A pioneering New Deal town built to help displaced workers find work and stability. This edition details Arthurdale, a subsistence homestead project that blended farming with small-town life.
From its first footsteps in the 1930s to its evolving economy, the book follows how the community was planned, built, and run. It explains how federal support funded homes, schools, and shared facilities, and how residents moved from relief to steady work through a mix of farming, crafts, and cooperative enterprises. The story highlights the challenges and the aspirations behind a town designed to decouple unemployment from poverty.
- How the land was acquired and the homes were designed in three distinct building groups
- Details on the community center, schools, health facilities, and the inn that anchored daily life
- The role of the Arthurdale Association and its cooperative enterprises in local industry
- Costs, labor, housing, rents, and the transition from relief to self-sufficiency
Ideal for readers interested in the Social Security era, rural planning, and the response to economic hardship during the 1930s.