Arthurdale, WV was created during the New Deal by Eleanor Roosevelt, who aspired to create a planned community that modeled an ideal rural life during the Depression. This weekend is the Arthurdale New Deal Heritage Festival!
newdealfestival.org/
One of the prime movers behind this festival is WVU Press author Betty Rivard, whose book, New Deal Photographs of West Virginia, 1934–1943 presents images of the state’s northern and southern coalfields; the subsistence homestead projects of Arthurdale, Eleanor, and Tygart Valley; and various communities from Charleston to Clarksburg and Parkersburg to Elkins.
With over 150 images by ten FSA photographers, including Walker Evans, Marion Post Wolcott, Arthur Rothstein, and Ben Shahn, this collection is a remarkable record of hardship, hope, endurance, and, above all, community. These photographs provide a glimpse into the everyday lives of West Virginians during the Great Depression and beyond.
Fellow WVU Press author
@NatalieSypolt is giving a book signing for her short story collection, The Sound of Holding Your Breath, on Saturday, July 11 from 1:00 - 2:30 pm outside the Craft Shop.