11 Photos Of Pennsylvania That Give Us A Glimpse Into The 1930s

Let’s turn back the clock, PA! Today, we’re going to journey back to Pennsylvania in the 1930s. Life back then certainly was much different than it is today. But, when you view these 11 photos of Pennsylvania in the 1930s, you’ll also realize that some things never change in PA.

1. This railroad crossing in Westmoreland County, photographed in 1935, was just one of many crisscrossing the state in the 1930s.

2. Many Pennsylvanians, like those in Connellsville, still used outhouses back in the 1930s. The outhouse pictured below was for diners at a BBQ restaurant; it was captured in this photo in 1935.

3. Billboards certainly have evolved since 1935, when this picture was taken in Uniontown.

4. A snapshot of the homes of Bethlehem in 1935. In addition to the single family homes, rowhomes were also popular in the 1930s.

5. Some things never change in PA, do they? Kiddos enjoy a little sledding on a snowy winter day in Mount Pleasant, 1936.

6. Both young and old worked in the coal mines *and* searched for coal in the local slag heaps. Photo taken in Nanty Glo in 1937.

7. A snapshot of Philadelphia’s City Hall in 1937.

8. Back in the 1930s, Pennsylvanians could mail letters and pick up milk, bread and other groceries at the local post office and general store. Photo from 1937.

9. A road sign in Lancaster County shows the way to Mt. Joy and Mt. Hope in 1938.

10. Fields of corn and farmland are just as familiar to Pennsylvanians today as they were back in Lancaster in 1938.

11. An old one-room school house in Lancaster as seen in 1938.

Which of these 11 photos of Pennsylvania in the 1930s are your favorite? Let us know in the comments! Then, turn the clock back even further, to the early 1900s, when you check out these 10 vintage photos of PA.

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What Every Small Town In Pennsylvania Had In The 1930s. It Was A Simpler Time.

Beth Price-Williams

Author

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