Description: This photograph shows six buildings, each shaped like a wine barrel, probably located on one of the Lake Erie Islands. The buildings have a covered porch, windows and a soft fabric roof. South Bass Island State Park offers four “cabents”, which are a cross between a tent and a cabin. Each has sturdy walls and multiple rooms, including a kitchen and bathroom, and topped with a canvas roof. It is possible the buildings in this photograph are predecessors of the current structures. The Lake Erie Islands are a chain of archipelago islands in Lake Erie. Most islands that are large enough are popular tourist attractions with car ferries running from the mainland and between some islands and some small airports and numerous private marinas offering other ways to reach the islands. Grape growing and wineries were once the mainstay of the economy. Kelleys Island is heavily forested and has replaced them almost entirely, but still relies heavily on its limestone quarries. South Bass Island is more developed and still has a few large vineyards and is a popular vacation and recreation spot; it is often referred to as the “Key West of Lake Erie”. This photograph is one of the many visual materials collected for use in the Ohio Guide. In 1935, President Franklin D. Roosevelt established the Works Progress Administration by executive order to create jobs for the large numbers of unemployed laborers, as well as artists, musicians, actors, and writers. The Federal Arts Program, a sector of the Works Progress Administration, included the Federal Writers’ Project, one of the primary goals of which was to complete the America Guide series, a series of guidebooks for each state which included state history, art, architecture, music, literature, and points of interest to the major cities and tours throughout the state. Work on the Ohio Guide began in 1935 with the publication of several pamphlets and brochures. The Reorganization Act of 1939 consolidated the Works Progress Administration and other agencies into the Federal Works Administration, and the Federal Writers’ Project became the Federal Writers’ Project in Ohio. The final product was published in 1940 and went through several editions. The Ohio Guide Collection consists of 4,769 photographs collected for use in Ohio Guide and other publications of the Federal Writers’ Project in Ohio from 1935-1939. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: SA1039AV_B08F08_041_001
Subjects: Lake Erie Islands (Ohio); Tourism--Ohio; Cabins; Camping; Recreation
Places: Lake Erie Islands (Ohio); Erie County (Ohio); Ottawa County (Ohio)