Parks and Recreation Sites

Nipmuck State Forest's Mountain Laurel Sanctuary began "as a beautification project of the Civilian Conservation Corps" in 1935. Located along Snow Hill Road, it features Connecticuts state flowers, and is particularly beautiful during peak bloom.

The federal Works Progress Administration (WPA) constructed a pool in Mountwell Park in Haddonfield, New Jersey ca. 1936. The pool has since been abandoned. Philly.com: "started out as a swimming hole created by the 1913 construction of a cobblestone dam (the cobblestones were taken from Kings Highway) at a stream near the present intersection of Reillywood Avenue and Centre Street. The bathhouse atop an adjacent hill and a children's playground followed. In 1937, as a public-works project after the Depression, a cement pool replaced the original sand-bottom hole. That year, the Camden County Park System described the pool and its park as...

The Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) construction this compound in Gifford Pinchot National Forest.

Mt. Bradley Ridge is near Castle Lake in Shasta National Forest. It now appears to be reached mainly by a trail leading from Castle Lake, to Heart Lake, to Little Castle Lake to the Mt. Bradley Ridge. The highest point of the hike is 6050 feet. From the fire lookout's position on the ridge, there are stunning views of Castle Crags and Mt. Shasta. This timber tower replaced the smaller lookout house on the right in the photo below.

Providing the western edge of ridge of downtown basin sits Mt. Echo Park, with a sweeping view of the Ohio River. Starting with purchase of the land in 1908, over the following decades the park say numerous improvements. The pavilion provides a stunning setting for a wedding but the tucked away picnic shelter is a beauty hiding in plain sight. Designed by architect R. Carl Freund and built by the WPA, the stone chimneys and low roof are a nod to Frank Lloyd Wright.

Rising 1,350 feet, Mount Nebo offers sweeping views of the Arkansas River Valley. In 1933, a portion of the mountain was chosen as a park site. Native stone and logs from Mount Nebo were used by the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) to construct many of the park's bridges, trails, rustic-style cabins, and pavilions. The park offers 34 campsites (24 Class B; 10 Hike-in Tent Sites) and 15 fully-equipped cabins for rent, complete with fireplaces and kitchens. Fourteen miles of trails encircle Mount Nebo and take visitors to the awe-inspiring Sunrise and Sunset Points, perfect places to take in the view. For...

The Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) made extensive improvements to the newly-formed Mount Tamalpais State Park on Mount Tamalpais – a favorite hiking and recreational spot for San Franciscans all the way back to the Gold Rush era (1850s). The California State Parks website adds these details: "The CCC expanded the recreational opportunities of park visitors with new trails, camping facilities, and the monumental amphitheater. Except for the winter of 1938, veteran companies occupied the CCC camp from April 1934 through April 1940.  Mount Tamalpais State Park has other CCC features: Mountain Theatre (Cushing Memorial Theatre) and Actor Dressing Rooms, Footbridges, Camp Stoves, Sixteen campsites...

The Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) was very active in the Coronado National Forest during the 1930s. Coronado National Forest is discontinuous across southeastern Arizona and southwestern New Mexico because the forested areas occur only on isolated mountain ranges called "Sky Islands" – a type of landscape similar to the Basin and Range in Nevada. CCC camp F-30 was located in Madera Canyon in the Santa Rita Mountains (we are not sure exactly where or for how long).  The CCC 'boys' (enrollees) did extensive work in the canyon, including a campground, picnic area, amphitheater, trails and erosion works. The largest CCC project in...

The CCC did extensive work in Muir Woods National Monument. The National Park Service site summarizes their activity: "The men began work in Muir Woods and the surrounding Tamalpais State Park. Projects included a revetment (rockwork stream banks) in Redwood Creek; construction of a stone-faced concrete bridge on Fern Creek; construction of utility buildings and benches; and the construction of the Sidney B. Cushing Memorial Amphitheater (the "Mountain Theater"), near Rock Springs, on Mt. Tamalpais. The CCC completed its last project in Muir Woods in May 1941, and was disbanded shortly thereafter."   (https://www.nps.gov/) Not everything the CCC did was ideal by modern standards,...

"Two limestone bbq pits and remnants of two metal picnic tables and benches are the only constructed elements in the east end of the park. A modern baseball field and two concrete block outhouses are located in the west half. A strip mine pit has been reclaimed as a small lake at the east end of the park. The picnic facilities are in poor condition, but the bbq pits match the style of other WPA construction in Kansas. Only the picnic facilities at the east end of the park appear old enough to have been constructed during the 1930s. Records indicate...

Mule Peak is in the Tule River Ranger District and overlooks the Tule River Indian Reservation to the west: "Established in 1936 as a primary fire detection facility, Mule Peak Lookout was constructed for $2,800 on a rocky peak at elevation 8,142 feet. The C-3 live-in cab was built by the CCCs who packed all the materials in by horseback. To this day, all materials and supplies must be packed in the 1.25 miles from the parking area or delivered by helicopter. There is a small gable roofed shed built near the base of the lookout. The lookout is in good condition...

President Franklin D. Roosevelt established the Muleshoe Migratory Waterfowl Refuge by executive order on October 24, 1935. In 1940 the name was changed to the Muleshoe National Wildlife Refuge. The original tract purchased for the refuge was 738 acres. The refuge is currently 6,440 acres. One of the primary purposes of the establishment of the refuge was to provide land that could be used to feed birds and thus reduce damage to commercial crops in the area. This would also decrease bird deaths by farmers protecting their crops from destruction. Additional benefits of building the refuge included providing a necessary link...

According to Stacy Lundgren of the US Forest Service, the CCC was responsible for much of the infrastructure in the Stanislaus National Forest, including "roads, trails, bridges, dams, campgrounds, lookout towers, ranger stations, pretty much everything." To do the work, CCC camps were established at Italian Bar, Tuolumne, Jupiter, Hulls Meadow, and Corral Creek on the Mi-Wok Ranger District; Dorrington, Mokelumne, and Skull Creek on the Calaveras Ranger District; Strawberry on the Summit Ranger District; and Buck Meadows, Camp 17 (out of Crane Flat in Yosemite National Park) and Greeley on the Groveland Ranger District. Most work that persists today was done...

The Bristow town website explains that the amphitheater was "built by the CCC and the NYA, one of the first youth projects completed. Eleanor Roosevelt came to Bristow to dedicate the project in March 1937." A 1985 National Register nomination form for Creek County explains that the amphitheater itself is a one-story, flat-roofed, wooden structure (later painted white). The foundation is stone, the seats are concrete, and the whole area was planted around with trees, which are still there today. The form further explains that: "Architecturally, the structure is unique to the park in terms of type, style, and workmanship. This project...

Aberdeen's Municipal Ballpark, a.k.a. Pheasant Park, was constructed in 1936, competed as a Works Progress Administration (WPA) project. The facility rebuilt in 1954 and demolished in 1975. The exact location of the since-demolished ballpark is unknown to Living New Deal.

This historic stone bathhouse was built, along with a municipal swimming pool, for the community of Viroqua, Wisconsin. It was a New Deal project of the Works Progress Administration (WPA) and its relief workers. The pool was removed in 2014-15, but the building remains and has been marked as a local historic site. The building is owned by the city, which is threatening to sell it – a decision that is opposed by many in the community (2022).  The Viroqua Historic Preservation Commission with the approval of the City of Viroqua has formed a WPA Building Task Force to raise money to renovate...

Bathhouse number 6 was the last bathhouse built in St. Louis during the time when the need for bathing by those with no indoor plumbing was a critical problem. They were built in those areas of the city with the highest concentrations of laborers. Less than 1 in 1,000 of the 25% poorest had indoor plumbing. This bathhouse was built by the PWA in 1936-1937 for $42,763. This bathhouse has 2 doors, men's to the right, women's to the left.

Wichita Municipal Beach Swimming Pool was built in 1938 as a Works Progress Administration (WPA) project. The pool replaced an earlier municipal pool built in 1923. The new pool cost $50,000 to construct. At 240 feet long and 125 feet wide, the pool sloped from a depth of two to nine feet. It also contained 38 underwater flood lights of 1000 watts each. In addition to the main deck, there were two smaller pools nearby designed for children. The Municipal Beach Swimming Pool was the crown jewel of the Wichita parks and recreation system. It opened to a deluge of residents during...

During the 1930s the federal Works Progress Administration (WPA) conducted improvement work at Ogdensburg's municipal dock.

Several substantial structures at the Miami Municipal Fairgrounds were built using native sandstone by the WPA (ca. 1940), including: an eight-foot-tall perimeter wall; a 78' x 205 fairground grandstand; a wall surrounding the racetrack; a 90' x 70' stable, and a 76' x 178' exhibit barn.

This recreational complex inclusive of ball fields, grandstands, a playground and tennis courts was constructed by the WPA. Completed in 1937, the project extended from today’s Bullens Field to Franklin Street and was comprised of three levels. The first level would contain a “first-class” baseball diamond, a football field, a running track with jumping and pole vault pits, two large concrete grandstands (nicely trimmed in art deco), a field house with lockers and showers. The second level, today known as Jachym Field (named after a Massachusetts Hall of Fame High School Coach Joe Jachym a star basketball and baseball player...

An article in the Illustrated Daily News noted that as part of a group of 8 federally funded projects in the early period of the New Deal was "No. 3 - Construction of a municipal fish market in San Pedro. $205,000 will employ 130 to 170 men for 10 months." The Mission Revival style building exists today and provides fish wholesale to businesses and to the public early Saturday mornings from 3:30 to 7:30am.  

www.amsterdammuni.com describes the development of Amsterdam, New York's Municipal Golf Course: The effort to create the Amsterdam Municipal Golf Course began on July 17, 1934 with the allocation of $3,500 by the Recreation Commission , City Council and Mayor Arthur Carter. In December 1934, Mayor Carter and the Common Council approved the purchase of approximately 182 acres of land. Construction was made possible through a $100,000 federal appropriation under the New Deal’s Works Progress Administration (WPA). As many as 175 WPA employees worked on the project. The designer of the course was Robert Trent Jones, Sr., who went on to be a legend...

Circa 1933 to 1935, FERA and CWA workers (and possibly WPA workers) constructed this golf course. From the City of Schenectady website: The course opened in 1935. It was designed by A. F. Knight (the inventor of the "Schenectady Putter") and Jim Thompson, and largely funded by the Federal Emergency Relief Administration (FERA) and the Civil Works Administration (CWA), both predecessors of the well-known Works Progress Administration (WPA). Schenectady Municipal Golf Course stretches to 6600 yards (6000 m) and features fast, undulating greens and tight fairways blanketed within grasses and native vegetation. Schenectady Municipal Golf Course was ranked by Golf Digest...

Although the golf course is no longer being maintained or used, the fairways and recently constructed cart paths remain. It was part of a larger WPA project that included development of the municipal park and swimming pool construction. The park remains and is in use with shelters, playgrounds, though the swimming pool is no longer present. The site is now known as the Sikeston Recreation Complex.

Among the Works Progress Administration (WPA) projects identified as completed in an El Paso Times article from June 7, 1936 was a "Municipal Golf Course Clubhouse, $14,945.72." The golf course in question and the status of the facility are presently unknown to Living New Deal.

The Civil Works Administration (CWA) and Federal Emergency Relief Administration (FERA) conducted improvement / development work at Casper's municipal golf course, also known as the Casper Community Club. The work was described in a newspaper article as "municipal golf club-house and fairways." Casper Star-Tribune, March 3, 1935: "The new Casper Community club golf house was built at a cost of $21,047. In addition, nine supplementary greens were constructed on the course." Based on recent imagery Living New Deal believes the clubhouse is no longer extant.

"The Gym is one of only two remaining WPA Project Gymnasium in Texas and has been fully restored to its original appeal. The Gym offers 7200 sq. ft. of space for reunions, business meetings, trade shows and family activities. Included are food prep areas, restrooms, with large showers and a refinished Theatrical Stage. Ample parking is available."   (https://www.quanahnet.com) The gym is also apparently now the site of the Pease River Cowboy Church.

The annual municipal report from 1935 reported on extensive E.R.A. activity in Ashland: "Since May 1, 1934 the Town of Ashland has received approximately $10,000.00 in the form of Federal Emergency Relief Funds. This money has enabled the town to work between fifteen and twenty-five men on a part time basis. Efforts have consistently been made to get approval for worth while projects. A few of the things accomplished with these funds are listed below: 1. Construction of approximately one mile of rock drain. 2. Cleaning up town dumps at Ashland and Sheridan. 3. Assisting park commission in cleaning up Community park. 4. Provide labor...

The Lewiston Evening Journal reported that by 1935, a combination of the CWA, FERA, and ERA had completed numerous work projects in Auburn Maine: A two mile hiking trail along the Little Androscoggin River called the Baker Mill Trail was started. An athletic field was built at the Walton Elementary School along with shrubs and landscaping. The interiors of the Webster Grammar school, Webster Jr. High, Lake Street school, & Washburn school were painted. The roof was repainted at the Chamberlain school. At Edward Little High School, the windows were replaced. The roof of the city building was repaired, floors refinished, & both the interior and...

"Some work was found through federal programs, such as the Civil Works Administration, with employment for some 200 people in local projects. For example, the upgrading of Kelley Field and the conversion of the Goddard Pond area into a playground offered some employment. Additional improvements to the road system as increasing automobile traffic demanded more access and more space also provided jobs. Vine Street was widened to provide a four-lane approach to the Carlton Bridge. A new road was constructed from Cook’s Corner to Bath in 1938, following the path of King’s Turnpike, a toll road built by William King...

Annual municipal reports for the fiscal year ending in 1941 detailed New Deal involvement in several local projects: "The highway department reported that W.P.A. APPROPRIATIONS equaled $682.22 and 13 men were employed." "The FINANCIAL REPORT OF THE BEDFORD SCHOOL DISTRICT July 1, 1939 x— June 30, 1940 reported about a WPA project employing 20 men costing $1,047.51" "WHITE PINE BLISTER RUST CONTROL FINANCIAL STATEMENT 1940 TOWN OF BEDFORD W.P.A. Funds expended $1,301.45 Area covered 4,757 acres Currant and gooseberry bushes destroyed . . . .10,551 Number of local men employed 5"

SELECTMEN'S REPORT To the Citizens of Boscawen: That the people of Boscawen, may more fully comprehend the financial assistance the town has received for W. P. A. Projects and what was accomplished by obtaining such projects, we submit the following report: When allotments were available, every effort was made to get our town's share, and the town's resources, such as the gravel bank and power shovel, were carefully utilized with the money raised for W. P. A., to make the Sponsor's Contributions, necessary to obtain such allotments. The town of Boscawen received for the Projects, the sum of $23,032.18. Local private employment in...

According to an index of WPA projects in the National Archives, the WPA rebuilt dairy barns and developed a botanic garden in College Park. These may have been on land owned by the University of Maryland. The WPA also installed water mains in the area, all in 1935.

The WPA did extensive work in Colmar Manor in 1935, including constructing concrete sidewalks, curbs and gutter improvements. The WPA also made alterations to Town Hall and improvements to City Park and a local playground. It is not known whether the current town hall is the one referred to in 1935 or which playground and park were improved.

Various relief and infrastructure efforts were provided by the New Deal for this small New Hampshire mountain village, population 514 (1930 Census). From 1933 to 1935, the Public Works Administration conducted a survey for a proposed water project, at a total cost of $488. A federal list of PWA projects constructed mentions that the water works were built and then sold to the town, as town reports mention bond money raised to purchase it. In 1933, the school superintendent noted, "We expect sometime this year to have the use of a school nurse for a week or more, and with the assistance...

WPA records in the National Archives indicate that the WPA installed various water mains in Hyattsville in 1935. The WPA also improved what was listed as "University Park" in Hyattsville. It is not known whether this referred to a specific municipal park or instead to the incorporated community bordering Hyattsville and known as University Park.

From the Pittsfield Historical Society: In those five years there were other items of lesser interest but worthy of mention. One of the first of the alphabetical administrations created by the new Democrat regime was the Civil Works Administration -- the CWA. Mr. John McDonough was the state administrator, and he appointed Ray Badger local administrator. Mr. Badger had many projects to supervise, including the repair of the library roof, the renovation of the interior of the town farm, building cemetery lanes, repairing rural roads, and pruning shade trees. ... Another construction project of importance to Pittsfield was the concrete highway through town....

In the 1930's, Winter Garden was struggling economically along with the rest of the nation. The Great Depression left growers without markets, consumers without spending money, and many without work. It was Winter Garden's fortune to have George Walker as its mayor during this difficult period. Mr. Walker, a native of Savannah, Georgia, came to Winter Garden in 1919, and in the following year, opened Walker Electric Company and Appliance Store. An avid sportsman, Walker was the director of the Lake-Orange County semi-pro baseball league and served as the manager of the Winter Garden League in 1924. He was also active in...

Extensive work was done in Berlin by a combination of the CWA, FERA, PWA, NYA, CCC and WPA all during the existence of the New Deal when “in 1935, under the leadership of newly-elected Mayor Arthur Bergeron, the Farmer-Labor Party began the process of reorganizing city government and acting as a conduit for federal monies in response to the mass lay-offs in the the Great Northern and Brown paper mills” (https://www.berlinnh.gov) 1935 The period of the Civil Works Administration ended on April 1, with jobs incomplete as follows Athletic Field, Boating and Bathing Pool at the Bog. 1936 "The Federal Work Projects have assisted...