The Wall Street Crash of October 1929 unleashed a wave of suffering on the entire county – and the world. By 1930, four million Americans couldn’t find work, with that number rising to 15 million by 1933. That last statistics means that 20% of the population was unemployed.
Like other major cities, Boston felt the effects of the Great Depression. Since manufacturing played such a big role in our economy, the city was hit pretty hard. James Michael Curley’s reelection as mayor in 1930 was controversial; at first, he tried to ease the hardship through public works projects. However, as the decade went on, he began to offer more direct assistance to the poor.
The 1930s were a challenging decade across the nation, and these 12 images show scenes from daily life in Boston during those years.
- The 1930 Evacuation Day Parade traveling along East Broadway in Southie.
Flickr/City of Boston Archives Although St. Patrick’s Day had been celebrated in Boston for years, Evacuation Day only became an official holiday in 1901.
- This is what the intersection of Hanover Street and Union Street looked like in 1930.
Wikimedia Commons/Bundesarchiv, Bild 137-047635 / CC-BY-SA 3.0 Hanover Street, in particular, has changed a lot.
- A rare aerial view of Boston from 1930.
Wikimedia/BPL This photo was taken from the Custom House Tower, with the photographer facing towards Post Office Square. The clock tower was only added 15 years earlier, in 1915.
- The Boston High School Cadets on Tremont Street in the early 1930s.
Wikimedia Commons/City of Boston Archives from West Roxbury, United States
- Next time you’re at the corner of Massachusetts Avenue and Boylston Street, compare what you see with the buildings around the tram in this 1934 shot.
Wikimedia Commons/City of Boston Archives from West Roxbury, United States
- After a motorist crashed into a signpost, repairmen got to work to fix it.
Flickr/City of Boston Archives This image was captured by the city’s Public Works Department in 1934.
- The Amory Ticknor House at the corner of Park Street and Beacon Street, in 1935.
Wikimedia Commons/Arthur C. Haskell This historic home, which was designed by famous architect Charles Bulfinch, was built in 1804 and is still standing today.
- Men on India Wharf in 1935.
Wikimedia Commons/A. Haskell We don’t know whether these men were employed or looking for work, but India Wharf used to be one of the city’s biggest commercial ports. The wharf has since been demolished and the Harbor Towers stand in its place.
- Construction on Deer Island in 1935…
Flickr/City of Boston Archives …three years before the 1938 hurricane swept through. That hurricane moved so much sand that Deer Island and Winthrop became connected!
- Northampton Street (close to the intersection with Washington Street) in 1938.
Flickr/City of Boston Archives Judging from the direction of the parked cars, this was not yet a one-way street.
- This shot from 1938 shows a large advertisement for the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus.
Photogrammar/Arthur Rothstein This suggests that some Bostonians did have disposable income to spend on entertainment by the end of the decade.
- Cigars and liquor for sale on this Boston street in 1938.
Photogrammar/Arthur Rothstein
It’s amazing to see what life looked like in this tumultuous era in our history, but Bostonians have always had a strong fighting spirit, which certainly helped our city to bounce back and rise again to its modern glory. Do you have a favorite shot among these images? Let us know in the comments below.
Flickr/City of Boston Archives
Although St. Patrick’s Day had been celebrated in Boston for years, Evacuation Day only became an official holiday in 1901.
Wikimedia Commons/Bundesarchiv, Bild 137-047635 / CC-BY-SA 3.0
Hanover Street, in particular, has changed a lot.
Wikimedia/BPL
This photo was taken from the Custom House Tower, with the photographer facing towards Post Office Square. The clock tower was only added 15 years earlier, in 1915.
Wikimedia Commons/City of Boston Archives from West Roxbury, United States
This image was captured by the city’s Public Works Department in 1934.
Wikimedia Commons/Arthur C. Haskell
This historic home, which was designed by famous architect Charles Bulfinch, was built in 1804 and is still standing today.
Wikimedia Commons/A. Haskell
We don’t know whether these men were employed or looking for work, but India Wharf used to be one of the city’s biggest commercial ports. The wharf has since been demolished and the Harbor Towers stand in its place.
…three years before the 1938 hurricane swept through. That hurricane moved so much sand that Deer Island and Winthrop became connected!
Judging from the direction of the parked cars, this was not yet a one-way street.
Photogrammar/Arthur Rothstein
This suggests that some Bostonians did have disposable income to spend on entertainment by the end of the decade.
For more fascinating historic photos that give a peek into the past, check out these photos of Boston from 100 years ago and marvel at these then-and-now photos to see how much Boston has changed… and how much it hasn’t!
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