Mississippi Sites

Public Works Administration (PWA) project W1178 constructed the Faculty House (now used as the Girls Honor Dormitory), and the Chapel Building (now known as J. M. Ewing Administration Building), for Copiah-Lincoln Junior College, known locally as Co-Lin. A $36,000 grant toward total expenditures of $80,000 were approved 11/17/1936. Construction by the I. C. Garber and Son company began 2/15/1937. Architects for the project were Hull and Drummond. Construction was completed 10/14/1937. The Faculty House was first unit in the $80,000 building program for the college. Copiah and Lincoln Counties each appropriated $22,500 toward the cost. Members of faculty began moving in...

Public Works Administration (PWA) project W1178 constructed the Chapel Building (now known as J. M. Ewing Administration Building) and the Faculty House (now used as the Girls Honor Dormitory) for Copiah-Lincoln Junior College, known locally as Co-Lin. A $36,000 grant toward total expenditures of $80,000 were approved 11/17/1936. Construction by the I. C. Garber and Son company began 2/15/1937. Architects for the project were Hull and Drummond. Construction was completed 10/14/1937. The Faculty House was first unit in the $80,000 building program for the college. Copiah and Lincoln Counties each appropriated $22,500 toward the cost. Members of faculty began moving in...

The Yazoo County Jail was constructed as PWA Mississippi project 1087 with funding of $20,450 toward the $35,000 cost. J. R. Flint Construction Company built the new jail south of the City Hall on South Washington Street. R. W. Naef was architect. Decatur Iron & Steel Company of Alabama were recommended to provide the ironwork for cell construction. The new brick building was described as "modern", escape proof and fire-proof, and had individual cells with lavatory, toilet, shower bath, "and a good bed" (Yazool jail is now occupied, 1937, p. 1). The jail was demolished in 1998.

Grenada County was approved for WPA project 40079 for rehabilitation of the 1885 courthouse. The project was allotted $11,308 to include improving the boiler room, plastering, painting, and improving floors along with rearranging office space. The Grenada County Board of Supervisors sponsored the WPA project to repair the county court house. The project began January 13 and used an average 34 WPA workers for six months. The state legislature passed legislation for $6,000 county bonds to cover the sponsor portion of the work. The House passed the measure January 18 for funds to be used in match to the federal...

Public Works Administration, project W1208, constructed a two-story Art Deco style jail for the courthouse. A grant of $13,939 was approved toward the total cost of $30,977 6/22/1938. Contract was awarded 9/13/1938 and construction begun 9/22/1938. Architects were Krouse & Brasfield and builder was Currie & Corley. Construction was completed 1/19/1939. The jail and courthouse were destroyed in 1975.

The National Youth Administration built this 1.5 story gymnasium for De Kalb High School in 1938. The gym remains extant.

"A c. 1940 poured concrete dam with metal gates and fixtures. Built with federal funds during the Depression era to help control drainage, flooding on Deer Creek" (Embree, 2004, p. 12).

$107,000 was approved in the WPA project no. 41003 for the Delta Station Forest Tract for fire lanes, roadways, and general improvements. The Experiment Station purpose was experimental work in lowland forest types. Henry Parker, of Grenada, Mississippi was the project supervisor in charge of "clearing and grubbing roadways and firebreaks (WPA Project, p. 1)...road construction and bridge building; manufacture of lumber for bridges; and stand-improvement work under the supervision of state and federal foresters" (p. 5).

The former King's Daughters Hospital was completed as PWA project 1243. The hospital was funded by a $14,400 grant approved 6/22/1938. Contracts were awarded to S. J. Aswell for construction and construction began the same day. Architects N. W. Overstreet and A. H. Town designed the one story structure of hollow tile and stucco, 107 feet width and 77 feet length . It was located off Hwy. 82 to be easily seen, yet far enough away to diminish traffic noise. It accommodated a maximum of 27 patients and reports vary the total cost between $32,000 and $40,000. It was completed...

Federal aid from the Emergency Relief Administration to match $200,000 appropriated by Mississippi legislature was awarded to repair and improve the six state universities and colleges. Delta State Teachers College received $15,595.20 for dormitory renovations, auditorium repairs, and painting other buildings. Complete interior renovation of two men’s dormitories began August 25, 1934, for an expected cost of $15,000 for new plumbing, lights, wall and ceiling plastering, and new woodwork. Hardee Hall, originally constructed 1912-1914, and Taylor Hall, constructed 1912-1914, were part of the Bolivar County Agricultural High School and among the first buildings for Delta State Teachers College. Hardee was...

The annex to the Hill Demonstration School was constructed with funds from the WPA. The building was dedicated in 1939 and named for the director of the demonstration school. The Art Moderne building was designed by campus engineer J. S. Sigler, and was demolished in 1974.

PWA Project Miss. 1225 was constructed at Delta State Teacher's College (now Delta State University) in 1938 (MDAH) to serve as part of training in applied home management. Currently named Marshall House, the building is a residence for the Vice President for Academic Affairs (Bulletin of Delta State University).

The Delta State Teachers College (now Delta State University) "...did add to its physical plant with the completion in 1936 of an outdoor swimming pool with $20,000 from the Works Progress Administration" (Gunn & Castle, 1980, p. 45). The pool opened in May, 1936 for the senior class party. The pool was eventually demolished, and the site remodeled into a natatorium.

The 1939 PWA library constructed at Delta State Teachers College (now Delta State University) was designed in an Italian Renaissance/Mediterranean style. It was used as the library until 1968, and has been used as the Fielding Wright Art Center since then. A rear addition was added in 1954, another addition in 1970, and the building was renovated in 1978.

The 1938-39 Art Moderne Project Miss. 1225 is "...a rare surviving example of a university gymnasium from the period before World War II. ...maintains its interior and exterior integrity" (MDAH). The gym was expanded with a rear addition of a second gym in 1947, which was demolished in 2000. Brick veneer was added in 1964, and the building was renovated in 1975-76. It remains in use today, and is prominently located at the front of the campus on Leflore Circle.

Seven CCC camps began planting slash and long leaf seedings in half of the DeSoto National Forest. Each camp of 115 men were planting 50,000 seedlings per day, anticipated to take three months to complete. The camps included Camps F-16 at Ramsey Springs, F-4 at Laurel, 5 at New Augusta, 7 at New Augusta, 8 at Richton, 12 at Biloxi, and 24 at Richton. The state nursery at Ramsey Springs supplied about 1,000,000 of the seedlings and the remainder came from Alexandria, Louisiana. Bridge construction began in the Bienville Ranger District of the DeSoto National Forest in May 1936. Bridges...

Construction began on the Airey Work Center in the DeSoto National Forest in 1935 by the Civilian Conservation Corps. Initially known as the Biloxi National Forest, the buildings included the lookout tower, office, and equipment shop as part of the original site development. The Work Center was a 2.5 story, timber-frame maintenance and storage building with a one-story residence. The lookout tower was a prefabricated steel fire tower with stairs, and a cabin at the top. Physically located closest to McHenry, and official address listed as Perkinston.

The Public Works Administration project 1408 provided a grant of $20,250 for disposal plant for the city of Corinth. The project was approved 10/2/1936, construction started 1/18/1937, and was completed 6/12/1937 for a total cost of $46,505. WPA provided an additional $1,104 for a sludge bed and grading on site in September 1937 following the June completion of the sewage plant. The Corinth treatment plant was abandoned when the city built a new one in 1972.

The Works Progress Administration (WPA) constructed a community center for the Dixie Pine community in 1936. Dixie Pine had 1000 residents and no public building for social activity. The center hosted many dances for the Camp Shelby soldiers through the WPA Recreation Project. The center was in use occasionally as a polling location for elections in 1977 when it was destroyed by fire.

The Dixie Springs Lake was one of the first projects initiated in Pike County by the Works Progress Administration (WPA). Work began in early November 1935 when 20 men began clearing the site. Efforts were made for early completion of the Dixie Springs Lake project, which was also sponsored by the State Game and Fish Commission and would serve as a refuge for waterfowl and for fish breeding. Engineer J. Wesley Brown completed the survey and plans for the Dixie Springs dam and lake project. After a number of delays, the spillway was almost completed by 1939. Dixie Springs Lake...

A chain of lakes for the hill counties of Mississippi was proposed in 1936 by Si Corley, director of conservation of the State Game and Fish commission. Funds from the Works Progress Administration (WPA) in concert with the sponsorship of the Game and Fish commission began the construction of a series of lakes adjacent to cities including Dockery Lake near Byram. Dockery Lake completed an earthen dam by April 1937 and began sodding it. Corley pointed out that in addition to providing sites for outdoor sports, when fully stocked, the lakes could produce 2,000 pounds of fish per acre each...

The Demonstration School was re-roofed by Gordon Van-Tine Company, and three dormitories were repaired and improved through PWA funds at Mississippi State Teachers College. Oden and Glenn were contractors, making general repairs and installing new toilets and bathroom facilities. Rear porches were screened, tile floors and marble bathroom walls were added to each of the six bath compartments in each of the two bathrooms per floor. The projects were funded for a total of $78,000.

The Works Progress Administration (WPA) built the Durant Public School in 1940-42. N. W. Overstreet and Associates designed the Art Moderne school building and  W. E. Rubush of Meridian was the superintendent of construction. The building is 181 feet by 138 feet, with a 2-story central auditorium joining together two single-story wings.  The Durant school system made two applications to the federal government for aid in building a new school.  Public Works Administration application x1330 was returned unfunded due to lack of funds. A Works Progress Administration application was submitted in 1940 and approved for project no. 41133 for an allotment of...

End End Homes was the third public housing project to be completed in Biloxi. Architects Matthes and Landry with John Thomas Collins designed the facility and it was constructed by Currie & Corley. Currie & Corley's bid was $225,576 for the 96 unit facility. Elmer Richards Electric Company secured electrical work for $9,994.50, Patton & Son awarded the plumbing, heating, and sewage contract for $36,990, and Ray V. Pisarich, sewage disposal system for $22,586. The work began Feb. 10, 1941 and was completed later that year. Damage from Hurricane Katrina in 2005 resulted in demolition and the Cadet Point Senior...

In 1936, the WPA added a rear auditorium and cafeteria to the East End Italianate/Craftsman school originally constructed in 1888.

The East Stadium-Dormitory for what was then known as State Teachers College was completed 1939 with funding from PWA and college revenue bonds. It originally was built as a stadium and the men's dormitory was under the east stand of the stadium. It was project X1314 for a total cost of $140,000. The project was approved September 13, 1938 and completed November 15, 1939. Contractor was B. L. Knost of Pass Christian. The concrete building/stadium was on the east side of the Faulkner athletic field, seating 6,000. The dormitory housed 165 men and opened for move-in November 2, 1939. Mrs....

Okolona obtained electric power in 1935 through the Tennessee Valley Authority power plant at Muscle Shoals, Alabama. Funding to extend the municipal power system into the surrounding rural area was approved by PWA 9/25/1935. Project 1139 for a loan of $21,000 and grant of $17,042 was begun 3/9/1936 and completed 2/25/1937 for a total of $38,860.

Public Works Administration (PWA) 1203 approved a loan of $66,000 and grant of $54,000 for a new electric power plant. The project was approved 11/14/1935. Construction began 10/10/1938 and was completed 10/4/1939. The delay between approval and construction was due to the Mississippi Power Company attempting to prevent Aberdeen from securing the money from PWA to construct the plant and connect with Tennessee Valley Authority's power lines. It was dismissed in lower court and then upheld in the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals in April 1938. By July 1938, Aberdeen City Council offered Mississippi Power $60,000 to purchase their existing...

The elementary building was part of 11projects undertaken in Pearl River County in 1937. The school building was projected to cost $14,000. Projects included bridges, buildings at Pearl River College and other local schools, and a new City Hall. Wilford S. Lockyer was the architect for the school project. The building is still in use as part of the Carriere school system.

The Works Progress Administration (WPA) allotted $128,138 toward construction of a new elementary school. R. W. Naef was the architect for the two-story brick 1941 International style building. W. T. Beckelheimer was the superintendent of construction. An auditorium was added to the building in 1956. District Manager for WPA office announced the building would be ready for occupancy in fall of 1941. The building remains in use.

The one-story Colonial Revival brick building was constructed by a $14,318 grant from Public Works Administration approved 9/26/1938. Construction began 12/19/1938 and was completed 7/29/1939 for a total cost of $31,585. Edgar Lucian Malvaney designed the building and it was constructed by Flint-Jordan Construction Company. It remains in use as a school. Replacement doors and windows have been installed, but the interior retains its floor plan.

Works Progress Administration (WPA) project No. 41,290 for construction of a school building at Redwood community was approved for $26,406. The Redwood History page reported the "final school" was constructed on a 10-acre plot. While it was being finished, it was hit by a tornado in 1941 and more than half of the classrooms were damaged. The opening of the school was delayed until 1942 when it could be completed. The building is still extant, though renovations and additions over the years have changed the appearance. It now serves elementary children.

Public Works Administration (PWA) project 1280 provided a grant of $16,411 for construction of a grammar school. Architect E. L. Malvaney designed the 1-story brick school. The Daily Clarion-Ledger reported both the high school and the elementary school were constructed with this grant. The project was approved 8/10/1938, construction started 11/21/1938, and the project was completed 10/28/1939 for a total of $35,074. WPA provided an additional $3,640 for the grammar school to add landscaping, playground equipment, and sidewalks in February 1940.

The 1936 elementary school was Pubic Works Administration project 1002. Total cost of the school with the auditorium and gymnasium was $61,631. Architects Overstreet and Town designed the facility in an Art Deco style and Joe Barras provided a bas relief sculpture for the building. M. T. Reed Construction Company won the general construction bid, and plumbing was done by Davis Plumbing with Joe Williams Electric providing the electrical wiring. The elementary school was destroyed by fire in 1954. The one-story concrete building containing six classrooms, auditorium, and gymnasium were all destroyed.

Public Works Administration project 4726 for an elementary school building was approved 3/21/1934 for a $20,000 loan and $8,232 grant. Construction began 6/18/1934 and was completed 5/29/1935. The Colonial Revival style building was designed by Edgar Lucian Malvaney and constructed by Currie and Corley. The former school was listed as a Mississippi Landmark and the Lawrence County Historical Society began work toward restoration and renewed use of the building.

The station was begun in the 1931 as a fruit and vegetable research station. From 1933-1935, the site was expanded and new buildings constructed. The buildings were built by Public Works Administration from 1933 to 1935 with an allotment of $96,350. Funds were provided by Public Works under the National Industrial Recovery Act. The purpose of the allotment was fruit and vegetable disease research and auxiliary buildings devoted to sugar cane research. The Administration Office and Laboratory were built in 1933. After a new two-story brick and stucco administration building and laboratory was constructed 1935, the first administration office was...

The Public Works Administration W1183 funded constructing for new buildings and improvements for five Hinds County schools in 1938-1939. Forest Hill School used funds to construct a vocational building, auditorium, gymnasium, and home for the vocational teacher. They used a $24,000 bond issue to supplement the PWA funding for a loan of 151,986 toward estimated cost of all 5 schools of $337,746, approved 6/22/1938. Bids were advertised October 1938; first contract awarded 11/10/38; construction began 11/14/1938; and was completed 12/4/1939 for a total of 322,153. The school was demolished in 1987.

The New Albany City Hall was designed by Mississippi architect E. L. Malvaney, who designed many modernist buildings in the state. The two-story Art Deco style building (with Art Moderne characteristics) is a Mississippi State Landmark. Joan Embree, 1996, described it as "...rectangularly-massed, has a flat roof, concrete entry, walk, and stair to the first level." It was described as "...a monolithic concrete structure by E. L. Malvaney" in the Federal Writers Project. Art Moderne, a late form of Art Deco, was popular during the 1930s and forward. It often made use of concrete, was subdued in color, and had...

The original building was built by the WPA between 1938 and 1940. It held 15 classrooms, laboratories, library, and an auditorium. It is currently used as the administration to the Webster County School District. The architect said, "The selection of architectural concrete was made after failure of other materials to satisfy the various requirements considered fundamental to the Eupora project" (Malvaney, 1941, p. 24). No decorative details were included in order to keep within the allocated funds, $110,000, with $40,000 provided by the school district. The sole decorative feature is molded plaques across the front of the building. Concrete canopied...

The Frank Berry Courts were constructed 1939 through the United States Housing Authority. The complex included 95 buildings, 113 dwelling units, of which 77 were 1-family attached units, 36 were 2-family attached units. Most were 5-room units, but some were 4 room and 6 rooms. The buildings were completely rehabilitated and modernized in 2011 through the Department of Housing and Urban Development funded through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.