Project Summary

During the Great Depression, the Works Progress Administration was awarded money from Congress to fund various projects, ranging from the construction of highways and buildings to historical research. The goal of the administration was to provide jobs for the unemployed. Part of this program was the Federal Writers Project (FWP), which employed many writers, historians, editors, and researchers. The FWP documented oral and local histories, created travel guides to 48 states, worked in archives, and conducted other research oriented projects. This oral history project focuses on the FWP in Kentucky, beginning in the mid-1930s. Discussed are the types of people working with the project and the various kinds of projects completed by the FWP.