arthurdale heritage inc. museum

By chance we stopped off in Arthurdale to check out the "New Deal Community". The entire visit only lasted about an hour but it was very exciting to learn about the history of the community, but it was more interesting to learn about Eleanor Roosevelt! Our children enjoyed learning about our US history. I think there is a New Deal Festival every year in July, hopefully, we can make it next year!

We had the wonderful fortune to have a tour guide whose own family history was grounded in the Arthurdale social experiment. She took us through a number of fascinating buildings filled with original items used by the residents. Our imaginations were actively engaged as she shared stories with us throughout our extensive tour. We learned a great deal about how the Depression impacted life in West Virginia. What we learned also increased our appreciation for Eleanor Roosevelt who passionately spearheaded this experiment. Before discovering Arthurdale, we had no idea that this project ever existed. Since my husband and I have a strong interest in and appreciation for American history, we felt that this visit filled a void.

I knew nothing about this planned utopian-like community before I visited; it's fascinating and well worth the trip. I learned a good deal about Eleanor's Roosevelt's personality and commitment through her work here at Arthurdale. The tour is about 60-75 minutes long. Although this social experiment wasn't very long lived (and definitely wouldn't work today as it was very selective/discriminatory), it did indeed achieve its purpose--to change lives for the better; to offer hope. I found it very touching the various quotes you'll see in the administration building and the fact that the original inhabitants are on the forefront of keeping this important piece of history alive. Come as early as possible so you won't be rushed. This proves that there are indeed some politicians who do want to make a positive difference. My only suggestion for improvement is to have the tours on set times; we gather that when people come the tour will begin. Although this has its merits, if there were set times (say on the hour) it will give the presenter some time to rest before having to regroup immediately and set off again. That can be very draining and can discourage tourists from asking a lot of questions, to not tax the presenter more than necessary--this was certainly my case.

We stumbled across the existence of Arthurdale in a magazine article several years ago and vowed to get to visit some time. Finally made it even though it was raining and the roads to access the place are twisty, two-lane, and just a tad scary with lots of gravel trucks at one point. Arthurdale is one of about 99 model communities built under the auspices of several federal agencies during the Great Depression. It was a particular favorite of Eleanor Roosevelt's and she visited often. Many of the original factory built homes that were owner erected are still in evidence and many descendants of original "homesteaders" remain in the community. Our docent, an Americore volunteer who lives in the model house, was most enthusiastic and very knowledgeable about the entire project. Much work has been done by the Heritage corporation to restore and make many community buildings valuable for public view. Good guided tour and then we had the occasion to just drive through the winding streets. Plan a good half day for this. We stayed in Summersville, WV the previous night and had a two hour drive to get to the community. GPS doesn't know where this place is - can't even find the US Post Office which is right across the street. Rely on old map technology to get you there.

This depression area community was a model community and a special project of Mrs/ Roosevelt.In many respect Arthurdale is still a model community.The Heritage Museum preserves the history, and the local docents are quite knowledgable.

My tour director was extremely knowledgeable and obviously passionate about the subject. Fascinating, lots of personal stories of residents, and nicely restored and preserved buildings. A real plus to tour an original house, the forge, the meeting hall and stores. No matter what your political persuasion, this is an example of an experiment in philosophy.

If you have an opportunity to visit, be sure to take a guided tour which you can arrange at the office. You will be able to go in the preserved buildings as well as the museum. There is a gift shop with local crafts sold. Eleanor Roosevelt visited here several times.

Staying with friends in an Arthurdale original house, they took us to the Museum. We toured with a "docent" who was very knowledgable. We had no idea that the CCC was involved in projects of this kind and that Mrs. Roosevelt was involved in the Arthurdale project to such an extent. An excellent piece of history in a beautiful part of the country. Recommended if you are in the area and have interest in the history of places. Thanks to the young lady who acted as our guide - she was obviously very involved in Arthurdale's history and preservation.

We were staying at a timeshare in Morgantown, WV and were looking for sites to see that were preferably no more than an hour away. We came across a reference to a place called Arthurdale that was approximately a half- hour’s ride from our location. Arthurdale is a small town where, during the Great Depression, the FDR administration undertook a project to resettle unemployed residents and their families (mainly miners if I remember correctly) from North Central WV in a relatively self-sustaining community. Arthurdale was the first of many New Deal Homestead and Resettlement Communities in various parts of the country (more on the other communities can be found at www.newdeallegacy.org). Residents were employed in agriculture and crafts and the community had its own health clinic and schools. Eleanor Roosevelt was the impetus and force behind the project and visited Arthurdale regularly. Arthurdale is listed as a 1,200 acre historic district on the National Register of Historic Places and is well worth visiting. There are various buildings and artifacts from the time including a multi-building museum and a craft shop. Also, there are various examples of the housing still standing although these are now private homes. The day we visited we were met by Eva, a young AmeriCorps volunteer who was on her second year as a volunteer there and lives in one of the original homes. The tour was free and Eva was an excellent guide, both very knowledgeable and personable. A visit to Arthurdale would be good for both adults and supervised children; allow for a minimum of an hour and if the weather is nice allow time to walk around the grounds. As an added benefit, the drive to and from Arthurdale is quite lovely in places as the road goes along scenic Decker’s Creek with its waterfalls.

One of Eleanor Roosevelt's prime projects for help during the Depression. This is really an underutilized piece of American History. About mid-way between Morgantown, WV and Kingwood, WV. Small and cheap and standardized houses and lots for poor people.

Very nice history of era. No one else around so we got private door which was very interesting and educational.