Tag: Arthurdale

Randolph County Homestead School Reopens As Community Center

The Tygart Valley Homestead Association in Randolph County is celebrating the opening of a new community center inside their historic school building that first opened in 1939. The school was originally part of President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s New Deal Homestead projects.

After high winds damaged part of the roof at the Tygart Valley Homestead in 2017, the Randolph County School Board closed the school. 

But one year later, the local community association bought the building from the federal government for a nominal fee of $1. 

The community raised more than $30,000 to repair the roof, and they plan to make more improvements to preserve the historic structure.  

Roseann Rosier, secretary for the Tygart Valley Homestead Association, said part of the value of the school building is in its history.

“So when the county closed the school, we decided to try, and fail, rather than not try at all,” she said.

The Tygart Valley Homestead was once visited by First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt. Roosevelt was devoted to resettlement communities that were built across the country, including Arthurdale in Preston County and Eleanor in Putnam County. 

Credit Farm Security Administration
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Resident of Tygart Valley Homestead with his child

The Homestead Association is hosting a celebration all day on Saturday, August 31 to honor the 80th anniversary of the opening of the school. It’s also the grand opening of the new community center, featuring a new walking trail and a small museum. Rosier said they will be serving a pulled pork lunch and are screening a new documentary about the Tygart Valley Homestead community. 

November 13, 1879: Arthurdale Educator Elsie Clapp Born

Educator Elsie Clapp was born on November 13, 1879, in Brooklyn Heights. She was influenced by progressive educator John Dewey, who believed that schools should have a direct impact on the communities they serve.

In 1934, Clapp brought this philosophy with her to West Virginia as director of the community school at Arthurdale. The Preston County town was the first of the nation’s New Deal subsistence homesteads. A pet project of First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt, Arthurdale was intended to give unemployed miners and their families a fresh start.

Clapp believed that Arthurdale’s school should tap into the students’ rural heritage and prepare them for real-life situations. For instance, they learned how to measure lumber for houses and built fiddles and guitars to be played at community square dances.

Ultimately, though, her strategy was rejected. The school was refused accreditation because it didn’t meet state standards. Others criticized Clapp for failing to prepare students to live in the modern world. She left after only two years at Arthurdale, and Preston County took over the school. But, her community-based approach to education would later become much more widely adopted.

Nov. 13 1879 Arthurdale Educator Elsie Clapp Born

Educator Elsie Clapp was born on November 13, 1879, in Brooklyn Heights. She was influenced by progressive educator John Dewey, who believed that schools should have a direct impact on the communities they serve. In 1934, Clapp brought this philosophy with her to West Virginia as director of the community school at Arthurdale. The Preston County town was the first of the nation’s New Deal subsistence homesteads.

Arthurdale: A First Lady's Legacy

 

This week on West Virginia PBS, you can watch The Roosevelts: An Intimate History from Ken Burns. Many will recall the story of Arthurdale – a New Deal planned community in Preston County, West Virginia. Arthurdale was a pet project of Eleanor Roosevelt. We dug into our archives to find a documentary by the late Ross Watne that tells this unique West Virginia story.  

 

 

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