- City:
- Villisca, IA
- Site Type:
- Civic Facilities, Cemeteries
- New Deal Agencies:
- Work Relief Programs, Works Progress Administration (WPA)
- Started:
- 1938
Description
A local newspaper from 1939 explains that, “The cemetery improvement work started on August 28, 1938, with provision of rebuilding some 500 feet of rock walls and rock masonary entrance portals; laying 1000 feet of water mains; sodding and landscaping two acres of the area. Thirteen WPA workmen are currently employed, one of whom is a non-certitified foreman. Expenditures so far total $3,248 in federal funds and $355 in city funds.”
The WPA also built the town’s swimming pool, and it is documented that the WPA demolished an old hotel building and was to use the recycled lumber to build a chapel in the city cemetery (which did not happen, perhaps due to the interruption of WWII).
Source notes
Local knowledge. Villisca Review, March 16, 1939.Site originally submitted by Linda Weinstein on May 28, 2014.
Contribute to this Site
We welcome contributions of additional information on any New Deal site.
Submit More Information or Photographs for this New Deal SiteOne comment on “Cemetery Wall – Villisca IA”
Join the Conversation
This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.
Susie Enarson
When the old fence was removed, the ornamental iron gates were removed and sold, the thought was that they were too narrow for the new fence. The ‘iron monger’ who bought them did not have the heart to melt them down. When I was mayor in the 80’s it was mentioned that they were still in a storage shed. We retrieved them and mounted them back at the cemetery and they look great!