By 1933 when the New Deal, a government program, closed the banks to stop panic and restore confidence in the banking system, over 1/3 of the work force was unemployed.  Many people who had jobs were working part-time or for less money.  Hard-working families had to take charity for the first time in their lives, and many became homeless.  The City Rescue Mission took them in, and Youngstown Mayor Heffernan opened an abandoned police station to shelter homeless men.  Working men experienced a weekend for the first time when the work week was cut back to 5 days, with a 40% decline in production.

The Police and Fire Departments reduced employees by 50%.  Youngstown Sheet & Tube offered 1/8 acre garden plots to 3000 unemployed workers, and trucks to transport them to the gardens.  Mills and the city government paid employees with scrip that was good at local stores.  Schools closed early for the summer and teachers’ wages were cut. 

The Civil Works Administration put more than 800 local men to work on roadway and school building repair projects, and the Civilian Conservation Corps hired 500 young men from the Valley each month for conservation projects.  The CCC also had 200 men working in Mill Creek Park.  Other government work projects repaired the Milton Dam, constructed storm sewers, built bridges and playgrounds, hired artists and historians, and put women to work sewing.  The Youngstown Municipal Airport was one of the last WPA projects, built in 1939-1940.

People who were unemployed, on relief, or working part-time filled their time with inexpensive entertainment like jigsaw puzzles, crossword puzzles, card and board games.  A movie ticket cost only 10 to 25 cents, but the best entertainment buy was a radio.  From 1929 on, Valley residents could listen to CBS network programs on WKBN for up to 15 hours each day.

Think about where you live.  How would it be different if every third person lost his or her job?  Could you grow a vegetable garden if you needed food?  What would your life be like if your family had NO money to buy new things?  To learn more about the Depression in our Valley, visit the Arms Family Museum of Local History.  For a better look at these pictures, go to www.mahoninghistory.org.  Click on ‘Education,’ then click on ‘What Do You Know’ for a list of articles.  Each article has small images you can click on to enlarge or download a file.