The first public school for African Americans in Abilene was established in 1890. Located in the 200 block of Plum Street, the one-room school was named the Abilene Colored School. Its first class consisted of 22 students and one teacher…. read more
The National Youth Administration (NYA) completed landscaping work in Cobb Park Landscaping – Abilene TX. NYA Park Project To Begin Thursday: A National Youth Administration park Improvement project for the city of Abilene will begin Thursday, it was learned here yesterday…. read more
Abilene’s historic Federal Building was constructed as the U.S. Post Office and Court House during the Great Depression. It was constructed with Treasury Department funds between 1935 and 1936. The building is still used by various federal agencies.
New Deal funds aided in the construction a dam north of Abilene on Elm Creek, resulting in the creation of Lake Fort Phantom Hill. The lake continues to be “the city’s main water source.” Sources do not indicate exactly which… read more
The Abilene Reporter-News discusses a WPA project undertaken in 1936, one which helped to unify downtown Abilene: “One of the most practical projects, still affecting thousands of Abilenians each day, was the raising of the railroad tracks in downtown Abilene… read more
North Junior High School, renamed Franklin Middle School during the 1980s, was a WPA project constructed during 1942. The building was demolished at the end of 2010 (or very early 2011) and the Mary P. Martinez Elementary School was built… read more
Abilene’s South Junior High School, renamed Jefferson Middle School during the 1980s, was a 1942 WPA project. No longer a middle school, the building has “been used while other Abilene Independent School District campuses [are] renovated.”
The Works Progress Administration built the Taylor County Agriculture Building in Abilene, Texas between 1938 and 1939. The building then became the Taylor County Welfare Office for a number of years. The building’s current use is unknown. Anecdotes tell that… read more
Check out our latest map and guide to the work of the New Deal in Washington, D.C. It includes 500 New Deal sites in the District alone, highlighting 34 notable sites, and includes an inset map of the area around the National Mall which can be used for self-guided walking tours.
Take a look at our previous guides, equally comprehensive, covering key New Deal sites in San Francisco and New York City.
