Work Relief Programs Sites

The Woodbridge Canal Project started November 14, 1938. The project installed reinforced concrete canal lining for 211,200 feet of canals, 630 feet of concrete pipe, 50 concrete head gates, 5280 square feet levee roadway.

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...

The Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) conducted extensive development work at Grand Canyon Village, including the construction of a modest wooden bridge across Bright Angel Wash that can be found along a path between the railroad tracks and Village Loop Drive, about 300 feet down hill (but inaccessible) from Coulter Hall. CCC Walking Tour: "The CCC built two bridges across this normally dry drainage leading to the railroad tracks. The remaining bridge dates to 1937. A close look reveals that some of the timbers have been replaced recently, including adding metal beams underneath."

Woodhaven Boulevard was widened and improved during the late 1930s; much of the work was undertaken by the Works Progress Administration (WPA). Work included the filling in of spaces where trolley tracks had been removed.

In December 1937, William Phillip Bishop Woodhouse deeded a portion of his landholdings to the school district for the construction of Woodhouse School, which opened in the fall of 1938. The Work Projects Administration built additional facilities for Woodhouse School in 1941, including an agriculture building, a cafeteria and a home economics cottage. Woodhouse consolidated with the Four Pines School to create Westwood School. The class of 1960 was the last to graduate from Woodhouse, although its facilities continued in use until 1979.

"The Spanish Colonial Revival style City Hall was built in several phases, starting in 1932 with the firehouse and jail building, including the tower, which was not only picturesque, but also created a functional space for hanging wet fire hoses. Woodland contractor Joe Motroni built the first phase, designed by prominent Sacramento architect, Dean & Dean. This new public building replaced the 1892 city hall and firehouse, which developed structural problems and had to be demolished. In 1936 the building was enlarged to include space for a new city hall. Designed by noted Sacramento architect, Harry J. Devine and built...

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,...

"Woodland Park contains two ponds and one shelter house built by the WPA. The ponds are framed with stone walls and have a small stairway in between them. The shelter house is a rectangular (28' x 25') structure of coursed and rusticated native stone of buff color. A new brown gabled roof is attached. Two privies are located next to the structure. Newer shelters, concrete tables, and cookers have been added to the park."

Montana's Big Timber Pioneer newspaper reported in April 1937: "Woodland park, a $600,000 WPA project, will be completed in June, Mayor J. P. Bruckhauser was recently advised. The project consists of improvement work on an established park." On July 15, 1937, the same paper reported on the completed work: "Among the 11 large projects comprising the WPA civic-center program in Montana upon which $676,641.12 has been expended, is the civic-center park at Kalispell. Known as Woodland Park, this beautifully developed 30 acre area now contains a concrete swimming pool, rustic club house, lagoons, roads, bridges, winter sports area, landscaped picic and park grounds...

In the mid-1930s the Federal Works Progress Administration (WPA) provided support for the construction of a 495 ft. long rock wall, several rock picnic benches, two full-sized tennis courts, and a large bathhouse with pool in Woodland Park. The Waymarking webpage for this site describes the improvements and the contemporary condition of the facilities as follows: "The bathhouse is 143 x 116 with an extended central wing with the main entrance. This is a one-story building with uncoursed native sandstone walls, with beaded mortar. The flat roof has been covered with green aluminum in later years. At the center of the building, there is a dogtrot...

The Civil Works Administration (CWA) and the Works Progress Administration (WPA) provided funding and labor for numerous improvement projects at Seattle's Woodland Park Zoo during the New Deal period. The initial projects were completed in 1933. In the following years, dozens of additional projects resulted in significant upgrades to the zoo's infrastructure and animal quarters. Work on the zoo continued until late 1941, when the United States entered World War II. The first New Deal projects at the zoo were completed through the CWA in 1933 and 1934. These included the construction of new sewers, walkways, and fences in various parts...

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.

Improvements were made to Woodlawn Cemetery in Santa Monica, CA between 1934 and 1936 under the Civil Works Administration (CWA), State Emergency Relief Administration (SERA), and Works Progress Administration (WPA). The cemetery was refurbished with surfaced streets, brick curbings, and low ground fillings. There were also plans to install a sprinkler system and finish constructing the adjoining stone chapel, or “castle,” with additional WPA funding, but the project was eventually discontinued. In 1934, the Santa Monica City Council proposed that SERA complete twelve municipal projects started under the CWA in 1933-34. Six of the proposals were accepted by SERA, including improvements...

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...

This large WPA Federal Art Project mural by Richard Coe and Sidney Van Sheck was completed in 1936 and restored in 2009. The full inscription is "Gloried Be They Who Foresaking Unjust Riches Strive in Fulfillment of Humble Tasks for Peace Culture and the Equality of All Mankind." The oil-on-canvas mural is 200' long by 6' high.

Woodlawn Lake Park began as a subdivision development outside of San Antonio in 1887. The developers constructed a dam across a creek on the property to create a lake which soon became a resort area. The City of San Antonio acquired the property in 1918 and a citizen's group constructed restrooms and a playground and planted trees. A bond package in 1928 allowed for the construction of a pool and community center. In 1935, the Works Progress Administration (WPA) built two masonry bridges in the park. One still carries vehicular traffic into the park. The road over the second bridge was...

Woodminster Amphitheater and Cascade is an astonishing feature of Joaquin Miller Park in the Oakland hills and one of the largest New Deal projects in the San Francisco Bay Area.  Woodminster lies just off Joaquin Miller Road above Highway 13.  The large complex was constructed by the Works Progress Administration (WPA) from 1935 to 1940. Initial work began in late 1935 after $128,000 in federal funding was approved for Woodminster stairway and amphiteather, as part of a million dollars WPA effort across the city of Oakland (Chronicle 1935).  Further funds and more work came with a larger disbursement of almost $700,000 for "a master...

Woodminster Amphitheater and Cascade is an astonishing feature of Joaquin Miller Park in the Oakland hills and one of the largest New Deal projects in the San Francisco Bay Area. Woodminster lies just off Joaquin Miller Road above Highway 13.  The large complex was constructed by the Works Progress Administration (WPA) from 1935 to 1940. Initial work began in late 1935 after $128,000 in federal funding was approved for Woodminster stairway and amphiteather, as part of a million dollars WPA effort across the city of Oakland (Chronicle 1935).  Further funds and more work came with a larger disbursement of almost $700,000 for "a master...

The Woodminster Amphitheater design, by Edward Foulkes, is in the Art Deco style. The the inner columns have capitals with lion-head reliefs and the two outer flanking columns are topped by human torsos.  Lower down, on the sides of the facade, are two bas-relief panels. The name of the amphitheater is inscribed along the top.  There are also decorative element on the ceiling of the corridor below. The sculptures were funded in 1939 by the Federal Art Project of the Works Progress Administration (WPA) – both absorbed into the reorganized Federal Works Agency later in 1939. These were almost surely done...

Woodrow Wilson High School, originally built in 1924, was rehabilitated by W. Horace Austin following the 1933 Long Beach Earthquake with $27,000 in Public Works Administration (PWA) funding. In 1937, the Works Project Administration (WPA) reconstructed the gym building. The 1933 earthquake destroyed hundreds of schools throughout Southern California. “On August 29, 1933, Long Beach citizens approved a $4,930,000 bond measure for the rebuilding of schools. Applications for approximately thirty-five schools were filed with the Works Progress Administration (WPA) and Public Works Administration (PWA); federal grants up to thirty percent of labor and material costs were obtained. To minimize costs, building...

The Works Progress Administration completed improvements and repairs for the Woodrow Wilson School in Charleston. The work consisted of “painting and repairing.”

The federal Works Progress Administration (WPA) conducted improvement work on all school buildings in the city of Bayonne ca. 1939. Work on the Woodrow Wilson School building included "painting, repairing, and general improvement work."

The federal Works Progress Administration (WPA) improved Woods Falls Road near the village of Mooers Forks, New York in 1936.

A historical marker erected in 2008 reads: "In 1937, the Southwestern Settlement and Development Company deeded land to Newton County. This property would become known as Woods Park, named for the company's surveyor, C.A. Woods. County residents used the park for recreation and soon the Works Progress Administration (WPA), a New Deal program administered by the federal government, improved the park through a building project. Between 1939 and 1969, Newton High School used the park intermittently as an athletic field. Since 1980, the park has hosted the Newton County Fair and is now known as the Newton County Fair Grounds."

Construction on Woods Pond Beach was performed by CCC Co. 1124, located in Bridgton. According to the 1937 1st District CCC yearbook, "The camp has been very fortunate in having a number of ideal lunch ground sites located within easy working distance of camp. To date five of these have been constructed, and are being enthusiastically used by visitors and residents alike. The most rustic is located at Willis Brook, Bridgton. The shelters on this lunch ground are roofed with hand hewn shingles." CCC Yearbook

In 1940 the Work Projects Administration (W.P.A.) constructed the bridge carrying Woods Road, ENE of Hackett, Arkansas, across Hackett Creek.

The federal Works Progress Administration (WPA) worked to improve South Woods Road (then Wood Road) in Brushton, New York, the primary thoroughfare between the town and what was then the main 'turnpike' in the area.

According to the index of WPA projects at the National Archives, WPA crews both helped improve the water system and constructed sidewalks in the Woodside Park subdivision.  

Woodson State Fishing Lake was built by the Civilian Conservation Corps near Toronto KS.

The National Youth Administration built the Woodstock School of Art in Woodstock NY in 1939. According to the Woodstock School of Art, "The structures had their beginnings in 1939, when they were commissioned as a school for arts and crafts under the National Youth Administration (NYA), one of the programs in FDR’s New Deal. There were several NYA training camps across the United States, but the one located in Woodstock, New York, provided instruction to rural youth in applied arts such as woodworking, masonry, blacksmithing, and pottery."

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.

The city of Tupelo abandoned the old city jail following the 1936 tornado. The National Youth Administration remodeled the building the following year and established a woodworking and auto body shop for students in the building. It was destroyed by July, 2008.

Plans for construction of a native stone workshop on the courthouse lawn in Ballinger were begun in June 1939. Rock was obtained from the city quarry. The building was planned for 40 x 60 feet with space for 15 boys to work at the same time. The project was expected to cost about $5,000 and employ 50 workers. The machinery was installed in April 1940 and the center expected to begin production that month. The project held open house April 16, 1941. The agricultural adjustment administration were relocated from the courthouse to the building following the close of the NYA...

The historic Woody Mountain fire lookout tower was built by the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) in 1936.

The Woolridge Wayside picnic area on Woolridge Road (Rt. 640) in the Appomattox-Buckingham State Forest "features some large black walnut trees and a spring at the bottom of the hill. The Civilian Conservation Corps, or CCC, built this shelter, as well as some of the cabins at nearby Holiday Lake 4-H Center."   (https://www.dof.virginia.gov)

A 1939 Town report notes efforts at unemployment relief. REPORT OF OVERSEER OF THE POOR It is gratifying to us all, to know that unemployed men and women of Candia are put to work as soon as possible through the kind co-operation of the W.P..A. staff in Manchester. W.P.A. PROJECT NO. 2010 Candia Motor Sales $13.34 J. Munroe, axe handle .50 Robert Crosby, kerosene .80 Total $14.64 W.P.A. PROJECT NO. 1834 (Highways & Bridges) S. I. Markson, Foreman $138.63 John Brown 11.00 Frank Dockendorff 5.85 Total $155.48

The 1936 Town report mentions Flood repair from the 1936 flood as a WPA project employing 8 men with $1,231.50 contributed and a WPA sewing project for the making of clothing for the poor as costing $246.70 and employing employing 11 people.

A 1937 municipal report describes the usefulness of WPA projects to the city: "We have had several employed on W.P.A. projects in nearby towns which has been much help to all. As we locally can not furnish from our relief rolls a sufficient number of men who can qualify for this federal work and thereby acquire a project of our own we are appreciative of what has been done for Chester through this out of town work. We are asking for $1,200.00 this year as we are not sure what the state will do following June as the present relief law...