Webster Springs Post Office

The Webster Springs Post Office was constructed from 1940 to 1941 and cost $85,000, far more than a typical Works Progress Administration (WPA) post office. The price was perhaps due to Webster Springs’ role as a central mail distribution center. In any case, the one-story brick building features Colonial Revival details and accents and is similar to other WPA post offices in West Virginia.

The lobby of the building includes a series of glazed terra cotta figures created by Lenore Thomas. Thomas was an American sculptor who was most famous for her WPA commissions. The 1943 work created for Webster Springs is titled “Springtime” and depicts a family consisting of a mother, father, and son. A woven basket rests upon a bundle of flowers between the mother and son. The work is different than many of Thomas’ more well-known works that are openly political pieces; perhaps owing to the artist's hope that an image of an idealized American family would be appreciated by residents of this small community when they visited their public building.

Blevins, Ernest E. Post Office - Webster Springs, The Living New Deal. April 11th 2017. Accessed July 25th 2021. https://livingnewdeal.org/projects/post-office-webster-springs-wv-2/.

Park, Marlene. Markowitz, Gerald E. Democratic Vistas: Post Offices and Public Art in the New Deal. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Temple University Press, 1984.

Post Office Reliefs - Webster Springs, The Living New Deal. Accessed July 25th 2021. https://livingnewdeal.org/projects/post-office-reliefs-webster-springs-wv/.

Webster Springs Post Office, New Deal Art Registry. Accessed July 25th 2021. https://www.newdealartregistry.org/map/WebsterSprings/WV/#.