Tours

Visit Arthurdale!

Revisit the 1930s in Arthurdale, West Virginia. Established in 1933, by the United States government, Arthurdale is the nation’s first New Deal Homestead Community. Created through President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s New Deal legislation, the community provided a new chance at life for residents of West Virginia who were suffering from the Great Depression. First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt served as the empathetic force behind the community, which became known as “Eleanor’s Little Village” because of her interest. Today, Arthurdale is a National Historic District that features 160 of 165 original homesteads.

On your guided tour of Arthurdale you will:

• Walk through the Administration Building, which once housed all of the government offices and now contains the bulk of our museum.  Learn about the Arthurdale Experiment from start-to-finish, including what life was like here!
• Visit the Forge where blacksmiths worked to make metal for the town.  During special events like the New Deal Festival, blacksmiths continue to work here!
• See two historic Co-op tractors that have been lovingly preserved and are stored in our garage bays.
• Stop by the Esso Station for a view of the town and other important buildings like the former Arthurdale Inn
• Visit Center Hall where Eleanor Roosevelt once danced and where town business was conducted.  Special exhibits are sometimes on display in Center Hall.
• Explore our museum house, E-15, which is decorated as it was in the 1930s!  You will see the kitchen, living room, and two bedrooms as you imagine living in a house like this.  As a treat at the end of your tour, you can visit our homestead goats!

Tours begin and end at the Craft Shop where you can purchase a souvenir handmade item from a local West Virginia artisan!