Delmo Homes

This is an example of the Delmo Homes that sharecroppers moved into after the government helped these homeless people. Here's a description from an issue in the "Preservation Issues" Volume 3 Number


"Construction on the Delmo Project houses began in 1940 and was completed in 1941. A total of 595 houses were constructed, with 30 to 80 houses in each village. The villages were segregated by race; four of the 10 - North Wyatt (Wilson City), North Lilbourn, Gobler, and South Wardell - were constructed for African Americans. Each village was constructed in a roughly circular loop around a central common area; Circle City near Grayridge in Stoddard County apparently derived its name from this arrangement.
The houses had four rooms with closets, built-in cabinets, storage space for fruits and vegetables, and were wired for electric lighting. Each house was furnished with one bedroom suite, a cooking stove, a coal heating stove, a dining table, its own privy, and an approximately one-acre plot for growing food. The total cost for each house was $800."