United States. Work Projects Administration

The Works Progress Administration was involved in various projects including the compilation of sources on American territories. The card catalogs for these were prepared at the Library of Congress and are now in the National Archives.

From the description of Classified Alaska Bibliography, 1942. (Unknown). WorldCat record id: 42927718

Works Progress Administration (later called Work Projects Administration) began operations in San Joaquin County, Calif., July 1935. County agencies submitted work proposals to County Board of Supervisors which endorsed or rejected them and sent proposals okayed to WPA Office in San Francisco. Approximately one hundred projects seem to have been approved for San Joaquin County. Of this number, the majority were for road and building construction, although a substantial number were for clerical assistance, sewing, housekeeping and childcare. Substantially more Work Projects Administration projects were carried out before 1939 than after.

From the description of WPA San Joaquin County Projects Files, 1935-1941. (University of the Pacific). WorldCat record id: 30859803

The Works Progress Administration (W.P.A.), a federal agency, was created as part of the New Deal in 1935. The Federal Writers' Project was a subdivision of the Works Progress Administration. In 1939 the Works Progress Administration became the Work Projects Administration and the Federal Writers' Project became the Writers' Program.

From the description of Work Projects Administration collection, 1909-1971 (bulk, 1930-1946). (Santa Fe Public Library). WorldCat record id: 37841840

A WPA project under the direction of Clifford Lord.

From the description of United States Presidents. Messages and papers, 1862-1938. (Columbia University In the City of New York). WorldCat record id: 122589880

This material was generated by the Federal Writer's Project in Florida under the Work Projects Administration. The intent was to publish the material gathered, but unfortunately the book was never published.

From the description of Florida negro papers, 1936-1948. (University of South Florida). WorldCat record id: 50683334

The Works Progress Administration, a federal agency, was created as part of the New Deal in 1935. The Federal Writers' Project was a subdivision of the Works Progress Administration. In 1939 the Works Progress Administration became the Work Projects Administration and the Federal Writers' Project became the Writers' Program.

From the description of Work Projects Administration photograph collection [graphic]. 1935-1939. (Santa Fe Public Library). WorldCat record id: 38000774

U.S. Works Progress Administration established in 1935 by President Franklin Roosevelt to organize "light" public works projects for those workers not employed by "heavy" public works agencies, providing employment for needy professional, education, and clerical persons. On July 1, 1939 name changed to U.S. Work Projects Administration.

From the description of WPA manuscript collection, 1939-1942. (Fitchburg State University). WorldCat record id: 70972794

In order to counteract the effects of the Depression, the Federal Government founded numerous agencies geared at lowering unemployment and boosting the economy. Among these were the Federal Emergency Relief Administration (FERA), created on May 12, 1933; the Civil Works Administration (CWA), established on November 9, 1933; and the Works Progress Administration (WPA-1), established on May 6, 1935. The Civil Works Administration was abolished in March 1934, with its functions and records transferred to the Emergency Relief Administration. The following year (1935), the Federal Emergency Relief Administration transferred its records and some of its personnel to the Works Progress Administration, which inherited responsibility for the work relief program. The Federal Emergency Relief Administration continued to function until its expiration in December, 1935. The Works Progress Administration operated without change until 1939, at which time the President's Reorganization Plan No. I made it a part of the Federal Works Agency, changing its name to Work Projects Administration (WPA). The Work Projects Administration was abolished on June 30, 1943.

The Work Projects Administration had four levels of organization: (1)the central administration, or Washington office, (2) the regional offices, (3) the State administrations, and (4) the district offices. The central administration consisted primarily of the following eleven major divisions, some of which were duplicated at the regional, State, and distric levels, as indicated: (1) Engineering and Construction -- Regional, State, District; (2) Service Projects -- Regional, State, District; (3) Training and Re-employment -- Regional, State, District; (4) Finance -- Regional, State, District; (5) Employment -- Regional, State, District; (6) Management or Administration -- Regional, State; (7) Statistics -- Regional, State; (8) Research; (9) Investigation; (10) Information; and (11) Legal.

Approximently 75 percent of WPA projects were construction in nature,thereby falling under the direction of the Engineering and Construction Division of the Washington office. The remaining 25 percent of WPA projects employed white-collar workers in public service projects. One of the most prominent of these public service programs was Federal Project No.1, under the auspices of the Division of Professional and Service Projects. this project, which provided employment for qualified artists, musicians, actors, and authors on local relief rolls, consisted of the Federal Art Project, the Federal Music Project, the Federal Theatre Project, and the Federal Writers' Project, of which the Historical Records Survey was a part until being granted independent status in October, 1936.

The Division of Professional and Service Projects also had jurisdiction over five other Federally sponsored projects: the Historic American Building Survey (No.2), the Staffing of State Planning Boards (No.3), the Survey of Federal Archives (No.4), the Inspection of Plumbing Installations (No.5), and the Historic American Merchant Marine Survey (No.6). The Division also supervised workers for surveys and research studies, public administration duties, and clerical and library projects.

The filing scheme of the WPA (and its predecessors) utilized a General Files Unit, which was to be the central office custodian for all current material. Through occaisional directives, "General Files" was designated as the central office depository for all current material, except personal correspondence, so that related papers would be readily available for reference. This file was arranged under an alphabetic subject system through January 1935 and thereafter under a modified Dewey decimal system. The General Files Unit operated it, usually under the jurisdiction of the Chief Clerk's Office, continously after the establishment of FERA.

Over time, some responsibilities of the General Files Unit were delegated to subunits with more specific record-keeping duties. It is apparent from extant files that a number of important records were maintained apart from the General Files.

The WPA microfilm program, devised to save space and to provide an orderly filing arrangement for records of federal relief programs, was the outgrowth of a records program initiated in October 1938. Prior to that time the relief agencies had had no clearly defined policy for the administration of records of federal programs held at state and local levels. Under the WPA microfilm program, all the federal records in the field offices, deemed worthy of permanent retention, were microfilmed in the field and the microfilm forwarded to the central office for deposit. Some, but not all central office records also were microfilmed during the program. One can only speculate at why the filming of central office records was never completed.

From the description of Agency history record. (National Archives Library). WorldCat record id: 145406781

The U.S. Works Progress Administration was created in 1935; in 1939 the name was changed to U.S. Work Projects Administration.

Federal Writer's Project, directed by Henry Alsberg, was created in 1935 as part of the U.S. Work Progress Administration to provide employment for historians, teachers, writers, librarians, and other white-collar workers. The purpose of the project was to produce a series of sectional guide books under the name American Guide, focusing on the scenic, historical, cultural, and economic resources of the U.S. Eventually new programs were developed and projects begun under the Federal Emergency Relief Administration were absorbed by the Federal Writers' Project. Federal Writers' Project renamed Writers' Program.

From the description of United States Work Projects Administration records, 1524-1975 (bulk 1935-1942). (Unknown). WorldCat record id: 70982591

Chronology

• 1933 - 1942 : Federal Emergency Relief Administration established
• 1935: Works Progress Administration established by executive order Federal Writers' Project established under the Works Progress Administration Henry G. Alsberg appointed director of the Federal Writers' Project and editor-in-chief of the American Guide series Historical Records Survey organized under the administration of the Federal Writers' Project
• 1936 - 1943 : Launched “American Guide” series producing books on each state and major city as well as local guides Inaugurated folklore projects, Negro affairs and slave narrative projects, and social-ethnic studies Developed “American Life” projects such as “Lexicon of Trade Jargon,” “Pockets in America,” “Hands that Built America,” “America Eats,” and “Portrait of America” Published over eight hundred titles including books, tracts, and essays
• 1939: Works Progress Administration renamed Work Projects Administration Federal Writers' Project reorganized as Work Projects Administration Writers' Program under state financing
• 1940: Library of Congress designated as repository of surplus materials from the federal Writers' Project offices
• 1943: Work Projects Administration disbanded

From the guide to the United States Work Projects Administration Records, 1524-1975, (bulk 1935-1942), (Manuscript Division Library of Congress)

The Work Projects Administration (originally the Works Progress Administration) was established in 1935 with Harry Hopkins at its head. Under Franklin D. Roosevelt's administration the WPA directed all relief projects except the CCC and the PWA. It was established to complete projects on public property at federal expense. By 1943, its termination date, the WPA had spent eleven billion dollars, given work to eight million people, and completed 250,000 public-works projects. President Roosevelt believed that artists, actors, musicians and writers were entitled to government aid during the depression, as well as farmers and other workers.

Two WPA programs undertaken in Montana were the Federal Writers' Project and the Historical Records Survey.

Montana's Writers' Project, guided by Byron Crane, employed teachers and writers to write state and local histories, interview pioneers, and prepare guidebooks for tourists. A few of the project's notable publications were Copper Camp (Butte history), Land of Nakoda (Assiniboine Indians), and the Montana State Almanac. In addition other unpublished accounts explored the state's livestock and mining history.

Montana's Historical Records Survey, headed by Paul C. Phillips, completed a massive statewide survey of private and public repositories. Included were records in Montana's fifty-six county court houses, state agencies, various civic organizations, churches, and federal offices located in the state. The project's field workers systematically surveyed these records and prepared inventories that were later published.

From the guide to the U.S. Work Projects Administration records, 1935-1943, (Montana Historical Society Archives)