Vermont Sites

Town reports for Manchester, Vermont reveal that federal funds and labor went toward the development of a local airport in 1934. 25 men were put to work on the project. There is no longer an active airport in the community; the location of the former facility is unknown to Living New Deal.

The Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) developed Vermont's Allis State Park during the 1930s. "They built up the access roads, constructed a massive timber picnic shelter, picnic grounds and a campground."

The former armory in Lyndonville, Vermont was constructed by the Works Progress Administration (WPA). The status and location of the facility is unknown to Living New Deal. WPA Project No. 65‐12‐620

The former armory building in Bellows Falls, Vermont was improved by the Works Progress Administration (WPA). It is now an apartment building. WPA Project No. 65‐12‐942

The former 1904 armory building in Burlington, Vermont was improved by the Works Progress Administration (WPA). WPA Project No. 65‐12‐935

The former armory building in Montpelier, Vermont was improved by the Works Progress Administration (WPA). The status and location of the facility is unknown to Living New Deal. WPA Project No. 65‐12‐940

The former 1916 armory building in St. Johnsbury, Vermont was improved by the Works Progress Administration (WPA). WPA Project No. 65‐12‐934

Multiple school buildings in southeastern Vermont were improved with federal Civil Works Administration (C.W.A.) funds and labor. Athens/Jamaica town report, 1933-4: At present there are four different jobs under the C. W. A. either going on or finished. At South Wardsboro the school house has been shingled and a new chimney built. At West Wardsboro one side of the school building has been shingled. At Athens running water is being piped to the school. In South Newfane the school building has been moved farther back from the road and is being completely remodeled. The labor for all these projects is provided...

The Winooski River Local Protection Project in Vermont, a Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) undertaking, entailed "replacing an old timber dam at Montpelier by a small concrete dam (now called Bailey Dam) with tainter gates." The project is located on the Winooski River west of Main Street.  It was built sometime between 1934 and 1938.

Montpelier's 40th Annual Report details many roadwork projects undertaken in 1934 with Vermont Emergency Relief Administration (VERA) funds, including: "Barre Road, widening at Jerue turn". Efforts were continued in subsequent years by the Works Progress Administration (WPA). 1939 Montpelier annual report: "State Aid Construction has been carried on somewhat in connection with Federal Participation in the form of W.P.A. labor. Barre Street has been macadamized from Hubbard St., to Pioneer St., a distance of 4,965 ft., and an area of 14,500 sq. yds. ... Pioneer Street has been concreted and graded, a distance of 300 ft., and an area of 854 sq....

The W.P.A. developed Burlington's Battery Park, including constructing sidewalks and a masonry parapet wall. WPA Project No. 65-12-344

The Bennington Local Protection Project was undertaken by the Works Progress Administration (WPA), in Bennington, Vermont during the Great Depression. Later reconstruction projects were handled by the United States Army Corps of Engineers. "The Bennington Local Protection Project is located along the left bank of Roaring Branch, a tributary of the Walloomsac River, in Bennington. The project protects Bennington from damage caused by the floodwaters of Roaring Branch. The project, about one mile in length, begins about 1,000 feet upstream of the Brooklyn Bridge and ends on Park Street. It consists of: Three sections of concrete floodwall with stone slope protection...

Montpelier's 1937 Annual Report details roadwork projects undertaken in 1936 by the Works Progress Administration (WPA) funds, including: "Berlin Street from River Street to the City line and a portion of Winooski Avenue received tar treatment for the first time." Sewers were installed by the WPA as well, e.g.: "622 feet of 6-inch tile was laid on Berlin St." Sidewalk work that year included 633 feet of tar walks along the west side of Berlin Street heading south from River Street, an area of 284 square yards.

In 1934 E.R.A. labor drained and cleaned Barre's Bolster Reservoir.

The Civilian Conservation Corps built roads, hiking and ski trails, and recreation facilities on Burke Mountain VT.

The W.P.A. worked extensively, for a period of several years, to develop what was then Burlington Airport. Major efforts included construction of the "diagonal" runway and extension of the north-south runway. Description of a WPA project at the site: Improve municipal airport. Cost: $464,738. Sponsor: City of Burlington. WPA Project No. 165‐1‐12‐66

The Public Works Administration and the Federal Emergency Administration of Public Works funded the construction of the school building and athletic facilities for the Village School in Cabot, Cabot School District. "The school is in the residential section of the town and replaces an inadequate two-story condemned wooden building. There are five classrooms, a library, domestic science room, principal's office, and teachers' rooms. The walls are insulated. It was completed in October 1938. The construction cost was $36,434 and the total project cost was $39,903." The school was designed by Freeman, French and Freeman of Burlington. Docket No. Vt. 1059-DS. The building currently houses...

Among the many municipal projects conducted in Montpelier in 1935 by the Works Progress Administration (W.P.A.) was the following, per 1936 city report: "A much needed improvement was made to the seats in the City Hall as a W.P.A. project. One thousand (1000) new seats and seven hundred (700) new backs and W.P.A. help installed and varnished them. City Hall tower and cornice was painted." Additional painting and renovation work was undertaken by the WPA the following year.

"Crystal Lake State Park consists of the park's recreational area, the bathhouse, and the thin strip of beachfront land along the northern border of Crystal Lake in Barton, Vermont. Crystal Lake is a glacial lake nestled between the mountains and it is about three miles long and one mile wide. The park has a half a mile of sandy shoreline that extends along the north side of Crystal Lake and there is a marked swimming area with a sandy beach in front of the bathhouse. David Fried designed the bathhouse for the Vermont Forest Service in cooperation with the National...

The Public Works Administration funded the construction of the Danville High School in Danville, Caledonia County. The two-story school was built in 1938 and housed grammar and high school grades. The architect of record was Galen H. Nichols. The building replaced a structure built in 1840, and reproduced some architectural elements from the old structure, such as the columns that mark the entrance. Docket No. Vt. 1075-DS.

Photo caption, UVM: "Feb. 26, 1938 dated photo. East Avenue from near Colchester Avenue looking South, WPA (Work Projects Administration) Project No. 65-12-336. This view shows the widening project carried on during the winter months. This street was widened to a total width of thirty feet and a slope of 1 -1 1/2 was given to the shoulders. The old power line was reconstructed with new poles and fixtures and placed in a position to allow for future development. Another project is being prepared for future development of a new pavement and further widening at the south end of this...

"The East Barre Dam was one of four flood damage reduction projects constructed in Vermont by the Civilian Conservation Corps in the 1930s. Construction was overseen by the Corps’ North Atlantic Division. The construction costs of East Barre Dam were not calculated separately because of accounting procedures, but instead lumped together with the construction costs of Waterbury Reservoir, Wrightsville Reservoir, and the Winooski River Local Protection Project. The construction costs of these four projects totaled $13.7 million. Following completion, East Barre Dam was turned over to the State of Vermont for operation and maintenance. The project provides flood protection primarily to...

Located between Montpelier and Barre, what is now Edward F. Knapp State Airport in the Town of Berlin, Vermont was developed as a New Deal project in conjunction with the Works Progress Administration (W.P.A.). Wikipedia: "Originally called the Barre-Montpelier Airport, the airport opened on April 5, 1929. At the time of its construction, the airport was a primitive field with a grass surface. Depending on the wind, planes could take off in any direction. For its earlier years, this worked well, but as larger planes started to use the airport, longer paved runways became a necessity. In October 1935, the field...

Burlington's former Elihu B. Taft School was built as a New Deal project in 1938-9; its construction was enabled by Public Works Administration (P.W.A.) funds. The P.W.A. provided a grant of $111,272 for the project, whose total cost was $245,198. Construction occurred between Aug. 1938 and Nov. 1939. PWA Docket No. VT 1079

The Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) worked to develop Vermont's Elmore State Park during the 1930s. To this day, a "CCC-built beach house with a community room ... can be rented for group functions."

"The Emma Hart Willard Memorial, is a public artwork by designed by Pierre Zwick and Marion Guild and sculpted by T.A. Campbell who worked for the Houlihan Shop in Rutland, Vermont. Erected in 1941, the memorial is located in a triangular-shaped park at the intersection of route 125 and route 7 in downtown Middlebury, Vermont... The sculpture was designed and sculpted with funding from the Federal Arts Project, and erected with funding from the Works Progress Administration. Since its dedication in 1941, the Emma Willard Memorial has been maintained by the Daughters of the American Revolution and is presently administered by...

The Works Progress Administration built tennis courts, an ice rink, and a shelter house for the School in Enosburg.  

Photo caption, UVM: "This is a view of the building built under WPA Project No. 65-12-344 at Ethan Allen Park to be used as a combination tool house and toilet for ladies and gentlemen. Modern plumbing has been installed in the toilets with a large cesspool for sewage disposal which can later be connected with the proposed sewer to be built on Bradley Road . This building is erected near the picnic grounds in the Pine Grove." The exact location and status of this facility is presently unknown to Living New Deal.

The Works Progress Administration (W.P.A.) constructed a masonry entrance at the south end of Ethan Allen Park. The W.P.A. also widened the entrance to 26 feet (W.P.A. Project No. 65-12-344).

The Works Progress Administration constructed a stone masonry lookout house at the pinnacle of Ethan Allen Park in 1938.

Photo caption, UVM: "This view shows Ethan Allen Park drive as seen from the pinnacle. This drive is being constructed with 8" telford stone sub base, 4 inches of stabilized sand and stone base and 1 1/4 inch of armor coat wearing surface covered with a thin layer of washed sand. There is a little over one mile of this type of pavement sixteen feet in width which has been constructed under the WPA project."

The W.P.A. conducted the following work along Bradley Road, since renamed Ethan Allen Parkway. Photo caption, UVM: "Photograph dated Oct. 17, 1941. Original caption reads: Bradley Road Sewer: This view is taken from a point near the intersection of North Avenue looking easterly toward the Poor Farm. This picture was taken after the North End Sewer construction had been completed and numerous large and small pine trees had been eliminated on the southerly side of the street as well as some excavation as shown in the right foreground bordering Ethan Allen Park. Note that the electric light and telephone pole line...

The former Fort Ethan Allen, which occupied land in the towns of Colchester and Essex, Vermont, was a military installation that operated between 1894 and 1944. The base, as well as associated encampments, underwent massive efforts by the Works Progress Administration (WPA). Projects included: Improve and reconstruct buildings, transportation facilities, utilities, systems, and other appurtenant work. Cost: $293,531. Sponsor: Commanding Officer, Fort Ethan Allen, U.S Army. WPA Project No. 765-12-2-1 Improve Machine Gun School and Officer's Training Corps Camps. Cost: $55,211. Sponsor: Commanding Officer, Fort Ethan Allen, U.S Army. WPA Project Nos. 785-12-3-5, 765-12-2-6 A non-construction project to improve buildings, public...

Montpelier's 40th Annual Report details many roadwork projects undertaken in 1934 with Vermont Emergency Relief Administration (VERA) funds, including: "Gallison Hill Road, grading". Efforts were continued in subsequent years by the Works Progress Administration (WPA).

The historic Brattleboro Memorial Armory in Brattleboro, Vermont, also known as the Gibson-Aiken Center, was improved by the Works Progress Administration (WPA). WPA Project No. 65‐12‐942

The Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) developed Vermont's Gifford Woods State Park during the 1930s. "Development of Gifford Woods State Park began in 1933 by the Civilian Conservation Corps ...  In 1933 and 1934, CCC crews constructed the park office and ranger’s quarters, picnic area, stone restroom building, trails, the park entrance and parking area. In 1939 the CCC constructed a camping area."

Montpelier's 40th Annual Report details many roadwork projects undertaken in 1934 with Vermont Emergency Relief Administration (VERA) funds, including: "Gould Hill Road entire length, grading and graveling". Efforts were continued in subsequent years by the Works Progress Administration (WPA).

The Works Progress Administration (WPA) conducted improvement work on many of Montpelier's bridges. The Granite Street Bridge was "given a new floor of four inch  creosoted yellow pine" in 1939. "The lumber was purchased by the W. P. A. Bond Issue ..." Furthermore, with WPA efforts Granite Street was "regraded with surface of crushed granite and asphalt penetration."

The Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) developed Green Mountain National Forest in Vermont during the 1930s. "The Depression-era legacy of the Civilian Conservation Corps (established in 1933 as part of Roosevelt’s “New Deal”) is reflected on the Forest. At one time during the 1930's there were 5 active CCC camps on the Forest (Mt Tabor, Weston, Peru, West River and Rochester).  The men at these camps built roads, trails and campgrounds, fought fires, planted trees and generally established much of the infrastructure of the early National Forest. Today a few of the buildings and many of the features, travel ways and landscapes...

The Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) worked to develop Groton State Forest and multiple state parks attendant with the state forest, including New Discovery, Kettle Pond, Stillwater, and Ricker Pond State Parks. The CCC conducted reforestation work, developed trails and roads, and constructed campgrounds and shelters. According to a 1988 Groton State Forest History Guide, the CCC road started the construction of the main forest road (Route 232).