Philadelphia Sites

The single story Colonial Revival Administration building for the school was constructed in 1936 by the WPA.

The rustic log cabin was the first library built in Philadelphia, Mississippi, although the library had been established several years earlier in space in two other buildings. It was a community effort spearheaded by the Twentieth Century Club. The WPA also provided the first paid librarians. The building, relocated to a park when a new and modern library was constructed, was almost totally destroyed by a tornado in 2011. Only the flooring, chimney, and fireplace remained. It was reconstructed in 2013 in a joint effort of the Mississippi Department of Archives and History and City of Philadelphia.

"One of many public buildings constructed in Mississippi under WPA legislation during the Great Depression, the building has been well maintained and has retained its architectural integrity" (Weaver, 1995). The former US Post Office in Philadelphia was one of 32 post offices constructed in Mississippi under the New Deal Administration. The nomination form for the National Register of Historic Places described the building as "loosely Classical Revival with Mediterranean influence." Currently in use as the Philadelphia Police Department, the building retains its original wood and glass entry vestibule and other internal and external elements. A mezzanine level is on the...

Congressman Ross Collins announced Public Works Administration (PWA) approval of allotment of $28,636 for the Philadelphia School in Neshoba County. Project W1214 was approved 8/17, 1937. Contract was awarded 12/14, 1937, construction began 12/18/1937, and was completed 8/18/1938. The school's 1938 gymnasium, designed by Krouse & Brasfield, may have been part of the project. Philadelphia schools were recipients of additional $9,116 in August 1938.