Columns joins statewide New Deal commemoration

Milford — Visitors at The Columns will soon see Pike County’s portion of a state-wide initiative in honor of the 75th anniversary of the New Deal. Museum Intern Lauren Nolan has been working diligently on the project with the help of the Museum Director, Lori Strelecki. Recently both visited FDR’s home and Val-Kill, Eleanor Roosevelt’s retreat, in Hyde Park, N.Y. The day gave them both insight and ideas as to how to best encompass the time frame and bring to light the character of the President and First Lady that worked so hard to help our struggling economy and citizens. . Shortly after taking office in 1933, President Franklin Delano Roosevelt initiated “The New Deal,” a comprehensive social and economic recovery program designed to thwart the ravages of the Great Depression. The historical lessons of the New Deal are many. It was a time in which both state and nation faced extreme economic hardships and people worked together to overcome adversity. New Deal programs were funded through national programs, many of them strongly rooted in local and regional identity. The Civilian Conservation Corps, (CCC) Works Progress Administration (WPA), and Social Security are just a few of the agencies started as a result. The Pike County Historical Society is participating in this project with help and funding from the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission (PHMC) and the Pennsylvania Humanities Council. Look for an official opening in October and some interesting programs that detail the New Deal and its creators. The Society’s Museum, the Columns, located at 608 Broad Street in Milford, is creating a New Deal exhibit that will focus on the Roosevelt’s, the Great Depression, New Deal Initiatives, and the effects World War II had on bringing our nation out of the depression. For more information about the Pike County Historic Society, call 570-296-8126 or visit the society online at www.pikecountyhistoricalsociety.org.