Decatur in Wise County, Texas — The American South (West South Central)

Depression-Era Projects in Wise County

Photographed by QuesterMark

1. Depression-Era Projects in Wise County Marker

Inscription. The tumultuous years of the Great Depression were much the same in Decatur as in other small towns throughout the United States. Massive unemployment, bank closures, school closures and loss of farms and homes prompted President Franklin D. Roosevelt's New Deal to boost local economies. Scrap metal collection sites, sewing rooms to produce affordable clothing, soil conservation, library projects and street improvements provided much-needed jobs for the citizens of Wise County. Work completed by Wise County residents through the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) and Works Progress Administration (WPA) created a more reliable road system throughout the county. With better roads, schools consolidated and transportation became easier. In July 1938, a new U.S. Post Office opened as the county's first federally funded building. Ray Stanford Strong's oil on canvas painting, Texas Plains, commissioned through the Public Works of Art project, was installed in 1939 on the north wall. The basement housed the offices of the Farm Security Administration, County Agent and Home Demonstration Offices. After serving the community for

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64 years, the Post Office was replaced in 2002 with new construction. Between 1937 and 1940, $300,000 federal dollars from Roosevelt's New Deal provided Decatur citizens with a Post Office, the 1939 WPA high school gymnasium and tennis courts, and extensive roadwork along South Trinity Street. These buildings and improvements are symbols of the spirit and resiliency of the residents of Wise County who weathered the most difficult financial decade of the 20th Century. (2019) Marker is Property of the State of Texas

Erected 2022 by Texas Historical Commission. (Marker Number 22499.)

Topics. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: Charity & Public Work.

Location. 33° 14.009′ N, 97° 35.199′ W. Marker is in Decatur, Texas, in Wise County. It is on South Trinity Street. This post-mounted subject marker stands just to the right of the front entrance of the Chamber of Commerce, which is in the former Post Office building near the square in Decatur. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 106 South Trinity Street, Decatur TX 76234, United States

Photographed by QuesterMark, May 28, 2022

2. Depression-Era Projects in Wise County Marker

of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in the Prairies & Lakes Region

and in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metropolitan Area.

Globally, it is in North America,

a Gulf of Mexico state,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once New Spain,

the Republic of Texas,

and one of the Confederate States of America.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Wise County Messenger (within shouting distance of this marker); Old Stone Prison (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line); Chisholm Trail (about 300 feet away); Wise County C.S.A. (about 300 feet away); Wise County War Memorial (about 300 feet away); Charles Vernon Terrell (about 300 feet away); Randolph Vesey (about 300 feet away); Captain George W. Stevens (about 300 feet away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Decatur.

More about this marker. This marker was dedicated May 12, 2022 - 6:00pm to 7:00pm.

Credits. This page was last revised on May 30, 2022. It was originally submitted on May 28, 2022, by QuesterMark of Fort Worth, Texas. This page has been viewed 1,112 times since then and 44 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on May 28, 2022, by QuesterMark of Fort Worth, Texas. • J. Makali Bruton was the editor who published this page.