Federal Emergency Relief Administration (FERA) Sites

A Boston Public Works Department report cited Federal Emergency Relief Administration (F.E.R.A.) labor as conducting the following work: "Warren and Charlestown Bridges, repairs to fender piers. Retaining wall at Charlestown Bridge repaired."

A Boston Public Works Department report cited Federal Emergency Relief Administration (F.E.R.A.) labor as conducting the following work: "he Chelsea Viaduct was repaved and a guard rail constructed."

The Cherry Lake community was a Federal Emergency Relief Administration (FERA) project to build a community for resettlement of families from the urban areas in Florida. FERA bought 15000 acres on which it planned to build farms, housing, and an industrial plant, withe the goal of creating a self sufficient farming community. Started with temporary housing then post office, community center, sawmill, family homes, etc.

"Cherry Lake Farm (also known as Cherry Rural Rehabilitation Project) was a New Deal rural relief program initiated by the FERA and the Resettlement Administration (RA) and implemented by the WPA. The project involved moving 500 needy families from Tampa, Miami, and Jacksonville onto a 15,000-acre communal tract. The workers formed the cooperatively-owned Cherry Lake Farms (headquartered in the 1839 former plantation home, the Hinton House) and constructed a school, an auditorium, a coop store, barracks, a lumber yard, and a mill. Families lived in 170 cottages with phones, electricity, and running water?all furnished by jointly-owned utilities."   (www.floridamemory.com) According to the...

The Federal Emergency Relief Administration (F.E.R.A.) and Works Progress Administration (W.P.A.) funded the labor for and materials for improvements to the former Chestnut City School building in Millville, Massachusetts. Improvements included painting, for which the federal government also paid for the project's materials; and filling, grading, and drainage work to the grounds. Living New Deal believes this to be what was known as Millville's Little Red Schoolhouse, a building on Chestnut Hill Road that is now a private residence. Its exact location is unknown to Living New Deal.

The Federal Emergency Relief Administration (F.E.R.A.) reconstructed a mile-long stretch of Chestnut Street in 1934-5. From 25 to 60 men were employed for six months. The project was undertaken at a cost of $17,322, for which the federal government contributed $11,322.

The Federal Emergency Relief Administration and the Civil Works Administration carried out “repairs and renewals” work at the Christiansted Junior High School (renamed Elena Christian Junior High School) on St. Croix.

"One such building was the Minersville City Hall funded in Beaver County by FERA. It was built in 1935 to house the town's post office, library, municipal offices, and Daughters of the Utah Pioneers camp. To save costs, stone for the hall was brought from a demolished building of the old Murdock Academy, which had been standing empty since 1922. Civilian Conservation Corps crews dismantled and hauled the stone to Minersville."

Nashua municipal reports for 1934 document that a project to paint the old city hall was either a CWA or FERA project. In 1936, the town decided that the old building was no longer adequate and applied to the PWA for assistance. The federal grants came through, and work on the new city hall and police station commenced in 1937.

The federal Civil Works Administration (CWA) conducted much work in and around Georgetown, South Carolina during the early years of the New Deal. The Georgetown Times wrote: "Started by the CWA and completed by the FERA, the paint job which was put on the old City Hall at the foot of Screven Street has rejuvenated the ancient landmark." The old City Hall, erected in 1843 on Front Street, is home to the Town Clock.

The Civil Works Administration (CWA) and Federal Emergency Relief Administration (FERA) dramatically improved the former multi-purpose municipal building at 45 Community Road in Pinehurst, North Carolina. "In Pinehurst, Moore County, project No. 63-B4-5, transferred from the Civil Works Administration, has provided a combination city hall, fire station and public hall. An old community building was remodeled under this project to provide more adequate municipal facilities."

A Boston Public Works Department report cited Federal Emergency Relief Administration (F.E.R.A.) labor as conducting the following work: "Extensive alterations were made to the office of the Bridge and Ferry Division, 602 City Hall Annex."

The City Park Band Shell in Twin Falls, Idaho was constructed as a Federal Emergency Relief Administration (FERA) project in 1934-1935, part of a larger program of civic improvements around the city of Twin Falls. The band shell is still in use.  Unfortunately, there is no acknowledgement of the role of the New Deal and local relief workers on or around the bandshell. There might be a plaque hidden under the ivy on the back of the structure, but the information sign in front makes it sounds as if the bandshell were built along with the park in the 1904. However,...

The Federal Emergency Relief Administration built a lily pond in the Civic Center in Downtown Gadsden, circa 1937.

In 1933-34, a large number of civil improvements were made to Twin Falls, Idaho by the Civil Works Administration (CWA) and Idaho Emergency Relief Administration (IERA). The works were done by relief workers hired from local jobless rolls in the depths of the Great Depression. Both CWA and IERA were funded by the Federal Emergency Relief Administration (FERA), to the tune of around $250,000. The civic improvements included the City Park band shell, work at the water treatment plant, tennis court at Harmon Park, painting Shoshone Street bridge, grading over 200 blocks of city streets, and graveling 95 blocks of streets.

"To portray 'beauty, toil and simplicity' was the goal of artist, R. Phillips Sanderson, when he designed the 'Copper Miner.' Sanderson had moved to Bisbee during the Depression and worked as a commercial artist. He was paid $30.00 per month by the Federal Emergency Relief Administration during the six months it took to complete the statue. Bisbee native, Lee Petrovitch, posed for the artist. The statue was cast in concrete and covered (metalized) with a thin layer of copper. The statue was dedicated to all of the miners who had worked in Bisbee mines."

Multiple New Deal agencies contributed to the construction of water mains and development of the water system for Wayland, Mass. Examples of water mains installed or replaced: Stanton St., Harrison St., and Dunster Ave. in 1933; Old Connecticut Path and Sycamore Rd. in 1934.

"Some of the early projects implemented  included ... construction of a new road from the St. Augustine road to Cody." This was likely Road 212.

The Puerto Rico Emergency Relief Administration carried out repair and maintenance work in Collores in Juana Diaz.

Oxford, Massachusetts's old Colonel DeWitt Fire Station, located on Barton Street, received modest assistance from Federal Emergency Relief Administration funds in 1934. The current status of the building is unknown to Living New Deal.

"The fairgrounds have long been a gathering place for the state’s agricultural community and have also served as a vehicle to educate, promote and entertain the public about Colorado agriculture. Since 1901, farmers and stock men and women have come to the annual exposition at this location to display and compare their products, to see and learn about the latest advances in agricultural technology and techniques, and to purchase quality livestock. The 4-H club, a youth organization orientated toward agriculture education, has maintained a steady presence at the fairgrounds since 1918. The complex benefited from a number of Depression-era New...

Originally built as the community's high school, one of the facilities that makes up what is now Commerce Middle School campus was constructed as a New Deal project. The 136' x 103' structure, which features a gymnasium, was "initiated by the Oklahoma Emergency Relief Administration and finished by WPA labor." It is located along S Cherry St., as opposed to Commerce St.

The structure initially housed community activities for the resettlement community in Eleanor. This is a long U-shaped side gable building designed in a roadside colonial design. It features double chimneys and had a center light tower that no longer exists.

The Civil Works Administration (CWA) and Federal Emergency Relief Administration (FERA) constructed the Community Building in Ayden, North Carolina, with work completed in 1935. The building is still in use.

The Civil Works Administration (CWA), possibly succeeded by the Federal Emergency Relief Administration (FERA), built a community building east of Shell. Cassity: In Shell, the CWA constructed a log “community house,” a building that was “equipped with a fine dance floor and the building will serve not only the people in the vicinity but will serve a large number from the entire county as this building is located recreational section of the Big Horn Mountains.” The exact location and condition of this building are unknown to the Living New Deal.

The Federal Emergency Relief Administration (FERA) and Works Progress Administration (WPA) constructed a community building and gymnasium in Little York, Indiana. The building, which is located at the southwest corner of N School Rd. and W Mill Rd., is now privately owned. "The Little York community building provides an example of a structure built almost entirely of native timber. Work on the building was started under a Federal Emergency Relief Administration project which was responsible for the sawing of 34,000 feet of timber. The structure, which is 90 by 50 feet, contains a basketball floor, a stage, galleries and two small...

The Civil Works Administration (CWA) and Federal Emergency Relief Administration (FERA) constructed Lander's believed former Community Center on Buena Vista Drive in 1934-5. The structure was destroyed by fire in 2012 and has since been replaced.

The Civil Works Administration (CWA) and Federal Emergency Relief Administration (FERA) constructed the Community House in Pittsboro, North Carolina. The building is still in use.

The Tudor-style community house was constructed in 1935 by FERA. "A stone-veneered building with false half-timbered gables, very similar to the community houses in Grenada and Winona" (Mississippi Department of Archives and History, Historic Resources Inventory database Fact Sheet). The facility is currently available for community activities and is used frequently for committee meetings, weddings, funerals, and other local events. A committee formed in 1999 and was involved in restoration and renovation for a 10-year period (Elkins, 2009).

The Civil Works Administration (CWA) and Federal Emergency Relief Administration (FERA) constructed the Community House in Red Oak, North Carolina. The building, which is located on the south/east side of Church Street between Red Oak Blvd. and School St., is still in use.

Town Report, 1934: "We call your attention to several E.R.A. projects which have materially affected the appearance and condition of out town. The elimination of the open culverts on Concord Road have greatly improved the general appearance and also relieved the town of a serious condition caused by their danger to traffic."

The Federal Emergency Relief Administration funded the construction of the Corbett Field in Minot ND. Primarily a baseball stadium, although it has been used for football. Original cost was $60,000, of which $25-35,000 was borne by the city of Minot. Original capacity was 1500. Currently used as a home field for an assortment of high school, college, amateur, and minor league reams.

The Civil Works Administration (C.W.A.) worked to develop and improve the safety of Cranberry Road in Carver, Massachusetts. Town report: "4000 feet of Cranberry Road was gravelled and given a Mixed in Place Tar top. This portion of Cranberry Road was widened and straightened under the C.W.A. last winter." The work was continued by the Federal Emergency Relief Administration (F.E.R.A.).

In 1934 the Federal Emergency Relief Administration (FERA) completed a Civil Works Administration (CWA) project in Crane Eater, Georgia, about six miles east of Calhoun: a two-room schoolhouse. The location and status of the building is unknown to Living New Deal.

The Crossett Experimental Forest is located about 11 km south of the town of Crossett in Ashley County, Arkansas. The Federal Emergency Relief Administration began the project in 1933 with "13 miles of pick-and-shovel-built FERA roads" (Reynolds). Firelines were built by the Works Progress Administration that are still in use today (Bragg & Gulden, 2009). Unspecified buildings were constructed in 1935 and 1936 by the WPA. The Civilian Conservation Corps built three buildings in 1939 and 1940. "Forest Service researchers associated with the Crossett have published more than 1,000 articles on forest management and silviculture. More than 45,000 foresters, students, landowners, and...

The Federal Emergency Relief Administration (F.E.R.A.) conducted multiple work projects at Crowe Park in Maynard, Massachusetts in 1934, including removing rocks and stumps; grading land for parking space; painting its grandstands; and constructing tennis courts. In 1935 F.E.R.A. labor "erected a new back stop, cut brush and graded behind the grand stand. The Works Progress Administration (W.P.A.) continued work at the park, which included construction of a band stand in 1939.

The Federal Emergency Relief Administration (FERA) provided labor to improve Crownhill Cemetery in Amherst, Ohio in 1934.

The Puerto Rico Emergency Relief Administration carried out new road construction on Cuevas Road in Lajas.

"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...

The Puerto Rico Emergency Relief Administration (with funds from the Federal Emergency Relief Administration) carried out new construction on Cupey Road in San Juan.