NPS Form 10-900-b (Rev. 01/2009) OMB No. 1024-0018 (Expires 5/31/2012) United States Department of the Interior National Park Service National Register of Historic Places Multiple Property Documentation Form This form is used for documenting property groups relating to one or several historic contexts. See instructions in National Register Bulletin How to Complete the Multiple Property Documentation Form (formerly 16B). Complete each item by entering the requested information. For additional space, use continuation sheets (Form 10-900-a). Use a typewriter, word processor, or computer to complete all items New Submission Amended Submission A. Name of Multiple Property Listing Skyline Farms Resettlement Project, Jackson County, Alabama, 1931-1960 B. Associated Historic Contexts 1. The Hoover Administration, 1931-1933 2. New Deal Years, 1933-1941 3. World War II Years, 1941-1945 4. A Controversial End, 1944-1946 5. Community in Post-Project Years, 1946-1960 6. New Deal Design at Skyline Farms C. Form Prepared by Carroll Van West, Director; Katie S. Randall, Graduate Assistant; Hallie Fieser, Graduate name/title Assistant; Elizabeth M. Humphreys, Project Coordinator and Architectural Historian organization MTSU Center for Historic Preservation date January 2012 street & number 615-898-2947 PO Box 80 MTSU telephone city or town 37132 Murfreesboro state TN zip code e-mail [email protected] D. Certification As the designated authority under the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966, as amended, I hereby certify that this documentation form meets the National Register documentation standards and sets forth requirements for the listing of related properties consistent with the National Register criteria. This submission meets the procedural and professional requirements set forth in 36 CFR 60 and the Secretary of the Interior’s Standards and Guidelines for Archeology and Historic Preservation. (_________ See continuation sheet for additional comments.) Signature and title of certifying official Date State or Federal Agency or Tribal government I hereby certify that this multiple property documentation form has been approved by the National Register as a basis for evaluating related properties for listing in the National Register. Signature of the Keeper Date of Action NPS Form 10-900-b (Rev. 01/2009) OMB No. 1024-0018 Skyline Farms Resettlement Project, Jackson County, Alabama Alabama, 1931-1960 Name of Multiple Property Listing State Table of Contents for Written Narrative Provide the following information on continuation sheets. Cite the letter and title before each section of the narrative. Assign page numbers according to the instructions for continuation sheets in National Register Bulletin How to Complete the Multiple Property Documentation Form (formerly 16B). Fill in page numbers for each section in the space below. Page Numbers E. Statement of Historic Contexts (if more than one historic context is documented, present them in sequential order.) Introduction 1 1. The Hoover Administration, 1931-1933 1 2. New Deal Years, 1933-1941 3 3. World War II Years, 1941-1945 23 4. A Controversial End, 1944-1946 24 5. Community in Post-Project Years, 1946-1960 26 6. New Deal Design at Skyline Farms 28 F. Associated Property Types 30 (Provide description, significance, and registration requirements.) G. Geographical Data 46 H. Summary of Identification and Evaluation Methods 46 (Discuss the methods used in developing the multiple property listing.) I. Major Bibliographical References 47 (List major written works and primary location of additional documentation: State Historic Preservation Office, other State agency, Federal agency, local government, university, or other, specifying repository.) Appendix Paperwork Reduction Act Statement: This information is being collected for applications to the National Register of Historic Places to nominate properties for listing or determine eligibility for listing, to list properties, and to amend existing listings. Response to this request is required to obtain a benefit in accordance with the National Historic Preservation Act, as amended (16 U.S.C.460 et seq.). Estimated Burden Statement: Public reporting burden for this form is estimated to average 18 hours per response including time for reviewing instructions, gathering and maintaining data, and completing and reviewing the form. Direct comments regarding this burden estimate or any aspect of this form to the Chief, Administrative Services Division, National Park Service, PO Box 37127, Washington, DC 20013-7127; and the Office of Management and Budget, Paperwork Reductions Project (1024-0018), Washington, DC 20503. NPS FORM 10-900-A OMB Approval No. 1024-0018 (8-86) United States Department of the Interior National Park Service National Register of Historic Places Continuation Sheet Section number E Page 1 Skyline Farms Resettlement Project, Jackson County, Alabama E. Statement of Historic Contexts Introduction The Great Depression of the 1930s proved to be one of the darkest times in United States history, particularly devastating for America’s farmers. Unemployment was at an all time high as the many affected Americans searched for work and hoped for help. Skyline Farms is remembered as one of the most unique socioeconomic experiments to develop out of this need in Alabama’s history. As part of Franklin D. Roosevelt’s New Deal program, the project aided many farmers and their families in what was likely their greatest time of need. Skyline Farms was a resettlement project, established to provide jobs and social welfare to unemployed, sometimes homeless, farmers of Alabama. Forty-three such resettlement projects were attempted across the United States, but Skyline Farms was viewed by many within the federal government as one of the most successful. Historian David Campbell, president of Northeast Alabama Community College concludes, “It was one of the largest in terms of development, expenses, and national publicity.”1 Originally called Cumberland Mountain Farms, the resettlement project in Jackson County, Alabama, served more than two hundred families at its height in 1936, ending as abruptly as it began less than a decade later.2 Properties at Skyline Farms are eligible for the National Register of Historic Places under Criterion A for historical significance in Agriculture, Politics/Government, and Social History; Criterion B for associations with prominent persons in the history of the Skyline Farms resettlement project; and Criterion C for significance in Architecture and Community Planning and Development. 1. The Hoover Administration, 1931-1933 Prior to 1930, Jackson County, Alabama was largely agricultural, but a significant portion of unimproved forest dominated the highland plateaus of Cumberland Mountain and Sand Mountain. Although the Cumberland Mountain land was thickly forested and primarily unimproved, there had been settlers living there since the early 19th century. Education of mountain dwellers was scant, but it existed. The early 20th century schools were generally one-room schools taught by a single teacher who commuted from a nearby town and lived during the week with families of the local community. Two early schools on Cumberland Mountain were the Nila School and the Alto School, both established in 1908. These schools continued operation until 1939 when students transferred to the new school at Skyline Farms.3 1 David Campbell, “Skyline Farms,” Encyclopedia of Alabama, http://encyclopediaofalabama.org/face/Article.jsp?id=h-1546 (accessed September 22, 2010). 2 The name was changed circa 1936 from Cumberland Mountain Farms to Skyline Farms to avoid confusion between it and Cumberland Homesteads in Tennessee, another resettlement project. 3 Wendell Page, ''One Hundred Schools,'' http://www.wendellpage.com/One Hundred Schools.htm (accessed November 15, 2010). NPS FORM 10-900-A OMB Approval No. 1024-0018 (8-86) United States Department of the Interior National Park Service National Register of Historic Places Continuation Sheet Section number E Page 2 Skyline Farms Resettlement Project, Jackson County, Alabama At the end of the 19th century, Jackson County’s roads consisted of “chunks of limestone and mud holes.”4 At the turn of the 20th century the county sold bonds and built roads in the valley portions of the county.5 However, the county made no progress for improving roadways in the mountain regions, and the mountain roads, which had accommodated travelers on stage coach, horseback, mule, and ox cart for a century, remained in use6 A six mile rail spur, built in 1879 to serve the Belmont Coal Mines, continued as the connection of the Pierce Coal Mining Company’s mining operations to the St. Louis and Nashville Railroad in 1907. However, the railroad spur provided industrial rather than commercial transportation. Initial federal involvement on the mountain began in the early 1930s with construction of a road that opened the “wilderness” land for further development. This road would be instrumental not only to the success of the Skyline Farms project but also to the future success of the mountain community as a whole. In late 1931, the administration of President Herbert Hoover developed the concept of the Reconstruction Finance Corporation (RFC) as an efficient way to improve the liquidity of the financial system and to assist troubled banks. Congress created the RFC on January 22, 1932. Then in July, Congress extended RFC’s powers to providing loans to public works projects that also had the goal of providing