Robert Russa Moton Museum occupies the former public high school of the same name in Farmville, Virginia. Located at the intersection of South Main Street and Griffin Boulevard (Ely Street at time of construction), the school was constructed as the… read more
A sanitary sewer construction project in Fairfax, Virginia was undertaken during the Great Depression with the aid of federal Public Works Administration (PWA) funds. The PWA supplied a $44,956 grant for the project, whose total cost was $100,088. Work occurred between… read more
The historic Saunders Station post office in Richmond, Virginia was constructed in 1938 with Treasury Department funds. The building is still in service.
“Between May 11, 1933 and March 31, 1942, ten CCC camps were established within, or on leased land adjacent to, Shenandoah. At any one time, more than 1,000 boys and young men lived in camps supervised by the Army and… read more
One of the first CCC camps in the park, (Camp N.P.-2), was established at Big Meadows. Some of the CCC camp structures remain. The CCC also created many of the structures that make up today’s Big Meadows Campground. CCC works remaining… read more
“Big Meadows Lodge is on Skyline Drive in Virginia’s Shenandoah National Park, and 75 overlooks along the 115-mile-long National Scenic Byway provide valley vistas. The lodge was built by the Civilian Conservation Corps and local laborers in 1939 from stone… read more
“Located south along the drive from Big Meadows, Lewis Mountain Development Area sits on a plateau approximately 3,400 feet above sea level east of Lewis Mountain and consists of a picnic grounds, lodge and eight cabins (having 15 overnight units),… read more
“The Skyline Drive follows closely the course of the Appalachian Trail and extends the entire length of the Shenandoah National Park, along the crest of the Blue Ridge Mountains, nearly 100 miles. It will eventually be extended almost 500 miles… read more
The Sherando Lake Recreation Area was constructed in the George Washington National Forest by the 351st Company of the Civilian Conservation Corps in 1933. Consisting of a main lower lake and smaller upper lake in the Appalachian Mountains, the Sherando… read more
The federal Works Progress Administration allotted $2,397 for the construction of sidewalks in Lively, Virginia in November 1938.
“Built in 1939 during the Great Depression by the Public Works Administration on eight acres of land purchased with private donations from black citizens who had formed a “county league” for that purpose, the Stafford Training School was the only… read more
In 1938, the Bullitt Park municipal park was founded along with the building of a log cabin by the National Youth Administration (NYA). The building was a collaboration of the Richmond District Girl Scouts and the NYA boys, and was used… read more
The Pentagon is the headquarters of the United States Department of Defense and the largest office building in the world. It was constructed from August 1941 to January 1943 in order to centralize the administration of the U.S. armed services… read more
The Pentagon is America’s Department of Defense headquarters and the largest office building in the world. It was constructed from August 1941 to January 1943 in order to centralize the administration of the U.S. armed services during World War II…. read more
The former Turner school in Clinchco, Dickenson County, Virginia, was constructed as a New Deal project. Satellite and Google Street View imagery suggest the building is still extant, if largely abandoned. In 1940, W.E. French, who directed the Federal work… read more
According to WPA records in the National Archives, in 1941 WPA labor was used to “Improve grounds at the U.S. Coast Guard Monitoring Station, including constructing fences; clearing trees, brush, and undergrowth; appurtenant and incidental work.” Exact location and current… read more
According to WPA records in the National Archives, in 1939 WPA labor was used to “Construct and rehabilitate water and sewer facilities, and roads, improve grounds, at the United States Experimental Gardens in Arlington County Va.” Exact location and current… read more
The index to WPA projects at the National Archives includes the following description of WPA efforts at the magazine and torpedo factory: “Rehabilitate buildings, roads, and walks at the Naval Magazine and Naval Torpedo Factory of the Navy Yard; Rehabilitate… read more
“The attendance at the University of Virginia had risen to 2,700 students and the accommodations for the library in the rotunda building had become entirely inadequate. The university, accordingly, secured a loan and grant from the P.W.A. and erected the… read more
The Richmond Professional Institute (RPI) was an educational institution established in 1917. It eventually merged with the Medical College of Virginia to become the Monroe Park Campus of the Virginia Commonwealth University. In the 1930s, as the Richmond Professional Institute,… read more
“Before the erection of this art museum, the city of Richmond had no building suitable for the exhibition and storage of works of art. The structure is placed on the grounds of the soldiers’ home and the area surrounding it… read more
Burruss Hall serves as the main administration building for Virginia Polytechnic and State University in Blacksburg, Virginia. Originally called the Teaching and Administration Building, it was constructed with a grant from the WPA from 1934-1936. It contains a 3,003 seat… read more
This National Archives photo of a PWA dormitory at Virginia Polytechnic matches Eggleston Hall: “Eggleston Hall is composed of three wings: East, Main, and West. Main Eggleston was completed in 1935, and both East and West Eggleston were completed in… read more
The Students Activity Building at the Virginia Polytechnic institute in Blacksburg, Virginia was built by the Public Works Administration in 1937. The original building was completed in May of 1937 and was 54,366 square feet. The building was renamed the… read more
“The Stadium at Cary Field was constructed in 1935 at a cost of $138,395 under a grant from President Franklin D. Roosevelt‘s Public Works Administration. The namesakes of the stadium are Walter (W&M class of 1937) and Betty Zable (class… read more
The historic Warren County Courthouse in Front Royal, Virginia was built with the aid of federal Public Works Administration (PWA) funds. Construction occurred between July 1935 and August 1936. The building is still in service. PWA Docket No. 7608
Roanoke, Virginia’s Wasena Bridge was constructed as a federal Public Works Administration (PWA) project between 1938 and 1939 by Contractor M. S. Hudgins, Wisconsin Bridges & Iron Company and Consulting Engineers, Barrington & Cortelyou . The bridge carries the traffic of Main… read more
ThePublic Works Administration (PWA) funded the construction 0f the Washington-Liberty High School. According to the school’s history page, “In 1938 with PWA funds, another addition” to Washington Lee High School in Arlington, Virginia “was completed. A PWA plaque is located… read more
A waterworks construction project in Gloucester [Courthouse], Virginia was undertaken during the Great Depression with the aid of federal Public Works Administration (PWA) funds. The PWA supplied a $15,300 grant for the project, whose total cost was $34,159. Work occurred between… read more
A waterworks construction project in Herndon, Virginia was undertaken during the Great Depression with the aid of federal Public Works Administration (PWA) funds. The PWA supplied a $30,572 grant for the project, whose total cost was $67,938. Work occurred between November… read more
A waterworks improvement project in Fredericksburg, Virginia was undertaken during the Great Depression with the aid of federal Public Works Administration (PWA) funds. The PWA supplied a $50,850 grant for the project, whose total cost was $113,165. Work occurred between September… read more
A waterworks improvement project in Lexington, Virginia was undertaken during the Great Depression with the aid of federal Public Works Administration (PWA) funds. The PWA supplied a $46,919 grant for the project, whose total cost was $104,676. Work occurred between January… read more
According to an index of WPA projects in the National Archives, the WPA constructed a sewage disposal plant, sedimentation tanks, a sludge digestion tank, and dripping beds in Lorton in 1936. In 1938, the Washington Post reported that funds were… read more
A waterworks construction project in Covington, Virginia was undertaken during the Great Depression with the aid of federal Public Works Administration (PWA) funds. The PWA supplied a $37,575 grant for the project, whose total cost was $80,230. Work occurred between January… read more
“The Winchester cemetery benefited from federal programs initiated during the Great Depression. In 1930, the original tool house/comfort station was removed and a new, brick and stucco tool house/storage/comfort station building was erected by Civil Works Administration labor.* During 1934… read more
The Woolridge Wayside picnic area on Woolridge Road (Rt. 640) in the Appomattox-Buckingham State Forest “features some large black walnut trees and a spring at the bottom of the hill. The Civilian Conservation Corps, or CCC, built this shelter, as… 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.
