Work Relief Programs Sites

Works Progress Administration (W.P.A.) workers rebuilt the road around Whiting Reservoir in Holyoke, Massachusetts. From a W.P.A. Bulletin: Whiting Reservoir, Holyoke, a rippling splash set in a beautiful green countryside, is bordered by a narrow, dangerously curved road, lacking gutters, retaining banks and culverts. A Holyoke WPA Project is making this roadway a safe and modern thoroughfare.

The Works Progress Administration built a library in Drumright, OK. Contributor note: "Whitlock Park is located southwest of the downtown area and is bounded on the west by S. Jones Avenue, on the north by W. 2nd Street and on the south by Lou Allard Drive. The entrance on the south has a drive-through, flanked by stone pillars. A portion of the park boundary on this side has small stone pillars and pipe railing. The park has a nice selection of newer playground equipment, a skatepark and a splash pad. The WPA-constructed swimming pool has been replaced by the splash pad. A nice piece...

The park's swimming pool and bathhouse were constructed by the WPA in 1939-1940, and are still in use. According to the Oklahoma Landmarks Inventory Nomination, "The bathhouse has three rooms and is a single-story, rectangular...structure constructed of uncut native stone of auburn and buff colors with beaded mortar... The swimming pool is constructed of concrete and is rectangular... A stone wall lining was built around this pool. A new fence has been added."   (https://www.okhistory.org)

Multiple New Deal agencies: the Federal Emergency Relief Administration (FERA) and the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) participated in constructing Whitman Dam in Sarnia Township, Nelson County, North Dakota. The impounded lake provides a bucolic setting. "The Whitman dam in Sarnia Township required the raising of the county highway six feet and the installation of a box culvert 8 by 12 feet, large enough for boats to pass through as the spot will be used as a recreational center. Water at the dam site will be 14 feet deep with the reservoir 13,200 feet long covering 56 acres and storing 220 acre...

The WPA and the CCC carried out extensive development projects in Whitnall Park. including the Botanical Garden administration building and the golf course club house, as well as extensive landscaping. "Whitnall Park originally consisted of 606 acres. Purchased at a cost of $376/acre, this expenditure left County coffers with little money for park development. The advent of the Great Depression further stymied the parks completion. Laborers from Depression Era government work relief programs were eventually recruited to do the job. The two primary programs were the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) and the Works Progress Administration (WPA). CCC workers were generally 21 years...

The CCC camp in Lone Pine (part of the Inyo National Forest) completed the Whitney Portal Road to the trailhead for Mt. Whitney, the highest peak in the Lower 48 states, at 14,497 feet.

The Works Progress Administration (W.P.A.) conducted work at the since-demolished Whitney School, which had been located on School Street in South Ashburnham, in 1937. W.P.A. Bulletin: "In Ashburnham a long needed assembly room will be available for pupils of Emmeline Jewell Whitney School when a current project is completed. In order to create the assembly hall partitions are being removed and "accordion" style folding doors installed. Steal beams will support the weight formerly held up by the partitions."

The Works Progress Administration (WPA) paved 34 streets in Hartford, Connecticut, including the 0.7-mile stretch of Whitney Street from Asylum Avenue to Farmington Avenue, as part of a $2.5 million, two-year paving project begun in 1937. The federal government contributed $1 million. As part of this project the WPA also paved the entirety of South Whitney Street.

In 1939, the Works Progress Administration (WPA) constructed a bridge on Whitsett Ave. over the Los Angeles River in Studio City, CA. The WPA funded labor, and the city provided funding for equipment, materials, and inspection.

The Works Progress Administration (WPA) carried out improvements on the grounds of the Whittier State School for Boys (renamed the Fred C. Nelles School for Boys in 1941), in Whittier, CA. The school opened in 1891 as an institution for juvenile offenders. From 1916 until its closure in 2004 the only boys were in residence. In 1983, the site was designated California State Historical Landmark Number 947. Three of the most important school buildings from the Nelles-era campus improvements are preserved from the historic period: the Administration Building, the Superintendent’s Residence, and the Assistant Superintendent’s Residence. In 1937, Frederick Potter completed a mural...

The Works Progress Administration built a retaining wall to support the residential properties along the length of a sidewalk on Whittle Springs Rd. in North Knoxville. The wall, as well as a WPA inscription, can be found on the east side of Whittle Springs Road just south of Avondale Ave.

Now McConnell Air Force Base, what was originally Wichita Municipal Airport was improved and developed by the Works Progress Administration (WPA) during the 1930s. Improvement work included paving the runways.

New Deal crews of the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) and Works Progress Administration (WPA) conducted extensive work at Wichita Mountains National Wildlife Refuge. The refuge began in 1901 when part of the Comanche-Kiowa-Apache Indian Reservation was set aside as a National Forest. The area was transferred in 1935 to the Bureau of Biological Survey to become a wildlife refuge under the New Deal. The 59,020 acre refuge hosts a rare piece of the past - a remnant mixed grass prairie, an island where the natural grasslands escaped destruction because the rocks underfoot defeated the plow. It provides habitat for large native...

The park includes a 232-acre tract of land owned by the township. Established in 1927 for use by township residents, it was renovated with funds and labor provided by the Works Progress Administration (WPA). The clubhouse is one of the area's finest examples of period architecture.

Wickiup Campground, located approximately sixteen miles south of Canyon City on the banks of Canyon Creek, is one of two campgrounds built by the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) enrollees from Company 1231, Camp Canyon Creek. Members of Company 1231 spent nearly five years engaged in numerous improvements for the Malheur National Forest, including maintenance of fourteen campgrounds as well as construction of the two new ones. Today's Wickiup Campground offers nine trailer sites and four picnic sites.

Funds provided by the federal Works Progress Administration (WPA) enabled construction of a library addition to the old Wilbur Watts High School in Burlington, New Jersey, since demolished.

The Wild Horse Dam and Reservoir was originally constructed in 1937 by a New Deal agency, believed by Living New Deal to be the CCC. "The reservoir was initially created in 1937 by the construction of Wild Horse Dam. In 1969, a new concrete single-angle arch dam was constructed by the United States Bureau of Reclamation for the Bureau of Indian Affairs... The original 1937 dam was left in place and is still partly visible. The newer dam doubled the size of the reservoir."

This project was undertaken by the 156th Company of the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC). In 1933, CCC supervisor Robert Monahan wrote his parents about this work:  "My job the past two days has been to supervise some 78 men in the task of beautifying the bank of the Wild River, which the Forest Service road parallels for nine miles. As you may have noticed the banks of many of our streams have been lined for years with debris deposited there by the 1927 flood. It was a stupendous task to restore the appearance of these stream banks but with 80 men at one's disposal,...

The WPA was involved in construction work in Wildcat Canyon. "State of California, National Guard - Construct new rifle range on Wildcat Canyon in Contra Costa County, near Berkeley, by excavating; clearing and grading site; surfacing roads; erecting pit timbers, target frames and rifle racks; constructing superintendent's house; reconstructing buildings; fencing; and performing appurtenant and incidental work. Project also includes dismantling existing rifle range at Leona Heights in Alameda County, near Oakland and moving to new location. Project will operate on East Bay Municipal Utility District owned property under lease to the State of California until 1947. In addition to projects...

  Wildcat Mountain Ski Area, near Jackson, NH, in the Mt. Washington Valley, is one of the best-known alpine skiing resorts in New England, with lifts from the base on NH Rt. 16 in Pinkham Notch 2,112 feet (644 m) up to the summit ridge. The area has 49 trails on 225 acres (91 ha), including the 2.75-mile (4.43 km) Polecat Trail — the longest ski trail in New Hampshire." (Wiki)   July 17, 1933: "'Inspected ski trail locations with Charlie Proctor. Started work on 1 1/2-mile ski trail climbing 2,000 vertical feet to Summit E with Ed LeBlanc in charge'….Ed LeBlanc was...

This Work Projects Administration building was constructed in 1939 as a Wilderness School using local materials. A large rock wall and well also benefited from the skilled masonry of New Deal craftsmen. As of 2014, the building has been repurposed, presently functioning as a Baptist church.

"Several of the campground buildings and cabins hold important historic and educational value. The bunkhouse and dining hall area still reflects the architectural signature of its builders, the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) and the Works Progress Administration (WPA). Likewise, the three CCC‐built cabins, remotely nestled in the woods, retain the historical aesthetics of the era in which they were constructed. ...in 1933, Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) established a camp on the hill where the present outdoor center stands. Approximately 16 structures were erected. Additionally, the CCC was responsible for the construction of over eight miles of trails, installation of a public...

The Works Progress Administration (WPA) undertook several wildfire control projects in the hills behind Oakland, including brush clearing, fire breaks, fire patrols and fire trails.  Given the natural frequency of fires in California's dry summers – such as the massive Oakland Hills fire of 1992 – this kind of work was undoubtedly valuable for fire control. Seven projects were approved in 1935-36, as described in WPA project cards detailed here. Approved projects were not always carried out, however, and in this case one was defunded, another deleted and two were superseded.  It is almost impossible to confirm that the other work...

The Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) was present in the newly-minted Death Valley National Monument  from 1933 to 1942.  As one of their many projects, the CCC 'boys' constructed a summer headquarters and residential area for the National Park Service at Wildrose, high in the Panamint Mountains.   Summer heat made the regular headquarters and CCC camp at Cow Creek unliveable, so another CCC camp was added at Wildrose in 1935 so that the men could work year-round (at that time there were not permanent NPS staff in the monument yet). As the monument gained a permanent staff, the Superintendent made plans...

The federal Works Progress Administration (W.P.A.) conducted improvement work at Ashland's Wildwood Cemetery, beginning in 1935.

Wildwood Elementary School in Piedmont CA was expanded under the New Deal, with the addition of new classroom buildings and an auditorium. Prior to that, about one-third of Piedmont students were being taught in temporary buildings (derisively called 'shacks' by the locals). There had been three previous efforts in the 1920s to replace temporary school buildings in Piedmont but the bond issues lost (Tribune 1942).   After the school board sought and gained a promise of $83,000 in funding from the Public Works Administration (PWA) in 1933, a new bond issue for $233,000 passed in December of that year.  Of the...

The Works Progress Administration (WPA) conducted improvement and development work at Wildwood Park in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. Among other efforts, such as conservation work, they constructed a bridge along a bridle path over a stream. The location and status of the structure is unknown to Living New Deal. The park is bordered by highways that did not exist during the Great Depression.

Suffolk County News reported that between 1935 and 1936, the WPA "improved recreational facilities in following State Parks : Sunken Meadow, Heckscher, Wildwood, Orient Point and Hither Hills..."

The Works Progress Administration completed improvements on Wiley Street in Morgantown, Monogalia County.

The Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) developed Vermont's Wilgus State Park during the 1930s. Vermont.gov: "The land of Wilgus State Park was given to the State of Vermont in 1933 by Colonel and Mrs. William Wilgus for the creation of Wilgus State Park. The original park, constructed by the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCCs), consisted of a picnic area with large flue-type stone fireplaces and picnic tables, and the ranger's quarters." "CCC crews from Mt. Ascutney State Park constructed the park between 1933 and 1935. Park structures and features built by the CCC that contribute to the historical significance of the park include the stone...

"The Wyoming Valley Airport, located in Forty Fort and Wyoming and built in the 1920s, was expanded and given a paved runway through WPA, enabling it to handle passenger and freight traffic – including early air mail -- and help train World War II pilots." (timesleader.com)

"Will Rogers Courts is located east of S. Pennsylvania, south of Exchange Avenue. It was built by the WPA as a low-income housing project with an appropriation of $2,000,000. In 1939, it was taken over by the U.S. Housing Authority. Today, it remains a low-income housing addition under management by the Oklahoma Housing Authority. Rents range from $100 to $150 a month, with 354 units of efficiency, 1, 2 and 3-bedroom apartments. There are 85 red-brick building, with composition shingle gabled roofs. They are built on concrete slab foundations and have small concrete steps and porches. Most of the buildings...

This is a one-story tan brick building with 6-over-6 double hung windows. The main entrance has four concrete steps leading to double doors, under a flat metal awning. Above the awning is a divided transom. The entrance has a large concrete block surround with a raised pediment. On the surround is engraved "Will Rogers Library". The building is located within Gazebo Park, also constructed by the WPA. A low stone wall surrounds this park and building. On the left front corner of the building are two granite blocks reading: "W.S. Key, Administrator / Morton R. Harrison, Director" and "Works Progress Administration Project...

"Development of this 118-acre park began in the 1930s as a joint project of the Oklahoma City Parks Department and the National Parks Service, with labor from the CCC and WPA. The CCC cleared trees and brush, pruned, built terraces and dammed two small tributaries of the North Fork River to form two small lakes. The WPA work consisted of many native sandstone structures, including picnic shelters, a wood and stone Rose Arbor, footbridges, low walls and terraces, curbing, gardens, curved roads, and a beautiful amphitheater. These stone structures are still used today and are in excellent condition. The coordinates...

The College of Charleston's Willard A. Silcox Physical Education and Health Center gymnasium was a WPA project.

The WPA graded and landscaped the playground at Willard Elementary School.

The Willcox Women's Community Center was sponsored by the City of Willcox and completed in 1936. The project was completed with federal Works Progress Administration (WPA) labor. Project O.P. No. 65-2-166

"In 1934, under the Resettlement Administration, federal and state agencies united to buy 5,000 acres of this submarginal land to develop a recreation area. The Civilian Conservation Corps, as well as the Works Progress Administration, helped construct the site while providing much needed jobs. Four camps along with day-use and picnic facilities were built and the park opened to the public in 1937."

The school grounds contain a small New Deal sculpture by Hugo Robus entitled "Girl Weeding." It was made in 1938, probably under the auspices of the Federal Arts Project of the WPA.

This large bronze and marble memorial in Bryant Park commemorates the 19th c. poet and journalist William Cullen Bryant. The statue was created by Herbert Adams in 1911. In the 1930s, the it was restored with federal funding under Karl Gruppe, "chief sculptor of the Monument Restoration Project of the New York City Parks Department, from 1934 to 1937." The program was initially supported by federal funding from the Public Works of Art Project (Lowrey, 2008), and later by the WPA.