SHERMAN COUNTY HISTORICAL SOCIETY
Although most of this article is a reprint of the article that was published on May 1, 2019, I felt it was a good time to read it again. The story of the VFW Hall at the Sherman County Fairgrounds is worth repeating, especially now that they are making plans to upgrade the bathrooms.
There were a number of Works Progress Action (WPA) projects in Sherman County in the 1930s. In October of 1938, the Sherman County Fair Board— now known as the Sherman County Ag Society—purchased the old Ashton school building at auction, planning to build an auditorium on the fairgrounds with the lumber. This project was to be completed with the aid of the WPA. In January of 1939, about fifteen men employed by the WPA began tearing down the old Ashton school house. By March of 1939 “work of demolishing the old Ashton school grounds has been completed and the ground filled in.” The March 9, 1939 Sherman County Times reports “Construction work on the new auditorium building at the Sherman County fairgrounds got underway on Monday morning and footings for the walls are now being run.” It goes on to report “The work is being done through the assistance of the WPA and will provide considerable employment for some time.”
