Mansfield Historical Society Building – Storrs CT

Description

“Today, as the nation works its way out of a mighty recession, it seems natural to look back at the Depression-era origins of the old stone building in which the Mansfield Historical Society is housed.

Construction began in late 1934 for the Mansfield Town Office Building.  The project was one of many sponsored by the Work Projects Administration (WPA) during the period.  A one-story colonial edifice with stone exterior and a fireproof vault within, the building was designed to provide a central place for carrying on town business and for safely housing important town records.  Meanwhile, however, the construction project gave much-needed work to the town’s unemployed…”   (https://mansfieldhistoricalsocietyct.blogspot.com)

[Note: The W.P.A. was not in existence at the end of 1934, when the historical society says construction on its building was begun. Indeed, the building bears a 1935 cornerstone. It is possible that the work was begun under the Federal Emergency Relief Administration (F.E.R.A.).]

The town offices remained in the building into the 1970s. The Mansfield Historical Society moved into the place in 1980.