This sub-station of the Municipal Power and Light System of the City of Alameda was constructed with the aid of the Public Works Administration (PWA). The exact date is unknown to us. The old power plant has been demolished and… read more
The Public Works Administration funded the construction of the Bankhead Lock and Dam (Lock 17) on the Black Warrior River in the vicinity of Birmingham. “Dam no. 17 on the Warrior River has improved the navigability of the river. This dam is… read more
Dams on the Columbia River for hydropower, navigation and irrigation had been eyed by Northwestern industrial, shipping and agricultural interests well before the New Deal. The Army Corps of Engineers published a report in 1929 that recommended ten dams on… read more
Works Progress Administration (W.P.A.) conducted drastic improvement work at the South Boston Army Base in Boston, Massachusetts. WPA Bulletin: At the Army Base, South Boston, WPA employed more than 1000 men repairing and altering buildings, warehouses, wharves, roads, grounds and… read more
The Works Progress Administration (WPA) completed the construction of a pumping plant at the Boysen Reservoir in the vicinity of Shoshoni, Fremont County. The facility provided water supply. The exact location and condition of the pumping plant is unknown to the… read more
First Rural Electrification Administration (REA) program in Kansas is remembered today with a state highway marker in Horton KS. “First REA Project in Kansas At this site the first power pole for the Brown-Atchison Electric Cooperative was dedicated in special… read more
In February 1937, officers and directors of the Burt County Rural Public Power Company met in the Burt County Courthouse to sign a loan contract with the Rural Electrification Administration (REA) for $275,000.00 to build 263 miles of transmission lines…. read more
“Between 1935 and 1940, Massachusetts and the federal government, primarily using Works Project Administration funds, constructed 63 buildings (all but Buildings 102 and the old Williams Hospital have since been demolished) and two, 500-foot (150 m) wide turf runways at… read more
Between 1936-1937, the Puerto Rico Reconstruction Administration (PRRA) built the Carite hydroelectric plant no. 3, located North of Guayama.
The Public Works Administration (PWA) funded the central electric substation for the City of Alameda, which has its own municipal electric power system. It cost over $200,000, a considerable sum at the time. It also served as the central fire… read more
The Central Valley Project (CVP) was originally conceived of in the 19th century, but took shape as the “State Water Project” in 1919. The federal government turned it down in the 1920s, after which it gained approval from the state legislature in 1933…. read more
The photo below shows power pumps at a PWA station in Chandler. Exact location and current status of the station not known.
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… read more
The Colorado-Big Thompson Project (C-BTP) is a massive water storage and transfer project for agriculture, cities and power generation. It involves dams and reservoirs on the west side of the Rocky Mountains’ Front Range to collect water from the upper… read more
The CCC worked at what is now Denali National Park for two summers in 1938 and 1939. “The Mount McKinley National Park Headquarters District in what is now called Denali National Park was the original administrative center of the park…. read more
Devils Tower is a dramatic igneous rock formation rising 1,267 feet above the surrounding area. It and the surrounding area were declared a national monument in 1906. “From 1935-1938 a CCC camp was located there. Practically all the improvements on… read more
“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… read more
Okolona obtained electric power in 1935 through the Tennessee Valley Authority power plant at Muscle Shoals, Alabama. Funding to extend the municipal power system into the surrounding rural area was approved by PWA 9/25/1935. Project 1139 for a loan of… read more
Public Works Administration (PWA) 1203 approved a loan of $66,000 and grant of $54,000 for a new electric power plant. The project was approved 11/14/1935. Construction began 10/10/1938 and was completed 10/4/1939. The delay between approval and construction was due… read more
An electrical grid / distribution construction project was undertaken in Cushing, Oklahoma during the Great Depression with the assistance of a federal Public Work Administration (PWA) grant. Construction occurred between 1938 and 1939. PWA Docket No. OK [X]1345.
In Torrington, Wyoming “the electric light system for the community was repaired by [Civil Works Administration (CWA)] workers.”
In Upton, Wyoming the Civil Works Administration (CWA) “built a power plant and installed electric lines.”
In Lingle, Wyoming, a Civil Works Administration (CWA) “project repaired and rebuilt the municipal electrical distribution system. The final report for that project noted, “This project is a great improvement to the town of Lingle, as the light system has… read more
The WPA worked to improve the conditions at Finns Point National Cemetery near the former Fort Mott, southwest of Pennsville, New Jersey. Project description: “A non‐construction project to improve and rehabilitate buildings, install plumbing, heating, and electrical facilities, realign headstones,… read more
“Fontana Dam is a hydroelectric dam on the Little Tennessee River in Swain and Graham counties, North Carolina, United States. The dam is operated by the Tennessee Valley Authority, which built the dam in the early 1940s to accommodate the… read more
The federal Works Progress Administration (WPA) conducted substantial development work at the former Fort Hancock. Numerous projects undertaken by the New Deal agency, totaling more than two million dollars [not adjusted for inflation], included utility and infrastructure overhauls, building new military facilities, reconstructing docks, erecting… read more
The Work Projects Administration (WPA) worked to develop and improve Fort Indiantown Gap in Pennsylvania. Work, approved in the fall of 1940, included “improvements to the landing field, construction and improvement of buildings and installation of sewer and electric lines.”
The federal Works Progress Administration (WPA) conducted millions of dollars (not even adjusted for inflation) of improvement and development work at Fort Monmouth in New Jersey. No aspects of the installation were left untouched: improvement and construction work involved developing “an… read more
“The Fort Peck Dam on the Missouri River in northeastern Montana, approximately 20 miles southeast of Glasgow and near the town of Fort Peck, is being constructed by the Army Engineers under the supervision of the District Engineer. The primary… read more
The Friant Dam is one of three major dams in the giant Central Valley Project in Northern California, along with Shasta and Folsom, built by the federal Bureau of Reclamation. Initial funding for the CVP came through the Emergency Relief Appropriation Act… read more
The idea for the dam was originally proposed by William M. Clapp in 1917. Feasibility studies were performed in the 1920s, and a final report in favor of the dam was presented to Congress in 1931, but work on the… read more
“Hiwassee Dam is a hydroelectric dam on the Hiwassee River in Cherokee County, in the U.S. state of North Carolina. It is one of three dams on the river owned and operated by the Tennessee Valley Authority, which built the… read more
Hoover Dam, originally called “Boulder Dam”, is the anchor of the entire Colorado River water storage and management system. It lies in Black Canyon (not Boulder Canyon) at the southern tip of Nevada, on the Arizona border, and creates the… read more
Public Works Administration project 6279 for an electric plant at Seward was approved 6/20/1934 for a $96,000 loan and a $30,000 grant. Construction finally began 8/6/1937 and was completed 8/7/1939 for a total cost of $136,170. The project proposed a… read more
A site devoted to the history of the park (www.letchworthparkhistory.com) has compiled an extensive list of CCC work done in the park: During the Great Depression, Letchworth Park was the site of several Civilian Conservation Camps. (See the Glimpse of… read more
The Civilian Conservation Corps (C.C.C.) developed Tucumcari Metropolitan Park, a.k.a. Five Mile Park, in Tucumcari, New Mexico. “At one time Tucumcari Metropolitan Park had the largest outdoor pool in the entire state of New Mexico, a playground with lots of equipment,… read more
Public Works Administration (P.W.A.) funds enabled construction of the “Municipal Light Plant at Chambersburg” The exact location and building status is presently unknown to Living New Deal.
The National Youth Administration (NYA) contributed work teams to the construction of a new power plant for the municipal power system of Murray, Utah (the NYA was a part of the Works Progress Administration of the New Deal). A team… read more
"A utility cooperative is a type of cooperative that is tasked with the delivery of a public utility such as electricity, water or telecommunications to its members. Profits are either reinvested for infrastructure or distributed to members in the form… read more
The heart of today’s Greenbelt, Maryland – popularly known as “Old Greenbelt” – is a large, planned community laid out and constructed during the New Deal. It features community facilities such as a school, theater and community center, a large… read more