Hunting WPA sites

[treasureisawesome]

Hi all- this is a question and may be a tip
Have you ever hunted close to WPA (work project) sites? Bridges, tunnels, steps..water fountains...etc.
A while back I had some luck finding a couple Mercs near these projects in parks that were otherwise very hunted out.

Wondering if its worth spending more time there or what your successes have been?

Thanks!
Bill

 

[stefen]

During the Great Depression, many of the men and women in the WPA labor force didn't have 2 pennies to rub together...And any drops were probably made post construction...

Being the case, I wouldn't expect too much from that era, but more from later years, as with most public spaces...

 

[treasureisawesome]

During the Great Depression, many of the men and women in the WPA labor force didn't have 2 pennies to rub together...And any drops were probably made post construction...

Being the case, I wouldn't expect too much from that era, but more from later years, as with most public spaces...

Really good insight there -thank you!

 

[Tom_in_CA]

well, "bridges and tunnels" are simply roads, essentially, and not necessarily good places to detect, to begin with (unless there were some sort of associated park or camp or something). But for the WPA era campgrounds, parks, etc.... Yes, I've done good at them. Not necessarily because of anything the WPA workers lost (unless it was a permanent camp for them for a long period of their own personal habitation). I would disagree with stefen on this: although the depression was in full-swing by then, however the WPA workers (usually teens and early 20-somethings) often had their first pay-check in their life! (meager as it might have been). So they did have coins. But what Stefen also says is true, is that in the subsequent years, the parks and campgrounds, during the '30s and '40s were just .... simply ...... often popular spots. The post-WWII years, through the 1950s, was a very affluent properous time for the USA. And camping/road trips was a popular past-time starting in those years. So a lot of the WPA originated camps and parks saw a lot of use in those years (and to the present as well).

 

[Moonrover]

OK, here is a thought about the old WPA parks. They built all sorts of "projects" and many of them were little roadside pull-offs. Years rolled by and these may have been closed due to lack of funds to maintain. Lay hands on any old road map such as those given out at gas stations. Roadside parks are shown. Compare to current Google Earth views to see if the pull off is still there. Likely all on the old secondary roads have been closed. Some may just be a wide gravel pull off used by truckers. Out house paths and picnic bench locations might be good coin producers.

M