Maine Sites

From the Pittsfield Historical Society: In those five years there were other items of lesser interest but worthy of mention. One of the first of the alphabetical administrations created by the new Democrat regime was the Civil Works Administration -- the CWA. Mr. John McDonough was the state administrator, and he appointed Ray Badger local administrator. Mr. Badger had many projects to supervise, including the repair of the library roof, the renovation of the interior of the town farm, building cemetery lanes, repairing rural roads, and pruning shade trees. ... Another construction project of importance to Pittsfield was the concrete highway through town....

Throughout the lifespan of the New Deal, the citizens of Presque Isle Maine (population 6,695 in 1930) benefited from numerous projects from road construction, school repair, the airport, work relief, and a slaughter house. 1933 C. W. A. SPECIAL PROJECTS MATERIALS $1,398.90 1934 HIGHWAYS IN CONNECTION WITH ERA PROJECTS Raised at Special Town Meeting $2,004.02 Expenditures Materials, Cleaves Road $740.95 Materials Parkhurst Road $438.51 Materials Phair Junction Road $472.73 Materials Spragueville Road $351.83 MATERIAL FOR RELIEF PROJECTS Emergency Work Relief $915.71 C. W. A. Accounts $1,879.96 F. E. R. A. Accounts $1,106.96 Total $3,902.63 E. R. A. labor was used on Hall, Second, Dyer and Park Streets and on the Sidewalks that constructed in 1934. The...

The New Deal agencies C.W.A., E.R.A., C.C.C. and W.P.A. were involved in standard relief and infrastructure work in the small resort town of Rangeley according to town reports from 1933 to 1937 1934 E. R. A. Acct. $685.94 C. W. A. Acct. $1,345.00 R. Davenport, use of auto for C.C.C. crew to clear slash on Bald Mt. road $60 00 Harold M. Ferguson, rent of C. C. C. lot $100 00 C. W. A. ACCOUNT OF ADMINISTRATOR* Received from Town Treasurer $1,561 00 20 people employed and 5 companies involved Feb 1935 to Feb 1936 Sixth Annual Report of the BUDGET COMMITTEE 57. W. P. A. Projects, $1,200 00 Feb 1936 to...

"According to the Annual Town Reports of 1934-35 and 1936-37, the CWA, FERA and WPA were involved in numerous projects throughout the city. The dollar amounts are the share of the project that the city contributed and don't list the amount provided by Federal Relief agencies. "The town library which was a gift from the Carnegie foundation in 1903, owing to the thorough renovation which the building received in 1934 through a CWA project, no repairs have been necessary this year (1935), beyond the general upkeep. The school district received the benefit of Federal Labor and with a small expenditure of funds...

Newspaper articles describe various projects in carried out in Skowhegan  by the CWA, FERA and the WPA, as well as direct food relief provided by federal agencies. In 1934, the CWA began a sewing project employing local women. In 1938, the WPA also ran a sewing project in town. Work by FERA over the years included building 700 feet of sewer line from Hesselton St across the Cannan Rd and into the Kennebec River; other sewer work on West Front, Hathaway, Leavitt and St. John Streets; installing street signs; constructing sidewalks; cutting roadside bushes; and improving the local airport. FERA also ran...

A small amount of Federal assistance was provided for this very rural community of 161 people (1930 population) 1933 ORDERS DRAWN FOR 1933 C. W. A. WORK Everett Day, materials for CWA work $ 2 58 Hutchins' Cash Store, dynamite, fuse and caps 20 08 Total $22 66 Report of the Superintendent of Schools "It is generally known, I think, that underweight children are receiving free milk at the hands of the Federal Emergency Relief during the winter and spring terms." 1934 ORDERS DRAWN FOR ERA WORK, Improvement of a school lot 6 men employed $158.65 Report of the Superintendent of Schools "There is available no Federal Free Milk this year but...

1934 Under MISCELLANEOUS EXPENSES, gravel for a C.W.A. project costing the town $113.00 is noted as part of their share, but no other details are provided in the annual report. 1935 Under MISCELLANEOUS EXPENSES, 3 persons are listed as supplying food in connection with a F.E.R.A. project, and a lumber company is listed as supplying lumber for a C.W.A. project. Under SPECIAL RESOLVE MAINTENANCE, 13 people are employed on a C.W.A. project on Depot Street, the town share is $126.12. 1937 Under TOWN APPROPRIATIONS, $600 is noted for a Federal Project which went toward a new sewer and septic tank at the high school and the...

The Westbrook Historical Society notes that in 1939-41 the WPA was involved in constructing sewers, planking the Bridge St. bridge, and building the Methodist Rd. in Westbrook.

CWA, ERA, WPA, and PWA during the entire period of the New Deal were involved in some economic activity, not counting the CCC work on the park and Navy Base in this small coastal community. 1934 Under ROADS AND BRIDGES, the the C.W.A. is listed as hiring 15 people for a road project. 1935 Under CONTINGENT ACCOUNT an E.R.A. project and a W.P.A. project are mentioned without any details about the nature of the project. 1936 An unspecified W.P.A. road project employed 14 men. THIRD CLASS ROADS (Used with PWA Project) 16 men employed and $647.64 contributed by the town. 1937 An unspecified W.P.A. project 14 employed $832.29 contributed...

A local report for the year 1938-1939 describes WPA work in Jonesport: "With the help of W. P. A. funds amounting to $4,363.71 to date, which covers all labor costs, we have been able to do the following work at a total cost to the Town of $593.11. At West Jonesport we have built 320 ft. of cement sidewalk, we have laid a covered stone drainage system 220 ft. long with laterals to pick up water from between and under each store, with two concrete man-holes by which the entire drainage system can be readily cleaned out. We have lowered the culvert at...

A 1939 municipal report detailed extensive New Deal work in the area: "No appropriation was made for the purpose of constructing sidewalks during the year, but the maintenance department repaired a few short sections of sidewalk on Franklin Street and Water Street, and the W. P. A. constructed a sidewalk on Pine Street in conjunction with the rebuilding of that street as a joint Third Class Construction and W. P. A. Project. During the construction period of 1939 all major activities were in conjunction with the W. P. A. Under this arrangement the city or the state in each case furnished the...

Four major sewer projects were started in Downtown Portland by the WPA. New sewer lines were built along Baxter Blvd and Washington Ave. Danforth St. and Fore St. sewer lines were rebuilt.

According to an article in the Lewiston Evening Journal of January 3, 1935 by Gerald Reed, extensive utility work was undertaken in the city by a combination of the CWA, FERA, & ERA agencies. "Under Sup. Cook of the Auburn Water and Sewerage District, a reforestation program was undertaken at Lake Auburn with the planting of 30,000 trees. Several additional services and the replacement of old water mains were installed on Loring, Western, Forest, & Fairmont Avenues, Towle, School, Fifth, Taylor, and Oliver Streets, a right of way at Court St. and Hillcrest Ave. The projects also included the lowering of the...

Municipal reports from the late 1930s describe federal funding for water system improvements in the amounts of $2,766 in 1938 and $5,510 in 1939 (the latter under WPA project No. 2655).

Much work was done by the New Deal in this small town of 1,018 (population 1930) The 1934-35 town report mentions E.R.A. and C.W.A. help on road work projects. Amusingly, the report of the school supervisor complains about all the Federal help for roads but nothing for the schools in town. The 1935-36 town report mentions $150 being raised in connection with a W.P.A. sidewalk project. The school superintendent wrote "On December 27th Mr. Crocker of the School Committee, Mr. Carson of the Board of Selectmen, and myself, went to Augusta and entered a project for school building improvement under the WPA. The project...

"Work Of Constructing National Guard Rifle Range Resumed Tuesday Dan Cassidy, clerk at the local ERA office, announces that work was resumed Tuesday on the construction of the National Guard rifle range on the Sylvain farm situated just off the Norridgewock road. The project which is simply a continuation of the one started early this summer will run for four weeks, starting as of August 2nd. The project calls for ten men, a foreman and the use of one truck. Thus far the crew has been engaged in the building of a road from the main highway to the old range. Under...

The Civil Works Administration (CWA) surfaced and replaced the sidewalks on Highland Road in Bridgton ME. According to a 1933 town report, on “Dec. 15 Fifty men to be employed on local CWA projects by next Saturday is the goal which is set for Bridgton, although the plan which has been adopted of selecting these men through the federal employment bureau instead of allowing the selection to be done locally, is handicapping the work some. Monday of this week work was started on resurfacing the North Bridgton Village Street." "WPA EXPENDITURES ON PROJECTS LOCATED IN BRIDGTON FROM INCEPTION OF PROGRAM TO DECEMBER...

One of 6 airports considered very important by the State Military Commission in 1940 for use as a military base. A 1940 Maine State Legislature report records that construction of the base was done by the W.P.A. Under FERA/MERA (Maine Emergency Relief Administration) there were constructed a 2100 x 100 graded sod runway and a 2000 x 100 graded sod runway. "In 1941 the federal government appropriated the local airport, establishing Presque Isle Army Airfield for planes bound to and from Great Britain. Activated as an Army Air Corps military airfield on 15 September... the airfield was de-activated on 20 September 1945...

Tuberculosis hospitals were built in the state of Maine in the early part of the 20th century. 1,000 people a year died of tuberculosis in Maine before the advent of modern medicine. Following the success of private hospitals in Hebron & Fairfield Maine which were facing financial difficulty, the state took control. The Northern Maine Sanitorium was built in Presque Isle following the passing of a law in the Maine State Legislature April 9, 1921. In 1938, the P.W.A. offered a grant of $7,739 for repairs or improvements which were completed in 1939. The facilities at Hebron and Presque Isle were closed...

"Located in Caribou, Maine, the Nylander Museum of Natural History was dedicated in 1939 by Maine Governor Lewis Barrows. The museum was built as a WPA project. The museum’s construction was jointly funded by federal, state, and municipal governments. The museum was originally designed to house the collections of Olof O. Nylander, a self-taught naturalist from Oremella, Sweden born in 1864, died 1943... Today the Nylander Museum houses the original Nylander collection and additional specimens and exhibits that have been donated or are on loan to the museum."   (https://www.cariboumaine.org)

Two murals, "Fishing" and "Farming" painted in 1940 for the Nathan Clifford Elementary School and moved in 2012 to the new Ocean Avenue Elementary School that replaced it.

Orr's Island is an island in Casco Bay and the Gulf of Maine. The island is within the town of Harpswell, Maine, U.S., and forms an archipelago with Sebascodegan Island (also known as Great Island) to its north and Bailey Island (reached by the Bailey Island (or Cribstone) Bridge) to its south. From a Harpswell Historical Society timeline: 1936 "At a special town meeting, $2500.00 was appropriated to continue the road work of the W.P.A. project on the island." 1937 "15 men have been added to the W.P.A. project reconstructing the road on the northern end of Orr's Island."

2 bridges along the Otter Chain Ponds, the first was a 66 foot steel and concrete stringer bridge and the 2nd was a 210 foot Warren through truss bridge. Both were replaced in 2013. A 1936 State Highway Commission report notes that the reconstruction of 26 bridges were U.S. Works Program Flood Relief projects and were handled under the jurisdiction of the Bureau of Public Roads, U.S. Department of Agriculture. The March 1936 flood was one of the most destructive, resulting in the loss or damage of an estimated 150 bridges in Maine, believed to be the hardest hit of the New England states...

Only 1933 and 1934 town reports were available, but even so, quite a lot of useful work was accomplished by CWA and FERA on unemployment relief. 1933: City Planning Board "In December a C W A project was started at the Park, Kirby Lake, and on our city trees. At the Park many changes and improvements have been made under this project. A new pavilion has been built, all bushes removed, drains put in, a new bed for the small stream being dug along the easterly line of the Park and the old bed filled in, making a new and ideal spot...

The U.S. military had a sizable footprint on Peaks Island, and the Works Progress Administration (W.P.A.) conducted improvement work at the site. Project information: "Clean areas at Peaks Island and Long Island Military Reservation" Official Project Number: 165‐2‐11‐122 Total project cost: $9,603.00

The Penobscot Bridge was a steel Baltimore through truss bridge connecting Bangor and Brewer. Construction was completed in 1911 and the bridge was replaced with the current Joshua Chamberlain bridge in 1954. According to the Bangor Daily News, this was the first Public Works Administration (PWA) project in the city. The project involved changing the approach by widening the Washington Street side and rounding off the sharp corners of the bridge which Bangor and Brewer officials considered dangerous. Work was preceded by the Maine Central RR changing its tracks and the telephone company changing some of its cables. Work began in...

2 baseball fields were constructed at Pettingill Park by either the CWA, FERA, or ERA. 27,500 cubic yards of dirt were moved by hand. One of the parks was finished by January 3, 1935.

The first tower at the top was made of wood in 1918 and was fifty-six feet high. In 1934 the wooden tower was replaced by a sixty-three foot steel tower by the Indian Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) camp at Passamaquoddy reservation. The tower was dismantled in the 1980's.

Report of the Overseers of the Poor, 1934: "The barn and ell were shingled, labor being paid out of the F.E.R.A funds, and cost of materials taken from funds raised for Repairs to Town Buildings." A few years after this FERA project, the town voted to quit using the town farm. The house and buildings were sold off in 1937. The house remains today and is a private residence.

Constructed by the Treasury Department as the Kennebunk post office in 1937. The building now houses the Kennebunk police station.

Multiple New Deal agencies were involved with the development of what is now called the Portland International Jetport. Under FERA and MERA (Maine Emergency Relief Administration), a 2000 x 100 gravel runway and a 1500 x 100 gravel runway were constructed. W.P.A. projects, sponsored by the City of Portland: "Improve municipal airport" Official Project Number: 165‐1‐11‐111 Total project cost: $669,295.00 "Complete construction of airport" Official Project Number: 65‐1‐11‐2213 Total project cost: $93,335.00

"Like many community airports, Portland International Jetport had its beginnings as the private field of a flying fan. Today, the Jetport is one of the nation’s fastest-growing airports, serving most of the major domestic airlines and over 1.6 million passengers a year. Dr. Clifford “Kip” Strange first created space on his extensive Portland land for his own plane in the late 1920s. Before long, there were a couple of grass runways on his land that attracted other flyers. Meanwhile, Boston & Maine Airways inaugurated airline service at the Portland facility when it moved from Scarborough in 1934. The City of Portland bought...

"Captain Lemuel Moody (1768-1846) ordered construction of this octagonal, 86-foot high tower to serve as a communication station for Portland’s bustling harbor. In 1807, ships entering the harbor could not be seen from the docks of Portland until they rounded the point at Spring Point Ledge. With his powerful telescope, Moody, sea captain turned entrepreneur, identified incoming vessels as far away as 30 miles. For a fee, he alerted subscribing merchants by hoisting signal flags identifying their vessels. He coined the phrase “signalizing” to describe the system. The Observatory was built on Munjoy Hill at the eastern end of the Portland...

The W.P.A. conducted substantial development work at what was then known as the Portsmouth Navy Yard, in Kittery, Maine. W.P.A. project info: "Construction and improvements" Official Project Number: 109‐3‐11‐10 Total project cost: $200,000.00 Sponsor: U.S. Navy Department "Construct access roads" Official Project Number: 165‐1‐11‐130 Total project cost: $100,000.00 Sponsor: Town of Kittery "Rehabilitate, extend, and improve buildings, structures and facilities" Official Project Number: 165‐2‐11‐68 Total project cost: $880,222.00 Sponsor: Commandant, 1st Naval District, U.S. Navy "Construct interior access roads" Official Project Number: 165‐3‐11‐136 Total project cost: $19,156.00 Sponsor: Commanding Officer, Portsmouth Harbor Defense, U.S. Army "Repair and improve grounds, roads, and systems" Official Project Number: 65‐11‐1327 Sponsor: U.S. Navy Department "Complete construction of extensions to...

The Post Office in Dexter ME was built in 1939 wit the support of the Treasury Department.

The Dover-Foxcroft post office is a simple brick colonial-revival building, completed in 1937.  It contains a fine mural by Barrie Barstow Greenbie.  It is still functioning as a post office.

The historic post office in Fairfield, Maine was constructed with federal Treassury Department funds between 1937 and 1938. The building, which houses an example of New Deal artwork, is still in service.

The historic post office in Farmington, Maine was constructed between 1935 and 1936 with federal Treasury Department funds. The building, which houses an example of New Deal artwork inside, is still in use today.

The historic post office building in Fort Kent, Maine was constructed between 1941 and 1942 with federal Treasury Department funds. The building is still in service.

The historic United States Post Office and Custom House building in Houlton, Maine was constructed between 1934 and 1936 with federal Treasury Department funds. The building, which has been largely remodeled and expanded, continues to serve as the post office, in addition to other, including private, purposes.