15 Rare Photos Taken In Manchester, New Hampshire During The Great Depression

The Great Depression (1929–1939) has become infamous for being the most widespread and longest economic crisis in U.S. history, as well as around the world. New Hampshire also fell victim to the depression, as large cities that were dependent on industry and manufacturing were hit especially hard. Manchester was one of these cities that suffered the devastating effects of falling personal income, declining tax revenues, and high unemployment rates. As the decade moved on, however, the city and its people soon found themselves easing back into a normal way of life.

1. Downtown Manchester in 1936.

2. Amoskeag Manufacturing Company along the west bank of the Merrimack River, 1936.

3. Children sit on a city stoop, 1936.

4. An old harness maker at work, 1936.

5. Laundry hangs out to dry at a tenement, 1936

6. A billboard for Sullivan's Cigar Factory, 1937.

7. Women shop in downtown Manchester, 1937.

8. A man walks past the State Theatre, 1937.

9. A group of men gather outside a downtown shop, 1937.

10. Children at play, 1937.

11. A man sleeps under the shade of a tree at an unknown location in the city, 1937.

12. A child poses for a portrait in Manchester, 1937.

13. Two men socialize at a city park, 1937.

14. A man stands outside a downtown shop, 1937.

15. A busy afternoon in downtown Manchester, 1937.

For more scenes of New Hampshire's past, take a look at 11 images from the state's golden era of logging, 10 vintage photos of farm life, or experience what life was like here during World War II.