Start Year: 1936

In March 1936, the Connecticut River Valley was inundated by one of the most severe floods in recorded history. The water level reached over 12 feet above flood stage and carried huge chunks of ice down the river. The raging water and ice knocked out dams, washed away homes, and lifted bridges off their footings, including the bridge that connects Northampton to Hadley via Route 9. This was and is a heavily traveled route so immediate reconstruction of the bridge was imperative. The Massachusetts Department of Public Works requested and received funds to rebuild the bridge from the federal government through...

The historic Chester Town Hall was constructed during the Great Depression with the assistance of federal Public Works Administration (PWA) funds. The PWA supplied a grant of $16,830 for the project, whose total cost was $39,713. Construction occurred March 1936 and Feb. 1937. PWA Docket No. MA W1031

"On the far east side of the East Central University campus is a football stadium constructed by the WPA during the period 1936-1941. The stadium is rectangular, 199 ft by 56 ft. and constructed of poured concrete, with an exterior of rusticated and coursed white native stone. "The stadium rises 20 tiers and has a stepped cornice on the back wall. Arched windows are boarded up on the back side. Large arched entrances have been reduced in size with opaque glass, wood and concrete block. "A 254 ft. native stone wall runs from the stadium north. Documentation of WPA status is from the...

"South Manchester Free Public Library moves into a new building and is renamed Mary Cheney Library, located 'in Center Park' on Main Street. Money for the building is made possible from Cheney Brothers fund and Federal Public Works Administration funds." The Public Works Administration (P.W.A.) supplied a $35,969 grant for the library's construction, whose total cost was $79,997. Construction occurred between Nov. 1936 and Oct. 1937. PWA Docket No. CT W1260

The historic Hobart, Indiana post office was constructed in 1936 with federal Treasury Department funds. The building, which houses an example of New Deal artwork, is still in service.

The historic post office in Winsted, Connecticut was completed in 1936-7 with the assistance of funds provided by the federal government. The building, which houses an example of New Deal artwork, is still in service.

Marine Park is the largest public park in Brooklyn. It surrounds the westernmost inlet of Jamaica Bay. The City acquired the first parcels of land in Marine Park in the 1920s and expanded the area in the 1930s. This park was extensively developed by New Deal labor and funding. A July 30, 1936 Department of Parks press release announced the opening of new facilities at the Marine Park, including immediately "three baseball diamonds, two football and soccer fields and one-half of the oval-shaped bicycle and roller skating track." To be constructed in total were "ten baseball diamonds, four football and soccer...

The historic Tipton, Indiana post office was constructed during the mid-1930s with federal Treasury Department funds. The building, which houses an example of New Deal artwork, is still in service.

Then Bath Memorial Hospital, in 1935 Ira Davenport Memorial Hospital opened "in a renovated 3-story building, funded by a local bond issue and a Federal grant." The Public Works Administration (P.W.A.) supplied a $61,022 grant for the project, whose total cost was $135,674. Construction occurred between Jan. 1936 and Jan. 1937. PWA Docket No. NY W1342.

With Proclamation 2175, June 15, 1936, President Franklin D. Roosevelt created the Bienville National Forest in Mississippi.  This proclamation was part of FDR’s overall effort to create more national forests in the eastern United States. As with other national forests, the goal of Bienville was “to produce the greatest amount of good for the most people… Fire protection gives the timber a chance to grow so as to produce a merchantable crop; trees are being planted where former logging practise (sic) did not leave the land in a condition to re-seed itself; grazing will be regulated so as to coordinate...