Nebraska Sites

As a result of the drought and the Great Depression in general, many farmers were financially unable to send their children to adjoining towns to high school. During normal times, parents would have been able to provide a high school education for their children. In rural districts 12, 14 and 49 in Brown County, approximately twenty miles southwest of Ainsworth, twelve pupils were ready to enter high school in the fall of 1934, but would be denied this education unless some means of providing for their schooling was provided closer to home. On July 6, 1934, the school boards of...

In July 1935, the Laurel School Board sponsored a proposal for a new athletic field adjacent to the school grounds. The land had been used as a school “park”, but since the school had no athletic field to speak of, the Board proposed to procure 6,000 cubic yards of dirt from the nearby borrow pit of the State Highway Department and level the yard. Thirty men were given employment as a result of this Works Progress Administration (WPA) project.

The historic bandshell in Auburn, Nebraska's Legion Park was constructed as a Work Projects Administration (WPA) project starting in 1940. About 30' x 40' in size, the shell features a dark stone foundation and brick designed to mesh with other WPA-built improvements in the park. "The back of the stage is a scientifically designed concave surface, which will be covered in a material adapted for the best acoustics." The basement of the bandshell featured dressing rooms and a 22' x 23' recreation room. The estimated cost of the project was $6,500.

Auburn, Nebraska's Legion Park was dramatically improved as a result of Work Projects Administration (WPA) efforts. In addition to the park's bandshell, "uring the late 1930’s, the City received WPA funding to build the ... playground, picnic shelter, and the arched entrance."

The Works Progress Administration (WPA) constructed the public library in Morrill, Nebraska in 1936.

On November 9, 1933, President Roosevelt signed an Executive Order creating the Civil Works Administration (CWA) and providing $400 million from the Public Works Administration funds for the new organization. The goal of the Executive Order was to put four million of America’s unemployed to work by January 15, 1934. By November 16, 1933, all relief work beneficiaries and projects were transferred to the CWA. Within another month, well over two million people were already employed on CWA projects, and the CWA had advertised that funds were available for building projects. The Nehawka Public Library was no doubt one of...

The Civil Works Administration (CWA) constructed a one-room library in Beemer, Nebraska. Built with CWA and city funds, the former library was located on Main St., near Highway 8. The structure had "built-in shelves, coat closets, fuel, and closets for surplus magazines."

The Works Progress Administration (WPA) constructed the stunning former library building in Rushville, Nebraska. The building is now a private residence. The current library is located in a former Masonic lodge built in 1940.

The Civil Works Administration (CWA) constructed the former Syracuse Public Library in Syracuse, NE. The town had applied for Public Works Administration funds for a new library building, but the application was not granted. The town purchased and demolished the Syracuse Congregational Church and the new building that replaced it became the public library. The library held 4,000 volumes in 1934. The government funds for labor and materials amounted to $1,908.75. The building is located at the northwest corner of Plum St. and 6th St.

In September 1935, the Kearney City Council voted unanimously to approve plans drawn by Hugh McClure for an addition to the library. The plans, together with an application for Public Works Administration (PWA) funds, were then forwarded to Lincoln for possible approval. To promote the project, the Chamber of Commerce hosted an evening of speakers to educate members of the Chamber on all of the New Deal projects that were being applied for at the time. John G. Lowe, a long-time member of the library board spoke for the library expansion project. Lowe stated that additional space was badly needed,...

Omaha's Logan Fontenelle Housing Project was constructed as a federal Public Works Administration (PWA) project during the Great Depression. Located from 20th to 24th Streets, and from Paul Street north, the project was demolished in 1995. PWA Docket No. H-2001

The Long Pine School project was begun and left unfinished by the Civil Works Administration (CWA) and the Emergency Relief Agency (ERA). As a result, the school’s roof leaked and the heat did not work. Because the school district’s finances were not robust enough to pay to finish the project itself, the district proposed to finish the project with the Works Progress Administration (WPA). Included in the work was a renovation of all the units within the building including painting all surfaces, sanding and varnishing all floors, doors, desks and furniture, the excavation and cementing of the basement of the...

The utilities building in Lyons, Nebraska located at the northeast corner of Main St. and 1st St. was constructed as a federal Public Works Administration (PWA) project. It was originally built as a water treatment facility. The structure is currently still used as a utility shed for the City of Lyons.

The Works Progress Administration (WPA) developed a farm-to-market road in Hamilton County: South M Road, south and west of Aurora. "The road work now under way Is a grading and graveling job extending twelve miles south from the new overpass on highway No 34 four miles west of Aurora to the county line."

In 1937, architects McClure and Walker of Kearney were hired to draw plans for a new men’s dormitory on the campus of the Kearney State Teachers College. Planned to house 120 to 140 men, the brick building was planned to be three stories tall, 155 feet long and 77 feet wide. In addition to a large cafeteria and dining hall, which would make up one arm of the first floor of the U-shaped building, the building would include between 60 and 72 sleeping rooms, most of them doubles. A large reception room on the first floor and smaller living rooms...

In 1939, an athletic field was added to the high school facilities. Funded by the Works Progress Administration (WPA) in the amount of $3,190.00, workers completed the construction of game fields, bleachers, drives and fences. Landscaping and tree plantings were also planned. Although largely finished, a new grant was sought in the fall of 1939 to finish the project.

In September 1935, the village of Primrose was notified that it had been given a grant of $7,363.00 from the Public Works Administration (PWA) for the purpose of building a municipal auditorium and gymnasium. The total project cost was estimated to be $19,700.00. Begun in March 1936, the building was complete by the end of September.

The historic Alliance Municipal Building was constructed between March 1936 and April 1937 with the aid of federal Public Works Administration (PWA) funds. The PWA provided a $78,189 grant for the project, whose total cost was $178,625. PWA Docket No. NE 1079 In August 1935, the Alliance City Council took steps toward securing a new municipal building for Alliance. The council hired Omaha architectural firm John Latenser and Sons to draw plans for the new building, and encouraged the city to file an application with the Public Works Administration (PWA) for a free federal grant of $67,500.00 toward the building’s construction. A $100,000.00...

In late 1934, Wauneta had a substantial fund saved from the earnings of its municipal water system. Plans were drawn by a local architect for a building measuring fifty feet by twenty-five feet to provide space for the municipal offices, library, fire department and jail. The building was designed to allow a later addition of a second story for an auditorium. In the middle of January, 1935, a small crew of relief laborers started razing the old fire hall and pump house. The building was carefully dismantled in order to salvage as much material as possible for use in the...

The Works Progress Administration (WPA) constructed a 40' x 66' "municipal patrol shed" in North Platte, Nebraska, as an addition to North Platte's then city hall, ca. 1935-6. It was used for the storage of street maintenance equipment and a fire truck. The location and status of the facility is unknown to Living New Deal.

In 1936 the Works Progress Administration (WPA) constructed a gorgeous stone museum in what was then known as Old Settlers Park—now Pioneer Park—in Scottsbluff, Nebraska. The structure, whose present function is unknown to Living New Deal, is still extant and can be found in the west side of the park. Five colors of calcerous limestone for the building was quarried for the project from Ingleside quarries in Colorado, 105 tons in all. One stone mason, Manuel Huberto, who lived in Mitchell, voluntarily walked 20 miles round trip daily to participate in the project. "He took great pride in his work, which...

In 1935, Congress was considering legislation that would provide Works Progress Administration (WPA) funds for the construction of National Guard armories for communities whose National Guard units were currently renting space. If communities would provide a square block of land, deeded to the state, the federal government would loan the community $25,000.00 for a standard plan armory. Hartington was among the communities that indicated an interest in the program. In late September, Hartington was given notification that they had been selected for one of the $25,000.00 grants.

An economic account of Kearney is given in The Kearney Daily Hub paper of November 19, 1935, reporting facts disclosed at a joint Buffalo County Board and Kearney City Council meeting. Board Chairperson Martin Slattery reported that “There were nearly five thousand persons on relief in Buffalo County last year, practically as many as the combined populations of Ravenna, Shelton, Gibbon, Elm Creek, and all other towns in the county outside Kearney.” Chairman of the County Board’s poor committee, Gene Loomis reported that there were then “about 150 non-employable cases on relief, as well as about 175 employable but jobless...

"A utility cooperative is a type of cooperative that is tasked with the delivery of a public utility such as electricity, water or telecommunications to its members. Profits are either reinvested for infrastructure or distributed to members in the form of "patronage" or "capital credits", which are essentially dividends paid on a member's investment into the cooperative. Each customer is a member and owner of the business with an equal say as every other member of the cooperative, unlike investor-owned utilities where the amount of say is governed by the number of shares held. Many such cooperatives exist in the rural United...

The Nebraska Union building on the UNL campus was constructed as a Public Works federal Administration (PWA) project. The PWA provided a $180,000 grant for the $417,908 project. Construction occurred between Jan. 1937 and Apr. 1938. "The Alumni Association eventually raised enough funds to provide $75,000 to furnish the new building. Both the Daily Nebraskan and the Alumni Association were granted office space in the new student union when it opened on May 4, 1938." PWA Docket No. Neb. 1278

According to the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission, “Niobrara State Park opened to the public after work by the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) in 1934 and 1935.”

The Civil Works Administration (CWA) installed the North 10th Street trunk line sewer in Nebraska City, Nebraska in 1934.

In 1937, a new school was completed for Decatur costing $76,000.00, accomplished in part due to the cooperation of the PWA on the project. The school was built on the site of the former school, which was razed just prior to the construction of the new school. It was built by Beckenhauer Brothers of Norfolk. The school was dedicated on April 27, 1937 with a program given before a large audience of patrons and townspeople. Mr. E. Dudley Beck, chair of the Board of Education, presided as Master of Ceremonies, and invited several to speak, including a school teacher who...

The Works Progress Administration (WPA) developed a farm-to-market road in Hamilton County: West 8th Road, south and west of Aurora. The project consisted of "eight miles of grading, culvert work and graveling, starting at the Prairie Gem church, south six miles and then two miles east, connecting with the KND." The Prairie Gem church was located at W 8 Rd. and S O Rd. The work, then, involved six miles of S O Rd. and two miles of W 2nd Rd. over to Route 14.

The Oak Ballroom is situated near the bank of Lost Creek in the city of Schuyler’s Community Park (CX06-003). It was built as a Works Progress Administration (WPA) relief project between 1935 and 1937 at a cost of $37,000. The Oak ballroom was designed by a local architect to reflect the popular Period Revival and Rustic architectural styles of the time. It is constructed from native oak trees and stones from the ruins of the Wells & Abbott, Nieman Milling Company. The interior features a wood dance floor, band pit, dressing room, bar, and ticket and coat check rooms. A hand-painted mural...

VisitNebraska.com: "A community landmark, Ohiowa Auditorium was completed in 1940 and preserved in near original condition. It is one of many Nebraska buildings constructed by the Works Progress Administration (WPA) during the Great Depression." The auditorium is located at the southeast corner of S Main St. & Grafton St.

The eastern wing of the historic Otoe County Courthouse in Nebraska City, Nebraska was built in 1936 with the aid of federal Public Works Administration (PWA) funds. The PWA supplied $24,781 for the project, whose total cost is $58,200. PWA Docket No. NE 1081

The Works Progress Administration (WPA) constructed improvement work at the city park and at the fairgrounds in Gordon, Nebraska.

The Works Progress Administration (WPA) conducted improvement work at an athletic field and park in Beatrice, Nebraska. Beatrice Daily Sun: "A recently completed WPA project at the park resulted in major improvements. The north bank was landscaped, the cinder running track was widened, rest rooms were constructed, and the seating capacity of the concrete bleachers was doubled." The location and status of this project is currently unknown to Living New Deal.

The Works Progress Administration (WPA) constructed improvement work at a park in Bingham, Nebraska.

The Works Progress Administration (WPA) conducted park improvement work in North Platte, Nebraska, "Project No. 40."

An early Works Progress Administration (WPA) project in Scribner, Nebraska was described as follows: General Improvement program for the Scribner city park. This includes: Construction of a 16 by 24 foot concrete and tile combination band stand and rest rooms: construction of 500 feet of 4 foot sidewalk; laying 550 feet of 1 inch water main to fountain and rest rooms; laying 750 feet of electric conduit and lighting system; removing 45 old tree stumps, and landscaping the 3 acre's on which the park is located. Eleven persons are working on this project.

A street paving project in Dodge, Nebraska was undertaken with the assistance of federal Public Works Administration (PWA) funds. PWA Docket No. 1600

A street paving project in Fremont, Nebraska was undertaken with the assistance of federal Public Works Administration (PWA) funds. PWA Docket No. 5590

A street paving project in North Platte, Nebraska was undertaken with the assistance of federal Public Works Administration (PWA) funds. The PWA supplied a $29,123 grant for the project, whose total cost was $56,171. PWA Docket No. 1313