Other New Deal Homesteads

The New Deal, an initiative made by Franklin D. Roosevelt to bring the US out of poverty, gave rise to many “resettlement communities.” These were large areas purchased for the purpose of creating agricultural or industrial focused neighborhoods where forlorn workers were given a fresh start in the form of a home, property to manage and businesses to take part in. Arthurdale was the first of these, and is one of many that have origins and features that distinguish them as a relevant part of the United States’ history. This post highlights some of the other resettlement communities, their past, and how they are today.

Cumberland Homesteads

Located in Cumberland County, Tennessee, Cumberland Homesteads has similar origins to Arthurdale–jobless and neglected coal miners and other workers were screened for agricultural knowledge and moral character. Those that were selected were settled into government-provided homes and were given co-op businesses to run and land to farm. Cumberland Homesteads is distinguished from other New Deal communities by its distinct and beautiful architecture and the unique stone that was used to construct its buildings. Called “Crab Orchard,” this stone is known for shining with a red hue in sunlight and is the main material used for the majority of the original buildings. Tennessee architect William Macy Stanton designed the structures and layout of the town, which spanned over 10,000 acres at its conception. It features picturesque landmarks such as the Administration Tower, multiple Crab Orchard bridges, and an original home now converted into an exhibit. The Administration Tower gets its name from the water tower constructed at its center with an unusual cross shaped base. It now is home to the Cumberland Homesteads Museum. Cumberland Homesteads is now part of the National Registry and houses Cumberland Mountain State Park, where many of its landmarks can be found.

Aberdeen Gardens

Aberdeen Gardens, located in Hampton, Virginia, was the first of 11 New Deal communities designed by and for the sole benefit of African Americans who struggled during the Depression. Constructed with funding and planned by Hampton University–a historically black private school–and designed by African American architect Hillyard R. Robinson, Aberdeen Gardens consisted of 158 homes and an elementary school all of which were constructed by black laborers. These houses were made of brick, double-layered to protect against fire- and sat on ½ acre plots over 7 streets, each of which were named for prominent African Americans, save Aberdeen Road. All homes had indoor plumbing, were heated and featured garages–uncommon for the time. Aberdeen gets the “Gardens” half of its name from the large and prominent gardens in the yards of each home where community members would grow their own food and herbs as well as a house-specific varieties they would provide to the cooperative general store, ensuring it had a larger selection of products. Today, Aberdeen Gardens is a Virginia Landmark, is listed on the National Register of Historic Places, and has its own museum housed in one of its original homes.

Find them at https://visithampton.com/attraction/aberdeen-gardens-historic-museum/

Dyess

Dyess was started by and named for cotton farmer and politician William Dyess who was the head of the Arkansas Emergency Relief Administration, which aimed to establish a resettlement community in Arkansas on nearly 16,000 acres of land. Dyess was an ambitious project, using the most land and housing one of the largest amounts of people of any New Deal town. Dyess residents were given 20–40-acre strips of land to farm and were composed of down-on-their-luck Arkansas sharecroppers. The homes were small–having 4-5 rooms, and the design varied from one to another to avoid making them all too alike. William Dyess personally ran the town until his death in 1936, when changed hands to Floyd Sharp. Sharp’s political enemy and the current governor, Carl Bailey, attempted to dissolve the town by convincing them to incorporate. Mismanagement of fees associated with the incorporation led to punitive action against the town, which was saved by moving assets from Dyess Colony Incorporated to the newly established Dyess Rural Rehabilitation Corporation, ending the towns’ legal struggles. Dyess is also notably the birthplace of singer Johnny Cash, who wrote songs like “Pickin Time” reflecting on his childhood in Dyess. Dyess preserved Cash’s home along with other historical buildings such as the Dyess Colony Visitors Center, located in the original administration building.

Find them at https://dyesscash.astate.edu/visit/