The 1930s in West Virginia brought both heartache and hope to the lives of many West Virginians. The Great Depression and the struggles found in many mining communities nearly brought the state to its knees during this decade of want. But through it all, our parents and grandparents managed to become tougher as they learned to navigate life after the Roaring ’20s. Below are some images taken right after the worst of the depression had passed. Whenever possible, people were attempting to rebuild their lives.

  1. Young boys carry a casket during a funeral procession in a mining town.

Photogrammar/Elmer Johnson/LOC/LC-USF33-008023 Red House, Putnam County, 1935

  1. Two men walk along the tracks in this Logan County mining community.

Photogrammar/Ben Shahn/LOC/LC-USF3301-006150 Freeze Fork, 1935

  1. Typical houses in Morgantown for the year 1935.

Photogrammar/Walker Evans/LOC/LC-USF342-T01-000850 Morgantown, 1935

  1. A man carries water back to one of the houses in an abandoned mining community in Southern West Virginia.

Photogrammar/Marion Post Wolcott/LOC/LC-USF33-030054 Marine, 1938

  1. Coal miners’ wives making ice cream to sell on a hot day.

Photogrammer/Marion Post Wolcott/LOC/LC-USF33-030164 Osage, 1938

  1. Workers at a vacuum factory that was located in Arthurdale, a New Deal community in Preston County.

Photogrammar/Ben Shahn/LOC/LC-USF33-006352 Arthurdale, 1937

  1. The Ideal Movie Theater on Main Street in Romney was used primarily during the silent movies era.

Photogrammer/John Vachon/LOC/LC-USF34-008306 Romney, 1938

  1. A sight we may have seen more commonly earlier in the century, a man riding a donkey for transportation.

Photogrammer/Marion Post Wolcott/LOC/LC-USF33-030060 Mohegan (McDowell County), 1938

  1. Street scene in the Capital City. A sign by the door of the building in the background says, Notary Public.

Photogrammar/Marion Post Wolcott/LOC/LC-USF33-030106 Charleston, 1938

  1. Farm women brought eggs and such to sell on the Courthouse Square.

Photogrammar/Marion Post Wolcott/LOC/LC-USF33-030169 Morgantown, 1938

  1. A miner’s little daughter sits on the front porch of their home.

Photogrammar/Marion Post Wolcott/LOC/LC-USF33-030184 Jere (Monongalia County), 1938

  1. A truck embellished with an elephant is parked outside the entrance of a traveling carnival billed as Dobson’s World Fair.

Photogrammar/Marion Post Wolcott/LOC/LC-USF33-030218 Granville, 1938

  1. Men walking past Max’s Family Store on Main Street. Note the proximity of the railroad tracks at the bottom right of the photo.

Photogrammar/Marion Post Wolcott/LOC/LC-USF33-030224 Osage (Monongalia County), 1938

  1. An outdoor operation to boil the juice from sugar cane to make sorghum molasses.

Photogrammar/Marion Post Wolcott/LOC/LC-USF33-030262 Racine, 1938

  1. Not everyone could afford a vehicle (or to operate a vehicle). Here, a farmer takes his wagon into town and passes under a gas station billboard.

Photogrammar/Marion Post Wolcott/LOC/LC-USF33-030282 Near Elkins, 1938

  1. In spite of the tough work that lay ahead, these coal miners smile for the camera while they await the start of their shift down inside the mine shaft.

Photogrammar/Marion Post Wolcott/LOC/LC-USF33-030291 Maidsville, 1938

  1. A man sits with arms folded outside a grocery.

Photogrammar/John Vachon/LOC/LC-USF33-T01-001402 Elkins, 1939

Do you recall hearing stories, or have some of your own, from the mid-to-late 1930s? We’d love to hear them!

Photogrammar/Elmer Johnson/LOC/LC-USF33-008023

Red House, Putnam County, 1935

Photogrammar/Ben Shahn/LOC/LC-USF3301-006150

Freeze Fork, 1935

Photogrammar/Walker Evans/LOC/LC-USF342-T01-000850

Morgantown, 1935

Photogrammar/Marion Post Wolcott/LOC/LC-USF33-030054

Marine, 1938

Photogrammer/Marion Post Wolcott/LOC/LC-USF33-030164

Osage, 1938

Photogrammar/Ben Shahn/LOC/LC-USF33-006352

Arthurdale, 1937

Photogrammer/John Vachon/LOC/LC-USF34-008306

Romney, 1938

Photogrammer/Marion Post Wolcott/LOC/LC-USF33-030060

Mohegan (McDowell County), 1938

Photogrammar/Marion Post Wolcott/LOC/LC-USF33-030106

Charleston, 1938

Photogrammar/Marion Post Wolcott/LOC/LC-USF33-030169

Morgantown, 1938

Photogrammar/Marion Post Wolcott/LOC/LC-USF33-030184

Jere (Monongalia County), 1938

Photogrammar/Marion Post Wolcott/LOC/LC-USF33-030218

Granville, 1938

Photogrammar/Marion Post Wolcott/LOC/LC-USF33-030224

Osage (Monongalia County), 1938

Photogrammar/Marion Post Wolcott/LOC/LC-USF33-030262

Racine, 1938

Photogrammar/Marion Post Wolcott/LOC/LC-USF33-030282

Near Elkins, 1938

Photogrammar/Marion Post Wolcott/LOC/LC-USF33-030291

Maidsville, 1938

Photogrammar/John Vachon/LOC/LC-USF33-T01-001402

Elkins, 1939

For more sobering photos from this era, keep reading 10 Rare Photos Taken In West Virginia During The Great Depression.

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