Arthurdale, in northern West Virginia, was the first New Deal subsistence homestead project. Begun in 1933, the Arthurdale settlement was created to house displaced and jobless coal mining families. Eleanor Roosevelt was very active in the Arthurdale project. At the time of the project's founding, it was attacked by some for its costliness and the extent of the federal government's involvement. However, the settlement also has been praised as a noble New Deal experiment to uplift dispossessed West Virginia coal miners, among the most wretched in the Depression-era United States. This account of the Arthurdale settlement also focuses in its community school, which was envisioned by Mrs. Roosevelt to be the center of the community's activities. The school was praised as a progressive community school that fostered a spirit of community cooperation. An annotated list of references is included. (DB)