Civilian Conservation Corps and the Work Projects Administration

      Did any of your aunts, uncles or grandparents with Ohio Co. connections ever work for the CCC camps (Civilian Conservation Corps) during the Great Depression, or were they involved in WPA (Work Projects Administration) work?  Was there a headquarters for signing up in Hartford?  I'm looking for real life accounts/stories  from Ohio Countians about these two govt. programs - 1933-1939.  Some of the work accomplished by the CCC included the improvement of millions of acres of federal and state lands and parks, building of new roads, placement of new telephone lines, building of fire towers and fighting forest fires, protection of natural wildlife habitats, improvement of streams, fish restocking, and planting of billions of trees. The CCC had great public support and was one of the most successful New Deal programs. About 80,000 Kentuckians served in the CCC, and nearly 100 camps were built across the Commonwealth. This, of course, was in the depth of the Great Depression and there were no jobs available. The CCC employed millions of unmarried men between the ages of 17 and 25 on projects in rural areas owned primarily by federal, state, and local governments. Enrollees usually served a term of six months, but they could serve up to four terms. They earned $30 a month, $25 of which was sent home to their families.

     WPA workers built many roads, streets, etc.,  concentrating on the construction of large-scale public works such as new schools and hospitals, dams and bridges, with the goal of providing employment and helping build or repair our infrastructure.  

     I have previously published an item about the WPA that described the Livermore Bridge on US 431, a WPA project, that was opened November 13, 1940;  the Hartford Municipal Waterworks, constructed by the WPA in 1941; and the County Courthouse in Hartford, constructed by the WPA in 1936-37, as was the Hartford City Hall and Fire Station Annex.

     If you have any information, family tales, or newspaper articles about the CCC or WPA, please contact me and I will publish them on this blog.

WPA

WPA

          The stock market crashed in 1929 and the Great Depression started shortly thereafter. Herbert Hoover, the President, and his successor, Franklin D. Roosevelt, tried many different programs to help the economy – some that worked and many that didn’t work. The Great Depression did not loosen its’ grip on our economy until we became a part of World War II in 1941.

          One of the programs that worked for President Franklin D. Roosevelt was the Works Progress Administration, which was created by Congress through the Emergency Relief Appropriation Act in April of 1935. In Depression-era Kentucky, people desperately needed jobs. Roosevelt's New Deal program did just that, funding hundreds of labor projects, from road construction and forest conservation to cultural programs in music, art, and history. The Works Progress Administration was renamed the Work Projects Administration (WPA) in 1939 and was the largest agency in the New Deal, employing millions of people to construct public buildings and roads, and operate arts and literacy projects. Almost every community in the United States had a public building, road or bridge created by the WPA.

          The approximate total amount spent by the Federal government on WPA projects nationally from 1936 to 1943 was over $11 billion.

          During the Great Depression the WPA provided some skills training and almost 8 million jobs to the unemployed. These jobs, however, were limited to one person per household. Approximately 15 percent of the households were headed by women. The average age of the workers was 40 years old.

          The Livermore Bridge on US 431 was a WPA project and was opened November 13, 1940.

          The Hartford Municipal Waterworks was constructed by the WPA in 1941 and the County Courthouse in Hartford was constructed by the WPA in 1936-37, as was the Hartford City Hall and Fire Station Annex.