11 Historic Photos That Show Us What It Was Like Living In Pennsylvania In The Early 1900s

Sometimes the best way to really feel connected to the past and to the people who lived in bygone eras is to just look at photographs. Photographs give us a unique glimpse into individuals' lives and maybe even allow us to feel we have something in common. The following historic photos of Pennsylvania were all taken in the mid-1930s, just a few years after the Great Depression ended and a few years before the world would go to war.

1. Homes in Bethlehem overlook a busy steel mill in this photo from 1935.

2. Cars are seen in this photograph that shows the city of Bethlehem in 1935.

3. Smoke billows from the steel mills that kept the city of Pittsburgh going for generations. Its rich past as a steel town earned Pittsburgh, seen here in 1935, the nickname of The Steel City.

4. Rolling farmland is seen in Bedford County in 1936. Those who travel along the Pennsylvania Turnpike have seen similar views for generations.

5. A family gathers around the dinner table in Bedford County in 1937.

6. After a long day of driving, several truckers kick back and relax at a truckers’ rest stop, Amity Hall.

7. Billboards were popular back in the 1930s, too. This 1938 photo, captured somewhere near Harrisburg, touts Amity Hall as the place to stop for weary travelers.

8. A coal worker takes a brief break from his duties at a South Street, Philadelphia, coal yard in 1936.

9. A shoeshine stand sits in front of a barbershop in Philadelphia. This photo was captured on the corner of 19th Street and Bainbridge Street in 1937.

10. Townspeople gather around an auctioneer who is auctioning off a house and its contents in York in 1939.

11. A small child sits in a rocking chair in Westmoreland County in 1936.

What are your favorite historic photos of Pennsylvania? Join the conversation in the comments! Then, since we’re already journeying back in time, take a look at the nine things you probably didn’t know about the history of Pennsylvania.