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  • Breeds Pond Wall - Lynn MA
    Works Progress Administration (W.P.A.) workers worked at Breeds Pond in Lynn, Mass. WPA Bulletin: Bacterial dangers are eliminated by the WPA construction of several thousand yards of large-stone, rip-rap work, along the vertical banks of Breed's Pond, one of Lynn's main water storage units. This wall prevents road embankment dirt and clay-bearing silt from being washed into the pond.
  • Breeds Pond-Area Sewers - Lynn MA
    Works Progress Administration (W.P.A.) conducted the following work in Lynn, Massachusetts. WPA Bulletin: In Lynn, construction of the first unit of a system of sewers to serve the district around the easterly shore of Breed's Pond, has recently been approved by WPA.  
  • Briggs Playground - Attleboro MA
    "In Attleboro, crews ... built the Briggs Playground."
  • Brimfield State Forest - Brimfield MA
    The CCC assisted in the development of this state forest. From Massachusetts Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs: "This rustic shelter is the only one of its type still remaining. Dingley Dell Dam was another important CCC project at this forest, where there are many CCC camp buildings still remaining."
  • Broadway Bridge (demolished) Repairs - Boston MA
    A Boston Public Works Department report cited Federal Emergency Relief Administration (F.E.R.A.) labor as conducting the following work: "Broadway Bridge was chipped, cleaned and painted." Spanning Fort Point Channel, the bridge has since been demolished as the area has been redeveloped with highways built.
  • Broadway Repaving - Chelsea MA
    Works Progress Administration (W.P.A.) laborers repaved Broadway in Chelsea, Mass.
  • Broadway Sidewalk - Lynn MA
    The Work Projects Administration (WPA) constructed sidewalks in Lynn, Mass., including along Broadway.
  • Brookline Ave. Water Main - Boston MA
    The following water main was laid as part of a Public Works Administration (P.W.A.) project: "Brookline avenue, from Brookline-Boston boundary line to Kenmore square, approximately 4,600 linear feet 48-inch pipe."
  • Brush Hill Road Sewer - Milton MA
    Description of a New Deal project in a 1937 annual report: "During construction of a roadway along the southerly side of the Neponset River in Milton, 8 feet of earth fill was placed over the High-level Sewer near the corner of Brush Hill Road and Brook Road. This is a W.P.A. project, under the supervision of the Massachusetts Department of Public Works, and no permission was given by this department for making this fill. No damage to the Metropolitan Sewer has resulted from this construction."
  • Bull Hill Road Development - Sunderland MA
    Works Progress Administration (W.P.A.) laborers worked on Bull Hill Road in Sunderland, Mass.
  • Bunker Hill Monument Improvements - Boston MA
    The W.P.A. conducted restoration and preservation work at the Bunker Hill Monument. "Such colossal monuments such as the stone shaft at Bunker Hill, Grant's Tomb, and the Statue of Liberty have been repaired, have had their grounds beautified, or have been otherwise improved."
  • Butterworth Park - Framingham MA
    "Butterworth Park is located at the corner of Grant St and Arthur St. The park occupies a square block near downtown. The park has includes a baseball stadium that includes permanent bleachers on one side of the field, a basketball court and a tennis court." "Bowditch, along with Butterworth and Winch Parks, were all built during the Great Depression of the 1930s as WPA projects." (Wikipedia)
  • Buzzards Bay Railroad Bridge - Bourne MA
    The Cape Cod Canal Railroad Bridge was built by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and funded by the Public Works Administration (PWA) in 1933-35.  It was part of a much larger project that included widening the canal and three bridges across it, for which the PWA made a grant of $6,138,000. (Short & Stanley-Brown 1939) The bridge was designed by Parsons, Klapp, Brinckerhoff, and Douglas, along with Mead and White, for the Army Corps of Engineers, which operates all three bridges and the canal.   The main space is 544 feet long and has 135-foot clearance when raised (Wikipedia) At the time...
  • Calvin Coolidge Bridge - Northampton to Hadley MA
    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...
  • Cambridge Reservoir Improvements - Lincoln MA
    The Works Progress Administration (W.P.A.) conducted substantial improvement work at Cambridge Reservoir (Hobbs Brook Reservoir) in Lincoln and Waltham, MA. Work included nine miles (for an area of about 500,000 square feet) of shore rip-rapping and the clearing 316 acres of trees and underbrush.
  • Camp Buxton: Buxton Lodge - Rehoboth MA
    Buxton Lodge is the main building of Camp Buxton, a small campground owned by the Narragansett Council of the Boy Scouts of America. It is a long, low building, with Arts & Crafts-style detailing and was constructed by the WPA in 1935-1938.
  • Camp Edwards - Cape Cod MA
    "Between 1935 and 1940, Massachusetts and the federal government, primarily using Works Project Administration funds, constructed 63 buildings (all but Buildings 102 and the old Williams Hospital have since been demolished) and two, 500-foot (150 m) wide turf runways at Otis Field. The project was the largest WPA project in state history, employing over 600 workmen. In 1938, Governor Charles F. Hurley dedicated Camp Edwards, named after the former commander of the 26th Infantry Division, Major General Clarence Edwards." (Wikipedia) WPA Bulletin: The Bourne WPA Notional Guard Camp Project is the largest undertaking of this kind in the country. It is twenty-three square...
  • Cape Cod Canal Widening - Bourne MA
    The Cape Cod Canal is an artificial waterway traversing the narrow neck of land that joins Cape Cod to mainland Massachusetts. First constructed in the early 20th century, the canal was widened during the New Deal.  That work was part of a much larger project that included three new bridges across the canal (Short & Stanley-Brown 1939) The project was overseen by the US Army Corps of Engineers and funded by the Public Works Administration (PWA), circa 1933-35.  The Works Progress Administration (WPA) came in later to do work on the banks, the nature of which is not specified in the...
  • Carr School - Newton MA
    Frank F. Carr School in Newton, MA was constructed with federal Public Works Administration (P.W.A.) funds in 1934-5.
  • Cavanagh Stadium - Quincy MA
    WPA Bulletin, 1937: "Recently the Birch Street Playground, which was transformed by WPA from a gravel pit into an attractive athletic site, was dedicated by Mayor Burgin who turned over the "Keys of the Field" to the School Committee. North Quincy High School helped in the dedication by defeating Milton's High School in a football contest, 21 to 7. This playground is to be used exclusively for track and football."
  • CCC Camp S-82, Company 1139 - Townsend MA
    The Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) built the CCC Camp S-82, Company 1139, in Townsend, MA, starting on August 1st, 1935. Camp S-82 was located near an old granite quarry off Old Turnpike Road and the Boston and Maine Railroad tracks, currently still in place. According to Shary Page Berg (1999), "Much of the area that became Townsend State Forest was burned in a 1927 forest fire and subsequently logged, leaving the land in poor condition when acquired by the state in 1934. Camp S-82 (Company 1139) was established in fall 1935 and closed in 1940. Projects at Townsend included the construction of...
  • CCC Camp: Blue Hills Reservation - Milton MA
    From 1933-1937 a Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) camp operated within the Blue Hills Reservation, south of Boston. Over that time the CCC made numerous improvements to the Reservation, including two lookout towers, ski trails, a toboggan run, and any number of road and trail enhancements. Bare remnants of the CCC camp remain today, but are noted with historical markers. Description of C.C.C. activities in the Blue Hills Reservation, per the Metropolitan District Commission 1938 annual report: "The camp work crews assigned to the creosoting of gypsy moth egg clusters continued the work started in the fall of 1936 until the spring hatching...
  • Cemetery Improvements - Burlington MA
    The C.W.A., F.E.R.A, and W.P.A. conducted development and improvement work at Chestnut Hill Cemetery in Burlington, Mass. Work included construction of new roads and grading a new addition of land.
  • Centennial Ave. Athletic Field - Gloucester MA
    Works Progress Administration (W.P.A.) laborers converted a dumping ground into an athletic field in Gloucester, Mass. on Centennial Ave.
  • Center School Playground (demolished) - Hatfield MA
    In 1934, the Federal Emergency Relief Administration (F.E.R.A.) furnished the cost of labor for the construction of a playground behind Center School in Hatfield, Massachusetts. The 35-man project cost the Town of Hatfield only the price of materials for the project ($982), while the federal government paid for the labor (3,028). The Center School itself was constructed as Hatfield's middle school in 1914. The building much later became the Western Massachusetts Regional Library and, as of 2016, has been vacant for about 10 years. It appears that the playground was demolished at some point as the aerial view of the site shows...
  • Central Cemetery Improvements - Carver MA
    Federal Works Progress Administration (W.P.A.) labor worked to improve the conditions at the Central Cemetery in Carver, Massachusetts.
  • Central Cemetery Improvements - Millbury MA
    Improvements were made to the Central Cemetery in Millbury, Massachusetts with Federal Emergency Relief Act funds in 1933. 282 Millbury locals were given employment in 1933 as a result of the federal E.R.A. The federal Works Progress Administration (WPA) constructed a bridge at the cemetery in 1937.
  • Central St. Bridge Reconstruction - Framingham MA
    The Works Progress Administration (W.P.A.) undertook reconstruction of the damaged Central Street Bridge at the Sudbury River in Framingham, Mass. in 1938. Town Report, 1938: "The retaining wall on the northerly side of Central Street on the west approach to the bridge over the Sudbury River at that point, which collapsed during the fall of 1937, was rebuilt by the W.P.A. Also various repairs were made to the concrete structure of the bridge itself and two other retaining walls on the east approach to the bridge were rebuilt and repaired." The bridge's superstructure has since been replaced.
  • Central St. Improvements - Acton MA
    Town annual report: The following work has been done under projects, since April, 1934: Central Street, seven men, 1 foreman, five trucks
  • Centre St. Reconstruction - Dover MA
    The Federal Emergency Relief Administration (F.E.R.A.) conducted road improvement work in Dover, Mass., including the reconstruction of Centre Street to remove some dangerous turns.
  • Charles H. Innes Memorial Underpass - Boston MA
    Huntington Avenue intersects but also passes under Massachusetts Avenue in Boston at Symphony Hall; the Charles H. Innes Memorial Underpass has a bronze plaques identifying it as a WPA project.
  • Charles River Reservation Improvements - Cambridge MA
    W.P.A. project description: "Charles River Reservation, Cambridge; a supplementary project for the completion of, and additional improvements of, the Charles River Reservation between Charles River Dam and Mount Auburn Street was approved in November of 1938 and work will be continued through the winter as weather permits. The project provides for the construction of 1,500 linear feet of 6-ft. wide stone dust walks, 1,500 square yards of bituminous concrete walks, 320 square yards of Portland cement concrete walks; the installation of 5,500 linear feet of concrete curbing for parking spaces, 100 linear feet of 1-ft. by 4-ft. concrete wall; placing of...
  • Charlesbank Beach - Boston MA
    Works Progress Administration (W.P.A.) workers constructed a bathing beach and recreation site along the Charles River by the end of Longfellow Bridge, in 1936. The project included a baseball diamond, benches, and shelters. WPA Bulletin: Children from Boston's hot and overcrowded West and North Ends, from Back Bay, Beacon Hill, Downtown, and East Cambridge, are smiling at the heat. For now, within short hiking distance, at the Boston end of the West Boston Bridge, WPA has built a bathing beach and recreation site. Charlesbank Beach, official title of the WPA Project, has proved to be one of the most popular swimming places in...
  • Charlestown Bridge Repairs - Boston MA
    A Boston Public Works Department report cited Federal Emergency Relief Administration (F.E.R.A.) labor as conducting the following work: "Warren and Charlestown Bridges, repairs to fender piers. Retaining wall at Charlestown Bridge repaired."
  • Cheesecake Brook Flood Control - Newton MA
    A Works Progress Administration (W.P.A.) Bulletin details the following project undertaken by the W.P.A. in Newton: "Flood damage by two brooks which formerly went on rampages during spring floods has been eliminated by construction of masonry walls for a mile and a quarter in Cheesecake brook and for 830 feet in Laundry brook."
  • Chelsea St. Bridge Improvements - Boston MA
    A Boston Public Works Department report cited Federal Emergency Relief Administration (F.E.R.A.) labor as conducting the following work: "he Chelsea Viaduct was repaved and a guard rail constructed."
  • Chester-Blandford State Forest - Chester MA
    The CCC assisted in the development of this state forest. For example, according to a brochure and web page from the Jacob’s Ladder Scenic Byway: “Between 1933 and 1940 the Chester-Blandfield State Forest took shape thanks to the hard work of approximately one hundred and fifty young men who were part of the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC). With the Depression in full force, the CCC offered these young men work, regular pay, a place to live and the camaraderie of shared experiences. They came mostly from the Boston area, but also from local towns along Jacob’s Ladder Trail, and their...
  • Chestnut Hill Ave. Bridge - Athol MA
    Works Progress Administration (W.P.A.) labor reconstructed the Chestnut Hill Ave. bridge across Millers River in Athol, Massachusetts. WPA Bulletins: Sept. 1936: WPA skilled bridge workers rebuilding the Chestnut Hill Avenue Bridge, Athol, which was damaged by the Spring flood.   Oct. 1936: Chestnut Hill Avenue Bridge, Athol, ravaged by the Spring floods, is being reconstructed by WPA and will soon be opened to traffic. Forty unskilled and 18 skilled workers are employed on this project.
  • Chestnut Hill Fire Station (former) Repairs - Newton MA
    The W.P.A. conducted repair and improvement work on numerous civic facilities in Newton, Massachusetts, including at the former Chestnut Hill fire station.
  • Chestnut Hill School (former) Improvements - Millville MA
    The Federal Emergency Relief Administration (F.E.R.A.) and Works Progress Administration (W.P.A.) funded the labor for and materials for improvements to the former Chestnut City School building in Millville, Massachusetts. Improvements included painting, for which the federal government also paid for the project's materials; and filling, grading, and drainage work to the grounds. Living New Deal believes this to be what was known as Millville's Little Red Schoolhouse, a building on Chestnut Hill Road that is now a private residence. Its exact location is unknown to Living New Deal.
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