Marked Sites

Timberline Lodge was built in 1936-38 as a ski lodge 6,000 feet up on Mount Hood, and it still serves that purpose.  It was equally a showcase for the accomplishments of the Works Progress Administration (WPA). The four-story structure was built in Northwestern rustic style using large timbers and local stone, with a striking central "headhouse" built in a hexagon around a 90-foot stone chimney with large fireplaces on all sides. The interior is a marvel of decorative elements designed to feature Northwestern native and pioneer styles in wood carving, furniture, textiles, metal work, light fixtures, stone work and paintings. The interior decor...

Timberline Lodge was built in 1936-38 as a ski lodge 6,000 feet up on Mount Hood, and it still serves that purpose.  It was equally a showcase for the accomplishments of the Works Progress Administration (WPA). The four-story structure was built in Northwestern rustic style using large timbers and local stone, with a striking central "headhouse" built in a hexagon around a 90-foot stone chimney with large fireplaces on all sides. The interior is a marvel of decorative elements designed to feature Northwestern native and pioneer styles in wood carving, furniture, textiles, metal work, light fixtures, stone work and paintings. The interior decor...

Timberline Lodge was built in 1936-38 as a ski lodge 6,000 feet up on Mount Hood, and it still serves that purpose.  It was equally a showcase for the accomplishments of the Works Progress Administration (WPA). The four-story structure was built in Northwestern rustic style using large timbers and local stone, with a striking central "headhouse" built in a hexagon around a 90-foot stone chimney with large fireplaces on all sides. The interior is a marvel of decorative elements designed to feature Northwestern native and pioneer styles in wood carving, furniture, textiles, metal work, light fixtures, stone work and paintings. The interior decor...

Timberline Lodge was built in 1936-38 as a ski lodge 6,000 feet up on Mount Hood, and it still serves that purpose.  It was equally a showcase for the accomplishments of the Works Progress Administration (WPA). The four-story structure was built in Northwestern rustic style using large timbers and local stone, with a striking central "headhouse" built in a hexagon around a 90-foot stone chimney with large fireplaces on all sides. The interior is a marvel of decorative elements designed to feature Northwestern native and pioneer styles in wood carving, furniture, textiles, metal work, light fixtures, stone work and paintings. The interior decor...

Timberline Lodge was built in 1936-38 as a ski lodge 6,000 feet up on Mount Hood, and it still serves that purpose.  It was equally a showcase for the accomplishments of the Works Progress Administration (WPA). The four-story structure was built in Northwestern rustic style using large timbers and local stone, with a striking central "headhouse" built in a hexagon around a 90-foot stone chimney with large fireplaces on all sides. The interior is a marvel of decorative elements designed to feature Northwestern native and pioneer styles in wood carving, furniture, textiles, metal work, light fixtures, stone work and paintings. The interior decor...

Tionesta Lake and Dam were created as part of a multi-site flood control program to protect the city of Pittsburgh and Ohio Valley. Work on project began in 1937 on Tionesta Creek near its confluence with the Allegheny River. The earth and stone dam was designed by Lieutenant James K. Herbert of the Army Corps of Engineers and constructed by S.J. Groves and Son Company of Minneapolis, Minnesota. The project cost approximately $7 million and was completed in 1940, with flood control operations beginning in January of 1941. The Army Corps of Engineers estimates that the lake and dam have...

In 1938, the Works Progress Administration completed the tunnel and stonework entrance into the Todd County Courthouse.

The Todd County Fairgrounds Grandstand was constructed in 1940. It was the largest Works Progress Administration (WPA) project in the county. The workers began pouring concrete in the spring. The grandstand was a labor-intensive effort. The size of the work crew was doubled in May 1940 to ensure a portion of the grandstand would be done in time for the August fair. The workers spent hours and hours in hard, hand labor. The workers poured cement for six steps at a time, working from dawn to late evening. The interior of the grandstand was designed for use as a dormitory...

Todd Grove Park is a 16-acre park located on Ukiah’s west side, adjacent to the Ukiah Valley Golf Course. Amenities include groves of mature trees, lawns, walking paths, children's playground, picnic areas, and a bandstand. In 1940, Works Projects Administration (WPA) relief crews built a low, native stone wall around the park’s perimeter. The wall is 2’ high and 15” thick, made of rough stone bonded with thick cement mortar. At approximately 25’ to 28’ intervals, the wall is interrupted by 33”-high, 17”x17”-wide stone posts. Concrete stamps denoting “WPA 1940” are placed at intervals on each wall. A stone gate at the...

The Reptile House was the first of five buildings constructed by the WPA at the Toledo Zoo. These buildings are still in use today. FAP artist Forrest "Woody" LaPlante was one of three muralists who painted botanical backgrounds in each reptile exhibit. Most of these murals were destroyed in the 1970s, but the remaining murals were restored by LaPlante in the 1990s. The building was constructed from materials recycled from local areas, such as the Wabash Railroad shops and the former Miami and Erie canals. The architecture of the building was inspired by Spanish and Moorish styles in reference to the city's...

The Tornillo-Guadalupe International Bridge, known locally as the Fabens-Caseta Bridge, encouraged trade and commerce between the United States and Mexico for seventy-eight years (1938-2016), providing a symbolic and physical connection between the American and Mexican cultures. It was constructed a half mile southwest of this location in 1938 as part of the Rio Grande rectification project of the International Boundary Commission. It was demolished in 2016. This bridge, along with its sister bridge linking Fort Hancock, Texas, with El Porvenir, Chihuahua, were cornerstones of the rectification project stretching from El Paso, Texas, to Little Box Canyon south of Fort Quitman,...

The Works Progress Administration (WPA) helped build the Post Library in Torrance, CA in 1936. The federal government contributed $12,691 to the Post Library project. It served as the City of Torrance's central library from 1936 to 1978.  The Post Library closed its doors after the new Katie Geissert Civic Center Library was built. The Post Library has been home to the Torrance Historical Society and Museum since 1979.

A rock retaining wall was built by the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) in 1940 with the creation of Totem Square. The "Baranov" Totem Pole, also completed in 1941-42 as a project of the CCC under the supervision of the Forest Service. It was restored in 2010-2011 by local totem expert Tommy Joseph, using the original design drawing by George Benson, a local Tlingit. The Totem Pole has a controversial past surrounding both the construction of pole in Wrangell rather than Sitka as originally commissioned and for the original design, which many viewed as disrespectful and unrepresentative of the region's history. A...

The Independent Reporter published a story on June 11, 1936 regarding a WPA project to build a tourist information building in Portland Maine. "Tourist Information Building To Be Built in Portland By The State The State, in connection with W.P.A. funds, is having this building erected in Portland at the junction of St. John and Danforth Streets to be used exclusively for Tourist Information to our visitors and our State of Mainers. This building is sponsored by the Maine Development Commission and leased to the Maine Publicity Bureau for its headquarters instead of its present location in Longfellow Square, which will be given...

The City of Orchard Town Center was originally constructed by the Works Progress Administration (WPA) as the Orchard School between 1940 and 1941 under the official project number 65-1-66-2586. Designed by architect Ernest L. Schult, the building had thirteen rooms and a combination auditorium and gymnasium. The WPA employed an average of 78 workers and spent $37,705.08. The Orchard Independent School District provided $64,566.79. As part of the same project, the WPA demolished the two-story 1924 Orchard High School and reused some of the materials in the new school.

Eads' town hall was a 1938 WPA project. From Canyons and Plains of Southeast Colorado: On October 7, 1938 the Town of Eads held a huge celebration around the dedication of three buildings completed by WPA workers: the town hall, hospital, and the American Legion fairgrounds pavilion. To build the town hall native stone was hauled by truck from the Bristol/Granada area, some 50 miles away. Originally the building held both the town hall and library, with the upstairs rented to the Masons and Oddfellows lodges. The craftsmanship and sheer volume of stone used to construct the town hall and hospital...

The Midway Town Hall, originally the Midway Recreation Center, was constructed with Works Progress Administration (WPA) funds and local labor in 1941. The building reflects the popular style of Midway, which early on adopted a Swiss look to go with the combination of the Wasatch Mountains to the west and the main local industry in the Heber Valley, dairy cattle.  It has characteristics of the Arts and Crafts and Tudor Revival Styles with its rustic wooden lintels, brackets on the gable ends, steeply pitched roof, half timbering, and scribed wooden pendants, and it is built of local limestone known as Pot...

"According to a bronze plaque located on the east side of the building, the original town hall was built from 1936-1937 by the Works Progress Administration (WPA). The two-story brick structure was one of the earliest projects in Morgan County. The building's cornerstone lists mayor E.L.Drinkard and Alsermen L.E.Brown, J.L.Rowe, D.S.Sivley, and J.W.Tomlinson. The town clerk was V.O.Clark and the town policeman was Dan P.Ryan. The first floor housed the town jail and the town's Fire Fighting equipment. Located on the second floor was the mayor's office and the police station. Currently, the building is home to the Falkville Public...

WPA crews built the Milaca town hall in 1938. It is now the location of the Milaca Area Historical Society and the Milaca Museum.    

Ipswich's historic town hall building was originally constructed as the community's high school between 1935 and 1937. The Public Works Administration (P.W.A.) supplied a $105,075 grant for the school's construction, whose total cost was $265,575. Construction occurred between Dec. 1935 and Feb. 1937. PWA Docket No. MA W1068

In 1934, the Federal Emergency Relief Administration (FERA) provided about $400,000 for a homestead project in Putnam County, West Virginia, “Red House Farms” (soon-to-be called “Eleanor,” and not to be confused with the nearby town of Red House).  Red House Farms was one of three New Deal homestead projects in West Virginia, the others being Arthurdale and Tygart Valley Homesteads.  The goal of these homesteads was to provide a fresh start for rural Americans devastated by the Great Depression. A United Press article described the town’s beginning in May 1934. In addition to 150 homes, “Construction of the 1,728-acre tract includes...

WPA crews constructed this square bandstand in 1941. The bandstand has a basement with a rock foundation and façade with rock pillars. It is located in the center of the Princeton town square and is still actively being used. A rock lintel over the door to the basement has the date 1941 carved in it.

The bridge carrying what was then known as Ocean Highway (presently known as County Road 619) over Townsends Inlet was constructed as a Public Works Administration (PWA) project, part of the largest New Deal construction effort in Cape May County, New Jersey. The bridge is still in use today. State.NJ.us: "In 1934 the county government created the Cape May County Bridge Commission as a means to apply for Federal Emergency Administration Funds to build bridges on the Ocean Highway and to bring to completion the promotional tourist route from Atlantic City to Cape May. The Ocean Highway bridges, five movable spans and...

This historic post office was built by the Treasury in 1936-37. It now houses the Tracy Historical Museum.

The Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) built many trails in the Umpqua National Forest, working under the US Forest Service out of several CCC camps (e.g., Steamboat, Illahee). Mention is made of these trails in some information panels around the national forest, but the only one definitely identified is a portion of the North Umpqua River trail between Steamboat and Panther Creek. We will add more information on these trails as it is uncovered.

The Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) conducted extensive development work at the Grand Canyon, 1933-42, including construction of the Transcanyon Telephone Line. A plaque declaring the placement of the Transcanyon Telephone Line on the National Register of Historic Places can be found along the wall of Rim Trail, between Thunderbird Lodge and Kachina Lodge. Resthouses along the Bright Angel Trail feature telephones that are still connected to the line. CCC Walking Tour: "Because communication between the North and South Rims was frequently difficult and unreliable, the CCC began construction of a telephone line across the canyon in November 1934. A group started from...

Once the site of CCC Camp Trask, the Trask River County Campground provides day and camping facilities on the northern bank of the Trask River. Tillamook County currently manages this recreational land, located approximately fifteen miles east of the City of Tillamook. The campground was cleared for use as a Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) Camp in 1937. CCC enrollees residing at the site also improved the campground by laying out picnic facilities and recreation trails. Additional CCC enrollees' improvements included tree planting, and road and bridge development in the area.

A rock gym built as a WPA project. This was to be the gym for Snyder High School. Eventually a new high school was built and this became Travis Junior High. The building is in very good shape for an 80 year old structure. The hard maple basketball court floor remains as do four sets of folding bleachers. It remains in use for occasional Little Dribblers basketball and indoor golf practice.

Funds for a seawall and fill for the exposition site were provided through a $3,043,000 WPA grant. Another WPA grant of $1,296,000 provided for roadways, a causeway, trestles, landscaping, and drainage of water systems. A PWA grant of $1,711,000, matched in part by local funds, provided for paving, ferry slips and some buildings. Private funding for the exhibition were raised through private subscriptions, through the sale of bonds. A 1940 WPA publication describes the construction of Treasure Island as follows: "Dedicated November 21, 1937, Yerba Buena Shoals, more popularly known as Treasure Island, was raised from beneath the waters of the bay through the handling...

Built through the Works Progress Administration (WPA) between 1938 and 1939, this two story building is constructed of native limestone rock, with metal bars on the windows and doors. Has some cement ornamentation between the windows. Has a flat roof. Nice rounded entrance with rock benches on either side.

The Trout Building at Centralia Township High School was the home of Orphan and later Annie Basketball from 1936 until 2006 when a new high school opened. At present, it is part of the City Hope Church, Centralia, IL. Construction of the facility was enabled by a federal Public Works Administration (PWA) grant, as evidenced by information on the building's cornerstone. Per primary records, the PWA supplied a $53,181 grant for the project, whose total cost was $125,078. Construction occurred between Nov. 1936 and Oct. 1937. The building faces Second Street on the back side of the block occupied by City Hope...

The Works Progress Administration (WPA) built the Trout Creek bridge on state highway 58, a couple miles east of Santa Marguerita, in 1941.  This was part of a program of WPA road work all over San Luis Obispo County roads during the 1930s, as indicated by WPA "project cards" in the National Archives. WPA project cards are only indicative, however; they show which projects were planned, funded by the WPA and approved by President Franklin Roosevelt; they do not guarantee that the work was actually done, since the WPA usually proposed more projects than it could carry out.  In this case, the...

Tucson Mountain Park, created in 1929, was opened to general recreation use in the 1930s by the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC), working with the Pima County parks agency.  The northern half of the original park was added to the Saguaro National Monument in 1961, which became a national park in 1994, and this portion of the park was renamed Saguaro National Park – Tucson Mountain District (TMD). (See also Saguaro NP (TMD) project pages) The CCC 'boys' set up Camp Pima, SP6A, in December 1933 at the northwest corner of what was is now Saguaro NP.  Working from there, they carried out extensive...

Tucson Mountain Park, created in 1929, was opened to general recreation use in the 1930s by the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC), working with the Pima County parks agency.  The northern half of the original park was added to the Saguaro National Monument in 1961, which became a national park in 1994, and this portion of the park was renamed Saguaro National Park – Tucson Mountain District (TMD). (See also Saguaro NP (TMD) project pages) The CCC 'boys' set up Camp Pima, SP6A, in December 1933 at the northwest corner of what was is now Saguaro NP.  Working from there, they carried out extensive...

A plaque on the former Tuleta Grade School indicates the Works Progress Administration constructed the building between 1938 and 1940. No other details on the original construction have been found. The building burned around 2002. It is now privately owned and has been partially restored.

The Tumacácori National Monument was set aside by President Theodore Roosevelt in 1908 to protect the ruins of the Mission of San Jose de Tumacacori.  In 1918, it came under the administration of the National Park Service and its regional 'custodian', Frank Pinkley.  Congress created the Tumacácori National Historic Park in 1990, adding the ruins of two nearby missions, Los Santos Angeles de Guevavi and San Cayetano de Calabazas. Under the park service's guidance, Tumacácori mission church and its dependencies were stabilized in 1920-21, but intentionally not restored.  Only with the aid of the New Deal did the park come to...

The Tumacácori National Monument was set aside by President Theodore Roosevelt in 1908 to protect the ruins of the Mission of San Jose de Tumacacori.  In 1918, it came under the administration of the National Park Service and its regional 'custodian', Frank Pinkley.  Congress created the Tumacácori National Historic Park in 1990, adding the ruins of two nearby missions, Los Santos Angeles de Guevavi and San Cayetano de Calabazas. Under the park service's guidance, Tumacácori mission church and its dependencies were stabilized in 1920-21, but intentionally not restored.  Only with the aid of the New Deal did the park come to...

At peak enrollment, 4,300 workers from 23 Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) camps located in the Smoky Mountains constructed the roads, trails, bridges, campgrounds and structures of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. The project was undertaken between 1933 and 1940.

The Tuolumne Meadows Visitors Center was originally built by the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) as a road crew camp mess hall in 1934.  Around 1980,  the National Park Service converted the building to a Visitors Center, replacing an older one in the original "contact station" at Tuolumne Meadows campground. This building is a good example of National Park Service rustic park architecture of the 1930's. It was constructed with native materials to blend with the environment, and reflects hand crafted techniques. It is on the National Register of Historic Places. As of 2022, a new Visitors Center is under construction nearby and...

The federal Works Progress Administration (W.P.A.) allocated funds in 1936 to the tune of $372,722 (not adjusted for inflation) for the reconstruction of a span across the Connecticut River between the Town of Montague and Gill, Mass. The Turners Falls-Gill Bridge, which was constructed in 1937-8, has since been rehabilitated and is sometimes referred to as the Gill-Montague Bridge. A plaque on the bridge credits the United States Emergency Relief Appropriation Act of 1935 and features a project number; it is sometimes overlooked as the information is written in comparatively small lettering at the top of the plaque.