Part Six

DEPRESSION ERA EXPANSION

The Depression era brought about many efforts to cut expenditures to a bare minimum, without sacrificing essential patient services. Stories were related by former employees at the time of using pencils down to a 1" stub, which then needed to be turned in before a new pencil would be issued. Stationary costs were reduced by the use of the back sides of memoranda and letters for the reply, or even for the issuance of new communications. But the building expansion continued.

During 1928 the greenhouse was built, complete with a heating unit. The hog house was enlarged to contain twelve more pens and a slaughter house was added on the west end. At this same time a new Hospital and Infirmary (later renamed Cottages 12 and 13), and Building 1 (Lincoln Cottage) were under construction. In the construction of the Hospital and Infirmary, just enough black dirt was taken off the surface to get down to hard solid soil for foundation footings. After the concrete foundations were poured, they were 9' out of the ground on the west side and 9 ½' on the east side. After the completion of these buildings it required 44,000 yards of dirt to complete the filling to its present grade. These buildings were opened for occupancy in early 1930.

The following progress was made in 1932: a complete telephone system was installed with a central on-grounds switchboard; nine garages were built to house the institution trucks and cars; a bull house with an exercise yard was completed; the north and south gate pillars were erected; and the service building, housing a carpenter shop and a machine shop, was completed. In 1933 a dairy building , machine shed, and a blacksmith shop were constructed with the aid of C.W.A. workers. Construction on the new grainary was started in the fall of 1934, and completed with the help of W.P.A. in 1935.

Sources:
The Story of Southern Colony...45 Years of Progress by Henry Klimowicz, 1963;
Colony Background notes by Dr. C. C. Atherton.

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Part Five | Part Six | Part Seven | Part Eight | Part Nine

 Last Revised:  July 12, 2010