The indelible stamp of the New Deal can be seen across American in the
public works projects that modernized the country even as they provided
employment during the Great Depression. Tennessee, in particular,
benefited from the surge in federal construction. The New Deal not only
left the state with many public buildings and schools that are still in
active use, but is conservation and reclamation efforts also changed the
lives of Tennesseans for generations to come.
In Tennessee's New Deal Landscape, Caroll Van West examines over 250
historic sites created from 1933 to 1942: courthouses, post offices,
community buildings, schools, and museums, along with the Great Smoky
Mountains National Park, the Cherokee National Forest, and the dams and
reservoirs of the Tennessee Valley Authority. He describes the
significant and impact of each project and provides maps to guide
readers to the sites described.
West discusses architectural styles that are often difficult to
identity, and his lively narrative points out some of the paradoxes of
New Deal projects-such as the proliferation of leisure parks during the
nation's darkest hours. In highlighting these projects, he shows that
Tennessee owes much not only to TVA but also to many other agencies and
individuals who left their mark on the landscape through roads, levees,
and reforested hillsides as well as buildings.
An invaluable resource for travelers as well as scholars, this book
reveals a legacy of historic treasures that are well worth preserving.
The Author: Carroll Van West is projects manager for the Center of
Historic Preservation at Middle Tennessee State University. The author
of Tennessee's Historic Landscapes, he most recently edited the volumes
Tennessee History: The Land, the People, and the Culture and the
Tennessee Encyclopedia of History and Culture. He is also senior editor
of the Tennessee Historic Quarterly.
