Topic 1 | Settlements, Buildings and Infrastructure

Early New Deal efforts saw the creation of three settlements in West Virginia, Arthurdale, The Tygart Valley Homesteads and Eleanor. These settlements, projects of the Roosevelts, removed unemployed coal miners and timber workers from their communities and moved them to homesteads where they could be more self-sufficient, working in gardens and with farm animals.

 In the latter half of the Depression, New Deal policies moved away from homesteading and towards infrastructure creation in preexisting towns. municipal buildings were built, sidewalks were created and bridges allowed for easier transportation across the landscape. The WPA also focused on beautification efforts, making small parks in many towns, and also creating murals that can still be seen on Post Offices or inside federal buildings across West Virginia.

1. Arthurdale
2. Tygart Valley Homesteads
3. Eleanor
4. Gassaway Municipal Building/City Hall
5. Sutton Community Building
6. USDA Building/ Supervisor’s Office
7. Tygart Dam Grafton
8. Fink Creek Bridge

 

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