This Rare Video From 1938 Represents Life In Rural Kentucky

Not all cities started out the size they are. As a matter of fact, many of them started out quite small. Back in the day, a few families would settle, and then a few more would come, and so on. Independence is one such town, but today it is a thriving community of around 23,000. During the decade of Depression, things were a lot different. We were looking for old Bluegrass footage and ran across this rare 1938 video in Kentucky.

Doug Garner

It shows the struggles of the times, and the hard work and efforts that went into surviving. It shows a time when the Great Depression had our great nation in a state of anguish and poverty… It also shows the strength and endurance of the people, and why we survived those desolate times.

This is what the community of Independence looks like today.

It change that can occur over a few decades is amazing. Modern life might still be a struggle, but compared to flour sack clothes and bare feet, things are much improved. This rare 1938 video in Kentucky offers us a great opportunity to see the way people in Independence survived during a time when the whole country was hurting. You can also view footage of the Appalachians during 1940 we covered here.

The drone footage gives a different perspective. Watching these two videos of the same community, we see how much the Independence has grown and evolved over the decades.