Photo Gallery

Rockford Poster for the Workers Service Program

This Rockford WPA poster was part of the Illinois WPA Art Project which advertised for the WPA jobs program.

The WPA was the largest and most ambitious American New Deal agency, employing millions of people, mostly unskilled men, to carry out public works projects, including the construction of public buildings and roads. An article in the Rockford Morning Star, dated February 2, 1936 reported:

• "Employment on WPA projects in the twenty-one counties in the northern Illinois district last week rose to a new peak of 15,096. In Winnebago county, 4,125 men and women were employed on sixty-seven projects. The number of projects in operation throughout the district was placed at 436."

Content from Rockford Public Library, Rockford History