The New Deal in West Virginia

By Jennifer Jett Prezkop

Roosevelt’s New Deal programs had a lasting impression on the State of West Virginia. The construction and maintenance of roads, bridges, infrastructure and architecture and the creation of state parks and art put many people back to work during the Great Depression. West Virginians can still see evidence of these projects all over the state.

This map outlines the locations of art, camps, infrastructure, state parks, public buildings, resettlement communities and schools produced by the New Deal programs, most of which can still be visited today.

Editor’s note: This map was created from multiple Internet sources and is not intended to be a comprehensive list of New Deal projects in West Virginia.

Art

• Mural, “Captain Bilderbook’s and John Schoolcraft’s Expedition from Holiday’s Cove to Fort Wheeling, 1777,” Cove Station Post Office, Weirton, WV – Brooke County
• Mural, “Landscapes at Frogtown,” Mannington Post Office, Mannington, WV – Marion County
• Mural, “The Miners,” Fayetteville Post Office, Fayetteville, WV – Fayette County
• Mural, “Mining,” Mount Hope Post Office, Mount Hope, WV – Fayette County
• Mural, “Old Time Camp Meeting,” Lewisburg Post Office, Lewisburg, WV – Greenbrier County
• Mural, “St. Mary’s and the Industries of the Region,” St. Marys Post Office, St. Marys, WV – Pleasants County
• Mural, “Visions of the Development of Salem,” Salem Post Office, Salem, WV – Harrison County
• Murals, “Mill Point” and “Past Visions the Future,” Marlinton Post Office, Marlinton, WV – Pocahontas County
• Murals, “Mining Village” and “Forestry Service,” Supervisor’s Headquarters, Monongahela National Forest, Elkins, WV – Randolph County
• Relief, “The Colonial Mail Rider,” Oak Hill Post Office, Oak Hill, WV – Fayette County
• Relief, “Pastoral of Spencer,” Spencer Post Office, Spencer, WV – Roane County
• Relief, “The Pride of Jackson County,” Ripley Post Office, Ripley, WV – Jackson County
• Relief, “Science and Industry,” St. Albans Post Office, St. Albans, WV – Kanawha County
• Relief, “Springtime,” Webster Springs Post Office, Webster Springs, WV – Webster County
• Relief, “Worker,” Kenova Post Office, Kenova, WV – Wayne County
• Sculpture, “The Letter,” Logan Post Office, Logan, WV – Logan County
• Sculpture, “Pony Express and Rural Delivery,” Former Weirton Post Office, Weirton, WV – Brooke County

Campgrounds and Accommodations

• Blue Bend Forest Camp and Recreation Area, White Sulphur Springs, WV – Greenbrier County
• Camp Anthony Wayne, Cabwaylingo State Forest, Wilsondale, WV – Wayne County
• Camp Beaver, Babcock State Park, Clifftop, WV – Fayette County
• Camp Bowers, Kumbrabow State Forest, Huttonsville, WV – Randolph County
• Camp Caesar, Monongahela National Forest, Cowen, WV – Webster County
• Camp Glady Fork, Monongahela National Forest, Glady, WV – Randolph County
• Camp Hardy, Lost River State Park, Mathias, WV – Hardy County
• Camp Horseshoe YMCA and Camp Lead Mine, Monongahela National Forest, Parsons, WV – Tucker County
• Camp Kanawha, Kanawha State Forest, Charleston, WV – Kanawha County
• Camp Laurel Fork, Monongahela National Forest, Bartow, WV – Pocahontas County
• Camp Lee, Babcock State Park, Clifftop, WV – Fayette County
• Camp Morgan, Cacapon State Park, Berkeley Springs, WV – Morgan County
• Camp Parsons, Monongahela National Forest, Parsons, WV – Tucker County
• Camp Preston, Coopers Rock State Forest, Bruceton Mills, WV – Preston County
• Camp Price, Droop Mountain Battlefield State Park, Hillsboro, WV – Pocahontas County
• Camp Randolph, Kumbrabow State Forest, Huttonsville, WV – Randolph County
• Camp Rhododendron Recreational Historic District, Coopers Rock State Forest, Bruceton Mills, WV – Preston County
• Camp Seebert, Watoga State Park, Marlinton, WV – Pocahontas County
• Camp Seneca, Seneca State Forest, Dunmore, WV – Pocahontas County
• Camp Twelvepole, Cabwaylingo State Forest, Wilsondale, WV – Wayne County
• Camp Washington Carver, Clifftop, WV – Fayette County
• Camp Watoga, Watoga State Park, Marlinton, WV – Pocahontas County
• Camp White Sulphur, Greenbrier State Forest, Caldwell, WV – Greenbrier County
• Camp Will Rogers, Watoga State Park, Marlinton, WV – Pocahontas County
• Dolly Sods Wilderness Area, Monongahela National Forest, Dry Fork, WV – Randolph County
• The Ole’ Inn – Cacapon Resort State Park, Berkeley Springs, WV – Morgan County
• Stuart Recreation Area, Elkins, WV – Randolph County

Infrastructure

• Civilian Conservation Corps Dam and Pond, Culloden, WV – Putnam County
• County-wide projects – Gilmer County
• Little Beaver Dam, Little Beaver State Park, Beaver, WV – Raleigh County
• Richwood Avenue Retaining Wall, Morgantown, WV – Monongalia County
• South Side Bridge, Charleston, WV – Kanawha County
• Thomas Commercial Historic District – Tucker County
• Tygart Dam, Grafton, WV – Taylor County

State Parks and Forests

• Babcock State Park, Clifftop, WV – Fayette County
• Cabwaylingo State Forest, Wilsondale, WV – Wayne County
• Cacapon State Park, Berkeley Springs, WV – Morgan County
• Coopers Rock State Forest, Bruceton Mills, WV – Monongalia and Preston counties
• Droop Mountain Battlefield State Park, Hillsboro, WV – Pocahontas County
• Greenbrier State Forest, Caldwell, WV – Greenbrier County
• Hawks Nest State Park, Ansted, WV – Fayette County
• Holly River State Park, Hacker Valley, WV – Webster County
• Kanawha State Forest, Charleston, WV – Kanawha County
• Kumbrabow State Forest, Huttonsville, WV – Randolph County
• Lost River State Park, Mathias, WV – Hardy County
• Monongahela National Forest, Elkins, WV – Randolph County
• Pinnacle Rock State Park, Bramwell, WV – Mercer County
• Seneca State Forest, Dunmore, WV – Pocahontas County
• Tomlinson Run State Park, New Manchester, WV – Hancock County
• Watoga State Park, Marlinton, WV – Pocahontas County

Public Buildings

• Cameron City Pool, Cameron, WV – Marshall County
• Cove Station Post Office, Weirton, WV – Brooke County
• Fayetteville Post Office, Fayetteville, WV – Fayette County
• Federal Building Addition, Huntington, WV – Cabell County
• Fort Ashby Historical Restoration, Fort Ashby, WV – Mineral County
• Gassaway Municipal Building and City Hall, Gassaway, WV – Braxton County
• Kenova Post Office, Kenova, WV – Wayne County
• Lewisburg Post Office, Lewisburg, WV – Greenbrier County
• Logan Post Office, Logan, WV – Logan County
• Mannington Post Office, Mannington, WV – Marion County
• Marlinton Post Office, Marlinton, WV – Pocahontas County
• Morris Memorial Hospital, Culloden, WV – Putnam County
• Mount Hope Post Office, Mount Hope, WV – Fayette County
• Oak Hill Post Office, Oak Hill, WV – Fayette County
• Ripley Post Office, Ripley, WV – Jackson County
• Salem Post Office, Salem, WV – Harrison County
• Spencer Post Office, Spencer, WV – Roane County
• Albans Post Office, St. Albans, WV – Kanawha County
• Marys Post Office, St. Marys, WV – Pleasants County
• Sutton Community Building, Sutton, WV – Braxton County
• S. Courthouse and former Beckley Post Office, Beckley, WV – Raleigh County
• USDA Building and Forest Supervisor’s Headquarters, Monongahela National Forest, Elkins, WV – Randolph County
• Walter C. Davis Memorial Building, Romney, WV – Hampshire County
• Webster Springs Post Office, Webster Springs, WV – Webster County

Resettlement Communities

• City of Arthurdale – Preston County
• Town of Eleanor – Putnam County
• Tygart Valley Homesteads, Dailey, WV – Randolph County

Schools

• Circleville School, Circleville, WV – Pendleton County
• Glenville State College, Glenville, WV – Gilmer County
• Parsons High School, Parsons, WV – Tucker County
• West Liberty State College’s Shotwell Hall, West Liberty, WV – Ohio County
• WV Civilian Conservation Corps Camp Museum and former Quiet Dell School, Quiet Dell, WV – Harrison County
• WV School for the Deaf and Blind, Romney, WV – Hampshire County

Sources: www.wvcommerce.com, www.livingnewdeal.org, www.prickettsfort.org, www.wvstateparks.com and www.historicthomaswv.com