Civil Works Administration (CWA) Sites

Multiple school buildings in southeastern Vermont were improved with federal Civil Works Administration (C.W.A.) funds and labor. Athens/Jamaica town report, 1933-4: At present there are four different jobs under the C. W. A. either going on or finished. At South Wardsboro the school house has been shingled and a new chimney built. At West Wardsboro one side of the school building has been shingled. At Athens running water is being piped to the school. In South Newfane the school building has been moved farther back from the road and is being completely remodeled. The labor for all these projects is provided...

In 1935-36, Civil Works Administration (CWA) and Federal Emergency Relief Administration (FERA) carried out repairs to a half-mile segment of Western Avenue, from Wisconsin Avenue to Fessenden Street.   The road was paved with “temporary material consisting of broken-concrete base, broken stone, and slag. These large aggregates are choked with smaller material, and an application of asphaltic cement completes the operation. This construction forms a very good temporary roadway.”   The work is likely still extant, but invisible beneath subsequent repaving.  

The Civil Works Administration (CWA) undertook a project "painting the building on Delaware street wharf"—a city-owned facility—in New Castle, Delaware, starting Jan. 1934. The facility appears to be no longer extant.

The Civil Works Administration (C.W.A.) and Federal Emergency Relief Administration (F.E.R.A.) supplied labor for Maynard town projects White Pond in 1934. In addition to planting trees, workers cleaned its banks of brush and dead wood, and cut wood for other purposes. White Pond, an important component of Maynard's water supply system, is physically split among Hudson and Stow townships. Work was continued by the Works Progress Administration (W.P.A.).

Construction on White Rock Lake began in 1910 in response to a water shortage in Dallas. The City of Dallas dammed White Rock Creek in 1911 and built a water processing plant. White Rock Lake was the city’s main source of drinking water until a bigger lake was built in Lewisville, Texas in 1929. The City of Dallas transferred ownership of the land surrounding White Rock Lake to the Park and Recreation Department. The Park and Recreation Department started developing the 1,254 acre White Rock Lake Park in 1930. One of the first projects was stone picnic tables. Next to these...

"The Historic District at White Sands National Monument (WSNM) consists of eight Pueblo Revival buildings constructed in the late 1930s by Civil Works Administration workers as a Recreation Demonstration and Emergency Conservation Work Project. It is understood to have been done at the cost of $31,000. The centerpiece of the district is the Monument Administration and Museum Building, constructed in 1936-37. This two-story building with patios and portals was beautifully finished inside with exposed viga and latilla ceilings, a corner fireplace, tinwork fixtures, and Colonial Style furnishings created by CCC workers and Girl Scouts. This district was also landscaped with...

The Legion post was constructed 1934 with $2,900 allotment from the federal Civil Works Administration (CWA) and $2,000 from the Legionnaires, who also contributed the lot. The facility was destroyed by fire following repairs after it was used to house flood victims in the 1937 flood. A new facility was erected on the site of the former building.

The Civil Works Administration (C.W.A.) conducted improvement work at Maynard's former Wilson School, including the installation of smoke partitions. The Work Projects Administration (W.P.A.) conducted further work in 1941. All school buildings in the town "on the exterior have been completely renovated by having the windows weather stripped, puttied and painted. The interior... are now being repaired with W.P.A. labor by installing new celotex ceilings where needed, replacing plaster ceilings that were beyond repairs, having the hallways, classrooms washed and painted. These repairs have added consiterabl to the appearance of our school buildings." The building was destroyed by fire in 1952.  

Civil Works Administration funded improvement work at Wilson-Ledbetter Park in Cameron. Lizzy Batey Ledbetter deeded the twenty-five acres of land for Wilson-Ledbetter Park to the City of Cameron in 1914. An excerpt from the state historical marker at the site reads: "The Cameron Herald reported on November 16, 1933 that the Civil Works Administration (CWA), a federal new deal program, would fund improvements at the park and provide work for hundreds of unemployed men. The Herald reported on May 2, 1935 that “when the Texas centennial celebration is held in Texas in 1936, Cameron should have one of the most beautiful parks in...

"The Winchester cemetery benefited from federal programs initiated during the Great Depression. In 1930, the original tool house/comfort station was removed and a new, brick and stucco tool house/storage/comfort station building was erected by Civil Works Administration labor.* During 1934 and 1936, headstones were reset and realigned, sunken graves were filled in, existing trees trimmed, new trees and roses planted, and the wall was repointed and repaired. In 1936, a brick and stucco gasoline storage building was constructed and a one-story addition and basement was added to the superintendent’s lodge by Work Project Administration laborers. On Aug. 28, 1939, the...

The federal Civil Works Administration (CWA) undertook improvement work at the Wolfe County Courthouse in Campton, Kentucky. Work was specifically undertaken to "Repair Damage Done by Dynamite".

The CWA removed debris at this site. According to the marker, San Joaquin Valley College originally stood at this site and was replaced in 1890 by Woods Elementary School. This school was pulled down in 1922. In 1934, the Woodbridge community tried to get PWA funds to build the Woodbridge School, but the PWA rejected the request. However, the CWA did remove debris from the site. Woodbridge Middle School was built in 1939. Because Woodbridge Middle School was built in 1939 and because it is constructed in the style of many New Deal Projects, namely Spanish colonial revival, Woodbridge Middle School may...

Delaware utilized substantial federal resources in developing and improving its road network during the Great Depression. Among the dozens of projects undertaken by the federal Civil Works Administration (C.W.A.) during 1934 was road construction from what was then known as Five Points, north of Laurel, northwest to Woodland. Living New Deal believes this to be Woodland Road. (Five Points is the location at which N. Central, Seaford, Woodland, and Georgetown Roads, and N Poplar St. all meet, north of Laurel.) An average of 1,410 were put to work each week during 1934 as a result of the CWA’s road, sidewalk,...

The Civil Works Administration (CWA) conducted a painting project at the former Woodland School (now South Hadley Council on Aging) in South Hadley, Massachusetts.

The Civil Works Administration (CWA) worked to improve Woodland Veterans Park in Shawnee, Oklahoma, installing new concrete walks and constructing tennis courts.

The Civil Works Administration (CWA) improved the Woodlawn Cemetery in Westbrook ME Excerpt from the town 1933 report, "WOODLAWN AVENUE GREATLY IMPROVED BY C.W.A. PROJECT The three miles of avenues in Woodlawn were given a coat of gravel during the winter. This project was arranged for by Mayor Jordan and heartily approved by the Cemetery Trustees, and is the most important improvement ever made in the Cemetery. The project gave employment to a large number of men and trucks and was completed within the time allotted for the work and somewhat below the estimated cost. The spreading of the gravel in winter and the dragging and...

The WPA did extensive work in creating both the park's rock and rose gardens. According to the Oklahoma Landmarks Inventory Nomination, the "rock gardens in Woodward Park were laid initially by WPA laborers, although there is some evidence that the work was begun somewhat earlier by CWA workers."   (https://www.okhistory.org) "Constructed by the WPA using hand labor and teams of horses and a part of Woodward Park and the Tulsa Garden Center, the Municipal Rose Garden was inaugurated in 1934 and is a continuing project of Tulsa Parks and the Tulsa Garden Club. The first roses for the garden were planted in 1935."  ...

Oxford, Massachusetts's old Woodward School received assistance from multiple New Deal programs during the 1930s. In 1933 the Civil Works Administration (CWA) graded a playground at the school and painted and decorated the building, a project which, town reports state, is "a work that does great credit to those having it in charge." The school grounds were further improved and graded during 1934 utilizing funds provided by the federal Emergency Relief Administration. The building still houses educational facilities, though it is no longer known as the Woodward School.

"A special town meeting in 1933 was devoted mainly to motions aimed at making applications for public-works projects to the State Civilian Works Administration (CWA), a Depression-inspired program to find work for the unemployed... Women were urged to file with Mrs. Wingate in December 1933 regarding a CWA sewing project that would involve either a community sewing room or part-time work for women at home. In February 1934, a federally funded evening school was underway at the academy. There were 57 people enrolled in typewriting and 30 in bookkeeping. The Union reported, "They say some of Hampton's leading businessmen are spending...

Multiple New Deal agencies carried out improvement, development, and/or construction work at what was then Wrentham State School (now Wrentham Developmental Center). Annual Report: "Much valuable work has been done at the institution during the year through the use of funds provided by the C.W.A., F.E.R.A. and P.W.A. Nine out of many projects presented were approved at the beginning of the C.W.A. activities, and few were completed ..." "The projects sponsored by the government on the P.W.A. program, namely the addition to the laundry, which has been built but is not yet equipped, and the fourth nursery building which will be completed this summer, are progressing satisfactorily."

The Civil Works Administration (CWA) conducted extensive improvement work at the Wyoming Industrial Institute—now the Wyoming Boys' School—southwest of Worland.

The Civil Works Administration (CWA) conducted extensive improvement work at the Wyoming Girls’ Industrial Institute—now the Wyoming Girls' School—in Sheridan. Cassity: Similarly, the Wyoming Girls’ Industrial Institute in Sheridan was transformed with paint, plumbing, and additions. Again, the plumbing proved critical: “This project will very greatly improve the sanitary conditions at the institute, as the old sewer system was not of sufficient capacity or of design to handle the sewerage from this institution. The old septic tank was modernized so as to afford a sewage system from a portion of the buildings that were served by the former system.” The CWA...

The federal Public Works Administration helped to finance the construction of three buildings at the Wyoming State Training School in Lander, Wyoming during the 1930s. A new addition was constructed for the girls' dormitory; a new boys' dormitory was built; and a new kitchen building was constructed as well. Prior to that, the Civil Works Administration (CWA) "substantially modernized" the facility, "from driveway to electrical system and plumbing, and the plumbing was particularly in dire need of upgrading." The facility now serves as the Life Resource Center, "a residential facility for physically and mentally disabled people" (Wikipedia). The Public Works funds, PWA...

The Civil Works Administration (CWA) conducted extensive improvement work at the Wyoming State Hospital in Evanston.

The Civil Works Administration (CWA) conducted extensive improvement work at the former Wyoming State Penitentiary in Rawlins, Wyoming. Located along W Walnut Street, it now houses a museum.

The Civil Works Administration (CWA) worked to construct / develop an airport in Cody, Wyoming. The airport is likely a precursor on the same site as what is now Yellowstone Regional Airport.

Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) enrollees made many improvements at Yosemite Village and Curry Village at the east end of Yosemite Valley, in the heart of Yosemite National Park. At the time, these were known as the Old Village, New Village and Camp Curry. At Yosemite Village, the CCC teams installed log curbing, laid out new paths, and planted ferns, trees, and shrubs around the administration building, new hospital, residences, and Yosemite Museum. Some of the landscaping was done with native plants transplanted from various places outside the valley.  CCCers placed flagstones around the telescopes in front of the museum. Under the direction of...

A 102″ concrete pipe under Yosemite Drive in the Eagle Rock neighborhood of Los Angeles built by the CWA in response to the 1934 New Year’s Day Flood which caused the death of at least 45 people in Montrose and La Crescenta and some property damage along the former Eagle Rock creek. The sides of the channel are lined with corrugated iron and it measures about five feet wide and three feet deep.

These improvements include the creation of a recreational beach by dredging sand from the San Joaquin River, the construction of dressing room barges, the provision of lighting for the park, and the construction of 50 benches. Currently the park is used mostly for picnics and barbeques. The bathing beach no longer in use. Te park is operated by the City of Stockton.

This building allowed all city functions to be carried out in a single location for the first time, and included a council meeting room, a large public meeting room, a police station with jail cell, and city offices. This was the first public building built under the Civil Works Administration in Ottawa County.

Workers from the Civil Works Administration built the rustic-style Zilker Club House out of native Texas limestone in 1934, originally as a Boy Scouts of America hut. The clubhouse and the surrounding 30 acres of land were used by the Scouts for activities and Scout meetings. The clubhouse resides on a hill top and has a panoramic view of the Austin skyline. The clubhouse is now rented out for parties and receptions. The clubhouse is a contributing building to the Zilker Park Historic District. The district was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on May 23, 1997.

Zilker Metropolitan Park is located at the confluence of Barton Creek and the Colorado River in Austin, Texas. The 351 acre park is administered by the Austin Parks and Recreation Department and is considered "Austin's most-loved park." Starting in 1917, local businessman Andew Jackson Zilker began donating land to the Austin School Board with the stipulation that the City of Austin purchase the land from the school board for use as a park. The money would then be used to create the Zilker Permanent Fund, an endowment fund for industrial education and home economics training in the schools. Architect Charles H....

The Civil Works Administration built the Girl Scouts Hut in Zilker Metropolitan Park in 1934. Architect Charles H. Page designed the National Park Service rustic style building, which overlooks the Barton Creek greenbelt. The hut is still used for meetings and camps by the Girl Scouts and can be rented for use by the public.

The Civil Works Administration remodeled a historic house into a refectory at Zilker Metropolitan Park, based on architect Charles H. Page's design. Text from the state historical marker: "Originally built in the 1870s for Austin pioneer Ashford McGill, this native limestone structure and the surrounding property were purchased by Andrew J. Zilker who conveyed the land to the city for a park in 1931. Remodeled by the Federal Civil Works Administration for use as a multiple purpose park building, the house now exhibits 1930s-era detailing, including a pergola-covered courtyard. Recorded Texas Historic Landmark-1990"

Delaware utilized substantial federal resources in developing and improving its road network during the Great Depression. Among the dozens of projects undertaken by the federal Civil Works Administration (C.W.A.) during 1934 was construction along Zoar Road. An average of 1,410 were put to work each week during 1934 as a result of the CWA’s road, sidewalk, bridge, and other related infrastructure efforts in Delaware.