HistoricSiteMarkers
Progressive & Modern Era

Cade Building

Burkeville, Newton County, Texas

Marker Inscription

To create jobs and bring county services nearer to residents of this area, Newton County officials provided materials and the U.S. Work Projects Administration (WPA) the funds to pay laborers to construct this building in 1940-41. Named for Harriet Trotti Cade who donated land for the project, it served as a sub-courthouse and Town Hall. The Cade building and rock wall were built with hand-shaped native sandstone and lumber milled in nearby Wiergate. Recorded Texas Historic Landmark - 1993

Erected by Texas Historical Commission

The Story

In the depths of the Great Depression, Newton County officials paired local materials with federal Work Projects Administration wages to build this structure in 1940–41, putting men to work while bringing county services closer to the area's residents. Named for Harriet Trotti Cade, who donated the land, it served as a sub-courthouse and town hall, its walls raised from hand-shaped native sandstone and lumber milled in nearby Wiergate. The building and its rock wall are a handsome record of Depression-era public works.

Why it matters

It shows how New Deal relief programs reached deep into rural America, leaving behind durable civic buildings that also gave the jobless dignified work.

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Related people

  • Β· Harriet Trotti Cade

Related events

  • Β· Work Projects Administration

Themes & tags

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