15 Rare Photos Taken In Rhode Island During The Great Depression

The Great Depression struck in October 1929 when the stock market crashed more significantly than the nation had ever experienced. Millions of Americans were left without work by the early 1930s and nearly half all US banks were forced to close. Rhode Island was already experiencing heightened unemployment prior to the crash due to issues with state manufacturing companies. Plants were beginning to age and labor was more expensive compared to Southern factories. Public work relief kept many thousands of former textile workers with some employment, but the state still reeled from the closing of dozens of major factories and mills which had previously employed almost half of the state.

The depression struck rural areas and factory towns the hardest. These photos from the Library of Congress shows what life was like for many Rhode Islanders during this trying time in our nation's history.

1. A child of a farmer sits in a decaying home in the 1930s.

2. Two mill workers stand outside their work in the town of Asheville.

3. A crowd stands around an old newspaper building in Woonsocket.

4. A woman stands outside her home in the 1930s.

5. Rows of houses belonging to mill workers appear here in this image.

6. A man is harvesting turnips on a farm in Portsmouth in this old image.

7. An evening in Woonsocket in the 1930s is showcased here.

8. The wife of a poultry farmer works at her old fashioned loom in this old photo.

9. Music is provided at a square dance in Clayville.

10. A photo of a rainy day in Providence in the 1930s.

11. This image shows workers leaving a mill for the day in Providence.

12. This image is of a man who worked at a mill and ran a several acre farm at his home during the depression.

13. Homes along the river in Woonsocket are pictured here.

14. A pair of sisters who ran a truck farm during the 1930s are captured in this image.

15. This family owned a farm in Little Compton during the 1930s.

Do you remember Rhode Island during the Great Depression, or have you had family members share what it was like? Click here for rare historical footage of Rhode Island from the 1940s.