Hoovervilles



A **Hooverville** was a name given for small towns built by homeless people during the Great Depression. They were named after the President, Herbert Hoover because he let the nation slide into depression. The name Hooverville has also been used to describe the tent cities commonly found in modern-day America. The economic downturn increased the number of hoovervilles and concentrated them in urban settlements close to soup kitchens run by charities. These settlements were often formed on empty land and generally consisted of tents and small shacks. Authorities did not officially recognize these Hoovervilles and sometimes removed the people for trespassing on private lands. Some of the men who were forced to live in these conditions had construction skills and were able to build their houses out of stone. Most people resorted to building their shacks out of wood from crates, cardboard, scraps of metal, or whatever materials were available to them. They usually had a small stove, bedding and a couple simple cooking tools. Most of these unemployed residents of the Hoovervilles used public charities or begged for food from those who had housing during this era. Democrats made other terms, such as "Hoover blanket" (old newspaper used as blanketing) and "Hoover flag" (an empty pocket turned inside out). "Hoover leather" was cardboard used to line a shoe with the sole worn through. A "Hoover wagon" was an automobile with horses tied to it because the owner could not afford fuel.