By Marjorie Barton
and Wally Waits
From 1935 until 1943 a work-relief program known as Work
Projects Administration (WPA) changed the face of Muskogee County and put
hundreds to work in what became known as the Great Depression. Only if you have been nationwide or
researched the topic can you realize that Muskogee County had a similar number
of projects as other like-sized populations in the United States. That such a variety of jobs secured national
approval and was completed is “mind-boggling.”
Building schools was only one type of WPA project, but
Oklahoma excelled in that category. Schools
were built in all sizes, including one-room schoolhouses, and many are a part
of the WPA accomplishments. Throughout
the WPA era, there was a focus on stopping the drop in school attendance. The Great Depression was a time when some
families were sending their children to dilapidated schoolhouses.
In the 1930s, there were about 100 school districts in
Muskogee County. Each district had its
own schoolhouse. During the decade of
financial stress, the county had little money for school maintenance.
This is where the WPA helped.
One “make work” project in the county was the construction of sixteen
one-room schools to be built in rural Muskogee County. In these cases, it appears that the
schoolhouse were being replaced. In
other cases, the school building was structurally sound, but was fast
approaching the point of needing major repairs unless action was quickly taken.
Many of the surviving WPA school buildings are made of stone,
or was encased in a stone exterior. Local material, when available, was used
because it was more “labor intensive.”
Here are the schools in Muskogee County where WPA work
occurred:
Banks
Boynton
Braggs
Briartown
Brushy Mountain
Buck Horn
Council Hill
Dubois
Elm Grove
Fort Gibson High School
Haskell
Heff School
Hickory Ridge
Keefton
Lone Star
McClain
New Hope
Oak Grove
Popes Chapel
Pumpkin Center
Sally Brown
Sequoyah
Sims
Sunny Slope
Valley
Wainwright
Warner
Webbers Falls
Junior/Senior High School
Zore
Although the WPA was “reorganized” in 1939 into the Federal
Works Agency. the new governmental structure
continued to function pretty much as the WPA had. Inside the entrance at the Alice Robertson
school in Muskogee is a plaque indicating the presence of the Federal Works
Agency. As the Indian Bowl stadium was a WPA project
in Muskogee, likewise, many of the schools listed had Gym/Auditorium or a
stadium built.
Some schools were also upgraded with better “outhouses” or
sometimes, indoor plumbing. Another
frequent aid to school districts was that of building a “teacher cottage” to
provide housing. A few schools saw the
construction of houses for administrators and teachers. Rural schools had a difficult time attracting
teachers, unless there was a place to live.
Many of the listed school buildings are still in use, though
not always as schools. Homes, community
or senior centers, and churches have taken advantage of the soundly constructed
buildings.
It is significant to note that Oklahoma built 825 schools,
far outnumbering other states. Another
175 additions were WPA projects for schools already in acceptable
condition. No other state came close to
building the number of schools that Oklahoma WPA produced, and Muskogee County
received its fair share.
