Dedham Parkway Development – Boston MA
W.P.A. project description: “Dedham Parkway and Turtle Pond Parkway; a project in operation at the end of the year will provide a parking area on each of these two parkways in the Hyde Park district.”
Delaware Ordnance Depot (former) Development – Pedricktown NJ
The WPA conducted extensive work at former Delaware Ordnance Depot, located on the west side of Route 130 about halfway between Penns Grove and Pedricktown. Many buildings and much of the infrastructure from the time is still extant. WPA projects at the… read more
DeSoto National Forest Improvements – Brooklyn MS
Seven CCC camps began planting slash and long leaf seedings in half of the DeSoto National Forest. Each camp of 115 men were planting 50,000 seedlings per day, anticipated to take three months to complete. The camps included Camps F-16… read more
Detroit Zoological Park Exhibit Improvements – Royal Oak MI
New Deal agencies undertook a variety of improvements at the Detroit Zoological Park in Royal Oak, Michigan. Between 1933 and 1937, the Civil Works Administration (CWA), the Federal Emergency Relief Administration (FERA), and the Works Progress Administration (WPA) funded and… read more
Detroit Zoological Park Improvements – Royal Oak MI
New Deal agencies undertook a variety of improvements at the Detroit Zoological Park in Royal Oak, Michigan. Between 1933 and 1937, the Civil Works Administration (CWA), the Federal Emergency Relief Administration (FERA), and the Works Progress Administration (WPA) funded and… read more
Devil’s Punchbowl State Natural Area – Otter Rock OR
In the 1934, the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) developed the Devil’s Punchbowl day-use area for public use. The improvements included picnic tables, fireplaces, restroom, drinking fountain, water supply, a foot trail and steps to the beach. The majority of these… read more
Dimond Park: Land Clearance and Trails – Oakland CA
The Works Progress Administration (WPA) prepared the way for Dimond Park in 1936, in coordination with the Oakland Parks Department. The relief workers cleared trees and brush from the steep Sausal Creek Canyon before constructing the Recreation Area, reworking the… read more
Dry Lagoon State Park Development – Trinidad CA
The Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) prepared Dry Lagoon State Park for public use. The work was carried out between 1933 and 1937 by Company 1903 at Camp Prairie Creek, from where the CCC worked on state parks all along the… read more
Earl Ruth Park – Parlier CA
WPA Proj. No. 646-02-2-300, $2,200, June 7, 1938. “Make improvements to the City Park in the city of Parlier, Fresno County, including constructing restroom with utility connections, wading pool, swings, sand boxes, and other recreational facilities; grading and oiling roads;… read more
East Bay Regional Parks: Clearing and Tree Planting – Berkeley and Oakland CA
New Deal work relief and conservation crews cleared hundreds of acres of trees and brush and planted hundreds of thousands of trees and shrubs in three of the original units of the East Bay Regional Parks District (EBRPD): Tilden, Temescal,… read more
East End Forestation – St. Croix VI
The CCC performed forestation work that included the “development of approximately 4,000 acres at the east end of St. Croix as a mahogany forest.”
East Park – Connellsville PA
The Works Progress Administration (WPA) built East Park in Connellsville, Pennsylvania between 1936 and 1940. “In January 1936, Connellsville came together for suggestions to transform the dump back into a more recreational attraction….This transformation started in 1936 and continued until… read more
Eddy County Courthouse Square Landscaping – Carlsbad NM
According to the Carlsbad Current-Argus, WPA efforts in Eddy County included “landscaping Carlsbad courthouse grounds.”
Edgewood Recreation Center Improvements – Washington DC
During the 1930s, Edgewood Playground, as it was then known, was upgraded as part of a larger Capital Parks improvement program undertaken by the Public Works Administration (PWA), Civil Work Adminstration (CWA), Works Progress Administration (WPA), and Civilian Conservation Corps… read more
El Yunque National Rainforest – Rio Grande PR
In addition to the New Deal Puerto Rico Reconstruction Administration ( PRRA), the PWA, CCC, and Puerto Rico Emergency Relief Administration (PRERA) all operated on the island as well. As on the US mainland, the CCC built many of the trails,… read more
Ellis Lake Park Improvements – Marysville CA
In 1939-40, the Works Progress Administration (WPA) made substantial improvements to Ellis Lake Park, which was originally designed by landscape architect John McLaren in 1924 on an old slough of the Yuba River. It is not clear how much of… read more
Fair Oaks Village Community Clubhouse Landscaping – Sacramento CA
The river rock wall around community clubhouse was done by the WPA. Unsure whether the building itself is also a WPA project.
Fairmont Park – Salt Lake City UT
The Works Progress Administration (WPA) helped create the old Forest Dale city park in the Sugarhouse section of southern Salt Lake City UT in 1935-37. The name was later changed to Fairmont Park (the adjoining Forest Dale golf course kept… read more
Fellsway Police Station-Area Improvements – Medford MA
Description of a project undertaken by the W.P.A. in 1937: “Fellsway Police Station; the area adjacent to the police station on Fellsway West in Medford was developed by the completion of a project started in 1936. A large baseball field… read more
Fern Spring – Yosemite National Park CA
The Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) landscaped Fern Spring, creating an attractive, naturalistic rock garden and planting a variety of ferns, wildflowers, and ground covers. A log guardrail was installed to define the parking area and log seats were placed in the… read more
Finns Point National Cemetery Improvements – Pennsville NJ
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
Flomaton High School Grounds Landscaping – Flomaton AL
The Works Progress Administration (WPA) landscaped and beautified the grounds of the Flomaton High School. The project was sponsored by the Town of Flomaton.
Folger Park Redevelopment – Washington DC
Folger Park on the south side of Capitol Hill was named for Charles J. Folger, U.S. Secretary of the Treasury from 1881 to 1884. Part of the original L’Enfant plan of Washington DC, the park was significantly improved in the… read more
Fort Caspar Restoration – Casper WY
The Civil Works Administration (CWA), Federal Emergency Relief Administration (FERA) and Works Progress Administration (WPA) performed structural renovation and historic restoration work at this site. Casper Star-Tribune, 1934: “Dedication of the new traps today at the Izaak Walton league park… read more
Fort Dix – NJ
Dating from WWI, Fort Dix [or, as it was known during the pre-WWII era, Camp Dix] provided training for soldiers enlisted in the U.S. Army. According to a Works Progress Administration (WPA) Information Division document, the WPA engaged in “Campwide improvement… read more
Fort Hancock (former) Development – Highlands NJ
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
Fort Mason Landscaping – San Francisco CA
Landscaping of 40 acres in Fort Mason, San Francisco, San Francisco county. Planting trees and shrubs, seeding lawns. This project is a continuation of work begun under Federal Parks Project.–Mooser, p. 95.
Fort McDowell Landscaping – Tiburon CA
The Fort is located on the West side of the island. Build rubble masonry walls, install irrigation system, excavation, weeding, seeding, and trimming slopes, transplanting seedlings.–Mooser, p. 94.
Fort Mountain State Park – Chatsworth GA
Fort Mountain State Park in northern Georgia was constructed by the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) during the 1930s. Part of the Cohutta Mountain Range, the park gained its name for a stone structure located along a mountaintop in the area…. read more
Fort Niobrara National Wildlife Refuge – Valentine NE
Fort Niobrara NWR – Valentine NE Fort Niobrara Wildlife Refuge was established by President Theodore Roosevelt in 1912 by Executive Order. The principal aim was to protect bison and elk herds which had dwindled almost to extinction under the pressure… read more
Fort Scott Landscaping – San Francisco CA
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… read more
Fort Slocum Park Improvements – Washington DC
In 1936, the Works Progress Administration (WPA) conducted cleanup efforts at Fort Slocum Park, on the site of a Civil War-era fort, in the district’s northeastern quadrant. Crews removed underbrush, poisonous plants, and dead trees to make the rustic park… read more
Fox State Forest – Hillsboro NH
According to a 1935 report of the New Hampshire Forestry Commission, the New Deal assisted in the initial development of the Caroline A. Fox Research and Demonstration Forest (Fox Forest) which has been the State of New Hampshire’s forest research… read more
Franklin Park Renovation – Washington DC
Franklin Park, also known as Franklin Square, was overhauled c. 1935-36. Work on the park was part of a larger Capital Parks improvement program in the 1930s, funded by the Public Works Administration (PWA) and Works Progress Administration (WPA), assisted… read more
Golden Gardens Park Improvements – Seattle WA
The Seattle Park Department utilized funds and labor from the Works Progress Administration (WPA) to complete a series of improvement projects at Golden Gardens Park. Much of the work aimed at stabilizing the steep hillsides in the eastern section of… read more
Grand Canyon Village Improvements – Grand Canyon Village AZ
The Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) was extremely active in Grand Canyon National Park throughout the New Deal. The CCC enrollees worked under the direction of the National Park Service (NPS) and some of the projects were funded by the Public… read more
Grimes County Courthouse Improvements – Anderson TX
The Works Progress Administration (WPA) remodeled the Grimes County Courthouse in Anderson, Texas, in 1940. WPA crews installed a tile roof, cleaned and painted the building facade, installed tile floors, built outside stairs, plastered the interior walls, and landscaped the grounds.
Guanica State Forest Tree Planting – Guanica PR
The Civilian Conservation Corps carried out improvement work at the Guanica State Forest (Bosque Estatal de Guánica). The work included “roads, trails, timber stand improvements and tree planting, as well as recreational developments.”
Hammond Pond Parkway Sidewalk – Newton MA
Description of a project undertaken by the W.P.A. in 1938: “Hammond Pond Parkway, Newton Street traffic circle to Boylston Street, Newton; to construct a 5-foot wide pea stone and stone dust walk and a 10-foot wide planting space, each 4,200… read more