Great Mills School
WPA Poster
Great Mills School (Fairlead Academy), St. Mary's County
(See Photos Below!)
Maryland WPA Project #490 (1936)
According to a 1995 Maryland Historical Trust "State Historic Site Inventory" report, Great Mills School--now called Fairlead Academy--"is an example of a public building constructed by means of a partnership between the St. Mary's County local government and the federal WPA program."
Great Mills School was contructed in 1936 and opened on November 4th of that year. Great Mills began with 5 teachers and 187 students. Throughout its life, Great Mills School has served as an elementary school, a community college building, and (now) as a school that helps students prepare for high school.
Photo credits: Unless otherwise noted, all black and white photos were taken by the WPA, are in the public domain, and provided courtesy of the University of Maryland College Park Archives. All color photos--unless otherwise noted--were taken by Brent McKee. Click here for more information on photo credits, permission to use, and exhibit descriptions.
Below: Great Mills School (Fairlead Academy) as it appears today (photographed in April 2011).
(Note the golf balls on the chair legs, used to protect the original hardwood floors)
***The following seven images show the construction of Great Mills School in 1936:
