Arcola Elementary School

Arcola Elementary School

Image documenting the exterior of the Arcola Elementary School in Aldie, VA.

The Arcola Elementary School was originally constructed in 1939, as part of the New Deal's Work's Progress Administration. The school was larger than many other traditional schools throughout the country. Built during a period of segregation, it was also Loudoun County's first school for white students. The school was eventually converted to a community center in the 1970s until it's closing in the early 2000s.

Elise Holliday

https://livingnewdeal.org/map/

1939

No rights withheld

School building

English

October 15, 2019

Digital Photograph

The site displays a trademark of many New Deal projects: focusing on economic stimulation by creating jobs for the unemployed through construction, as well as working to build things that were a step up from what had been the previous norm. The initial point of the Arcola School was to create construction jobs, and the continuing mission was to provide a better environment for children to learn. Given the climate of the 1930s, the school was a project meant to highlight the importance of retaining focus on the future, and how families would eventually heal from the Depression. I used only my phone to document the source, through digital photography, video, and audio recording. Modern technology like smartphones certainly makes it easier and more efficient to document these sources, as opposed to the longer time it would have taken in the '30s to photography the school. The style of documentation has changed very little in its essence, but the methods with which we are provided now are much more time-efficient in the documentation process.