Upper Park – Jerome AZ

Description

The Works Progress Administration (WPA) was active in Jerome, a copper mining town hit hard by the Great Depression.  The WPA hired out-of-work miners for several projects in Jerome and nearby towns, c. 1937-38. 

One of those projects is “Upper Park” on the hillside between upper Main Street and Clark Street. The parks consist of two parts.  Along Main Street a spacious, curving bank of stone risers is flanked by stairways and stone walls, with a short pair of central stairs and a metal drinking fountain.  The stairways lead up to a small area with grass and trees, backed by a high stone wall. 

There are several WPA date stamps on the benches and stairs.  The area appears to be well used by locals and tourists.

There is a plaque on the largest stone wall about the Jerome Historic District, recognized by the National Registry in 1966, but nothing more about the contributions of the WPA.