Cranston Voting House #12

The historic structure on the corner of Clear Fork Road and KY Route 377 in Morehead was constructed under FDR's New Deal and offered a central location for rural voting. This is one of several surviving buildings that were constructed in Rowan County and the Works Progress Administration. The Cranston Voting House features a metal roof and is constructed of ashlar stone.

As part of President Franklin D. Roosevelt's New Deal project, several stone voting houses were built in Rowan County by the Works Progress Administration betwen 1935 and 1936. At the time, voting posed several problems for the community, as there were few public buildings in rural areas causing some citizens to travel long distances in order to vote. It was felt that this discouraged citizens from voting, and with construction projects were recognized as a way to boost the economy and provide jobs. There were seventeen stone voting houses constructed, and eleven remain standing today. 

The Cranston Voting House was constructed in 1935. It includes three interior voting booths and a potbelly stove in the middle of the structure. The structure was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1998.

Rowan County Voting Houses - Morehead, KY, Living New Deal. Accessed October 8th 2020. https://livingnewdeal.org/projects/rowan-county-stone-voting-house-morehead-ky/.

Kentucky MPS Cranston Voting House No. 12, National Archive Catalog. Accessed October 8th 2020. Kentucky MPS Cranston Voting House No. 12.