These 17 Candid Photos Show What Life Was Like In West Virginia In the 1930s
By Robin Jarvis
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Published February 28, 2019
The 1930s in West Virginia brought both heartache and hope to the lives of many West Virginians. The Great Depression and the struggles found in many mining communities nearly brought the state to its knees during this decade of want. But through it all, our parents and grandparents managed to become tougher as they learned to navigate life after the Roaring ’20s. Below are some images taken right after the worst of the depression had passed. Whenever possible, people were attempting to rebuild their lives.
1. Young boys carry a casket during a funeral procession in a mining town.
Red House, Putnam County, 1935
2. Two men walk along the tracks in this Logan County mining community.
Freeze Fork, 1935
3. Typical houses in Morgantown for the year 1935.
Morgantown, 1935
4. A man carries water back to one of the houses in an abandoned mining community in Southern West Virginia.
Marine, 1938
5. Coal miners' wives making ice cream to sell on a hot day.
Osage, 1938
6. Workers at a vacuum factory that was located in Arthurdale, a New Deal community in Preston County.
Arthurdale, 1937
7. The Ideal Movie Theater on Main Street in Romney was used primarily during the silent movies era.
Romney, 1938
8. A sight we may have seen more commonly earlier in the century, a man riding a donkey for transportation.
Mohegan (McDowell County), 1938
9. Street scene in the Capital City. A sign by the door of the building in the background says, Notary Public.
Charleston, 1938
10. Farm women brought eggs and such to sell on the Courthouse Square.
Morgantown, 1938
11. A miner's little daughter sits on the front porch of their home.
Jere (Monongalia County), 1938
12. A truck embellished with an elephant is parked outside the entrance of a traveling carnival billed as Dobson's World Fair.
Granville, 1938
13. Men walking past Max's Family Store on Main Street. Note the proximity of the railroad tracks at the bottom right of the photo.
Osage (Monongalia County), 1938
14. An outdoor operation to boil the juice from sugar cane to make sorghum molasses.
Racine, 1938
15. Not everyone could afford a vehicle (or to operate a vehicle). Here, a farmer takes his wagon into town and passes under a gas station billboard.
Near Elkins, 1938
16. In spite of the tough work that lay ahead, these coal miners smile for the camera while they await the start of their shift down inside the mine shaft.
Maidsville, 1938
17. A man sits with arms folded outside a grocery.
Elkins, 1939
Do you recall hearing stories, or have some of your own, from the mid-to-late 1930s? We’d love to hear them!
For more sobering photos from this era, keep reading 10 Rare Photos Taken In West Virginia During The Great Depression .
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