Norvelt the Subject of New Book
by Karen Fetter
The History of Norvelt
- Westmoreland
Homesteads - About the Authors -
It was a chance for a new beginning.
That was the vision Eleanor Roosevelt
saw in 1933 when she led the effort to begin construction of Westmoreland
Homesteads, the town known today as Norvelt. The vision was part of the New
Deal her husband, and President, Franklin D. Roosevelt implemented to strengthen
the economy in the United States. The plan gave 254 families the opportunity to
build new homes and learn how to sustain their lives through farming and
gardening.
Eleanor's vision was that families would
be instilled with pride and hope by being
a part of the building process. Today, after celebrating its 75th anniversary,
many would agree the story of Norvelt
has been a success.
Norvelt: A New Deal Subsistence Homestead
This amazing story of a poverty-stricken coal mining area grown into a
successful middle class community can be seen in the pages of a newly released
book titled, "Norvelt: A New Deal Subsistence Homestead" $21.99 from Arcadia
Publishing. Available at local retailers, online bookstores, or through Arcadia
Publishing at
www.arcadiapublishing.com. You may also call (888) 313-2665.
Purchase the book online at this link:
ArcadiaPublishing/Norvelt
Authors Sandra Wolk Schimizzi, Valeria Sofranko Wolk, and Michael Cary have
carefully documented the beginning and growth of Norvelt in this new book
published in 2009. There are over 200 vintage photographs that visually detail
how the community grew and show the people who were involved. Many of these
photographs have come from original homesteaders. Furthermore, the book not
only describes how the homes were built, but it also describes what life was
like living in the poverty of a coal mining town during the Great Depression.
The area in Mount Pleasant Township, Westmoreland County was selected for the
homestead program in 1933 for various reasons. One was because of the hundreds
of miners who were left without work. Previously between the years of 1870 to
1919, Western Pennsylvania's Connellsville coal and coke seam was famous for
having the best bituminous coal and coke in the world. The coal bed was 50-60
miles long and 2.5-3 miles wide spanning Westmoreland and Fayette counties. As
a result, many immigrants came to this area for work. Miners were boys and men
who worked 12-hour days and 7 days a week. Many families lived in the houses
that were owned by the coal companies.
Coal company homes did not have electricity, plumbing, or insulation. After
1919 many mines closed because coal was now being replaced by oil and gas. This
left many families in complete poverty.
Another reason this area in particular was chosen was because of the land. A
total of 772 acres were divided in sections for homesteaders and for other
community buildings and facilities. The land needed to be nutrient-rich so the
families could grow and raise most of their own food.
Local architect Paul Bartholomew was hired by the government to design the
homes that would be built. There were four, five and six room homes that were
built in a farmhouse style with dormer windows, shutters, and porches. In
addition, each house had an eat-in kitchen, a living room, basement, bathroom,
running water, and at least 1.6 acres of land that would be used to garden.
Also each home was built with a grape arbor, a garage, and a poultry house. All
of these requirements were planned so that people could sustain and support
themselves. Over 1,850 people applied for this program and only 254 were
selected. Selection was based upon size of family and essential skills and work
experience needed for the community such as gardening, farming, and carpentry.
The poverty that coal miners were living in pulled
at the heartstrings of Eleanor Roosevelt. In 1933 she first learned of the
vocational and reeducation and subsistence-living projects that the American
Friends Service Committee (AFSC) had for coal miners in West Virginia. She was
attracted to the project for its humanitarian promise of human dignity and the
opportunity to develop a sense of mutual responsibility essential to a vital
democracy. She felt like homesteading would not only rescue the miners from
poverty, but also give them a new way of life.
Norvelt became the fourth of 99 planned subsistence
homesteads that were subsidized by the federal government. This project was
unlike any other construction project. Much care and thought by Eleanor
Roosevelt went into the plans such as deciding to include electricity and
plumbing. Furthermore she insisted on exposing the community to the arts. All
residents were encouraged to take part in social and cultural activities offered
by the AFSC.
The town not only offered opportunities for
residents to learn to sew and can their own food, but also recreational
activities that still remain a part of the community today. Residents so
thankful for Eleanor's involvement renamed Westmoreland Homesteads to Norvelt by
taking the ending of her first and last name. Eleanor visited the completed
town in 1937 with a group of friends and drove her own car through all the
developed sections and stopped at a look out on Reservoir Hill.
Sandra Wolk Schimizzi is the daughter of two original
Westmoreland Homesteaders Joseph Wolk and Valeria Sofranko Wolk. Sandra grew up
in Norvelt. Attaining a master's degree in 1976 from the University of
Pittsburgh in Rehabilitation Counseling, she is especially intrigued by how
family and social histories shape individuals lives and their resiliency. Her
interest in local history was formed by family-favorite vacation spots to
historical sites, as well as her parents' and grandparents' stories of early
Westmoreland Homesteads. She enjoys reading and researching local history and
compiling family histories. Sandra has served on Norvelt's 75th Anniversary
Commemorative Book Committee and the History and Educational Committee.
Valeria Sofranko Wolk, an original homesteader, moved to
Westmoreland Homesteads with her family in 1935 and continues to live in Norvelt
with her husband, Joseph Wolk, also an original homesteader. Her enjoyment of
sharing early memories of life in Westmoreland Homesteads with her family led
her to her hobbies of compiling military and family histories and collecting
memorabilia and photographs of Norvelt. She served on Norvelt's 75th
Anniversary Commemorative Book Committee and the History and Educational
Committee and was delighted to have the opportunity to compile and edit the
photographic history of Westmoreland Homesteads.
Michael Cary, who provided the introduction, is a Professor
of History and Political Science at Seton Hill University in Greensburg, PA and
has spent countless hours researching the history of Norvelt for an upcoming
book titled "Hard Times and Community in Depression Era America: The Story of
Norvelt" to be published in 2011. He also contributed greatly to Norvelt's 75th
Anniversary Commemorative Book Committee and the History and Educational
Committee. In addition, Mr. Cary was the keynote speaker at the anniversary
banquet and provided a historical presentation during the anniversary speaker
series.
A portion of the proceeds from the sale of the book is being donated to the
Westmoreland Homestead Historic Society.
From poverty to prosperity - relive a vital part of Westmoreland County's
history and see how a new start can change the course of one's life by reading "Norvelt:
A New Deal Subsistence Homestead", now available from Arcadia Publishing
www.arcadiapublishing.com.
Norvelt: A New Deal Subsistence Homestead
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