October 4, 1933
Federal government acquires land for Arthurdale
After Eleanor Roosevelt visited depression-stricken coal communities in northern West Virginia, the federal government acquired Richard Arthur's farm near Reedsville on October 4, 1933, for its first experimental subsistence-homestead community. The Preston County Journal reported the following day that the purchased farm comprised 1,017 acres and that the price was understood to have been $35,000. These figures refer to the Arthur farm purchase, rather than the larger project tract assembled through additional acquisitions. Initially called the Reedsville Experimental Community, the settlement was subsequently named Arthurdale for the former landowner.
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Sources and further reading
Where this entry comes from
Preston County Journal, “Government Buys Arthurdale Farm for $35,000.00,” October 5, 1933 — transcription, West Virginia Archives and History; SAH Archipedia, “Arthurdale”; National Park Service, “Arthurdale: A New Deal Community Experiment,” p. 14; e-WV, “Arthurdale”
Research notes
What the evidence establishes
Purchase date: The October 5, 1933 Preston County Journal states that the deal closed “yesterday” and identifies the day as Wednesday, establishing October 4, 1933 as the reported closing date. The newspaper reports 1,017 acres and qualifies the $35,000 price as understood, rather than documenting it from a deed.
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