Location: Putnam County
In 1934 Red House Farms became the third homesteading settlement in the state of West Virginia, located in Putnam County. It would later be renamed Eleanor after the First Lady who created it. The settlement sat on 2,200 acres and people moving to the settlement paid just $29 per acre. The plots of land that these homesteaders bought came with a barn, chicken pen, and room for a garden. Eleanor would come to host 150 dwellings. Many community projects would also pop up in the town, such as a community farm and barn, schools, a public gas works, a canning plant, a carpentry shop and many other public amenities.
Fond of Eleanor, the First Lady made five trips to the community and expressed her amazement at the work accomplished in the town. Currently 146 of the original 150 homes still exist in the town which are managed by the Washington Homestead Association.
For more Information:
West Virginia Historic New Deal Trail 