New Deal Baseball and Softball

Above: "Baseball at Night," an oil painting by Morris Kantor (1896-1974), created while he was in the Public Works of Art Project, 1934. Image courtesy of the Smithsonian American Art Museum.

Above: A night baseball game in Perris Hill Ballpark, San Bernardino, California, ca. 1935-1943. The ballpark was one of many built by the WPA. Photo courtesy of the National Archives.

Above: The description for this photograph reads, "The playground programs in California operated by WPA Recreational Leadership offer activities such as this impromptu baseball game for interested adults." I've frequently wondered why, for the most part, we give up sports when we leave high school or college. I guess it's so ingrained in us that we have to join the 9-5 (or 9-9) rat race that we just leave all the fun behind. But perhaps our devotion to Corporate America is part of the reason we're so stressed, fat, and plagued with health problems, like Type II Diabetes. Maybe we should revive the WPA's recreational programs for adults. Pharmaceutical companies would lobby hard against it of course, since they're banking on our illness and lack of physical fitness, but I bet it would be quite beneficial for the nation. Photo courtesy of the National Archives.

Above: The description for this photograph, ca. 1935-1943, reads, "Softball, under WPA Recreation leadership, is a part of the Recreation program at the Waukesha Industrial School [Wisconsin]." Photo courtesy of the National Archives and the New Deal Network.

Above: A game of stickball in the streets is fun, but it could be hazardous to people's windows too. One foul ball and that car's windshield is done for. And, when you're playing on asphalt, sliding into third base is probably a tad painful. So, New Deal work-relief programs built and improved thousands of baseball fields across the country for kids (and adults) to have safe places to play in. For example, the Federal Emergency Relief Administration constructed 619 baseball fields and improved 627 others (The Emergency Work Relief Program of the F.E.R.A., April 1, 1934 - July 1, 1935, p. 89). Photo courtesy of the National Archives.

Above: The description for this 1939 photograph reads, "WPA-constructed athletic field adjoining rear of school grounds of Flomaton High School [Alabama]. This field contains five acres with 500 feet of enclosing wooden fence and 100 square yards of grass planted by WPA. Sponsored by Escambia County Board of Education. Approximate cost $3,263." Photo courtesy of the National Archives.

Above: CCC boys had plenty of opportunities to participate in intramural sports. Here, we see a CCC playoff game at Griffith Stadium in Washington, DC, 1940 (the stadium was demolished in the 1960s). How amazing it must have been for these youth--who had just months or years earlier hitched rides on freight trains across the country, looking for (non-existent) work--to suddenly be working in the nation's parks & forests; receiving medical care; receiving training & education; and playing sports. Some cold-hearted people might label this "wasteful spending" by "big government." But considering that many CCC boys subsequently helped us win World War II, and considering that we're still hunting, fishing, hiking, boating, and camping in hundreds of their parks & forests today, I'd say that we got the better end of the deal. Photo courtesy of the National Archives.

Above: A National Youth Administration (NYA) softball team in Phoenix, Arizona, 1936. Like the CCC boys, NYA youth had many opportunities for recreation. Photo courtesy of the FDR Presidential Library and Museum.

Above: The New Deal also created many opportunities for women and girls to play sports (see my previous blog post). In this newspaper article, from the June 15th, 1939 edition of the Arizona Republic, we read about a WPA-sponsored girls softball league. This image is from a larger newspapers.com scan, and is used here for educational and non-commercial purposes.

Above: WPA workers (and perhaps also workers in the Federal Emergency Relief Administration) built Lamar Porter Field (Little Rock, Arkansas), one of many New Deal-built sports facilities. Hall of Fame third-baseman Brooks Robinson played in this ball park when he was a kid. Robinson won the American League MVP award in 1964, and captivated the nation during the 1970 World Series, where he led the Baltimore Orioles over the Cincinnati Reds by batting .429 (including 2 home runs, 2 doubles, and 6 runs batted in) and making several acrobatic plays at third base. How many other great sports players learned their trade on New Deal tennis courts, golf courses, baseball diamonds, basketball courts, and football fields? Photo courtesy of the National Archives.

Above: A night softball game at Lamar Porter Field, July 1938. Photo courtesy of the National Archives.

Above: The description for this WPA photograph, ca. 1935-1943, reads, "San Bernardino - California - Perris Hill Baseball Park [built by WPA] - practice game - Pirates vs. Cubs." Photo courtesy of the National Archives.

Above: "Franklin D. Roosevelt throwing out the first pitch at Griffith Stadium for the Boston Red Sox and Washington Senators baseball game," April 24, 1934. Photo courtesy of the FDR Presidential Library and Museum.

"You know how heartily I believe in the adequate provision of opportunities for recreation and how through the years I have cared for the work of the National Recreation Association. I rejoice in the growing public interest in this subject as evidenced by the fine facilities now being provided by the Government - Federal, state and local - for the enjoyment of the people."

--President Franklin Roosevelt, September 26, 1935, Letter on Recreational Facilities

New Deal Sports and Recreation for Girls and Women

Above: Young women in the National Youth Administration improving their tennis skills in Illinois, ca. 1936-1937. Photo courtesy of the FDR Presidential Library and Museum and the New Deal Network.

Above: The description for this photograph reads, "Casting activities at Anglers' Lodge in Golden Gate Park are not confined exclusively to the men. Miss Pat Krause, San Francisco High School girl, is considered one of the leading casters at the WPA-built pools. Photo courtesy of the National Archives.

Above: National Youth Administration youth leaders, at a NYA-run summer camp in Chepachet, Rhode Island, ca. 1935-1943. Photo courtesy of the National Archives.

Above: "Field event at NYA Summer Camp for under-privileged children, Chepachet, Rhode Island," ca. 1935-1943. Photo courtesy of the National Archives.

Above: Two young women enjoying A WPA-built swimming pool at the Davis Avenue Community Center in Mobile, Alabama, 1937. Photo courtesy of the National Archives.

Above: "Girls' Paddle Polo game at the Colorado Lagoon in Long Beach [California]," ca. 1935-1943. Photo courtesy of the National Archives.

Above: Practicing archery on a WPA recreation project in California, ca. 1935-1943. Photo courtesy of the National Archives.

Above: "The new Alabama State Training School for girls [Mobile] was built by the WPA from the ground up. Shot shows girls enjoying swimming in pool built for them by the WPA," 1938. Photo courtesy of the National Archives.

Above: This woman is getting ready to hit the slopes in northern California, after a WPA-worker prepares her skis with some wax, 1939. Photo courtesy of the National Archives.

Above: A WPA music class in San Francisco, ca. 1935-1943. Photo courtesy of the National Archives.

Above: WPA artist Georgette Seabrooke (1916-2011) painting her mural "Recreation in Harlem," for the Harlem Hospital in New York City, 1936. Photo courtesy of the National Archives and the New Deal Network.

Above: Women playing volleyball in a WPA adult recreation program in San Francisco, ca. 1935-1943. Photo courtesy of the National Archives.

Above: Several women (and perhaps one man) at the Arizona State Teachers College (Tempe) are practicing their golf skills, ca. 1933-1943. The Public Works Administration built the building you see here and/or a golf course for the students. Photo courtesy of the National Archives.

New Deal Art: "Studio Interior"

Above: "Studio Interior," an oil painting by George Ault (1891-1948), created while he was in the WPA's Federal Art Project, 1938. Image courtesy of the Smithsonian American Art Museum.

New Deal Story Hour

Above: The description for this photograph reads, "Story telling at Avondale Park [Birmingham, Alabama]. Sponsored by Park and Recreation Board 1936. Story hour held daily on 46 playgrounds throughout the City by WPA and NYA workers." Photo courtesy of the National Archives.

Above: A WPA poster advertising a WPA "Story Hour Club." This poster was created in Illinois, by Shari Weisberg, between 1936 and 1939. Image courtesy of the Library of Congress.

The New Deal's Civil Rights Movement

"The impact of her personality and its unwavering devotion to high principle and purpose cannot be contained in a single day or era."

--Martin Luther King, Jr., on Eleanor Roosevelt, after her death in 1962 (from "Eleanor Roosevelt and Civil Rights," George Washington University).

Above: The WPA's "Negro Advisory Board," July 1937. On July 11, 1936, WPA chief Harry Hopkins had issued an administrative order which held that "workers who are qualified by training and experience to be assigned to work projects and who are eligible as specifically provided by law and by these regulations shall not be discriminated against on any grounds whatever, such as race, religion, or political affiliation." The order echoed an Executive Order President Roosevelt had issued a year before (Donald S. Howard, The WPA and Federal Relief Policy, New York: Russell Sage Foundation, 1943, p. 285, citing WPA Administrative Order No. 44). Photo courtesy of the National Archives.

Above: The Council of Negro Women, outside the Interior Department building in Washington, D.C., April, 1938. Mary McLeod Bethune (front row, center, with the flower on her jacket) founded this organization of women in 1935. Bethune was also a member of FDR's "Black Cabinet," an administrator in the National Youth Administration, and a founder of Bethune-Cookman University. There is a statue of her in Lincoln Park, in Washington, D.C. The National Council of Negro Women is still an active organization today. Photo courtesy of the National Archives.

Above: A closer look at the left-hand side of the photo, with Bethune at lower right.

 Above: A closer look at the right-hand side of the photo.

There were many ways that the New Deal advanced civil rights and expanded opportunities for African Americans, as well as other minority groups. The above are just a few examples. Could FDR and his fellow New Deal administrators have done more to promote civil rights, opportunity, and integration? Perhaps. But the New Deal needed the support of southern Democrats, many of whom were open and ardent racists. Failure to compromise with them may have doomed many, or even most New Deal policies (policies that ultimately helped many minority Americans). Indeed, the exuberant integration shown in some WPA Federal Theatre performances almost certainly contributed to that program's demise via congressional defunding in 1939. Southern Democrats just didn't like the idea of whites and blacks acting, singing, and dancing together on stage (see, e.g., the Howard book cited above, pp. 294-295).

What the New Deal did for minority groups, especially African Americans, was revolutionary for the day. Viewed through a modern lens, it may seem like baby steps. But transport yourself back to America of the 1920s and 30s, which in many places resembled South Africa's apartheid, and you can appreciate some of the groundbreaking policies and actions of the New Deal. Make no mistake about it, the New Deal laid the groundwork for the civil rights movements of the 1950s and 60s. It also laid the groundwork for a more fair and just society, which has only recently been unraveling thanks to trickle-down economics, corporate greed, and the fear & anger-based politics of the political right.

African American NYA Band. The New Deal makes music for the United States and South America.

Above: An African American band in the National Youth Administration (NYA), Mobile, Alabama, 1937. Photo courtesy of the National Archives.

Above: Another picture of the African American NYA band in Mobile, Alabama. According to the Final Report of the National Youth Administration (1944), "NYA orchestras and choral groups were formed in a number of States... In organizing a NYA orchestra, the following steps were taken: Securing a sponsorship, usually the city; provision of NYA funds for scores, some instruments, and equipment such as stands; securing a conductor, either by a small payment for his services (about $125 a month) or by arrangement through the co-sponsor; payment of youth wages for rehearsals and performances... Performances were given at municipal parks and halls. In the fiscal years 1941 and 1942, NYA orchestras gave 3,976 performances... Often radio time was secured for broadcasts... a series of NYA musical broadcasts were given, featuring musical contributions of various racial groups. These programs were broadcast on a Nation-wide hook-up from a dozen different cities and short-waved to South America" (pp. 173-174). Photo courtesy of the National Archives.

New Deal Art: "Winter Sports"

Above: "Winter Sports," a mural study by Paul Faulkner, created while he was in the New Deal's Section of Fine Arts. Image courtesy of the Smithsonian American Art Museum.

Above: A closer look at the left-hand side of the painting.

Above: A closer look at the center of the painting.

Above: A closer look at the right-hand side of the painting. The finished mural, located in the Kewaunee, Wisconsion Post Office, has some significant changes from this mural study. It can be viewed on the website of the Living New Deal, here.

Above: The New Deal not only painted winter sports, it made winter sports, such as this WPA-built ski jump in Eau Claire, Wisconsin, ca. 1935-1943. Across the United States, WPA workers created 1,101 ice skating areas, 65 ski jumps, and 310 miles of ski trails (Final Report on the WPA Program, 1935-43, 1946, p. 131). Photo courtesy of the National Archives and the New Deal Network.

WPA Archery

Above: A woman takes aim in a WPA archery class in San Francisco, ca. 1935-1943. The Final Report on the WPA Program noted that the "WPA recreation projects provided leadership and instruction in recreational activities of many kinds, supplementing existing public services of local communities. The aim of this work was the year-round operation of a varied and well-balanced recreation program, including social, cultural, and physical activities, for adults as well as young people" (p. 62). Today, we've become fat, and perhaps less social too. Maybe we could use a new WPA to bring us together and also get our muscles moving. In 2016, conservative commentator David Brooks wrote: "solidarity can be rekindled nationally. Over the course of American history, national projects like the railroad legislation, the W.P.A. and the NASA project have bound this diverse nation." Photo courtesy of the National Archives.

Above: On this WPA project, somewhere in northern California, ca. 1935-1943, students learn how to make archery equipment. Photo courtesy of the National Archives.

Above: A WPA poster, advertising recreational programs in archery, dancing, drama, and more. Image courtesy of the Library of Congress.

New Deal Art: "Industrial"

Above: "Industrial," an oil painting by Dacre F. Boulton (1903-1984), created while he was in the New Deal's Public Works of Art Project, ca. 1933-1934. Image courtesy of the Smithsonian American Art Museum.

The New Deal in DC: Folger Park

(All photos by Brent McKee, November 2016.)

Above: Folger Park is located in Washington, DC, on 2nd and D streets. It's a small park, perhaps just an acre or two, and just a few blocks from the Library of Congress. This is one of the park's access points.

Above: Folger Park has history back to 1792, when it was declared an "open space," and it was once part of "large tract of land owned by Daniel Carroll" (one of the "Founding Fathers" of America). A 1993 Historic American Buildings Survey (HABS No. DC-672) reported, "A new design for Folger Park was installed during the Depression in 1936 by Works Progress Administration laborers. The new, more formal design consisted of a cross inscribed in an oval with a large square central flagstone patio surrounding an octagonal pool. Four rectangular flower beds were formed in the arms of the cross, and at the east and west sides, large bench and fountain structures made of cast concrete with pebble facing, feature mosaics depicting the landscape design of the park. This design remains largely intact today." (A 2004 report from the DC Government, as well as recent images from Google Earth, and my visit to the park in 2016, shows that the WPA's work is still present).

Above: Folger Park is a small sanctuary from the hustle & bustle of city life.

Above: This squirrel has a home in Folger Park.

Above: This is one of the two "large bench and fountain structures made of cast concrete with pebble facing, featur[ing] mosaics depicting the landscape design of the park."

Above: Both mosaics are in very poor condition. You can barely make out the words "Folger Park."

Above: Here you can see the pebble facing of the bench seats, along with what appears to be a rain drain, so puddles don't form.

Above: The wood on this bench seat is probably not too old, but perhaps the WPA installed the metal frame?

Above: Did the WPA install this light post? The post has some creative design, which would probably rule out modern installation. When it comes to public places and public architecture today, we usually choose cheap & boring over quality & creativity.

Above: A closer look at the top of the light post.

Above: This is the "central flagstone patio." Like the rest of America's infrastructure, it's crumbling.

Above: Overall, Folger Park is pretty nice. The grounds (except for the concrete structures, the mosaics, and the flagstone patio) appear to be fairly well maintained; I didn't see too much trash. While I was there, I saw a man jogging through the park, another man using his cell phone, and a woman with a stroller (you can see her in the second photo of this blog post, if you look closely). With a little TLC, and maybe a few extras, the park could be even nicer - just as the New Deal intended it to be.