The little town of Arthurdale W. Va. stands as a monument to one of America's finest victories, a victory over poverty and hopelessness.
When Franklin Delano Roosevelt took office in 1933, the country was suffering a vast economic depression (caused by the policies of his predecessor, Herbert Hoover, proof that the American people do not always make the right choice). FDR was committed to creating programs to lift America's working people out of the abject conditions into which they had fallen.
Eleanor heard of a project proposed by the Quakers, where they would purchase a farm, subdivide it into 3 acre lots and build homesteads. These would be given to destitute miners, who would supply the labor for the building of the homes.
Eleanor Roosevelt visited the miners in Scott's Run, where they were living in ramshackle shacks, with no electricity or running water. She talked her husband into supporting the project with government money and resources.

The miners were selected on the basis of skills, and unfortunately (this being the 1930s) also on the basis of race and religion. But Arthurdale was only the first of many planned communities, and others were built for destitute black and Eastern European miners.

Although critics called it a socialist experiment, it was by all standards a great success. The families that settled in Arthurdale were able to pull themselves up into the middle class, and many of the homes are still owned by the original families.

Today, most of the homes in Arthurdale are private, but the Community Center, the blacksmith shop and one of the houses are open to tourists who want to learn more about the grand success that is Arthurdale. You can also visit the picnic grove, gift shop, forge, and museum.