Creator: Work Projects Administration (RG 60).

Collection Summary: Survey files for each county containing a brief historical sketch of the county as well as data sheets on the county detailing its area and population, vital statistics, principal towns and cities, topographical features, industrial and manufacturing capacity, road mileage and transportation, public school enrollments, public finances, climate, recreation facilities, county Indian sites and mounds, topography, and battles that occurred in the county. Additionally included are reports on the county’s income and disbursements, plus the same for principal cities such as Natchez and Jackson, pulled from the State Auditor’s reports.

Access Restrictions: None.

Date(s): 1938-1940.

Volume: 1.50 Cubic Feet.

Finding Aid Created By: Colby Cox in September 2024.

Related Materials: TBD.

Record Group History: The Works Projects Administration (WPA) was a federal program established on May 6th, 1935, in order to increase employment during the Great Depression. While the WPA was a federal program, it was implemented and managed on the state level with each state having their own director and office to guide the operation of the WPA for each state. The WPA was primarily focused on employing individuals for the purpose of creating public works and infrastructure, but a small portion of its funding was devoted to cultural and artistic endeavors which the files in this collection are primarily concerned with. Two of the major cultural projects the WPA undertook were the Federal Writers’ Project and the Historical Records Survey. The Federal Writers Project employed writers to create guides, histories, and chronicles for each state and the Historical Records Survey sought to catalogue the historical records of each state.

Collection Inventory:
Box Content Box Number
Adams - Choctaw counties10620
Claiborne - Grenada counties10621
Hancock - Jefferson counties10622
Jefferson Davis - Monroe counties10623
Montgomery - Scott counties10624
Sharkey - Yazoo counties10625