Military and Public Safety Sites

From 1935-1941, the WPA worked on projects directly supporting the United States Military. In Wisconsin, the WPA along with the U.S. War Department worked on a $22,000 building project that saw them build 6 wood buildings and two stone gates in 1940 to 1941. The two stone gates are the only remaining structures that still stand today. This gate was called the Highway 16 gate as it was built just off of Highway 16 on County Highway A. This gate served as the main gate for Camp McCoy on a road which was created when the base opened in 1909....

This gate is an amazing engineering feet. It lays at approximately 250 feet long and is in very nice shape. This gate, once completed, was used as the post's main gate prior to the cantonment area moving to North of Highway 21 in 1942. Work on this gate started in 1940 and most likely was completed in 1941. The road, which is County Highway A has existed since the base opened in 1909. There is a historical sign outlining the WPA's contributions to then Camp McCoy.

Per a historical account of Fort McCoy, written as a result of the base's 100th anniversary, it was mentioned that the WPA worked on post during the construction of Highway 21 near the Fort. This construction resulted in many buildings and two stone gates. Per the 2009 report, the two stone gates were the only structures that remained. This stone gate is located on Ginger Road just off of Highway 21 going into South Post. This gate is still standing but it has degraded with time. Ginger Road leads to the current base housing unit for permanent Soldiers and families.

The Works Progress Administration (W.P.A.) conducted improvement work at the former Fort McKinley on Great Diamond Island in Portland, Maine. Project information: “Rehabilitation of buildings including plumbing, heating, and electrical” Official Project Number: 13‐2‐11‐108 Total project cost: $40,000.00 Sponsor: War Department ‐Q.M.C. “Fts. Williams, McKinley, & Preble: Improve roads” Official Project Number: 165‐2‐11‐8 Total project cost: $189,576.00 Sponsor: Commanding Officer, Fort Williams, U.S. Army

Clear and level an area of 1 1/2 acres for the enlisted personnel of Fort Miley to use as a drill field and baseball diamond. This will involve moving 900 cubic yards of dirt. Erect a backstop of pipe and woven wire. Erect a spectators' grandstand--Mooser, p. 87.

The W.P.A. conducted development work at Fort Missoula in Montana. W.P.A. project info: "Construct additions to buildings" Official Project Number: 13‐3‐91‐160 Total project cost: $103,566.00 Sponsor: War Department "Construct additions to buildings" Official Project Number: 13‐3‐91‐35 Total project cost: $125,000.00 Sponsor: War Department "Construct additions to buildings" Official Project Number: 13‐3‐91‐X Sponsor: War Department "Construct additions to buildings" Official Project Number: 13‐3‐91‐X Total project cost: $21,434.00 Sponsor: War Department "Reconstruct and improve buildings and grounds" Official Project Number: 165‐2‐91‐81 Total project cost: $72,084.00 Sponsor: Commanding Officer, Fort Missoula, U.S. Army "Reconstruct, rehabilitate, and improve buildings and grounds" Official Project Number: 565‐91‐2‐14 Total project cost: $62,711.00 Sponsor: Commanding Officer, Fort Missoula, U.S. Army "Reconstruct and improve buildings and grounds" Official Project...

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 auxiliary flying field," roads, sidewalks, electrical, heading, plumbing and sewer systems, and erosion control. All manners of facilities were built, refurbished, improved, or expanded. A captioned image in "The Dawn," a WPA publication, states that conducted "extensive repair work" at Fort Monmouth, New Jersey ca. 1936. Here is one typical project description, Official Project #765‐22‐2‐14: Improve buildings, including general overhauling of plumbing, heating, and...

The federal Works Progress Administration (WPA) worked to improve Fort Monroe. $53,924 was allocated for the project in November 1938.

In 1934 several New Deal Programs provided funding and employed Fort Monroe laborers in the construction of the Fort Monroe Bandshell in Continental Park. The new bandshell replaced the previous one that had been destroyed by hurricanes in 1933. Capt. Harrington W. Cochran designed the bandshell for the 2nd Coast Artillery Band which played there for the first time in April 1934. Robert Kelly, Casemate Museum Historian at the Fort Monroe Authority, notes that Capt. Cochran's diary "documents Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC), Public Works Administration (PWA), and the Civil Works Administration (CWA) all either funding projects and/or providing labor for improvements across the post."

The WPA worked to improve the facilities and infrastructure at Fort Mott, southwest of Pennsville, New Jersey. The site is now a state park. These WPA projects were sponsored by the Commanding Officer, Fort DuPont, U.S. Army: "Improve cemetery road and dock road, including placing curbs, grading and paving roadway" Official Project Number: 765‐22‐1‐5 Total project cost: $12,198.00 "Improve buildings, grounds, and facilities" Official Project Number: 165‐2‐22‐215 Total project cost: $137,676.00 "Rehabilitate and improve buildings, facilities, and grounds" Official Project Number: 65‐2‐22‐365 Total project cost: $17,435.00

Fort Myer is a US Army post adjacent to Arlington National Cemetery. Along with many other military installations throughout the country, it received significant funding and improvements from New Deal agencies. One result was a new NCO housing area: "The NCO housing on Sheridan Avenue represents the effort to improve installations nation-wide. The Georgian and Colonial Revival elements of these buildings are typical of the construction on Army installations during this era."   (Fort Myer, Virginia: Historic Landscape Inventory) The “Microfilmed Index to WPA Projects” at the National Archives describes WPA work on the site in 1940-41: "Construct water and sewer lines, septic...

Originally known as the Arlington Cantonment and then as South Post, this area was a part of Fort Myer. In 1940, WPA labor was used to: "Construct, improve and rehabilitate buildings, including installing plumbing, heating and electrical facilities, public utility systems, water supply and purification, water and sewer lines, roads and walks at Arlington Cantonment, grade and drain grounds, perform incidental and appurtenant work." South Post has since been demolished and the grounds have become a part of Arlington National Cemetery, located directly adjacent to the rest of Fort Myer.

The WPA performed structural renovation and historic restoration work at this site in 1937.    

Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) Company 5441 transfered from work done on the Wilderness Battlefield in Virginia to Fort Ord October 12, 1937. "The enrollees are engaged in the improvement and maintenance of the Ord Military Reservation." "In 1937, under reservation status, the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) constructed many temporary buildings on the site. None of these structures stand today. In 1939, the US Army upgraded the base to Fort Ord. The Army increased intensity of use again in 1940 when the Works Progress Administration (WPA) built a number of structures on East Garrison. The East Garrison currently consists of over seventy-five buildings...

"On 1 July 1940 the 7th Division was activated at what was then known as Camp Ord with General Joseph W. Stilwell (1883 - 1946) in command. Also known as "Vinegar Joe" or "Uncle Joe", depending upon one's station in life, General Stilwell conceived a place where those who were rigorously training to put their lives on the line for our country could find respite. A man of action, General Stilwell bull-dogged this project through. He picked the site and assigned the architects: 1st Lieutenant Savo Stoshitch of the 13th Engineer Division and 2nd Lieutenant Orville Pierce, 74th Field Artillery...

"Fort Phil Kearny State Historic Site includes a visitor's center with exhibits, videos, a bookstore, and self-guided tours of the fort grounds and outlying sites. The tour marks the archaeological remains of the fort's buildings. A cabin built by the Civilian Conservation Corps has been furnished to depict the period quarters of an officer's wife and a non-commissioned officer’s quarters. Visitors can also tour the nearby battlefields which are located within a five mile radius of the visitor center and include interpretive trails." A headline in Montana's Big Timber Pioneer newspaper suggests that the project was completed in 1938.

The Works Progress Administration (W.P.A.) conducted improvement work at the former Fort McKinley on Great Diamond Island in Portland, Maine. Project information: “Rehabilitation of buildings including plumbing, heating, and electrical” Official Project Number: 13‐2‐11‐109 Total project cost: $40,000.00 Sponsor: War Department ‐Q.M.C. “Fts. Williams, McKinley, & Preble: Improve roads” Official Project Number: 165‐2‐11‐8 Total project cost: $189,576.00 Sponsor: Commanding Officer, Fort Williams, U.S. Army

WPA crews rebuilt historic Fort Recovery between 1935 and 1939. The fort was originally built in 1794 on the site where Army General Arthur St. Clair was roundly defeated by the armies of a confederation of Miami and Shawnee Native Americans. The fort was memorialized in 1910, and a museum opened on the site in 1938. From the National Archives file: “They also built, for use as a museum, a replica of the log cabin occupied by General St. Clair on his arrival there in 1791, and in addition constructed a modern library building.”

The Works Progress Administration (W.P.A.) conducted a development / improvement program at hundreds of military sites across the country. A DoD history document cites works at "Fort Banks" in Hull, Plymouth County, but it is possible these refer to Fort Revere. "Repair, modernize, and improve buildings" Official Project Number: 265‐14‐2007 Total project cost: $7,569.00 Sponsor: Commanding Officer, U.S. Army "Paint and repair buildings" Official Project Number: 265‐14‐2013 Total project cost: $11,359.00 Sponsor: Commanding Officer, Fort Banks, U.S. Army "Modernize and improve buildings" Official Project Number: 365‐14‐2‐3 Total project cost: $38,612.00 Sponsor: Commanding Officer, Harbor Defense, Fort Banks, U.S. Army "Rehabilitate and modernize buildings and improve grounds." Official Project Number: 165‐2‐14‐251 Total project cost: $132,214.00 Sponsor:...

The W.P.A. conducted numerous improvements at the former Fort Rodman in New Bedford, Mass. Project details: "Recondition buildings, grounds, and facilities" Official Project Number: 165‐14‐2‐11 Total project cost: $80,540.00 Sponsor: Commanding Officer, Fort Adams, U.S. Army "Improve grounds and recreational areas" Official Project Number: 265‐2‐14‐179 Total project cost: $38,458.00 Sponsor: Commanding Officer, Fort Rodman, U.S. Army "Improve buildings" Official Project Number: 765‐14‐2‐41 Total project cost: $76,327.00 Sponsor: War Department "Construct rifle range" Official Project Number: 765‐14‐3‐7 Total project cost: $2,404.00 Sponsor: War Department

The Works Progress Administration (W.P.A.) conducted improvement work at Fort Ruckman in Nahant, Mass. Project information: "Improve buildings and grounds " Official Project Number: 165‐2‐14‐251 Total project cost: $132,214.00 Sponsor: Commanding Officer, Fort Banks, U.S. Army

The Work projects Administration (WPA) conducted improvement work at the military installation at Fort Scott in Kansas. Description: "Improve and rehabilitate buildings, install plumbing, heating, and electrical facilities." WPA Project No. 213-2-158. Cost: $3,000. Sponsor: War Department, Commanding General

Excavation for basement under barracks buildings Nos. 11 and 12, make apertures in concrete walls and install doors and windows. Install reinforced concrete floor.--Mooser, p. 95.

Construct a basement in Building No. 13 at Fort Scott. This consists of cutting holes for 6 windows and one door, removing 150 cubic yards of dirt and completely finishing the interior. Construct a log cabin complete 50' x 24' x 13'. Construct a glass porch 40' x 18' to the present Officers Club building. Construct a circular band stand 28' in diameter. Construct two sea going targets for artillery fire 25' x 12' x 19'. Tear down four war time Officers Quarters -- remove nails, salvage lumber, and beautify locality.--Mooser, p. 85.

Landscaping and removing fire hazards on 403 acre military reserve adjacent to Fort Scott, San Francisco. Tree trimming and clearing under brush, constructing fire breaks, removing fallen logs and debris, thereby removing a serious fire hazard. And planting ice plant to stop wind erosion of sand dunes.--Mooser, p. 89.

Leveling lower half of Fort Scott Parade Grounds; moving 30,000 cubic yards; plant field with grass. Lower end of field will be a ball diamond with backstop and grandstand.--Mooser, p. 87.

Widen 15,600 linear feet of existing roads from 10 feet to 30 feet; this will involve paving 34,700 square yards with emulsified asphalt. Surface 3,200 linear feet of existing roads; this will involve paving 10,600 square yards with emulsified asphalt. Construct 14,000 linear feet of safety fences to be made of 6' x 6' redwood posts 8' on centers with 2' x 6' railings.--Mooser, p. 88.

Illinois's old Fort Sheridan was improved as part of Federal Project F-87 by the federal Civil Works Administration (CWA) ca. 1933-4. "The general scope of the project covered improvements to buildings and grounds, landscaping, drainage and minor construction."

WPA crews conducted restoration work at the site between 1935 and 1938. From the Library of Congress: "In 1937, the fort was restored as a WPA project. It has been placed on the National Register of Historic Places, but today is in great need of additional need of repair and structural work."  

The Works Progress Administration (W.P.A.) conducted improvement work at Fort Standish on Lovells Island in Boston, Mass. Project information: "Improve buildings and grounds " Official Project Number: 165‐2‐14‐251 Total project cost: $132,214.00 Sponsor: Commanding Officer, Fort Banks, U.S. Army

From a HABS Survey Report describing CCC work on the Fort: “Ca. 1936, CCC enrollees reconstructed a portion of the Civil War-era fort-part of Washington's defensive ring-using ‘concrete logs and timbers to simulate original log construction.’  This reconstruction included part of the fort's moat, banquette, revetments, gun platforms, and an underground powder magazine, all set within a sloped lawn and accessed by gravel walks. The 2004 field survey found that the reconstructed fort and magazine remain intact and in reasonably good shape.  Access to the underground magazine has been blocked and the walkways at the site (save the perimeter sidewalks along the...

The Works Progress Administration (W.P.A.) conducted improvement work at Fort Quincy on Long Island in Boston, Mass. Project information: "Improve buildings and grounds " Official Project Number: 165‐2‐14‐251 Total project cost: $132,214.00 Sponsor: Commanding Officer, Fort Banks, U.S. Army

The WPA undertook several projects to improve Bayside, New York's Fort Totten during the 1930s and early 1940s. One project called for the WPA to repair and reconstruct buildings; improve the "water and lighting installations" as well as "sewer installation and other utilities;" and "improve the roads and grounds" at the base. Much of the grounds now serves as a city park.

The Works Progress Administration (W.P.A.) conducted the following work at what was then Fort Trumbull: "Improve buildings, grounds, and facilities" Official Project Number: 112‐3‐15‐4 Total project cost: $15,666.00 Sponsor: Treasury Department, U.S. Coast Guard, Fort Trumbull Training Station "Paint interior and exterior of building" Official Project Number: 165‐15‐2019 Total project cost: $652.00 Sponsor: Quartermaster General's Department

The WPA undertook several projects to improve Staten Island's Fort Wadsworth during the 1930s and early 1940s. One project called for the WPA to repair and reconstruct buildings; improve the "water and lighting installations" as well as "sewer installation and other utilities" at; and "improve the roads and grounds" at the base.

The Works Progress Administration (W.P.A.) conducted improvement work at Fort Warren on Georges Island in Boston, Mass. Project information: "Improve buildings and grounds " Official Project Number: 165‐2‐14‐251 Total project cost: $132,214.00 Sponsor: Commanding Officer, Fort Banks, U.S. Army

Fort Washington was built to defend the river access to Washington D.C. in the early 19th century. In the 1930s, both the WPA and the CCC made general improvements to the Fort and surrounding park. The WPA made "general improvements to building and facilities at Fort Washington…including rehabilitating school, barracks, kitchens, latrines, gymnasium, and officers' club, including facilities, replacing sanitary sewers, altering and enlarging target facilities, improving roads by widening, straightening, resurfacing, and constructing curbs and gutters." (National Archives) A HABS Survey describes CCC activity at the Fort: “CCC work occurred during two periods at Fort Washington, first by Camp NP-6-VA (Fort Hunt),...

The Works Progress Administration (WPA) conducted multiple improvement and development projects at Fort Wetherill in Jamestown, Rhode Island. The projects included road construction, painting, the repair of a wharf, and building improvements.

The Works Progress Administration built an armory in Mobile, circa 1937. The structure still serves as the Alabama National Guard Armory.

The Works Progress Administration (W.P.A.) conducted extensive improvement and development work at the former Fort Williams in Cape Elizabeth, Maine. Work was largely sponsored by the Commanding Officer, Fort Williams, U.S. Army (the remaining by the War Department). Project information: "Remodel and improve buildings" Official Project Number: 165‐2‐11‐5 Total project cost: $271,131.00 "Reconstruct and improve roads and sidewalks" Official Project Number: 265‐2‐11‐14 Total project cost: $146,732.00 "Construct chapel" Official Project Number: 65‐3‐11‐164 Total project cost: $13,082.00 "Construct tent floors" Official Project Number: 65‐3‐11‐169 Total project cost: $7,569.00 "Improve grounds" Official Project Number: 745‐11‐2‐2 Total project cost: $3,849.00 "Construct tent floors" Official Project Number: 865‐11‐2‐11 Total project cost: $13,300.00 "Construct club building and...