Description: Dated ca. 1930-1939, this photograph shows young boys playing a ball game in gym class at Ashland Grade School in Ashland Ohio. This photograph is one of the many visual materials collected for use in the Ohio Guide. In 1935, President Franklin D. Roosevelt established the Works Progress Administration by executive order to create jobs for the large numbers of unemployed laborers, as well as artists, musicians, actors, and writers. The Federal Arts Program, a sector of the Works Progress Administration, included the Federal Writers’ Project, one of the primary goals of which was to complete the America Guide series, a series of guidebooks for each state which included state history, art, architecture, music, literature, and points of interest to the major cities and tours throughout the state. Work on the Ohio Guide began in 1935 with the publication of several pamphlets and brochures. The Reorganization Act of 1939 consolidated the Works Progress Administration and other agencies into the Federal Works Administration, and the Federal Writers’ Project became the Federal Writers’ Project in Ohio. The final product was published in 1940 and went through several editions. The Ohio Guide Collection consists of 4,769 photographs collected for use in Ohio Guide and other publications of the Federal Writers’ Project in Ohio from 1935-1939. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: SA1039AV_B01F13_001_001
Subjects: Education; Gymnasiums; Sports; Ashland (Ohio)--History; Physical education and training--Ohio
Places: Ashland (Ohio); Ashland County (Ohio)
 

Description: Caption: "W.P.A. Physical Education Class. Toledo, Ohio." The WPA health projects in Toledo included preventative care for the unemployed and tuberculosis and diphtheria immunizations, as well as the construction of health clinics, municipal pools, recreational parks, and school gymnasiums. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: SA1039AV_B13F12_008_001
Subjects: Physical education and training--Ohio; Gymnasiums; Sports and recreation facilities; Exercise for women; Ohio--History--Pictorial works; Federal Writers' Project
Places: Toledo (Ohio); Lucas County (Ohio)
 

Description: Original description reads: "Pyramiding, Girls' Gym Class. WPA Recreation Project, Dayton, Ohio. 1937." On April 8, 1935, the United States Congress passed the Emergency Relief Appropriation Act, part of President Franklin Delano Roosevelt's New Deal, which was hoped would allow Americans to cope with the Great Depression. Creation of the Works Progress Administration (WPA) was the most important accomplishment of this Act. This government office hired unemployed Americans to work on various government projects. During its existence, the WPA constructed more than 600,000 miles of roads and built or repaired more than 124,000 bridges, 125,000 public buildings, 8,000 parks, and 850 airport runways. Although the United States Congress reduced funding for the program in 1939, the WPA remained in operation until June 30, 1943. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: SA1039AV_B12F08_038_001
Subjects: Pyramids (Gymnastics); Physical education and training--Ohio; United States. Works Progress Administration
Places: Dayton (Ohio); Montgomery County (Ohio)