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69-651: Many books in the project have been updated by private companies or republished without updating. Although not then a state, a guide for Alaska was published, and also for Puerto Rico (but not for Hawaii). If there had been room in Rocinante I would have packed the W.P.A. Guides to the States, all forty-eight volumes of them...The complete set comprises the most comprehensive account of the United States ever got together, and nothing since has approached it." As part of

138-772: A $ 60 million renovation of the Chester Waterside Station of the Philadelphia Electric Company , originally built in 1918, provides recreational and office space for businesses. Harrah's Casino and Racetrack began harness racing in September 2006 and opened its racino in January 2007. Subaru Park , home of the Major League Soccer Philadelphia Union franchise, opened in 2010. Despite

207-446: A greater magnification of this. The regional guides also showcased the country's diversity in regional attractions, highlighting regions such as New England and vacation destinations such as Cape Cod . Three United States territories, Alaska , Hawaii , and Puerto Rico , were also included in the series, educating Americans about these more recently acquired regions. The city guides had the most narrow scope out of all three types, as

276-453: A journalist and playwright to head the project. As part of this, the FWP developed and published a series of books that served as guides to the 48 existing states. Each book's primary purpose was to not only outline the history of the individual state, but its culture and geography as well. Their predecessor, Baedeker's Handbook for Travelers: United States, lacked much of what was needed to give

345-731: A new project, garnering support from several writers and journalists. Emergency Relief Appropriation Act of 1935 The Relief Appropriation Act of 1935 was passed on April 8, 1935, as a part of Franklin Delano Roosevelt 's New Deal . It was a large public works program that included the Works Progress Administration (WPA) , the National Youth Administration , the Resettlement Administration ,

414-450: A picture of America during the 1930s. Alsberg insisted that the new series of books paint a picture of American culture as a whole and celebrate the nation's diversity. From 1937 to 1941, thousands of writers set out around the country to capture America's culture, conducting fieldwork, interviewing citizens, and observing and recording folk traditions and local customs. Writers from all over the country sought to capture American culture during

483-630: A popularly elected city mayor and city council. The terms of the mayor and members are four years. The current mayor of the City of Chester is Stefan Roots , who won the Democratic nomination in May 2021, over incumbent Mayor Thaddeus Kirkland . In May 2023, Roots defeated Kirkland in the Chester Democratic mayoral primary election. Roots defeated independent candidate Anita J. Littleton in

552-402: A rubber recycling facility and illegal industrial chemical dumping site. It burned out of control for several days. The burning chemicals caused multi-colored smoke and noxious fumes which injured 43 firemen and caused long-term health problems for the first responders to the fire. In 1981, the location was declared a Superfund cleanup site and remediation occurred throughout the 1980s. In 1989,

621-417: A two-month period of civil rights rallies, marches, pickets, boycotts, and sit-ins. National civil rights leaders such as Gloria Richardson , Malcolm X and Dick Gregory came to Chester in support of the demonstrations. Pennsylvania Governor William Scranton became involved in the negotiations and convinced the protestors to obey a court-ordered moratorium on demonstrations by agreeing to hold hearings on

690-543: Is bordered to the south by the Delaware River . The city has a total area of 6.0 square miles (15.6 km ), 4.8 square miles (12.5 km ) of which is land and 1.2 square miles (3.0 km ) of which (19.42%) is water, according to the U.S. Census Bureau . Chester Creek meets the Delaware River in Chester. Chester's northeastern border is at Ridley Creek . The Port of Chester is located in Chester along

759-808: The Chester Waterside Station , the William Penn Landing Site , and Subaru Park , home of the Major League Soccer team, the Philadelphia Union . The indigenous tribe that owned the land where Chester now stands were the Okehockings , removed by order of William Penn in 1702 to other lands in Chester County. The original indigenous name of Chester was Mecoponaca, which means "the stream along which large potatoes grow". The first European settlers in

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828-706: The Ford Motor Company opened the Chester Assembly factory on the site of the previous Roach and Merchant shipyard and built cars there until its closure in 1961. Chester experienced its second growth period during World War II . Manufacturing increased exponentially including companies such as Wetherill Steel and Boilermakers, Congoleum -Nairn, Aberfoyles Textiles , Scott Paper Company , Belmont Iron Works , American Steel Foundries , Crew Levick Oil , Crown Smelting , Fields Brick Company , Hetzel and Ford Motor Company . During World War II,

897-653: The Rural Electrification Administration , and other assistance programs. These programs were called the "second New Deal". The programs gave Americans work, for which the government would pay them. The goal was to help unemployment, pull the country out of the Great Depression , and prevent another depression in the future. This was the first and largest system of public-assistance relief programs in American history, and it led to

966-584: The Sun Shipyard became the largest single shipyard in the world. The increased labor needs brought a flood of new workers to the city. The wartime labor force for industries along the waterfront soared to 100,000. Chester began losing its mainstay manufacturing jobs by the early 1960s. Ford Motor Company shuttered its Chester plant, American Viscose Corporation in nearby Marcus Hook closed, Baldwin Locomotive Works in nearby Eddystone

1035-606: The Delaware County seat was moved from Chester to the borough of Media . On February 14, 1866, Chester was incorporated as a city and the first mayor elected was John Larkin, Jr. In 1871, the Delaware River Iron Ship Building and Engine Works was opened by John Roach through the purchase of the Reaney, Son & Archbold shipyard. The first steel ships of the U.S. Navy were built at

1104-730: The Delaware River. Located at a low elevation between Philadelphia and Wilmington, Delaware , Chester experiences a humid subtropical climate ( Cfa .) The hardiness zone is 7b. [1] Archived 2014-02-09 at the Wayback Machine As of Census 2010, the racial makeup of the city was 74.7% African American , 17.2% White , 9.0% Hispanic or Latino of any race, 0.6% Asian , 0.4% Native American , 0.1% Native Hawaiian and other Pacific Islander, 3.9% from other races , and 3.0% from two or more races. [2] There were 11,662 households, out of which 37.3% had children under

1173-510: The FWP was responsible for printing and distributing the books. The state guides provided great detail as to each state's history. In the case of some states that had joined the union more recently as the nation grew, the guide presented an origin story or folklore account to describe its beginnings. In the California Guide, writers used the story of El Dorado , the mythical tribal thief, to tell readers why settlers yearned to move to

1242-678: The Federal Writers' Project established under the Emergency Relief Appropriation Act of 1935 and the Works Progress Administration, over 6,500 men and women were employed around the country as writers, collecting stories, interviews, and photographs on a variety of subjects. The project attracted many unemployed writers and artists, offering a wage of twenty dollars a week. President Franklin D. Roosevelt enlisted Henry Alsberg ,

1311-468: The Great Depression, a difficult task given the dire circumstances. Alsberg tasked Benjamin A. Botkin , a folklorist and scholar, with running the folklore division of the project. Botkin was responsible for coordinating and managing the writers, a task that was too large for Alsberg to handle, as the volume of work coming in was plentiful for the project. In this role, Botkin not only influenced

1380-507: The November 2023 general election and was sworn into office on January 3, 2024. The Chester City Council consists of the mayor and four council members. Council members are elected at-large to serve the entire city. Council meetings are generally held the second and fourth Wednesday of each month. The five help administer the five municipal departments: The city government has been in financial distress for many years and has operated under

1449-507: The Pennsylvania State Guide highlighted the state's shipping industry that helped grow and industrialize the city of Chester , which eventually made a comeback after the depression during World War II . The guides' main goal of highlighting aspects of the states' cultures and histories was an interesting task for the writers in charge of doing so. Several writers documented these challenges in their memos while working on

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1518-516: The Philadelphia Electric Company , Old Main and Chemistry Building , Third Presbyterian Church , William Penn Landing Site , and the former Second Street Bridge . Chester borders on (clockwise from southwest to northeast) Trainer Borough , Upper Chichester Township , Chester Township , Upland Borough , Parkside Borough , Brookhaven Borough , Nether Providence Township , Ridley Township , and Eddystone Borough in Pennsylvania. Chester

1587-739: The Philadelphia metropolitan area (also known as the Delaware Valley ) on the western bank of the Delaware River between Philadelphia and Wilmington, Delaware . The population of Chester was 32,605 at the 2020 census . Incorporated in 1682, Chester is the oldest city in Pennsylvania and was the location of William Penn 's first arrival in the Province of Pennsylvania . It was the county seat for Chester County from 1682 to 1788 and of Delaware County from 1789 to 1851. From

1656-580: The Public Peace", a 10-point statement promising an immediate return to law and order. The city deputized firemen and trash collectors to help handle demonstrators. The State of Pennsylvania deployed 50 state troopers to assist the 77-member Chester police force. The demonstrations were marked by violence and police brutality with Chester being dubbed the "Birmingham of the North" by civil rights activist James Farmer . Over 600 people were arrested over

1725-610: The Roach shipyard. For the first 15 years of operation, it was the largest and most productive shipyard in the United States. More tonnage of ships were built at the Roach shipyard than its next two competitors combined. Roach built other businesses to supply materials for his shipbuilding including the Chester Rolling Mill in 1873 to supply metal hull plates and beams, the Chester Pipe and Tube Company in 1877 for

1794-611: The South , searching for employment in the city's expanding shipbuilding and manufacturing industries. The Sun Shipbuilding & Drydock Co. was opened in 1917 to build ships for the United States until its closure in 1990. The idled Roach shipyard was purchased in 1917 by W. Averell Harriman to build merchant ships during World War I, and renamed the Merchant Shipbuilding Corporation . The shipyard closed permanently in 1923. Like many boomtowns, Chester

1863-642: The Upland Mills by John Price Crozer and the Powhattan Mills by David Reese Esrey and Hugh Shaw. During the War of 1812 , a group of volunteers from Chester called the Mifflin Guards was raised and led by Samuel Anderson . The troops were sent to Fort DuPont to defend the Delaware River from the threatened attack of British Admiral George Cockburn but did not see any action. In 1851,

1932-415: The age of 18, 19.5% were headed by married couples living together, 35.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 38.1% were non-families. 31.2% of all households were made up of individuals, and 11.1% were someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.64, and the average family size was 3.34. Chester has a mayor-council government system, consisting of

2001-630: The area were members of the New Sweden colony. The settlement that became Chester was first called "Finlandia" (the Latin name for Finland ) and then "Upland" after the Swedish province of Uppland . The New Sweden settlers built Fort Mecoponacka in 1641 to defend the settlement. In 1644, the present site of Chester was a tobacco plantation operated by the New Sweden colonists. By 1682, Upland

2070-503: The beginning of 1935, 11.3 million Americans were unemployed, which was nearly 22% of the civilian labor force. In January 1935, Roosevelt announced his plans to alter the current relief programs. The Federal Government must and shall quit this business of relief. I am not willing that the vitality of our people be further sapped by the giving of cash, of market baskets, of a few hours of weekly work cutting grass, raking leaves or picking up papers in public parks. We must preserve not only

2139-570: The bodies of the unemployed from destruction but also their self-respect, their self-reliance and courage and determination. On April 8, 1935, Roosevelt introduced the Emergency Relief Appropriation Act, which only gave direct aid to people who were unable to work, such as the elderly and the disabled. Despite the word "emergency", this act was created to address a long-term problem. He asked Congress for $ 4.88 billion – two thirds would go to finance work relief, and

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2208-682: The court to return the money to the city of Chester. With the exception of 1904–1905, the Republican political machine controlled Chester politics for over a century. The first non-machine mayor was elected in 1992: Barbara Bohannan-Sheppard ; however, in 1995, she lost her re-election bid and was replaced by Republican Aaron Wilson, Jr. In the 1990s, the Pennsylvania Crime Commission reported that Chester's government had been dominated by "a triad of criminals, corrupt politicians and rogue law-enforcement officers" since

2277-584: The de facto segregation of public schools in Chester. The Pennsylvania Human Relations Committee determined that the Chester School Board had violated the law and the Chester School District was ordered to desegregate the city's six predominantly African-American schools. The city appealed the ruling, which delayed implementation, but the schools were eventually desegregated. In 1978, an intense fire broke out at Wade Dump ,

2346-707: The defense of Philadelphia. However, Colonel Miles led the troops to New York City in July 1776 when it became clear that the British Fleet was threatening New York rather than Philadelphia. In 1777, the Continental Army led by George Washington passed through Chester on the way to meet the British Army led by General Howe at the Battle of Brandywine . John Armstrong was ordered to take command of

2415-549: The estimated 3.5 million people were employed. There had been many obstacles that led to its downfall, such as: Roosevelt had hoped that this would end the Depression and create jobs, but it was unsuccessful. He gave the rest of the appropriation to Harry Hopkins , who had created the WPA . Congress contributed to this program throughout the 1930s, but beginning in 1939, funds were reduced. Many programs were discontinued over

2484-547: The focus was on a single location. Because of this, their maps could be in the greatest detail, not only giving an overview of a city's layout, but individual neighborhoods as well. City Guides highlighted points of special interest in greater detail. In the Philadelphia guide, sites such as Carpenters' Hall and Girard College , an-all boys boarding school in the city's northern section, each had several pages dedicated to them. The maps that were included in each book added value to them as material objects and not just literature. With

2553-489: The guide, this was in contrast to much of what many of the writers had seen during their travels. Several writers noted in their memos how their perception of a state was changed by the culture that the Depression had created. Overall the guides aimed to draw potential travelers to experience each state's culture, and projecting each state in the utmost positive light was critical to accomplishing this. The regional and city guides, similar to their state counterparts, kept much of

2622-466: The guides expanded the definition of American literature. They showed how American writing could cover a wide range of analysis through biographical, folklore, and related geographic content. During the start of the COVID-19 pandemic , several writers and politicians called for a new Federal Writers' Project. Congressman Ted Lieu and Congresswoman Teresa Leger Fernandez introduced legislation to create

2691-664: The ill, the aged, the physically handicapped). Of the funds appropriated by the act, $ 27 million was approved for the Federal Art Project , the Federal Writers' Project and the Federal Theatre Project under the WPA sponsored Federal Project Number One . By September 1935, the program was failing and looked to some like it might even collapse. There was only $ 1 billion left, and less than ¼ of

2760-475: The increasing mobility afforded by the number of Americans who owned automobiles, the guides served as reliable and durable resources for travelers moving throughout the country. Over the course of the five-year span during which FWP workers created the guides, nearly seven thousand writers, editors, researchers and historians were put back to work through working on the American Guide Series. By

2829-467: The landmark 1954 U.S. Supreme Court case Brown v. Board of Education . The racial unrest and civil rights protests were led by George Raymond of the NAACP and Stanley Branche of CFFN and made Chester one of the key battlegrounds of the civil rights movement . In April 1964, a series of almost nightly protests brought chaos to Chester. Mayor James Gorbey issued "The Police Position to Preserve

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2898-468: The largest accumulation of national debt. Before 1935, many programs focused on direct aid and "the dole". Franklin Delano Roosevelt did not like providing welfare to able workers as it demoralized the unemployed and created dependency on the government, and even the unemployed preferred work relief. He was also concerned about "future problems of unemployment and unprotected old age" and believed that "we have to get it started, or it will never start". At

2967-485: The machine until his death in 1965. In 1933, McClure was found guilty in federal court and sentenced to 18 months in prison for vice and rum-running , but his conviction was overturned on appeal. In 1941, McClure was indicted for conspiracy to gain a $ 250,000 profit from the sale of the Chester Water Works to a private buyer. McClure and four Chester City Council members were acquitted but also ordered by

3036-654: The manufacture of iron pipes and boiler tubes, and the Standard Steel Casting Company in 1883 to supply steel ingots . Roach built the Combination Steel and Iron Company in 1880 to supply steel rails and other products for businesses beyond the Roach shipyard. He lost control of the company after his shipbuilding enterprise entered receivership in 1885. Chester was known as a freewheeling destination for vices such as drugs, alcohol, numbers rackets, gambling and prostitution. Chester

3105-414: The mid-20th century, it has lost most of its manufacturing base and has struggled as a post-industrial city dealing with crime, pollution, and poverty. Pennsylvania declared Chester a financially distressed municipality in 1995 and a fiscal emergency in 2020. In 2022, Chester became the 31st city in the United States to declare bankruptcy. The city is home to Widener University , Harrah's Philadelphia ,

3174-527: The militia stationed at Chester. The Continental Army fled back to Chester after defeat at the Battle of Brandywine . A portion of the British force occupied Chester as they chased the Continental Army fleeing to Philadelphia. In 1788, the Chester County seat was moved from Chester to West Chester . In 1789, Delaware County was formed from the eastern part of Chester County, and Chester became

3243-415: The most well-known publication to emerge from the FWP, having been reprinted several times, as scholars and researchers have sought them out for their cultural value. When they were originally published, the guides restored a sense of pride in many of their respected regions, by promoting the history of each state or city, as well as popular tourist attractions and historical sites. From a literary perspective,

3312-508: The new county seat. The borough of Chester was governed under the charter granted by Penn in 1701 until March 5, 1795, when it was incorporated by the Pennsylvania Assembly . In the 1700s and 1800s, Chester was a hub for business due to easy access to the Delaware River for the transport of raw materials and finished goods by ship. By the mid-1800s, many textile mills and factories were built along Chester Creek including

3381-514: The new state in the mid-19th century. One priority for each guide was to have detailed road maps of cities and major highways throughout each state. The American Baedeker lacked them because during the time it was published, the automobile was not a common asset in everyday life in the country. The state guides also exhibited industries unique to each state. Guides highlighted blue-collar industries such as shipping, mining, and oil rigging, informing readers about what drove state economies. For instance,

3450-834: The placement of projects that increased concerns about pollution, noise, and trucks, such as a contaminated soil remediation facility, the trash incinerator, the DELCORA sewage waste treatment center and the Abbonizio recycling center. In 1995, the state designated Chester as a financially distressed municipality . Recent programs to foster investment into Chester include the Pennsylvania Keystone Opportunity Zone (KOZ) program, which incentivizes companies with state and local tax breaks to invest in KOZ-designated areas. The Wharf at Rivertown,

3519-531: The project's end the government had spent over $ 11 billion on employing the personnel on the project. [1] The guides also served as a representation on the New Deal's concern with regional interdependence and national planning, projecting a positive image of the nation during economically harsh times. Many writers were not only put back to work but other writers were able to use the project as a springboard as well, to launch their writing careers. The guidebooks are

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3588-415: The project. As the Depression went on, trying to capture normalcy became difficult. The projection of wealth in a nation that was experiencing a drastic rise in poverty was on display in many of the guides. The South Carolina guide presented polo clubs as a popular form of sport and leisure, which were on the rise throughout the country leading up to the Depression. Despite being highlighted as a focal point in

3657-460: The pursuit of relaxing guidelines for the writers, and also developed a disdain for the project's employment of writers with a lack of experience. With the FWP's main focus on creating jobs for the unemployed, the Author's Guild and organizations similar to it continued to criticize the amateurism of many writers on the project. The solution to this critique was a simple one: find enough work for all of

3726-410: The recent investments into the community, Governor Tom Wolf declared a fiscal emergency for Chester in 2020 and the city declared bankruptcy in 2022. It was the 31st municipality to declare bankruptcy since the U.S. Congress offered the program in the 1930s. National Register of Historic Places in Chester are: Delaware County National Bank , 1724 Chester Courthouse , Chester Waterside Station of

3795-584: The rest would end the Federal Emergency Relief Administration , the work program created by Roosevelt in 1933 which replaced the Civil Works Administration . He asked for $ 4 billion to get things going, and $ 880 million was reallocated from previous appropriations to aid 3.5 million people. The local governments and agencies had already cared for the 1.5 million unemployable relief recipients (e.g.

3864-415: The same format but had their own specific focuses. The regional guides were designed with a tourist heavy audience in mind, as some of their titles suggest. One of the regional books, Ghost Towns of Colorado , explored some of the most popular deserted towns in the western state. While the state guides provided an overview of tourist attractions in certain regions of the states, the regional guides allowed for

3933-427: The second half of the 19th century through the first half of the 20th century, the city was a major center of heavy industry , manufacturing and shipping . The city became a boomtown during World War I and World War II . The availability of employment in factories , dock work , and shipbuilding attracted immigrants from Southern and Eastern Europe and African-American migrants from southern states . Since

4002-543: The site was deemed safe and removed from the Superfund national priorities list. In 2004, the site was converted to a parking lot for Commodore Barry Bridge Park . By the 1980s, Chester was a city bereft of industry. Many bottom-rung projects were initiated in Chester, including the Westinghouse trash incinerator , a sewage treatment plant, and a prison . Chester residents and politicians began pushing back against

4071-402: The state's Act 47 provisions for twenty-one years. The act provides for municipalities that are near bankruptcy. Chester has been hurt for decades by corrupt politicians and organized crime . Chester's Republican Party political machine was one of the nation's oldest and most corrupt. John J. McClure took over from his father, William McClure, in 1907 and was the political boss for

4140-608: The western part. Chester served as the county seat for Chester County from 1682 to 1788. In 1724, the Chester Courthouse was built to support the legal needs of the county. Chester played only a small role in the American Revolutionary War . Throughout 1776 and 1777, there were significant forces stationed in Chester and nearby Marcus Hook . In April 1776, nearly 1,000 men were stationed in Chester under Colonel Samuel Miles in preparation for

4209-405: The writers' folklore division but also had a great influence on their coverage of culture. The project's beginnings did not come without challenges. During its infancy, various writers' organizations pressured the project because of the parameters that were set by the FWP. With the project bringing many established writers back into the workforce, the Authors' Guild of America became aggressive in

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4278-411: The writers. The roles of the writers enlisted to work on the project not only included their initial role as writers, but also as photographers, geographers, and cartographers, allowing the creation of additional white collar jobs. The books in the series were to contain accurate and thorough accounts of American history, according to a letter to State directors on the project. Each book's primary purpose

4347-403: The years, and in 1943, Congress ended many of the Emergency Relief Appropriation Act programs, including WPA and PWA . Unemployment was no longer a major issue because WWII had created thousands of jobs. Many people complained that "the programs created 'busy work' for the unemployed at the expense of the nation's more affluent citizens." The Rural Electrification Administration , however,

4416-451: Was close to bankruptcy and Sun Shipyard employment had fallen from a high of 35,000 in 1945 to 4,000 in 1962. Chester's precipitous drop in jobs in the late 20th and early 21st centuries caused the city's population to diminish from over 66,000 in 1950 to under 34,000 in 2010. In 1963 and 1964, the Chester school protests fought to end the de facto segregation that resulted in the racial categorization of Chester public schools, even after

4485-400: Was successful. In 1934, only 11% of American farms had electricity, but that rose to 50% by 1942 and almost 100% by the end of the 1940s. The WPA built and renovated thousands of schools, hospitals, and playgrounds. http://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/ws/index.php?pid=14926 Chester, Pennsylvania Chester is a city in Delaware County, Pennsylvania , United States. It is located in

4554-402: Was the most populous town of the new Province of Pennsylvania . On October 27, the ship Welcome arrived bearing William Penn on his first visit to the province. Penn renamed the settlement after the English city of Chester . Chester County originally stretched from the Delaware River to the Susquehanna River from its founding in 1682 until 1729 when Lancaster County was formed from

4623-492: Was to not only outline the history of the individual states but the following as well: Three different types of guides were published: state, regional, and city guides. Each guide had its own distinct features, but followed the same uniform structure. Each of the 48 existing contiguous states had its own guide. The state guides included stories about the state's heritage, maps of major cities, as well as photographs of historic sites and tourist attractions. Each state's division of

4692-462: Was unprepared for the social changes that came along with rapid growth. As southern blacks migrated to Pennsylvania as part of the Great Migration , racial violence broke out, racially segregated neighborhoods expanded and economic discrimination emerged. A four-day race riot that resulted in seven deaths broke out in the city in July 1917, and the separation of blacks and whites in Chester's neighborhoods and workplaces became more defined. In 1927,

4761-498: Was widely known as Greater Philadelphia's "Saloon Town". By 1914, Chester had more saloons than police officers; approximately 1 saloon per every 987 residents. During and following World War I , Chester grew significantly as people migrated to the city for jobs, 63% of which were in manufacturing. Between 1910 and 1920, Chester's population increased from 38,000 to 58,000 due to the influx of poor Southern European and Eastern European immigrants and African-American migrants from

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