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.
1. The 1930 Evacuation Day Parade traveling along East Broadway in Southie.
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.
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4. The Boston High School Cadets on Tremont Street in the early 1930s.
5. 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.
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.
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.
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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