This article describes the creation of a living space for the “transient” unemployed in an old hotel in Greenfield, Massachusetts. The plight of these workers and farmers, who traveled the nation in search of jobs, was a major problem during the Great Depression (1929-1939). Transients created large ramshackle settlements, often called “Hoovervilles,” on the edges of cities and local governments resisted helping them,fearing that aid would attract more “hobos.” The New Deal (1933-1939) established a special program in 1934, to construct camps and facilities like the one described in this article.
Greenfield Daily Recorder-Gazette. “First Meals Served Transients in Renovated Pullman Hotel.” September 10, 1934. Pocumtuck Valley Memorial Association, American Centuries. https://americancenturies.org/collection/l08-046/. Accessed on October 16, 2024.
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