Maine Sites

Constructed in 1935. A new High School was built in 1995 due to overcrowding. Demolished in 2009. The Harriet Beecher Stowe elementary school was built on the same location in 2011 and incorporates an art deco bas relief and a light from the front entrance of the old high school.

One of the 26 bridges that were destroyed or damaged by the 1936 flood. A Maine Highway report notes that the reconstruction of these bridges was a U.S. Works Program Flood Relief project and were handled under the jurisdiction of the Bureau of Public Roads, U.S. Department of Agriculture. All bridges were placed under construction in 1936. Labor was provided on some by the Works Progress Administration. Before the flood, the Bullseye bridge was a wooden covered bridge that was noted for its circular windows which is where it got its name. The 1936 town report notes in the forward that...

Newell Hamilton Foster "was the superintendent of Liberty Island, and in an unlikely connection, was also the superintendent of the Civilian Conservation Corps that built the Camden Hills State Park in the 1930s... Newell Hamilton Foster, was the superintendant of the Civilian Conservation Corps's Camden project from 1935 to 1947, when the camp was turned over to the State of Maine. The National Park Service (NPS) began working with the Maine Parks Commission in 1936 to develop a 1500-acre park (now 5,500 acres) in Camden... Foster and his Civilian Conservation Corps crew cleared brush; leveled terrain; built roads, parking areas, hiking trails...

The Works Progress Administration (W.P.A.) developed the national guard camp at Camp Keyes in Augusta, Maine. Project information: “Develop National Guard Camp” Official Project Number: 165‐1‐11‐54 Total project cost: $16,383.00 Sponsor: War Department

The Augusta State Park, or Capital Park, is comprised of the land between the State House and the Kennebec River. It is the earliest known, consciously designed public ground in Maine. The intent of the design was to create a dignified setting for viewing the State Capitol Building along with other public functions. WWI Veteran Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) members from Jefferson camp were involved in clearing a ravine, planting trees, and building trails and benches in 1935.

Caribou Municipal Airport saw development work conducted by multiple New Deal agencies. It was developed as part of a statewide airport building effort by FERA. It was originally built with a N - S 3000x250 graded sod runway, & a E - W 2,000x300 graded sod runway. W.P.A. project info: "Construct municipal airport" Official Project Number: 165‐1‐11‐60 Total project cost: $181,424.00 Sponsor: Town of Caribou "Construct Caribou Municipal Airport" Official Project Number: 165‐X‐XX‐100 Total project cost: $276,174.00 Sponsor: Town of Caribou "Construct municipal airport" Official Project Number: 165‐1‐11‐100 Total project cost: $1,022,200.00 Sponsor: War Department

"Built in 1934 on low swampy land across the street from the Bangor Water Works, which supplied city water from the Penobscot River, the park was designed by city manager James G. Wallace and funded by the Works Progress Administration . It was known for its unusual system of water features, including a twenty-foot-tall grotto with a waterfall carved into the hillside and stabilized with a battered stone wall. At the bottom of the cascade, water from a small concrete pool flowed into a narrow concrete “brook,” and then into a larger oval pool. Daytime visitors flocked to see the...

There is a three page history of the pool in the Castine Historical Society newsletter by Lynn Parsons (winter 2011) detailing the role of the New Deal in bringing about this fine example of public recreation. According to a Selectman's report from March 2, 1934, the town voted $1,000 for a CWA project on land donated by Warren Hooper and William Bevan. It opened July 4, 1935 under the supervision of the Public Grounds Department, receiving considerable public support and was very popular with children. In 1937 the Public Grounds Dept. suggested the construction of a bath house. $1,967.55 was...

"Due to the efforts of the members of your Superintending School Committee a number of worthwhile improvements were made on the physical plant. The Castner building was renovated throughout. The development of the school grounds adds much to the beauty and utility of these areas. A very large pro-portion of the expense of this undertaking was met by E. R. A. allotment—making a total of $1200.00 of Federal Funds received by the town as reported by your School Committee. While the labor was furnished by the government, it is necessary to provide the required material from the repairs account. The...

In a letter dated July 20, 1933 to the weekly newspaper the Independent Reporter, F. L. Hutchins praises the New Deal for work on the Cathedral Pines campground. The next year, the paper ran a longer story on the campground: "C.W.A. Work At The Famous "Cathedral Pines," Eustis-Stratton, Maine Jan. 19, 1934 Recently I visited with Supt. A. A. Berry of Megantic Preserve at "Cathedral Pines" to look over the work being done there by CWA workers. As Skowhegan people remember A. A. Berry was at one time a resident of that town. For quite a good many years Supt. Berry has been manager...

The 1933 town report includes a photograph of a CCC camp, which was CO.132nd P-59 and operated from June 1933 to May 1937 for the Maine Forest Service in protection from insects & disease. It was located on the property of the Town Farm in the far SE of the city.

The Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) built CCC Camp Rangeley Lake Co. 144 P-55 in Sandy River, Maine. Excerpt  from Official annual, 1937, Civilian Conservation Corps: "The 144th Company, CCC, is located about three miles south of Rangeley, Maine on Route No. 4. This camp was established on June 5th, 1933. The location of this camp is but a few rods from the edge of the famous Rangleley Lake. The elevation at the camp site is 1650 feet above sea level. The camp is located in a small open valley nestling at the foot of the foothills of the Blue Mountain range. The majority of...

The 159th Company of the Civilian Conservation Corps under the command of Lieutenant Leon Jeffers had a camp at Hay Lake outside Patten, Maine from June 1933 to September 1937. The camp's main function was fire protection. From Michael Earl Williams in a tribute to his father, a member of the 159th, on the Maine State Archives website: On October 16, 1936, Mac was assigned to the 159th Company at Fort Williams, Maine and into Hay Lake Camp, about twenty miles north & west of the town of Patten. Very remote and rugged, these wooded, mountainous forests were where work began...

Sometimes mis-attributed to the Works Progress Administration (WPA), the historic former Central Fire Station in Saco, Maine was constructed with federal Public Works Administration (P.W.A.) funds. The P.W.A. contributed a $27,000 grant toward the project, whose total cost was $60,928. Construction occurred between Aug. 1938 and Mar. 1939. PWA Docket No. ME W1022. "he Central Fire Station has been a significant landmark in the Saco community from the very beginning. The brick firehouse, designed to reflect an ongoing heritage from an earlier tradition of civic service and public safety, well served its role from its construction until January 2011, when a...

Central Maine Airport of Norridgewock is a public use airport in Somerset County, Maine, United States. It is owned by the Town of Norridgewock and has two runways. According to the newspaper the Independent Reporter, of FERA funds that were provided for 4 projects in Skowhegan in early 1935, $1,917 went to the airport which at the beginning was called the Skowhegan Airport. The crew consisted of 11 laborers and foreman Charles Stinchfield. In a earlier town hall meeting, $250 was voted by the citizens to contribute toward construction. Initial construction began in 1933 and according to a later article, over...

According to Town Reports, works was performed at the CMS by the New Deal. 1933 The following is a list of the various projects which have been carried on during the past three months through the use of C.W.A. Funds. No.1 Rebuilding of 2,500 feet of road from State Highway to Central Maine Sanatorium; work includes rock base with gravel top, also culverts and guard rail fence. No. 13 Excavating under the cellars of three buildings at Central Maine Sanatorium. 1934 Report of Relief Work During the past year, through the use of C.W.A. And E.R.A. Funds, the following projects have been carried on: 9. Excavating under three...

The July 18 1938 Bangor Daily News reports on roadwork in this sparsely populated town near the Canadian border. "The towns of Dennysville and Pembroke have no WPA projects, although a number of WPA workers from these towns are employed on the Moosehorn game reserve in the Baring area. Road construction is carried on along the road from Baring to Charlotte. This, in unimproved sections, is very narrow, with hardly sufficient width for the passage of two automobiles. When completed, a "through" road of splendid construction will prove a short-cut to Calais from residents of Charlotte and Pemmbroke as well...

The original Children's Hospital opened in 1908, later merging with the Maine Eye and Ear Infirmary (opened in 1890) and the Maine General Hospital (opened in 1874) to become Maine Medical Center. "WPA artists painted murals for two Portland hospitals - including a magnificent one in the children's hospital." According to the July 1940 Bridgton News, the artist on this project was Alton Skillin.  

This classic 1894 brick structure received some attention as part of a large number of New Deal projects being undertaken in the city of Biddeford, Maine. As part of the $120,000.00 Federal expenditures in the town in 1935, the mayor Arthur J. Remillard reported that "A public building project was in operation throughout the year employing 10 men. Under this project many necessary repairs were made to the City Building and to several school- houses. The roof of the City Building was leaking so that rain was ruining all the inside of the building. The edge of the roof was raised...

The mayors address in the 1933 town report mentions a Civil Works Administration project for repairs at the 1892 baroque revival style building. "City building is now being rewired, painted and varnished as you may see." This project was part of $239,193.23 spent in the city for unemployment relief. The mayor's address in the 1934 town report mentions an E.R.A. project for modernizing the wiring in City Building.

"The City Section of Mt. Hope is located on the north side of Mt. Hope Avenue and also includes a portion of land south of Mt. Hope within the Mt. Hope Cemetery fence. This 30-acre site began to take form in 1834, the same year that Bangor was incorporated. Development continued during the Roosevelt Administration under the Works Progress Administration. Today, this section of Mt. Hope Cemetery consists of approximately 4000 lots and is maintained by maintenance crews that work for the Mt. Hope Cemetery Corporation."

New Deal federal works programs completed widespread infrastructure improvement projects throughout Oakland, Maine. Michael J. Denis's report "Some Tidbits of Oakland History" details the following: "Clyde G Blake, the new road commissioner, noted in 1934 that most roads were widened, 825 feet of stone base road was laid on Ten Lots Road, 3350 feet of state aid road was constructed on Fairfield Street, and 4000 feet of Rice's Ripps Road, 900 feet of Summer Street, and 800 feet of Fairfield Street were resurfaced. Hosea Ireland was back as commissioner in 1935. He noted 2950 feet of improved road on Fairfield Street, 900...

Founded in 1813, Colby College is one of the oldest liberal arts colleges in the United States. It moved to its current location in the 1930s with significant help from the New Deal: Former Colby student Leonard C. Cabana (class of 1933) wrote recently that "by the time the Great Depression was sweeping the country, 'the new Roosevelt administration began implementing a hail of New Deal agencies to create jobs for the unemployed. It was my privilege to work under one of these, the Works Progress Administration (WPA). It poured in a million dollars (worth probably over $20 millions today) into...

The Civil Works Administration (CWA) built Cony Park in Eastport ME in 1934. "Cony Park, located adjacent to Shackford Head State Park, boasts beautiful views of Cobscook Bay, a large pavilion with picnic tables, outdoor musical instruments, and 3 horseshoe pits. A porta-potty is provided during the summer months. The park is great for picnics, parties, and many other gatherings and events. There is also a hand carry boat launch." According to the Community Notes in the Bangor Daily News of January 12 1934, " So with 100 men employed at times since last November, seventeen local women now on the payroll...

Craig Brook National Fish Hatchery was established in 1889 to raise and stock juvenile Atlantic salmon for Maine waters. Craig Brook currently supports two Atlantic salmon programs. According to a 1937 CCC Yearbook, the Ellsworth-Bar Harbor Co 193, Camp Governor Brann were involved with construction "at the Federal Fish Hatchery at Orland, ten concrete pools of unique design will enable the hatchery to care for two hundred and fifty thousand more fish;" As part of the restoration program for the Penobscot River, Craig Brook receives sea-run adult Atlantic salmon trapped from the Penobscot River for use as broodstock. These adults are...

"In 1934 Federal CWA and ERA funds were used for bituminous treatment at Cutter Street."

1 of 26 bridges that were rebuilt by the New Deal following a 500 year flood in March 1936. The bridge is a Concrete slab structure over the West Branch of the Cousins River. From the design of the guard rails, it looks as if the New Deal bridge was replaced recently. The abutments however look to be of an older design utilizing cut granite, possibly from 1917 when the state replaced an "extremely dangerous" bridge. According to a 2004 Maine DOT Historic Bridge Survey, Phase II Final Report & Historic Context, the "March 1936 flood was one of the most...

"This toll bridge crosses Eggemoggin Reach and connects Deer Isle with the mainland. It is about 25 miles southeast of Belfast by road and about the same distance southwest of Ellsworth. It replaces a ferry communication which was antiquated and dangerous in stormy weather. The bridge is of the high-level suspension type with a main span of 1,080 feet and two side spans of 484 feet each. Its total length, exclusive of the fill approaches, is 2,509 feet of nearly half a mile. The roadway is 20 feet wide and attains an elevation of 98.7 feet...

The W.P.A. developed what is now known as Dexter Regional Airport, in Dexter, Maine. W.P.A. project info: "Construct municipal airport" Official Project Number: 165‐1‐11‐108 Total project cost: $676,000.00 Sponsor: Town of Dexter

When the Civil Works Administration (CWA) was launched in November 1933, the Old Dover Village Cemetery received improvements. According to community notes in the Bangor Daily News, "road grading and widening at the Dover Cemetery, and construction of a new piece of road leading to the Bassett section."

Doyle Field is a football & softball field next to a PWA built auditorium. An article in the Bangor Daily News November 14, 1933 has an article about City Manager F. D. Farnsworth submitting a request for Federal assistance to help improve the Brewer Athletic field which was then called Legion Park. Original design was for the building of a cinder track, an extensive drainage system and the leveling of the football field. The Feb. 22nd issue said that 61 men were employed, however due to cuts, hours were reduced from 24 to 40 and hourly pay cut from 50...

The town's annual report from 1934 reports that: "The Federal Emergency Relief Administration aided greatly in improving our school buildings and grounds... The Duck Cove building was painted inside and outside and the roof shingled." The Duck Cove school building still stands: "Built in 1895, this wood frame one-room schoolhouse served as a school until 1943, and been owned by a local community organization since. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1993... It was transferred to the Duck Cove Community Club , which has maintained it and used it has a clubhouse since then."  (Wikipedia)

Durham-Lisbon Bridge was constructed with federal Public Works Administration (P.W.A.) funding in 1937. The 363-foot-long bridge spans the Androscoggin River.

A street and park system that runs from North to South along the beachfront property of the eastern end of Portland Maine. "During the harsh winter of 1933-1934, under MERA (Maine Emergency Relief Agency) the Federal Civil Works Administration (CWA) in Portland, in the wake of the city's earlier relief work programs, worked on the East End Beach and the Eastern Promenade, building wading pools in city playgrounds, and grading and paving city streets. The CWA shut down in April 1934, but relief work continued."   (Bauman)

"The potential for the U.S. being drawn into world war 2 was the catalyst that finally resulted in Eastport being selected for the site of an airport and a seaplane base. The CAA was funding construction of a series of airfields, built to basic military specifications, across Maine and across the nation for national defense. Bangor, Houlton and Presque Isle would later become commissioned as military airfields. Sometime in 1939 or 1940, the CAA began acquiring land by eminent domain for the airport, and some test holes were dug by WPA labor in 1940. On April 23, 1941, Works Progress...

"The development of the Edwards Athletic Fields has been one of the most popular projects undertaken in the town of Brunswick. Started a few weeks before the close of CWA, it is being carried to completion by the ERA. The original area acquired by the town was a ten acre square including a large field and some woodland. While the field had been used for baseball, it was not level and there were no facilities for other sports. With ERA labor the entire tract has been leveled, a baseball diamond and a football have been loamed and seeded. The turf will be...

"One of the highlights of the School Department this year has been the transformation of the Grammar School. With the assistance of an E. R. A. project and a special allotment from the State School Fund we have been able to move the Town Hall building a satisfactory distance from the road and change its position as to secure the maximum amount of light and heat. The schoolrooms have been moved downstairs and refinished with an ample corridor between, a large furnace, flush toilets, and drinking fountains have been installed and the playground has been graded. Under such changed conditions...

Ethel Bisbee School was one of several schools that were improved with Civil Works Administration (CWA) funds in Bethel. The work consisted of painting the interior and exterior of the building, and the labor was paid for the most part with CWA funds. The CWA expenditure was $1236.00 for all school improvements in Bethel. Excerpt from the Annual Reports of the Officers of the Town of Bethel: "1933 Superintendent of Schools Through the funds furnished by the Civil Works Administration milk has been provided each school day to meet the needs of 60 undernourished children. Enough funds have been secured to carry this project through...

State Rt. 113, Evans Notch Rd. from North Chatham to Gilead, was originally built by the Civilian Conservation Corp (CCC) in 1936 under the US Forest Service and, while scenic, can be narrow and winding. It was constructed from a former logging trail and partially on the ROW of a logging railroad built by Major Gideon Hastings that was abandoned in 1904.

Portland's "Evergreen Cemetery" was improved by the WPA: "In 1936, the Public Works and Park Departments received $86,875 in WPA funds for engineering, supervision, a portion of the wages of skilled labor, equipment hire, and some materials. The Park Department used workers for grading and improvements at athletic fields, the golf course, and the city cemetery, and for pruning and spraying of trees along city streets."   (Conforti) The 140-acre (57 ha) historical portion of the cemetery was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1992.