“This long, narrow, rectangular brick building extends west from Pine Street and was built in four phases. Phase I, built 1934, was funded by the federal Public Works Administration (Project #2215). The original structure, as shown in Figure 1, consisted… read more
Montpelier’s 40th (1935) Annual Report details many roadwork projects undertaken in 1934 with Vermont Emergency Relief Administration (VERA) funds. The 1936 annual report lists streets where VERA or Works Progress Administration (WPA) efforts were undertaken in 1935: Cherry Ave., Cliff… read more
The Works Progress Administration (W.P.A.) conducted improvement work on many of Montpelier’s steel bridges, including painting the Taylor Street bridge in 1935.
“Thetford State Park was the result of a CCC project. The 262-acre site was given to the State in 1931 by Dwight Goddard. In 1935 the CCC established a camp there. By 1937, the young workers had build a road… read more
The historic former Town Hall building in Georgia [Center], Vermont was constructed as the Baptist Church in 1800. The building was renovated and re-landscaped as part of a federal Works Progress Administration (WPA) project. The building is no longer extant.
Springfield, Vermont’s town hall underwent a development/improvement project between 1938 and 1939 as a federal Public Works Administration (PWA) project. The building is still in use today. The PWA provided 1n $18,818 grant toward the $41,725 eventual cost of the project. PWA Docket… read more
Montpelier’s 40th Annual Report details many roadwork projects undertaken in 1934 with Vermont Emergency Relief Administration (VERA) funds, including: “Town[e] Hill Road, short section, excavation, stone base and graveling”. In 1939 the Works Progress Administration (WPA) “resurfaced with gravel from… read more
The Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) developed Vermont’s Townshend State Park during the 1930s. From the Vermont State Parks Department of Forests, Parks, and Recreation: “The park was constructed during the Great Depression by the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC), a public… read more
Norwich, Vermont’s Tracy Memorial Hall (town hall) was constructed between 1938 and 1939 as a federal Public Works Administration (PWA) project. The building is still in use today. The PWA provided a $22,090 grant toward the $49,215 total cost of… read more
The former toll bridge connecting Alburg, Vermont and Rouses Point, New York, which carried U.S. 2 across Lake Champlain, was constructed between 1936 and 1937 with the assistance of federal Public Works Administration (PWA) funds. The bridge was replaced with… read more
Underhill State Park is one of nearly two dozen state parks in Vermont that was developed by the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) during the Great Depression era. “Between December 1933 and August 1940, the Underhill State Park was the base… read more
Montpelier’s Union Elementary School was constructed as a New Deal project, with primary construction in 1938-9. The city’s 1940 annual report: “The past year has marked the completion of the Recreation Field and the new Elementary School Building. Both projects… read more
The National Youth Administration (NYA) renovated and remodeled the south wing of Converse Hall at the University of Vermont. The newly remodeled wing served as cooperative living quarters for male students. Pictured with the NYA sign is Lee Arthur, the… read more
“The Mabel Louise Southwick Building is the women’s recreation building at the university. It is T-shaped in plan and is two stories and a basement in height. The basement contains a combination recreation hall and auditorium with a large stage,… read more
The Burlington-born artist Raymond Pease was commissioned by the Public Works of Art Program to paint a mural at Perkins Hall at the University of Vermont. The mural was covered with drywall during renovations in 1992. It was rediscovered in… read more
The original facilities at the VA Medical Center in White River Junction, Vermont were constructed ca. 1938 as part of the New Deal, with federal / Public Works Administration (PWA) funds. “Looking back to 1938, the WRJ VAMC began its… read more
The Public Works Administration built the Alexander Bridge over the West River in South Londonderry. Docket No. 5828-(Vt.). The structure was engineered by the Vermont State Highway Engineering Department and was built as a 4-span concrete bridge.
Photo description: “August 15, 1939. PWA Project No. Vt. 1097-F This view shows the completed pavement at the intersection of North Bend Street and Ward Street. The old road bed was scarified, reshaped and treated with stabilizing emulsion late in… read more
In 1934 the Civil Works Adminiistration (C.W.A.) and Emergency Relief Administration (E.R.A.) conducted the following improvement work along part of Washington St. in the City of Barre: The street was widened, graded, drained, slopes sodded and granite retaining walls built…. read more
Barre relied heavily on federal funds and labor during the Great Depression to improve and develop its water distribution system. The city’s annual reports attest that work began under the Emergency Relief Administration (E.R.A.) and persisted several years with the… read more
Annual Reports for the City of Montpelier detail expenses and locations for many sewer projects undertaken by the Works Progress Administration (WPA) in the city. The 1936 report details work undertaken in 1935: “75 feet of 1 1/2″ pipe beyond the… read more
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the Civilian Conservation Corps (C.C.C.) combined efforts to construct the Waterbury Dam in Waterbury, Vermont during the Great Depression. On November 3 and 4, 1927, torrential rains created a disastrous flood that paralyzed… read more
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… read more
The Works Progress Administration completed street improvements on Westminster Street in Bellows Falls.
The Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) developed Vermont’s Wilgus State Park during the 1930s. Vermont.gov: “The land of Wilgus State Park was given to the State of Vermont in 1933 by Colonel and Mrs. William Wilgus for the creation of Wilgus… read more
Montpelier’s 40th Annual Report details many roadwork projects undertaken in 1934 with Vermont Emergency Relief Administration (V.E.R.A.) funds, including: “Wilson Street and George Street, stone base and graveling”.
The Public Works Administration funded the construction of the former Windsor County Jail in Woodstock. The structure was finished in 1936 and it contains the courthouse, cell blocks, and the living quarters of the sheriff. The architect of record was… read more
Photo caption, UVM: “August 15, 1939. So. Winooski Ave. looking south from intersection of Main Street after Plant-Mix asphalt pavement with an average of one and one-half inches of hot asphalt binder course or leveling course and two inch wearing… read more
“The Winooski River Local Protection Project is located along an approximately 6.5-mile-long stretch of river that flows through Montpelier, Berlin, Moretown, and Middlesex. In conjunction with East Barre Dam, Waterbury Reservoir, and Wrightsville Reservoir, the Winooski River Local Protection Project… read more
The Wood Art Gallery in Montpelier, Vermont was the recipient of “W.P.A. Fedaral Art sculpture and paintings” in 1937. The works are “on permanent loan from the U.S. government.”
A flood in 1927 brought about plans to construct a number of flood control dams, made possible by the New Deal and the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC). “The dam at Wrightsville Reservoir in Montpelier is located on the North Branch… read more