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.
- This railroad crossing in Westmoreland County, photographed in 1935, was just one of many crisscrossing the state in the 1930s.
Photogrammar/Ben Shahn
- 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.
Photogrammar/Ben Shahn
- Billboards certainly have evolved since 1935, when this picture was taken in Uniontown.
Photogrammar/Ben Shahn
- A snapshot of the homes of Bethlehem in 1935. In addition to the single family homes, rowhomes were also popular in the 1930s.
Photogrammar/Walker Evans
- Some things never change in PA, do they? Kiddos enjoy a little sledding on a snowy winter day in Mount Pleasant, 1936.
Photogrammar/Carl Mydans
- 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.
Photogrammar/Ben Shahn
- A snapshot of Philadelphia’s City Hall in 1937.
Photogrammar/Paul Vanderbilt
- 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.
Photogrammar/Arthur Rothstein
- A road sign in Lancaster County shows the way to Mt. Joy and Mt. Hope in 1938.
Photogrammar/Sheldon Dick
- Fields of corn and farmland are just as familiar to Pennsylvanians today as they were back in Lancaster in 1938.
Photogrammar/Sheldon Dick
- An old one-room school house in Lancaster as seen in 1938.
Photogrammar/Sheldon Dick
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.
Photogrammar/Ben Shahn
Photogrammar/Walker Evans
Photogrammar/Carl Mydans
Photogrammar/Paul Vanderbilt
Photogrammar/Arthur Rothstein
Photogrammar/Sheldon Dick
OnlyInYourState may earn compensation through affiliate links in this article.
