Indiana Sites

The Works Progress Administration (WPA) constructed a community building and gymnasium in Wadesville, Indiana. The building was later remodeled and served as a VFW Post. Now privately owned, it has been again remodeled and better resembles its original appearance. The shop even bears its original wood floor! "The Wadesville building, dedicated recently, is typical of the structures being erected under the project. It is of one-story frame construction, 100 by 64 feet in size with a high arched roof supported by heavy steel framework. It is lised throughout with celotex. A regulation size basketball floor surrounded by bench type bleachers with a...

A community center at First Avenue and Franklin St. in Evansville, Indiana, which has since been torn down, was constructed with funds and labor provided by the Works Progress Administration (WPA). The facility was also home to a WPA sewing project that provided employment for 750 women.

The Works Progress Administration (WPA) constructed the Conservation Club House at Magnetic Park in Plymouth, Indiana. City website: "This facility is located on 16 beautiful acres bordering the Yellow River on Plymouth's north side. It has been declared a historic landmark. The WPA built structure offers a large main floor with two stone fireplaces, hardwood floors and wicker furniture, which gives it a real rustic charm. On the lower level you will find a full kitchen that includes a stove, refrigerator and a triple sink. The lower level also has a large dining area that seats approximately 100 people."

Monument The writers of the first Indiana State Constitution are said to have worked in the shade of a large elm tree because of the hot weather in June 1816. The Constitution Elm is a five-minute walk from the original state capitol building in Corydon that was the official site of the convention. Dutch Elm Disease killed the tree in 1925 but the stump was preserved with creosote. In 1937, the Works Progress Administration built a shelter for the stump using local sandstone cut by Civilian Conservation Corps laborers. The history of the site is commemorated with a bronze tablet provided...

Cravens, originally the north wing of an all-men's dorm, is now part of Collins Living-Learning Center, an undergraduate community at Indian University. It was constructed by the Federal Works Agency (FWA) in 1940.

Works Progress Administration built the Crystal Beach Pool and Bath House in Madison IN. The National Parks Service describes the history of the pool: "Madison’s Crystal Beach Swimming Pool and Bath House are two monuments of the WPA’s work in southern Indiana. They showcase the marriage of functionality and artistry seen in many WPA projects. Constructed in 1938, the pool and bath house embody the Craftsman style popular during the 1930s and 1940s. Vincennes, Indiana, architect Lester Routt designed the two-story, rough-cut stone bath house, which features a full front porch with a wood balcony supported by stone columns. The gable-on-hip roof...

The Works Progress Administration (WPA) constructed a dam in or near Plymouth, Indiana, impounding a 300-acre-foot lake. The location and status of the structure is unknown to Living New Deal.

The Works Progress Administration built the National Guard Armory in Darlington IN in 1938. Presently, (November 2021) it serves as a community center.

The Works Progress Administration made a number of improvements to the original 1919 city park, including stone drinking fountains, walls and entrance gates, and a stone bridge that are identifiable in 2023.

This barn was given new siding and doors, a concrete foundation, and a concrete and wood wall by the Resettlement Administration (RA), between 1937 and 1938.

There are a variety of structures on this property. All were constructed by the Resettlement Administration (RA) between 1937 and 1938. There is a home with aluminum siding and a side porch (moved from Deshee Farms in 1945), a rear shed, and an attached garage.

Flat horizontal 2/2 windows, flat alum glass doors, glass block. Birthplace of Edward Rector. Good example of the arch type, has remained virtually unaltered, unusual for a hospital. It was constructed in 1939 by the Public Works Administration (PWA).

Now (2023) apparently unused, but still owned by Madison (Indiana) Consolidated Schools. Gym was built by WPA in 1938 behind the 1926 Lancaster Township Grade and High School. School was replaced with a new building attached to the gym.

Ernest Kasas painted the mural titled "The Gift Of The Book To Mankind" at the East Chicago Public Library. While sources attribute the work to the Federal Art Project, the date (1934-35) is too early for that program; so it is probable that the work was actually commissioned under the Public Works of Art Project (PWAP). The history and characteristics of the mural are described by the East Chicago Public Library: "The mural on the back wall over the Reference Desk at the Pastrick Branch was painted by Ernest Kasas of Indiana Harbor (East Chicago), as a WPA (The Works Progress Administration) Arts...

Edmondson Hall, originally the west wing of the Men's Dorm, is now part of Collins Living-Learning Center, a dorm and classroom building for undergraduate students at Indiana University. It was constructed by the Federal Works Agency (FWA) in 1940.

This 50-acre farm was begun by the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC).

The Works Progress Administration (WPA) completed the custodial residence, supply pond and its dam, 4 concrete ponds, 14 fish rearing ponds, and an arched entrance.

This neoclassical style building was competed in 1939 and housed the U.S. Court House and Post Office. Today, it is owned by the Hammond Baptist Church and is used as their main office.

Terre Haute's historic U.S. Post Office and Court House was constructed with federal Treasury Department funds and completed in 1935. The building has been remodeled by Indiana State University; currently known as Federal Hall, the building houses the Scott School of Business as well as administrative functions.

This massive work is a large triptych on the second floor of the former Terre Haute Federal Building that now houses Indiana State University College of Business. The mural portrays the scene of the signing of the Magna Carta in 1214, and depicts the description “Through this Document Government Exists According to Law not Power”. It was funded by the Treasury Section of Fine Arts and painted by Frederick Webb Ross in 1935. Little is known about Frederick Webb Ross who was born in 1885 possibly dying in 1963. He studied with William Forsyth in Indianapolis and at the Student’s Art...

Concrete foundation, clapboard walls. Hipped roof and asphalt shingles. Difficult to see completely due to plants. Constructed by the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) in 1935.

Square hipped roof structure a top metal open framework tower with access stairs within. Wooden steps – 9 flights. Height approx. 100’. Constructed by Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) Co. 1513 in 1935.

Stone walls, gabled roof, 2 stone chimneys, asphalt shingles. Constructed by Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) Co. 1513 in 1936.

Approx. 40-acre lake impounded by earth dam. A combined Federal Emergency Relief Administration (FERA) and Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) project. Lake intended in part as water supply for a fish hatchery below the dam. CCC Co. 1513 occupied the camp in the new state forest in May 1934.

Concrete foundation, clapboard walls. Hipped roof and asphalt shingles. Difficult to see completely due to plants. Constructed by the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) in 1935.

Stone foundation, stone walls, hipped roof, asphalt shingles, stone chimney. Very similar to Homing Ridge Shelter house at Salamonie State Forest, except only one fireplace. Excellent example of Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) mentionable development in a state forest. Exemplify styles’ workmanship. Constructed by CCC Co.1513 in 1936.

These two fish marooning ponds, located in Yellowwood State Forest, were completed in 1938 with funds and labor provided by the Works Progress Administration (WPA).

"On the Hoosier, the CCC crews fought fire, planted trees, developed habitat for fish and wildlife, constructed roads, bridges, campgrounds, and lookout towers. During the early days of the Hoosier National Forest, the CCC served as the primary work force for a skeletal crew of foresters. A CCC camp, located in Kurtz, not only built the lookout tower at Hickory Ridge and Dutch Ridge, but also the one at Trinity Springs. They reconstructed the Tower Road, the Maumee Road, and the old Dutch Ridge Road (now State Road 446). The rock to build the roads was quarried from what is now Blackwell Pond....

The first State Police Post outside Indianapolis, it was used by the State Police until 2010. The Indiana Finance Authority sought to demolish the building in 2012, but it has been preserved, so far, Presently (May 2021) being used as a Covid-19 testing venue by the local hospital.

Park Rustic-style pavilion constructed by the WPA in 1938. Rectangular in plan, the building is constructed of rustic stone with chamfered timber beams and has the form of an open pavilion with enclosed ends. The roof is covered with wood shingles and is hipped on the north end, while the south end has a parapetted gable with a massive stone chimney. There were two outdoor fire places on the south and one on the interior that have been infilled with stone. Flooring is stone and concrete. A former kitchen is located at the north end with two arched windows and a door....

"This building, in addition to housing the county court and its officers, provides space for the county clerk, treasurer, welfare department, county nurses, agricultural department, school departments, record storage, and for certain bodies of the Federal Government. It is a fireproof structure throughout and the exterior walls are limestone from nearby quarries. A limited amount of decorative stone carving is used on the outside, and the foyers and corridors of the first and second floors are decorated with mural paintings. The building was completed in July 1936. It has a volume of about 500,000 cubic feet. The construction cost was $228,822 and...

This building has multiple murals, including two by Eugene Savage entitled "The Receiver of Taxes," "The Disbursement of Tax Dollars" and an unnamed mural (all pictured here). They were created 1937, likely with funding from the Federal Art Project . The building also contains several other murals painted by different artists (including the unnamed mural pictured here), all under the supervision of Savage and composed between 1937 and 1939. Covering 2,500 square feet, they "depict scenes from the European discovery of America through the settlement of western Indiana" (Indiana Business News). The murals are currently undergoing restoration, which can be seen on...

Stone and concrete foundation, stone and timber walls, hipped roof, and asphalt shingles. Constructed in 1939 by Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) Co. 589 (encamped at Salamonie River State Forest) on bluff alone Mississinewa River – now overlooking Mississinewa Reservoir (constructed by Army Corps in 1960s).

The Public Works Administration (PWA) funded the construction of the Franklin Senior High School in Franklin IN. The architects of record were McGuire and Shook. Currently the Alva Neal Community Office Building, served as the high school until 1960.

Glover Cary Bridge spans the Ohio River, connecting Owensboro, Kentucky to Indiana. The bridge was constructed as a Public Works Administration (P.W.A.) project in 1940.

The WPA constructed the first nine holes of the Tipton golf course in 1937.  

The Works Progress Administration (WPA) completed improvements at the municipal Greenbelt Golf Course in Columbus, IN. The Evening Republican, (1/12/1939) states that the funds allocated amounted to "$28,399 for improvements at city golf course." The article describes the approval of the WPA project including improvements to the golf course, flood control work—straightening the creek bed and widening the channel at the Tenth Street bridge—on the creek through the property, and construction of picnic grounds (now removed). An article in The Evening Republican (5/4/1939) describes the rescue of a swimmer near the "dam at the golf course" and notes that WPA workers from...

The Works Progress Administration (WPA) conducted several projects at the "U.S. Naval Storage Area," now known as Naval Support Activity, Crane, outside Burns City, Indiana. Projects included work at the dam impounding Greenwood Lake: Improve conservation dam and surrounding banks. Cost: $56,190. Sponsor: Commandant, 9th Naval District, U.S. Navy. WPA Project No. 265‐2‐52‐21

This shelter was constructed by the Public Works Administration (PWA) in 1937.

National Youth Administration built a picnic shelter and stone community building and did landscaping work in Hanna-Nuttman Park, Decatur, Indiana. The community building does not appear to be in use but retains the NYA plaque. The parks department did not respond to an inquiry through their web site about the status of the building (in 2023).