In the 1930s during the Great Depression, many people were out of work and needed relief. On May 6th, 1935, by executive order of President Franklin D. Roosevelt, the Works Progress Administration was established as a national agency. It later became known as the Works Projects Administration - the WPA.
Harry Hopkins was appointed to head the WPA. He had formerly been chief of the Federal Emergency Relief Administration and the Civil Works Administration in 1933 and 1934. The new WP succeeded those two organizations.
The name of the agency formally changed to Works Projects Administration on July 1, 1939, when it became part of the Federal Works Agency, but its continuity was unbroken and its purpose remained the same.
It was established as a relief measure in the middle of the Depression and lasted until it was phased out in 1943. It has been rendered unnecessary due to increased employment and reduced relief rolls, due largely to the huge effort put into production for World War II.
Prior to the WPA, the problems of unemployment in Texas had been faced by Governor Miriam Amanda "Ma" Ferguson, who issued an executive order establishing the Texas Relief Commission in March 1933. The commission used FERA funds which enabled Texas to participate in various New Deal programs such as construction and white-collar projects of the Civil Works Administration, as well as the camp programs of the Civilan Conservation Corps.
Fairly early in the Depression, Mineola received some federal assistance and some aid with opportunities to work.
A sewing room was set up in the Beckham Hotel. This was later moved to 108 ½ N. Johnson Street. The city furnished some of the equipment, some was furnished and donated by merchants and the city paid for the rest. The workers were paid by the federal government, which also paid for the materials to make cotton garments. These were distributed to needy people. Georgia Copeland Babb and Bernadine Jennings Henry both served as supervisors at different times.
Another government project was a canning factory which was located on West Commerce Street. Local produce was brought in from nearby farms and was canned using government equipment. The city paid the rent for the factory.
The first supervisor of the canning operation was Margaret Bogan Bray. Later Bernadine Jennings Henry served as supervisor. This was a way to help both the farmers and those who needed work.
An office was rented from J.L. Beckham for the Civil Works Administration (CWA) which was in the charge of Joe C. Park for a time. Workers on public improvement projects were paid through this office. Later, another government aid office was set up in the canning factory. The city paid the monthly rent for this in the amount of $17.50 a month.
In 1934, the aid offices at the Beckham Hotel and the canning factory were still open so that workers could be hired for various projects. The sewing room also continued to operate.
The Depression had left many Mineola residents unemployed and this affected property tax and water bill collections. The city secretary was told to use his own judgment in leaving off penalties on delinquent bills and the city attorney was told not to file any further tax suits.
Also in 1934, relief workers assisted city street crews in making sidewalks on private property. The owners paid a very reasonable amount for this. During 1936, the government aid office paid much of the labor costs for the programs mentioned above. Additionally, they paid for water and sewer extensions and improvements as well as a malarial control program. The malarial control program consisted of the construction of concrete culverts and the lining of the three man drainage ditches in tow.
(Part Two of this series will appear in the next edition of The Gazette)
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