s ▁in ▁ 1 9 3 4 , ▁the ▁community ▁was ▁en vision ed ▁by ▁federal ▁pl ann ers ▁as ▁a ▁model ▁of ▁co oper ative ▁living ▁for ▁the ▁region ' s ▁dist ress ed ▁far mers , ▁coal ▁min ers , ▁and ▁factory ▁workers . ▁While ▁the ▁co oper ative ▁experiment ▁failed ▁and ▁the ▁federal ▁government ▁with d rew ▁from ▁the ▁project ▁in ▁the ▁ 1 9 4 0 s , ▁the ▁Hom est ead s ▁community ▁never theless ▁surv ived . ▁In ▁ 1 9 8 8 , ▁several ▁hundred ▁of ▁the ▁community ' s ▁original ▁houses ▁and ▁other ▁buildings , ▁which ▁are ▁character ized ▁by ▁the ▁native ▁" c rab ▁orch ard " ▁sand stone ▁used ▁in ▁their ▁construction , ▁were ▁added ▁to ▁the ▁National ▁Register ▁of ▁Historic ▁Places ▁as ▁a ▁historic ▁district . ▁ ▁By ▁the ▁early ▁ 1 9 3 0 s , ▁dec ades ▁of ▁poor ▁far ming ▁practices ▁had ▁rendered ▁many ▁of ▁the ▁small ▁far ms ▁in ▁East ▁Tennessee ▁un ten able , ▁and ▁the ▁Great ▁De pression ▁had ▁left ▁thousands ▁of ▁coal ▁min ers ▁and ▁other ▁industrial ▁workers ▁un emp loy ed . ▁In ▁January ▁ 1 9 3 4 , ▁the ▁Division ▁of ▁Sub s istence ▁Hom est ead s ▁chose ▁C umber land ▁County ▁as ▁a ▁site ▁for ▁one ▁of ▁its ▁" str and ed " ▁agricult ural ▁communities , ▁in ▁which ▁families ▁were ▁res ett led ▁on ▁small ▁far ms ▁and ▁would ▁work ▁in ▁community - owned ▁business es . ▁Most ▁of