amateur-built telescope in the world when it was...

With federal funding from the Public Works Administration (PWA) the Cockrill School was constructed in 1939 and opened in late January 1940. Cockrill School replaced an older school, and provided space for 700 students in 17 classrooms. Cockrill School was part of a citywide PWA school building project that included Lockeland and Caldwell Schools for white students and Carter-Lawrence and Pearl Schools for African Americans. According to an article in the Nashville Tennessean (1940), the schools were "equipped with a sound system and radio, modern, new furniture, a projector for visual instruction, a library and teacher workroom, health clinic, modern cafeteria and...

The College Hill Courts public housing complex was undertaken during the Great Depression in Chattanooga, Tennessee with the assistance of funds provided by the United States Housing Authority (USHA). College Hill Courts (black only), 497 units on 20 acres, was constructed in the "restrained Colonial Revival style" (Van West, p. 138) at the same time as nearby East Lake Courts (white only). Combined cost for both projects was $3.8 million. College Hill Courts remained in use until at least September 2014 when the housing authority announced plans to demolish or close the project.

The Classical Revival (Art Moderne and Neoclassical Revival influences) two-story school was constructed over a period of 4 years. The project began with $250,000 from CWA in 1933-34, shifted to TERA in 1935, and was completed by WPA workers in 1935-36 (Van West, 2001). When the new high school was constructed, the building was converted to use as Collierville Middle School. The proposal is to utilize the building for future use as administrative offices for the school district. The building is designated with National Register of Historic Places status.

Located on the ceiling of the courtroom in the former US Post Office and Courthouse (now used by Tennessee Appellate court), von Wicht's unblinded "Goddess of Justice" is reclining atop the Smoky Mountains of Tennessee.

Cove Lake State Park, originally planned as Fort Mountain Park, was the third joint effort of the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA), the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC), and the National Parks Service (NPS). The initial 668-acre park was built along the banks of the lake created by the Caryville Dam (1936). The dam was built to minimize the flooding to Caryville from the Norris Dam (1933-1936) project down stream. Even with the Caryville Dam, some 70 structures including the First Baptist Church and a high school were demolished. In addition, Tennessee Highway 63 and US Highway 25 (Dixie Highway) required relocation....

Built by the Works Progress Administration used to hold high school games and major football games, such as Memphis State Tiger games. It was an estimated to hold 28,000 spectators before it downsizes in 2006.

"Cumberland Homesteads is a community located in Cumberland County, Tennessee, United States. Established by the New Deal-era Division of Subsistence Homesteads in 1934, the community was envisioned by federal planners as a model of cooperative living for the region's distressed farmers, coal miners, and factory workers. While the cooperative experiment failed and the federal government withdrew from the project in the 1940s, the Homesteads community nevertheless survived. In 1988, several hundred of the community's original houses and other buildings, which are characterized by the native "crab orchard" sandstone used in their construction, were added to the National Register of Historic...

"Cumberland Mountain State Park is a state park in Cumberland County, Tennessee, in the southeastern United States. The park consists of 1,720 acres (7.0 km2) situated around Byrd Lake, a man-made lake created by the impoundment of Byrd Creek in the 1930s. The park is set amidst an environmental microcosm of the Cumberland Plateau and provides numerous recreational activities, including an 18-hole Bear Trace golf course. Cumberland Mountain State Park began as part of the greater Cumberland Homesteads Project, a New Deal-era initiative by the Resettlement Administration that helped relocate poverty-stricken families on the Cumberland Plateau to small farms centered around what...

The four-panel mural "Industry, Agriculture, Statesmanship, Commerce" was commissioned by the New Deal Federal Art Project. The mural, installed in the entry lobby of the historic Davidson County Courthouse, is still visible today.  

The Davidson County Public Building and Courthouse on the Public Square in Nashville was constructed in 1936 to 1938 with funding from the Public Works Administration (PWA).  This enormous, 8-story building covers an entire city block and was built to house county and municipal offices, plus several courtrooms.  The county jail was originally on the 7th floor.  Short & Stanley-Brown (1939) put the cost of the project at $2,167,000 but no not give the share provided by the PWA.  Paine (1984) says the project cost $1,595,000 and that the city raised $400,000 for it in a public bond issue.  We have...

One of Memphis' first two public housing ventures was Dixie Homes, built for African American residents, after the Memphis Housing Authority was established in 1935. "Memphis became the second city in the nation, following New York, to establish a local housing authority" following the establishment of the Federal Housing Administration (FHA) in 1934. Consisting of 633 units, the project cost $3,400,000 for both facilities--the first was constructed for whites in keeping with the South's segregation policies. Dixie Homes was constructed following demolition of the Quimby Bayou swamp area slums, and was designed in the two-story, commons area block-style meant to encourage...

"Douglas Dam is a hydroelectric dam on the French Broad River in Sevier County, Tennessee, in the southeastern United States. The dam is operated by the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA), which built the dam in record time in the early 1940s to meet emergency energy demands at the height of World War II. Douglas Dam is a straight reinforced concrete gravity-type dam 1705 feet long and 202 feet high, impounding the 28,420-acre Douglas Lake. The dam was named for Douglas Bluff, a cliff overlooking the dam site prior to construction." (Wikipedia)

The school was constructed 1935-1936 with Public Works Administration (PWA) funds.  It is similar in design to the one at Union City, TN, also designed by Tisdale and Pinson and funded by the PWA.  According to Carroll Van West (2001), “Eakin was one of Nashville’s early New Deal projects.”  The PWA Modern design features a “square Doric classical colonnade and courtyard creating an impressive entrance” (p. 101).  designed and built by the Nashville firm of Tisdale and Pinson."   (https://www.nashville.gov) The Cavert Junior High School, which is directly adjacent to the Eakin School, was built ten years earlier in 1926. Both are listed as...