Do you ever wonder what life was like decades ago – or even more than a century ago – in Pennsylvania? One of the best ways to get a glimpse into yesteryear, besides reading the words of those who lived it, is through the photographs that have been left behind. Here are some of the very first photos of Pennsylvania.

1. Although it’s not a photograph, this etching gives us a peek at what Pittsburgh, near the Ohio River, looked like in the early 1800s.
Wikimedia Commons/Public Domain
2. The Old Schuykill County Courthouse in 1900, as depicted in an artist’s drawing.
Wikimedia Commons/Public Domain
3. This photo of the Morgan Building in Canonsburg was captured in 1903.
Wikimedia Commons/Public Domain
4. Pittsburgh’s Nixon Theatre is shown in this photo from 1903. The Nixon Theatre was demolished in 1975.
Wikimedia Commons/Public Domain
5. A tugboat with the United States Navy is pictured circa 1903. The tugboat is believed to be docked in Philadelphia.
Wikimedia Commons/Public Domain

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6. All aboard! The first train arrives at the station in New Hope in this photo from early 1891.
Wikimedia Commons/Public Domain
7. Snow covers Ninth and Hamilton Streets in Allentown in this photo from 1891.
Wikimedia Commons/Public Domain
8. Horses and buggies are parked in front of shops in Central Square, Lebanon, in 1895.
Wikimedia Commons/Public Domain
9. A snapshot of a bridge in Beaver County was taken in 1904. It was that year that the county celebrated its centennial anniversary.
Wikimedia Commons/Public Domain
10. Here’s a photo of Memorial Hall at Fairmount Park, snapped in 1906.
Wikimedia Commons/Public Domain
11. President Theodore Roosevelt gives a speech on the day Harrisburg is crowned Pennsylvania’s new capitol in 1906.
Wikimedia Commons/Public Domain

 

Which of these are your favorite old photos of Pennsylvania? Let us know in the comments! Then how about a trip down Memory Lane? Here are 14 photos of Pennsylvania in the 1960s that are simply mesmerizing.

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