Works Progress Administration for Connecticut records
Scope and Content
Most of these records relate almost exclusively to the Writers’ Project. The Writers’ Project was initiated was initiated late in 1935 as a part of the Federal Project No. 1, which also embraced programs in art, music and the theater and was later to include the Historical Records Survey. Federal sponsorship ended in July 1939, but most of the projects were carried on with local sponsors (in many cases the State Library). The first undertaking of the Writers’ Project was the preparation of the Connecticut volume of the American Guide series, published in 1938. Subsequently many other manuscripts and reports were written1, most of them intended for publication by State or local government sponsors.
Also included are records of the Architectural Survey, Historic American Buildings Survey, Historical Records Survey, Church Records Survey, Manuscripts Inventory, Federal Art Project and American Imprints Inventory.2
The record of other W.P.A. programs in Connecticut must presumably be sought in the files now in the National Archives or among the archives of sponsor agencies in Connecticut.
Endnotes
- 1As early as January 15, 1936, a newsletter indicated that the editors had completed the copy on tours for the Guide, staff workers were studying ethnic group organizations for another major project, material was being collected for a guide to New Haven parks, people were conducting interviews for a folklore survey, the architectural survey group were getting out reports on 4,500 old houses and planning a booklet on Connecticut architecture and a series of town histories was projected.
- 2A good brief account of white collar projects in Connecticut, including a partial list of projects, is in Professional and Service Division, Connecticut WPA (New Haven: Works Projects Administration, 1940?), mimeo, 31, XIV pp. A copy is in Box 333.
Dates
- 1935-1944
Language of Materials
The records are in English.
Restrictions on Access
All records except for the Ethnic Groups Survey are stored at an off-site facility and therefore may not be available on a same-day basis.
See the Rules and Procedures for Researchers Using Archival Records and Secured Collections policy.
Restrictions on Use
See the Reproduction and Publications of State Library Collections policy.
Historical Note
The Works Progress Administration (W.P.A.) was established in May 1935 as a central organ of control for the relief projects supported by the United States Government. Taking over responsibility for the work relief programs of the Federal Emergency Relief Administration (F.E.R.A.), which went out of existence at the end of 1935, it became the major agency in efforts to provide work assistance for the unemployed during the later depression years. An independent agency at first, on July 1, 1939, it became part of the new Federal Works Agency and its title was changed to Work Projects Administration. It was abolished on June 30, 1943, and finally liquidated a year later.
In Connecticut, Senator Matthew A. Daly was appointed State Administrator on June 8, 1935. Offices were opened in New Haven, with later district offices in several other cities. F.E.R.A. projects, workers and officials were quickly transferred to W.P.A. and additional new programs were developed rapidly; by November over 15,000 persons were on the rolls, and by the end of March 1936, 28,671 persons were at work on 963 different projects in Connecticut.
Extent
205 cubic feet
Abstract
The Works Progress Administration (W.P.A.) was established in May 1935 as a central organ of control for the relief projects supported by the United States Government. In Connecticut, Offices were opened in New Haven, with later district offices in several other cities.
Arrangement
Grouped by the following: Writers' Project, Guide, New England Guide, Coastal Guide, Pictorial Guide, Connecticut Fact Book, Connecticut Place Names, Ethnic Groups Survey, Town and City Histories, Histories of City Parks, Hartford Flood, Bridgeport Library System, History of Norwalk Schools, History of Hartford Public High School, History of Labor in Connecticut, "Patriotic Pamphlets", Studies of New England Life, Folklore and Folkways, New Haven Tercentenary, Survey of City Governments, W.P.A. Histories, Hurricane, United States Travel Atlas, Vacation Guide, New Haven Summer Recreation Guide, Coast Guard Academy History, Miscellaneous Writers' Project Material, Architectural Survey, Historic American Buildings Survey, Historical Records Survey, Church Records Survey, Manuscripts Inventory, Federal Art Project, American Imprints Inventory, Maps and Charts, Publications.
Provenance
Most of the records in this record group were transferred to the State Library in May 1942, although some were stored in the Sterling Library of Yale University until 1950. The latter included the files of the Historical Records Survey (many of them later destroyed or lost) and the American Imprints Inventory.
Separated Material
Papers originally a part of this record group pertaining to the "History of the New Haven Theatre" were withdrawn by the W.P.A. and deposited with the Yale University Drama School, May 4, 1942. Those pertaining to the "Guide to the United States Coast Guard Academy" were withdrawn by the W.P.A. on August 18, 1942 to be turned over to Devon-Adair, prospective publishers.
Processing Information
These records were found in 1972 to be in a state of confusion. The reasons are many and were probably unavoidable: the rather sudden closing of the W.P.A. program left little time for orderly retirement of files; workers often were occupied with several projects simultaneously and mixed their papers together; materials used for one project (the Guide, for example) were often used later for another project and thus separated from related papers; turnover of staff and changes of assignment often left incomplete files; records were moved several repacked after arriving at the State Library. The result is that the archival integrity of the records had been much impaired and could not be fully restored. It has been impossible, for example, to distinguish clearly between head office files and those of the district offices. A number of the series listed below are artificial groupings of materials which probably did not exist as such in the W.P.A. offices. Wherever it could be done, the original arrangement of papers has been restored; when that was impossible, records have been grouped by project of subject as seemed most useful. The record group still contains a great deal of duplication, although a substantial amount of material was destroyed after appraisal. Other records (including substantial map materials are known to have been destroyed some years ago.
- American guide series Subject Source: Library of Congress Subject Headings
- Architectural surveys -- Connecticut Subject Source: Library of Congress Subject Headings
- Art, American -- Connecticut Subject Source: Library of Congress Subject Headings
- Card indexes Subject Source: Art & Architecture Thesaurus
- Clippings Subject Source: Art & Architecture Thesaurus
- Connecticut -- Surveys Subject Source: Library of Congress Subject Headings
- Correspondence Subject Source: Art & Architecture Thesaurus
- Drafts (documents) Subject Source: Art & Architecture Thesaurus
- Drawings Subject Source: Art & Architecture Thesaurus
- Ethnic groups -- Connecticut Subject Source: Library of Congress Subject Headings
- Federal Art Project -- Connecticut Subject Source: Library of Congress Subject Headings
- Federal Writers' Project -- Connecticut Subject Source: Library of Congress Subject Headings
- Federal aid to the arts -- Connecticut Subject Source: Library of Congress Subject Headings
- Final drafts Subject Source: Art & Architecture Thesaurus
- Floods -- Connecticut -- 20th century Subject Source: Library of Congress Subject Headings
- Hartford Public High School (Hartford, Conn.) -- History Subject Source: Library of Congress Subject Headings
- Historic American Buildings Survey -- Connecticut Subject Source: Library of Congress Subject Headings
- Hurricanes -- Connecticut Subject Source: Library of Congress Subject Headings
- Labor -- Connecticut -- History Subject Source: Library of Congress Subject Headings
- Notes Subject Source: Art & Architecture Thesaurus
- Pamphlets Subject Source: Art & Architecture Thesaurus
- Parks -- Connecticut -- History Subject Source: Library of Congress Subject Headings
- Photographs Subject Source: Art & Architecture Thesaurus
- Press releases Subject Source: Art & Architecture Thesaurus
- Project manuals Subject Source: Art & Architecture Thesaurus
- Public libraries -- Connecticut -- Bridgeport -- History Subject Source: Library of Congress Subject Headings
- Public schools -- Connecticut -- Norwalk -- History Subject Source: Library of Congress Subject Headings
- Questionnaires Subject Source: Art & Architecture Thesaurus
- Reports Subject Source: Art & Architecture Thesaurus
- Scrapbooks Subject Source: Art & Architecture Thesaurus
- Surveys (documents) Subject Source: Art & Architecture Thesaurus
- United States. Work Projects Administration for Connecticut -- Records and correspondence Subject Source: Library of Congress Subject Headings
- United States. Works Progress Administration for Connecticut -- Records and correspondence Subject Source: Library of Congress Subject Headings
- Title
- RG 033, Works Progress Administration for Connecticut
- Subtitle
- Inventory of Records
- Author
- Finding aid prepared by Connecticut State Library staff.
- Date
- 2007
- Language of description
- Undetermined
- Script of description
- Code for undetermined script
Repository Details
Part of the Connecticut State Library Repository
