Key Takeaways: Hoovervilles
- “Hoovervilles” were hundreds of makeshift homeless encampments built near large cities across the United States during the Great Depression (1929-1933).
- Dwellings in the Hoovervilles were little more than shacks built of discarded bricks, wood, tin, and cardboard. ...
- The largest Hooverville, located in St. Louis, Missouri, was home to as many as 8,000 homeless people from 1930 to 1936.
What were the Hoovervilles made out of?
Dwellings in the Hoovervilles were little more than shacks built of discarded bricks, wood, tin, and cardboard. Others were simply holes dug in the ground covered with pieces of tin.
What were the Hoovervilles in the Great Depression?
“Hoovervilles” were hundreds of makeshift homeless encampments built near large cities across the United States during the Great Depression (1929-1933). Dwellings in the Hoovervilles were little more than shacks built of discarded bricks, wood, tin, and cardboard. Others were simply holes dug in the ground covered with pieces of tin.
How big were the Hoovervilles?
No two Hoovervilles were quite alike, and the camps varied in population and size. Some were as small as a few hundred people while others, in bigger metropolitan areas such as Washington, D.C., and New York City, boasted thousands of inhabitants. St. Louis, Missouri, was home to one of the country’s largest and longest-standing Hoovervilles.
What was it like to be homeless in Hooverville?
The Hooverville residents countered existing stereotypes of homeless people—and modern ones, too. They were primarily blue-collar workers who had recently been employed, and they made up an increasingly large part of Depression-era society.
What is a Hooverville house?
Families doubled up in apartments, others were evicted and built makeshift houses. Groups of these dwellings for the homeless were called Hoovervilles.
When were Hoovervilles made?
“Hoovervilles” were hundreds of makeshift homeless encampments built near large cities across the United States during the Great Depression (1929-1933). Dwellings in the Hoovervilles were little more than shacks built of discarded bricks, wood, tin, and cardboard.
How did people survive in Hooverville?
Most of these unemployed residents of the Hoovervilles relied on public charities or begged for food from those who had housing during this era. Democrats coined many terms based on opinions of Herbert Hoover such as "Hoover blanket" (old newspaper used as blanketing).
Who built Hoovervilles?
The Bonus Army of veterans built a large Hooverville in Washington D.C. that housed around 15,000 people. President Herbert Hoover lost the election in 1932 to Franklin D. Roosevelt. Some shelters were well built structures made from stone and wood, others were merely holes in the ground covered with cardboard.
Do Hoovervilles still exist today?
Sprawling Homeless Camps — Modern 'Hoovervilles' — Vex California. In Sonoma County, Calif., officials are struggling to address a homeless encampment with roughly 200 residents.
What did they eat in Hoovervilles?
Many people lived on a diet of dried beans, potatoes, and powdered milk.
When was the last Hooverville destroyed?
1941One of the most prosperous and enduring of these shantytowns was situated on Seattle's Elliot Bay waterfront, adjacent to where QWEST field now stands. This Hooverville was established on lands owned by the Seattle Port Commission and lasted ten years from its establishment in 1931 until its final destruction in 1941.
Why did they call it Hooverville?
The towns were named “Hoovervilles,” because of President Herbert Hoover's ineffective relief policies. Mass unemployment was rampant among men aged 18–50, and the lack of a social safety net continued to push them down the ladder.
Who lived in Hoovervilles?
Summary and definition: The Shanty Towns, known as Hoovervilles, sprang up across the nation during the Great Depression (1929 - 1941). They were built by unemployed impoverished Americans that had been made homeless and had nowhere else to live. By 1932, between one and two million American people were homeless.
Where were Hoovervilles built?
"Hooverville" became a common term for shacktowns and homeless encampments during the Great Depression. There were dozens in the state of Washington, hundreds throughout the country, each testifying to the housing crisis that accompanied the employment crisis of the early 1930s.
Who did Hoovervilles provide shelter?
homelessHooverville in Portland, Oregon, photograph by Arthur Rothstein, July 1936. (Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division) "Hoovervilles" were temporary communities that America's homeless created to provide shelter for themselves and their families during the Great Depression.
When did Hoovervilles start and end?
This Hooverville was established on lands owned by the Seattle Port Commission and lasted ten years from its establishment in 1931 until its final destruction in 1941.
Why was Hooverville created?
The failure of Depression-era policies to alleviate unemployment and address the social crisis led to the creation of Hoovervilles, shantytowns that sprang up to house those who had become homeless because of the Great Depression.
How many Hoovervilles were there in 1929?
Some have estimated that 500 Hoovervilles sprang up in 1929 and increased in number to over 6000 in the 1930s.
Where was the first Hooverville located?
In the early 1930s, New York City's Central Park was home to a small shanty town that residents experiencing homelessness built. The ramshackle town was a "Hooverville," named after Republican President Herbert Hoover.
How many homeless people lived in Hooverville?
Others were simply holes dug in the ground covered with pieces of tin. The largest Hooverville, located in St. Louis, Missouri, was home to as many as 8,000 homeless people from 1930 to 1936.
How long did Hooverville last?
America’s longest lasting Hooverville in Seattle, Washington, stood for ten years, from 1931 to 1941. Erected by unemployed lumberjacks on the tidal flats of the Port of Seattle, the encampment covered nine acres and grew to house up to 1,200 people.
What was the largest Hooverville in America?
St. Louis, Missouri, was the site of the largest Hooverville in America. Divided into distinct sectors, the racially integrated and cohesive encampment was home to as many as 8,000 destitute people. Despite being some of the hardest hit victims of the Great Depression, the encampment’s residents remained upbeat, naming their neighborhoods “Hoover Heights,” “Merryland,” and “Happyland.” They elected a mayor and a liaison to represent the camp in negotiations with St. Louis authorities. With such a well-developed social order, the camp maintained itself as a functional separate community from 1930 to 1936, when President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s “ New Deal ” sweeping economic recovery plan allocated federal funds for its removal.
What were the homeless camps called?
Out of desperation, the homeless began building camps of makeshift shacks near cities across the nation. The camps, dubbed “Hoovervilles” after Republican President Hoover, often sprang up near charity operated soup kitchens and rivers for drinking water and limited sanitary needs.
When did Hoovervilles get abandoned?
Roosevelt was elected president in a landslide. By the early 1940s , Roosevelt’s New Deal programs had turned the economy around and many of the Hoovervilles had been abandoned and demolished. By the time the U.S. entered World War II in 1941, enough Americans were working again that virtually all the encampments had vanished.
What was Hoover's role in the Great Depression?
While the goal of the tariffs was to protect U.S.-made products from foreign competition, most countries retaliated by raising their tariffs on U.S. goods. The effect was the virtual freezing of international trade. By the spring of 1932, when it could have most helped ease the Depression, America’s revenue from world trade was reduced by more than half.
Where was John Steinbeck's Grapes of Wrath?
In his Pulitzer Prize-winning 1939 novel, “ The Grapes of Wrath ,” writer John Steinbeck, vividly described his hardships as a young farmworker in the “Weedpatch” Hooverville near Bakersfield, California. “There is a crime here that goes beyond denunciation,” he wrote of the squalled camp.
What were the Hoovervilles?
Among the hundreds of Hoovervilles across the U.S. during the 1930s were those in: 1 Anacostia in the District of Columbia: The Bonus Army, a group of World War I veterans seeking expedited benefits, established a Hooverville in 1932. Many of these men came from afar, illegally by riding on railroad freight trains to join the movement. At its maximum there were 15,000 people living there. The camp was demolished by units of the U.S. Army, commanded by Gen. Douglas MacArthur. 2 Central Park, New York City: Scores of homeless families camped out at the Great Lawn at Central Park, then an empty reservoir. 3 Riverside Park, New York City: A shantytown occupied Riverside Park at 72nd Street during the depression. 4 Seattle had eight Hoovervilles during the 1930s. Its largest Hooverville on the tidal flats adjacent to the Port of Seattle lasted from 1932 to 1941. 5 St. Louis in 1930 had the largest Hooverville in America. It consisted of four distinct sectors. St. Louis's racially integrated Hooverville depended upon private philanthropy, had an unofficial mayor, created its own churches and other social institutions, and remained a viable community until 1936, when the federal Works Progress Administration allocated slum clearance funds for the area.
What movie was Hooverville in?
Movies such as My Man Godfrey (1936) and Sullivan's Travels (1941) sometimes sentimentalized Hooverville life. Hooverville featured in the 2007 Doctor Who stories Daleks in Manhattan and Evolution of the Daleks, which were set in 1930 New York. This version of the shanty town was based in Central Park.
How many Hoovervilles were there in the 1930s?
Seattle had eight Hoovervilles during the 1930s. Its largest Hooverville on the tidal flats adjacent to the Port of Seattle lasted from 1932 to 1941. St. Louis in 1930 had the largest Hooverville in America. It consisted of four distinct sectors. St.
What was the racially integrated Hooverville?
Louis's racially integrated Hooverville depended upon private philanthropy, had an unofficial mayor, created its own churches and other social institutions, and remained a viable community until 1936, when the federal Works Progress Administration allocated slum clearance funds for the area.
What did the Hoovervilles build their houses out of?
Most people, however, resorted to building their residences out of wood from crates, cardboard, scraps of metal, or whatever materials were available to them . They usually had a small stove, bedding and a couple of simple cooking implements. Men, women and children alike lived in Hoovervilles.
What is the name of the housing crisis in Piled Higher and Deeper?
During a temporary housing crisis, the comic strip Piled Higher and Deeper refers to a fictional solution to the resulting housing crisis at Stanford University as "Hooverville" due to its proximity to Stanford's Hoover Tower.
Where did homeless people camp in the 1930s?
Central Park, New York City: Scores of homeless families camped out at the Great Lawn at Central Park, then an empty reservoir. Riverside Park, New York City: A shantytown occupied Riverside Park at 72nd Street during the depression. Seattle had eight Hoovervilles during the 1930s. Its largest Hooverville on the tidal flats adjacent to the Port ...
What is the role of the Hoovervilles in Grapes of Wrath?
Hoovervilles play a major role in The Grapes of Wrath. The Joad family has to stay at one of the hoovervilles, and realizes that California is not everything they imagined. Unlike the hooverville depicted on the left, the one that the Joad family stayed out was unorganized and filled with police trying to kick them out for any reason. Tom Joad is told to act "dumb" at the hooverville to keep him self out of trouble. These make shift "homes" were one of the many things blamed on President Hoover.
What is the Hoovervilles cartoon?
The Hoovervilles was an attempt at a society by the people who were rejected by society. It was all they had. These political cartoons are placing the blame of the great depression on President Herbert Hoover. The cartoon on the left shows two men reading a newspaper article on one of Hoover's speeches.
Why did Tom Joad act dumb?
Tom Joad is told to act "dumb" at the hooverville to keep him self out of trouble. These make shift "homes" were one of the many things blamed on President Hoover. Above is a weather report from the Mid West region. You can see the differences in rainfall from the beginning of the great depression to the end.
Why is the quote "The Grapes of Wrath" so important?
This quote is truly important for it shows the terrible conditions in California, and how many families were caught off guard by the lack of prosperity and opportunity. The Hoovervilles was an attempt at a society by the people who were rejected by society. It was all they had.
Where is the largest Hooverville in the U.S.?
Farthest on the left is a water color painting of the largest hooverville in the U.S. It is located in St.Louis, Missouri. This particular Hooverville was in use from 1930 - 1936. It had its own mayor and church. Most hoovervilles were very disorganized, filthy, and filled with sickness.
Why did the Dust Bowl happen?
The Dust Bowl occurred due to high winds, drought and failure to plow the land correctly. This forced many landowners homes to be foreclosed upon and make their way out West, where many ended up in Hoovervilles.
What is the role of depiction in the Hoovervilles?
These depiction play a key role in the visual expression of what life was like in the Hoovervilles. They provide an image that can aid the learner in understanding what life was truly like in the hoovervilles.
What was Hooverville named after?
They were named after Herbert Hoover, who was President of the United States during the onset of the Depression and was widely blamed for it.
Why did Americans affixed the president's name to these shanty towns?
Americans affixed the president’s name to these shanty towns because they were frustrated and disappointed with Hoover’s inability to effectively deal with the growing economic crisis. Shocked and confused by the crisis, they held Hoover personally responsible for the state of the economy.
How long did Hoovervilles last?
In Seattle, Washington stood one of the largest, longest-lasting, and best documented Hoovervilles in the country, standing for ten years, between 1931 to 1941.
How tall was the Shanty in the reservoir?
Others built a dwelling from stone blocks of the reservoir, including one shanty that was 20 feet tall. Though the settlement could not have been popular with the tenants of the new Fifth Avenue and Central Park West apartments, they mounted no protest.
What was the Hoover wagon?
A “Hoover wagon” was a car with horses tied to it because the owner could not afford gasoline.
Where were the unemployment huts in 1935?
Unemployed at their huts in a Hooverville in Manhattan, NYC, West Houston and Mercer Street. 1935.
When was Hooverville in Central Park?
Visitors tour the Hooverville in Central Park. 1933.
Why were Hoovervilles named after Hoovervilles?
Known as 'Hoovervilles', these encampments cropped up across the United States during the 1930s as unemployed people were evicted from their homes. They were named after Herbert Hoover, the much maligned Republican president who Americans blamed for the economic disaster.
How many shacks were there in Hoover Valley?
Initially The New York Times reported six shacks that housed nine men with one working stove; but eventually 'Hoover Valley' ballooned into a large vagrant colony with personal touches like beds, chairs, carpets, linoleum and a main thoroughfare known as 'Depression Street.'
How did the homeless crisis get worse?
The homeless crises got worse after COVID-19, when encampments cropped up all over the city and subways, under bridges, awnings, scaffolding and the entryways of vacant retail spaces
Why was Depression Street razed?
'Depression Street' was razed for planted flowers, reseeded lawns, repaved walkways.
What happened in 1929?
The October 1929 stock market crash marked the beginning of the Great Depression, that would cause millions to lose their jobs and homes. Many poverty-stricken Americans found themselves living on the street, where they formed Hooverville shanties constructed of salvaged materials and found objects.
What was the name of the settlement in Brooklyn?
The Brooklyn settlement, known as 'Hoover City' endeavored to plant vegetable gardens and create streets in their tin city built out of shipping debris found in the East River. Some huts were sold for $50 when vacated. The Brooklyn Hooverville was unique in that it didn't cater exclusively to men, residents were comprised of families, women, and newborn babies born on the grounds.
What was the name of the homeless encampment in New York City?
Homeless encampments known as 'Hoovervilles ,' cropped up across the United States as unemployed people were evicted from their homes during the Great Depression. New York City's most famous squatter village appeared in Central Park after the stock market crash in 1929. The former reservoir has been shut down and drained, creating a 'dust bowl' hellscape, known to its homeless inhabitants as 'Forgotten Men's Gulch' or 'Hoover Valley'
What was the name of the town in the Great Depression?
Over the years, St. Louis’ settlement would become the nation’s largest, home to between 3,000 and 5,000 down-and-out victims of the Great Depression. Inside the colony, residents thumbed their nose at the economic disaster, giving neighborhoods names like “Happyland” and “Merryland,” electing a mayor, and taking on the trappings of a legitimate town. But the infamous Hooverville was also home to some of the Great Depression’s most acute suffering.
What were the houses in Hooverville built on?
There, they built makeshift homes of orange crates, pieces of wood and what garbage they could scavenge from the city’s docks and alleys. Out of sight of most of St. Louis, the Hooverville was shielded from prosecution by police who looked the other way and landlords who didn’t bother to report the illegal squatters.
How many times did Hooverville flood?
That became even clearer when the Mississippi River rose. The Hooverville flooded three times over the years, washing away the shacks and forcing residents to start over again.
What does Hooverville stand for?
It was just the second time the newspaper had printed the word “ Hooverville ,” but the word would soon come to stand for the miserable settlements formed by hundreds of thousands of Americans who could no longer afford housing.
Why did people gather in Hooverville?
In 1936, the Hooverville where people had gathered because they couldn’t get jobs ironically became a job site for Works Progress Administration workers tasked with tearing it to the ground.
Why were the homeless named Hooverville?
Homeless people in St. Louis had banded together to form a colony of ad hoc houses on the banks of the Mississippi River, the article said. And they had named their homes after the president they blamed for ruining their lives. It was just the second time the newspaper had printed the word “ Hooverville ,” but the word would soon come to stand ...
How many people were homeless in 1933?
By 1933, approximately 1.5 million Americans were homeless, and those who did have housing were well aware that, given the precariousness of the economy, they could easily be next.
Why did people call Hooverville?
People used the term "Hooverville" to make fun of the president they blamed for theirproblems. They also used President Hoover's name in other ways. For example, newspapersused to protect the homeless from the cold were called "Hoover blankets." The cardboardused to patch holes in shoes was called "Hoover leather."In 1932, people's anger at the president reached its peak. That year, thousands of men whohad fought in World War I set up a Hooverville on the banks of the Anacostia River inWashington, D.C. They had been promised money from the government for their service in thewar. In June, many of these men marched to the Capitol to request their money. However, thegovernment refused to pay. When the former soldiers refused to leave their shacks, PresidentHoover sent U.S. Army leader Douglas MacArthur to kick them out. MacArthur's troops set fireto the Hooverville and drove the group from the city.
What were the camps called during the Great Depression?
Desperate for shelter,homeless people built shantytowns in and around cities across the nation. These camps cameto be called Hoovervilles, after the president.
What was the worst event of the 1900s?
The Great Depression was one of the most terrible events of the 1900s, and led to a huge risein unemployment. By 1933, 1 out of 4 Americans was out of work.
Why were Hoovervilles called shanty towns?
Due to the extreme financial downfalls of the 1930's , people lost everything. This included businesses, property, jobs, and their precious land. With more and more people becoming homeless they had no where to go so they made shanty towns. "A Hooverville was a derogatory term used to describe the ramshackle towns that were built and inhabited by millions of homeless and unemployed people in communities across the United States during the Great Depression" (Bonk and Carson). The people who loved in these so called owns were very poor and had nothing left. These houses are called shanty's. Hoovervilles were composed of houses made out of unwanted materials. The materials that the houses generally consisted of were scrap woods, old metal sheets, card board, and other scrap materials. Anything they could easily get their hands on, they would use to build their house. Their was a shocking amount of shanty's in a Hoovervilles. This was due to a limited amount of people that could actually afford a house. Also, their were men that went on the road to find work. These men are called hobos or homeless men. They generally looked for jobs on the road and hitched rides on cargo trains to move across the country.
What was Hooverville used for?
Hooverville was a derogatory term used to describe the ramshackle towns that were built and inhabited by millions of homeless and unemployed people in communities across the United States during the Great Depression" (Bon k and Carson). The people who loved in these so called owns were very poor and had nothing left. These houses are called shanty's.
How did the Dust Bowl affect the economy?
The dust bowl further weakened the economy and hurt farmers during the depression. This was a time when many dust storms happened and the Midwest basically became one big cloud of dust. How it all started was that farmers had turned fields of grass into farmland. After planting crops, all of the nutrients were gone in the soil so it could not absorb water. Also, to compound things their was a series of droughts that damaged the soil even more and made the soil completely dry with practically no moisture in it. "While the damage was particularly severe in Texas, Oklahoma, Colorado, and Kansas, erosion occurred in all of the Great Plains states, from Texas to North Dakota and Montana, even into the Canadian Prairie Provinces" ( Discovering Science). In these states in the thirties their were tremendous winds which carried the dust that had formed across the plains. This dust engulfed whole city's and blacked the sun out. Dust was up to t wenty feet tall in some areas. This went on for a very long time over the 30's. Dust even went as far as New York City and went all the way up and down the East coast. This was how the Dust Bowl happened and affected the 1930's.
What was the difference between a bread line and a soup kitchen?
They are almost the same thing. Soup kitchens generally served soup for the people that could not afford to eat. This soup was watered down and the people were not given a lot of it. It did not fully feed people but during these tough times it was better then nothing. A bread line on the other hand is when bread is given to people to eat. Mostly this bread was stale and old. This is what people that could not afford food got from the government.
The Onset of The Great Depression
The Hoovervilles Spring Up
- As the Depression deepened, the sheer number of homeless people became overwhelming. Out of desperation, the homeless began building camps of makeshift shacks near cities across the nation. The camps, dubbed “Hoovervilles” after Republican President Hoover, often sprang up near charity operated soup kitchens and rivers for drinking water and limited sanitary needs. Th…
Living in Hooverville
- Hoovervilles varied in size from a few hundred residents to thousands of people in larger cities like New York City, Washington, D.C., and Seattle, Washington. The smaller camps tended to come and go, while the larger Hoovervilles proved far more permanent. For example, one of the eight Hoovervilles in Seattle, Washington, stood from 1931 to 1941. Usually built on vacant land, the c…
Notable Hoovervilles
- St. Louis, Missouri, was the site of the largest Hooverville in America. Divided into distinct sectors, the racially integrated and cohesive encampment was home to as many as 8,000 destitute people. Despite being some of the hardest hit victims of the Great Depression, the encampment’s residents remained upbeat, naming their neighborhoods “Hoover Heights,” “Merryland,” and “Ha…
Political Fallout
- Along with “Hoovervilles,” other derogatory terms aimed at President Hoover’s continued refusal to initiate welfare programs became common in both the homeless camps and newspapers. A “Hoover blanket” was a pile of old newspapers used as bedding. “Hoover Pullmans” were rusted railroad boxcars used as dwellings. “Hoover leather” referred to cardboar...
Overview
A "Hooverville" was a shanty town built during the Great Depression by the homeless in the United States. They were named after Herbert Hoover, who was President of the United States during the onset of the Depression and was widely blamed for it. The term was coined by Charles Michelson. There were hundreds of Hoovervilles across the country during the 1930s.
Population of Hoovervilles
While some Hoovervilles created a sort of government, most were unorganized collections of shanty houses. This lack of organization has made it difficult to identify the populations within Hoovervilles. Some claim to have been made up of men, women, and children, while others claim to only have had men.
One exceptional Hooverville of Seattle, Washington held a structured government and collected …
Notable Hoovervilles
Among the hundreds of Hoovervilles across the U.S. during the 1930s were those in:
• Anacostia in the District of Columbia: The Bonus Army, a group of World War I veterans seeking expedited benefits, established a Hooverville in 1932. Many of these men came from afar, illegally by riding on railroad freight trains to join the movement. At its maximum there were 15,000 people living there. The camp was demolished by units of the U.S. Army, commanded by Gen. Douglas …
In popular culture
Hoovervilles have often featured in popular culture, and still appear in editorial cartoons. Movies such as My Man Godfrey (1936) and Sullivan's Travels (1941) sometimes sentimentalized Hooverville life.
• Hooverville featured in the 2007 Doctor Who stories Daleks in Manhattan and Evolution of the Daleks, which were set in 1930 New York. This version of the shanty town was based in Centra…
See also
• Potemkin village
• Reaganville
External links
• Photos of a new father figure in Hooverville in Portland, Oregon, near the Ross Island Bridge, from a Library of Congress website
• Hoovervilles and Homelessness from the Great Depression in Washington State Project, including photographs, paintings, maps, essays and first-hand accounts of life in Seattle's Hoovervilles.