Works Progress Administration

This collection includes publications created under the Works Progress Administration, later known as the Works Projects Administration, within the State of Ohio.

As the effects of the Great Depression lingered through the 1930s, Congress expanded New Deal programs to continue emergency relief spending that created meaningful work opportunities for Americans. In 1935, President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed Executive Order 7034 to create the Works Progress Administration. The WPA was charged with administering the federal work relief program, both through the coordination of existing emergency relief efforts and through the development and oversight of new projects. To do so effectively, the WPA operated administrative offices at the regional and state levels.

Many of the publications in this collection are products of the Federal Writers' Project in Ohio. The FWP employed writers to create useful written content, most frequently travel guides and regional histories. Experienced writers and editors were identified within each state to lead the state’s efforts, and a large bank of editors in Washington DC reviewed the final products before publication. Still, there is a great deal of variety in the content and format of these works, and they are known for capturing local history and folklore that may otherwise have gone unreported.