Birmingham in Jefferson County, Alabama — The American South (East South Central)

The Works Progress Administration

By Sandra Hughes, September 17, 2013

1. The Works Progress Administration Marker

Inscription. The WPA (Works Progress Administration) funded the design and construction of Vulcan Park in the late 1930s. This was done in conjunction with the Alabama Highway Department’s improvement of U.S. Highway 31, the major north/south route that runs along the east side of the park.

Erected by Mr. and Mrs. William M. Spencer III and Joseph S. Bruno Charitable Foundation.

Location. 33° 29.507′ N, 86° 47.747′ W. Marker is in Birmingham, Alabama, in Jefferson County. Marker can be reached from Valley View Drive west of Richard Arrington Jr Boulevard South. Touch for map. Located in Vulcan Park. Marker is at or near this postal address: 1701 Valley View Drive, Birmingham AL 35209, United States of America.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. Birmingham District Minerals (a few steps from this marker); Building The Park (a few steps from this marker); South (a few steps from this marker); The Lone Pine Mine (a few steps from this marker); Vulcan Statue (within shouting distance of this marker); Industry (within shouting distance of this marker);

By Sandra Hughes, September 17, 2013

2. The Works Progress Administration Marker

Local builders and stonemasons, funded by the Works Progress Administration, executed the park’s design. As with other WPA-era projects in Birmingham and across the state, native sandstone was prominent feature.

A New City (within shouting distance of this marker); Before Birmingham: Jones Valley (within shouting distance of this marker). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Birmingham.

Also see . . . Vulcan Park and Museum. (Submitted on October 6, 2013.)

Categories. • Charity & Public Work • Man-Made Features •

Illustration by Paul R. Olson image. Click for full size.

By Sandra Hughes, September 17, 2013

3. Illustration by Paul R. Olson

Thanks to careful study of original plans and historic photos, today’s park looks very much as it did in the 1930s.

Courtesy of Alabama State Archives image. Click for full size.

By Sandra Hughes, September 17, 2013

4. Courtesy of Alabama State Archives

The WPA was the principal relief agency of President Franklin Roosevelt’s Depression-era New Deal; it put millions of unemployed people to work on civic projects.

By Sandra Hughes, September 17, 2013

5. The Works Progress Administration Marker

Credits. This page was last revised on June 16, 2016. This page originally submitted on October 5, 2013, by Sandra Hughes of Killen, Usa. This page has been viewed 449 times since then and 37 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4. submitted on October 5, 2013, by Sandra Hughes of Killen, Usa. 5. submitted on October 6, 2013, by Sandra Hughes of Killen, Usa. • Bernard Fisher was the editor who published this page.