📚 The WPA American Guide Series: Preserving History, Culture & Travel Writing in the 1930s

📌 The WPA American Guide Series (1938) was one of the most ambitious literary and historical documentation projects in U.S. history. Discover how thousands of writers, historians, and researchers created detailed guides on every state, city, and cultural group—preserving American heritage while launching literary careers.

Collage of the WPA American Guide: Among the Publications and Illustrations Issued by the Federal Writers' Project are A Selection of Guides, Alaskan Scene, Massachusetts Guide, "Who's Who in the Zoo" (New York City), Vermont Guide, "Inttracoastal Waterway," Trinity Church (New York). Inventory: An Appraisal of Results of the Works Progress Administration, Washington, DC: US Government Printing Office, 1938. GGA Image ID # 1528523e85

📚 WPA American Guide Publications & Illustrations - 1938

How the WPA Federal Writers' Project Documented America & Shaped Literary and Historical Research

The WPA Federal Writers' Project (FWP), through the American Guide Series, created one of the most comprehensive and ambitious documentation efforts in U.S. history. Written by thousands of unemployed writers, researchers, and editors, these guides covered every state, major cities, regions, and cultural groups—offering a deeply researched, literary, and historical portrait of the United States during the 1930s.

For teachers, students, genealogists, historians, and researchers, this report highlights:

✔️ How the FWP preserved historical, cultural, and geographical records of every U.S. state.

✔️ Notable authors who contributed to the project and went on to literary success.

✔️ The impact of the American Guide Series on travel literature and cultural history.

✔️ How the WPA guides helped shape modern tourism, historical preservation, and local storytelling.

📌 This document is a goldmine for those studying American history, regional identity, folklore, and literature—as well as those tracing ancestors who contributed to WPA projects.

A complete portrait of the United States is rapidly taking form in the books of the American Guide Series, main item of the WPA Federal Writers' Project, through the work and talent of jobless research workers, writers, and editors.

Toptical Title Page for WPA American Guide Representing 0.3 Percent of Total Program. Inventory: An Appraisal of Results of the Works Progress Administration, Washington, DC: US Government Printing Office, 1938. GGA Image ID # 1528ab3e28

At its peak, the Writers' Project employed nearly 6,000 people trained in various phases of the literary field. Today it employs about 3,000.

The series will comprise separate volumes covering in detail the 48 States, the District of Columbia, Alaska, and Puerto Rico: and a national guide condensing this information into six volumes.

Supplementary and incidental publications will cover cities, towns, counties, regions, and travel routes of special interest, nationality groups, and folklore.

With completeness and accuracy, these State and local guides not only give data on points of interest, but survey history and life, geology, climate, racial elements, industries, folklore, social life, and ways, arts, crafts, and culture. 

Administrative and supervisory personnel in many sections of the country includes writers of national note such as Lyle Saxon, Vardis Fisher, George W. Cronyn, Edwin Bjorkman, Samuel Putnam, Vincent McHugh, and Harry Kemp.

WPA writers have gained prizes, prestige, and jobs. Four Guggenheim fellowships, the Avery Hopwood prize, and the Story Magazine award have been won by project workers.

Jobs in research and travel bureaus, libraries, educational institutions, and on many publications have come to project workers, in some instances because of their WPA training.

One hundred and sixteen volumes, of widely varying types, had been published up to October 1, 1937, and new ones are appearing every month. In all but a few instances, publication has been arranged by local nonprofit civic groups, without cost to the Government.

Since this broad cross section of the project's work is now in print, perhaps the best way to examine it is through the reception accorded by the public and the critics.

These books are selling well. New Castle on the Delaware, guide to a small historic community, sold 3,000 copies; the Lincoln (Nebraska) City Guide, 16,000; Massachusetts: A Guide to Its Places and People, 8,000 the first month; Vermont, 2,000 the first week; Almanac for New Yorkers, 20,000; U. S. One (travel route), is about to exhaust a run of 50,000.

The news weekly, Time, said on January 3, 1938, that "the first U. S. Guides evoked far more literary enthusiasm than official publications usually raise," and added, "Almost every book shows flashes of inspired writing."

Thousands of reviews, articles, and news items have dealt with the American Guide Series, and among them the dominant attitude expressed has been in agreement with that of Lewis Gannett, reviewer of the Herald Tribune, New York: "The American Guide Series is taking shape, giving a permanent dignity to the Federal Writers' Project that was originally conceived as relief work."

Lewis Mumford, nationally known author and critic, has written of the Project's chief task: "Of all the good uses of adversity, one of the best has been the conception and execution of a series of American guidebooks; the first attempt, on a comprehensive scale, to make the country itself worthily known to Americans. These guidebooks are the finest contribution to American patriotism that has been made in our generation."

Said the Publishers' Weekly: "The widespread research done by groups of writers working on these books has brought to light much material for future books. And it is likely that many of the writers will rediscover many important aspects of American life, a discovery the results of which will probably be reflected in American letters for years to come."

Of the New Orleans City Guide, Harry Hansen, World Telegram (New York), wrote: "Having read most of the entertaining essays and looked at the pictures, I am now going to take the evening and enjoy a tour of New Orleans, street by street, thanks to the admirable work of the Federal Writers."

The Book Review of the New York Times, reviewing Maine: A Guide Down East, said: "Here is a practical, beautiful, intelligent, and interesting guide to the State of Maine." The New Yorker said of the Italians of New York: "The first of a series of racial studies planned by the busy WPA Federal Writers' Project. A good, informative study of some New Yorkers you ought to know about."

Said Books, weekly literary supplement of the New York Herald Tribune, of U.S. One: "This well-stoked book is a motorist's guide, and a very good one . . . The book is succinct, informative, useful, and genuinely interesting, and it should be welcomed by all North-to-South motorists whose interest goes beyond their own speedometers."

The Los Angeles Times said of the Idaho Encyclopedia: "Tourists of the present day will revel in it. Students and historians will welcome it with proper gratitude, now and in the future. It will remain a source book of importance for the West." 

Collage of Other WPA American Guide Publications and Illustrations Issued by the Federal Writers' Project are Mississippi Guide, Glacier National Park, Bryce Canyon (Utah), New Orleans Guide, Savannah Guide, District of Columbia Guide, "The Italians of New York" and "U.S. One," Cedar Rapids Guide, New Castle Guide and Sante Fe Calendar, Guide to Lincoln City (Nebraska). Inventory: An Appraisal of Results of the Works Progress Administration, Washington, DC: US Government Printing Office, 1938. GGA Image ID # 15287af473

"American Guide," in Inventory: An Appraisal of Results of the Works Progress Administration, Washington, DC: US Government Printing Office, 1938, pp. 83-86.

📖 The Importance of the WPA American Guides

✔ For Teachers & Students:

🔹 Provides historical and cultural insights into every U.S. state during the Great Depression.

🔹 Offers rich primary source material for American studies, history, and literature courses.

🔹 Demonstrates how government programs influenced the arts and humanities.

✔ For Genealogists & Historians:

🔹 Documents the work of thousands of unemployed writers, editors, and researchers.

🔹 Contains detailed historical accounts, local customs, and genealogical information valuable for family research.

🔹 Highlights regional folklore, industries, and racial demographics that offer a unique snapshot of 1930s America.

✔ For Writers & Researchers:

🔹 Chronicles the impact of the Great Depression on American writing and publishing.

🔹 Explores how government-funded writing projects shaped literary careers.

🔹 Reveals how the FWP laid the foundation for modern travel writing and cultural studies.

📌 The WPA American Guides were far more than just tourist books—they were historical records, literary anthologies, and cultural snapshots of America in transition.

📖 A Literary & Historical Portrait of the U.S.

✔ Why This is Fascinating:

🔹 The guides provide historical, cultural, and social details—not just travel tips.

🔹 Topics include Native American history, immigrant communities, industries, and folk traditions.

🔹 They serve as a valuable reference for tracking how cities, towns, and landscapes have evolved.

✔ Key Takeaway:

The WPA’s American Guide Series is one of the most extensive government-funded literary projects in U.S. history, giving a detailed look at America’s people, places, and stories.

📌 Essential reading for historians, sociologists, and cultural researchers.

🖊️ Notable Writers & Their Contributions

✔ Why This is Fascinating:

🔹 The FWP employed both established and emerging writers, many of whom went on to major literary careers.

🔹 Several won prestigious literary prizes (including Guggenheim Fellowships and the Story Magazine Award).

🔹 The project helped launch new voices in American literature.

✔ Key Takeaway:

The WPA Writers’ Project not only preserved history but also fostered the careers of some of America’s most notable authors.

📌 This section is a must-read for literary historians, English teachers, and biography researchers.

📜 Notable Writers & Their Work

✔ Lyle Saxon – Helped shape the Louisiana guidebooks, preserving Southern history and folklore.

✔ Vardis Fisher – Idaho author who later wrote Western novels and historical fiction.

✔ Samuel Putnam – Noted translator and editor, contributing to cultural studies.

✔ Vincent McHugh – Journalist and novelist who contributed to the New York guide.

✔ Harry Kemp – Known as "The Vagabond Poet," he brought a lyrical style to WPA writing.

📌 These writers played a crucial role in shaping regional literature and preserving local storytelling traditions.

📚 The American Guide Series & Its Lasting Impact

✔ Why This is Fascinating:

🔹 The series included detailed histories, folk traditions, and travel information.

🔹 Each state guide was written with extensive local input, making them historically and culturally rich.

🔹 These guides helped shape modern American travel literature and historical preservation efforts.

✔ Key Takeaway:

The American Guide Series remains an invaluable resource for understanding American history, culture, and identity.

📌 Essential for travel historians, cultural anthropologists, and heritage preservationists.

📸 Noteworthy Images & Their Significance

📖 "Collage of the WPA American Guide Publications"

🔹 Features state and city guides, including those for Massachusetts, Vermont, and New Orleans.

🔹 Highlights books covering folklore, history, and travel, such as U.S. One and Italians of New York.

🔹 Illustrates the wide range of topics covered in the guide series.

📖 "Collage of Other WPA American Guide Publications and Illustrations"

🔹 Showcases guides on topics like Alaskan landscapes, the Intercoastal Waterway, and historic churches.

🔹 Demonstrates the diversity of locations and communities covered by WPA writers.

📌 These images visually capture the depth and variety of the WPA’s literary and historical documentation efforts.

Bias & Perspective Considerations

✔ Government-Centric View:

🔹 The report celebrates the achievements of the WPA Writers’ Project but does not:

🔹 Acknowledge the project’s censorship of politically sensitive topics.

🔹 Discuss how some authors later faced accusations of communist sympathies.

🔹 Mention regional biases that may have shaped how different communities were represented.

✔ Representation of Marginalized Groups

🔹 While some guides explored racial and immigrant communities (e.g., Italians of New York), they may not have fully represented Black, Indigenous, and other marginalized voices.

🔹 Future research could assess how WPA writings influenced or omitted certain perspectives.

📌 A more balanced analysis would explore both the triumphs and limitations of the WPA’s literary and historical documentation.

Final Thoughts: Why This Report Matters

"WPA American Guide Publications & Illustrations - 1938" serves as a testament to the power of storytelling, historical preservation, and public support for the arts. By funding travel guides, cultural histories, and folklore studies, the WPA ensured that America’s diverse landscapes, traditions, and people were documented for future generations.

📌 This report reminds us that public funding for literature and history isn’t just about jobs—it’s about preserving our collective identity, inspiring new writers, and ensuring that local stories are never forgotten. 📖🖋️🇺🇸