 W.P.A. Georgia Writers Project
Collection DescriptionHistorical NoteThe WPA Federal Writers Project was a program established in the United States in 1935 by the Works Progress Administration (WPA) as part of the New Deal struggle against the Great Depression. It provided jobs for unemployed writers, editors, and research workers. Directed by Henry G. Alsberg, it operated in all states and at one time employed 6,600 men and women. The American Guide series, the project's most important achievement, included guides for every state and territory (except Hawaii), as well as for Washington, D.C., New York City, Los Angeles, San Francisco, New Orleans, and Philadelphia; for several major highways (U.S. 1, Ocean Highway, Oregon Trail); and for scores of towns, villages, and counties. The state guides, encyclopaedic in scope, combined travel information with essays on geography, architecture, history, and commerce. The project also produced ethnic studies, folklore collections, local histories, nature studies-a total of more than 1,000 books and pamphlets. Encyclopedia Britannica Online http://www.britannica.com (Retrieved March 11, 2009) Scope and ContentThe W.P.A. Georgia Writers Project Collection represents a portion of the material given to the University of Georgia by the Georgia branch of the W.P.A. upon its termination in 1941. Most of the material in the collection was gathered from areas within the University of Georgia Libraries Special Collections Department, such as the Georgia Room vertical file and the Manuscripts Department. As one of the main purposes of the project was to preserve historical data relating to Georgia, the papers consist of transcribed legal documents, summaries of newspaper stories, personal interviews, and accounts of social and cultural events. The topics are extremely diverse, and represent only a sampling of subject headings which were given attention by the project. The collection is assembled alphabetically by subject heading, with the exception of the biographical section which comprises the five boxes at the end of the collection. The entries in this section are ordered alphabetically by surname. As there is a good deal of overlapping information, researchers are advised to check the folder inventory thoroughly in order to avoid overlooking any pertinent references. For instance, a researcher interested in county government in Georgia will find information under the various county files as well as under one of the subheadings in the section marked "Courts" Similar overlapping occurs in the area of Indian treaties, cities and counties, and legal documents. Researchers should also note that the Manuscripts Department houses three additional collections of W.P.A. material; ms 916 (Ex-Slave Interviews), ms 996 (W.P.A. Photographs), and ms 1063 (W.P.A. Georgia Records Survey). The two main sections of the collection are the city and county files. The series marked "Cities" extends from box two through box eight and contains a number of diverse subheadings. Prominent in this area are several subheadings devoted to cultural concerns. These include sections covering Atlanta theater, arts, and a well documented section covering opera performances presented in Atlanta from 1866 through 1940. Also included is a collection of interviews with members of the Greek community in Augusta and accounts of social events in that city between 1880 and 1938. The county files (Boxes 9-37) document the establishment of each county in Georgia (date established, size, county seat, etc.) and include historic events and/or points of interest. Boxes 40 through 43 contain various anecdotes and sayings reflecting Georgia folklore. Materials of note in this section include a group of interviews with ex-slaves from around the state (see also ms 916). Also present are two folders of general folklore relating to slavery. Other folders in this section contain information on folk medicines, charms, sayings, music, and ghost stories. The collection contains several bound volumes of W.P.A. materials, mostly relating to colonial legal records (wills, deeds, receipts, etc.), but the records do extend into the mid 1800's. These include transcriptions of Georgia House Journals, Executive Council Minutes, Governor's correspondence, Military Affairs, Indian Treaties, Indian depredation records, etc. Much of this information was transcribed by W.P.A. workers from original documents held in the Telamon Cuyler Collections. The cuyler Collection is also housed in the University of Georgia Special Collections Department (ms 1170), and is available to researchers. As mentioned above, the subject headings continue in alphabetical order through box 72. The final section of the collection, (Boxes 73 and 77) contains a series of short biographical sketches of prominent Georgians. The W.P.A. Georgia Writers Project Collection represents a sample of the areas of study where the project concentrated its effort. Absent from the collection (with the exceptions of several radio plays in box 71) is a representative body of some of the creative writing which was done within the project. However, the collection does stand as an adequate cross section of the project's work in consolidating historical information. Therefore the focus of the collection becomes twofold; the papers stand both as a record of the activities of the W.P.A. Writers Project itself, and as a collection of various historical data relating to Georgia. Administrative InformationPreferred CitationW.P.A. Georgia Writers Project, MS 1500. Hargrett Rare Book and Manuscript Library, The University of Georgia Libraries. Finding Aid PublicationFinding aid prepared on: 2009 October 16. Related Materials and SubjectsSubject TermsRelated Collections in this RepositoryRelated materials available in the following collections of this repository: W.P.A. material; Ex-slave interviews, W.P.A., 1932-1937; Works Progress Administration in Georgia, 1936 - photographs; Works Progress Administration, Georgia records survey, 1935-1940; Telamon Cuyler collection, 1754-1951. | ||||||||||||||||||||