Nov 28, 2013 3 min read

Following the format of the “Images of America – Bridgeville” book, author and local historian John Oyler talked about the 1930s in Bridgeville at a presentation titled “Bridgeville Remembered: The Depression Years.” The talk was held Nov. 14 at Bridgeville Public Library.

Prior to the start of his talk, Oyler joked that talking about the Depression years is hitting rather close to home with the state of the economy in America today.

However, he said back in the 1930s, people in Bridgeville may have been poor, but they were happy.

During the Depression, more than half of the families in Bridgeville lived below the poverty line.

“We were poor, but we still got along,” Oyler said, adding the first line of defense was that families stuck together.

“Families helped each other out a lot,” he said, including the Colussy family, which was prominent back then.

“Another line of defense were the neighbors,” Oyler said. He said whenever a neighbor was in need, families would pitch in to help, even if it meant just baking a casserole.

“When we were living here, we were poor,” Oyler said of his family, whom he lived with at 823 Bank St. They called the house “the little stone bungalow.”

He recalled his mother calling the local grocer and placing the family’s order.

“A couple hours later, a delivery truck came with the order,” Oyler said. The same went for the local butcher shop, which also delivered.

“That was when we were poor,” he said. He laughed, “Now that we are ‘rich’ we have to get in the car, drive 15 minutes to the store and fight for a space in the parking lot and push a cart around.”

He said in the 1930s, families didn’t have to worry about food spoiling, because there were regular deliveries of ice for the families’ iceboxes.

Oyler remembered when his family was in need of ice, his mom put a sign on the door designating what size block was needed, and Elmer Colussy would deliver the ice.

Oyler shared photos of Bridgeville with the audience at the presentation, including the first Colussy-owned car dealership called E.A. Motors, which was located at the corner of Hickman Street and Washington Avenue. There also was a Colussy Chevrolet dealership on Baldwin Street.

Mayview State Hospital played a role in the Depression years in Bridgeville, as many residents worked at the former institution.

“Mayview Hospital was very prominent at the time,” Oyler said.

He said there were a lot of things going on there that people didn’t know about, including electroshock therapy and even frontal lobotomies. “I used to think it looked like a small college,” he said.

Photos of the Old Show, where people would go to watch old Westerns and serials, also were shared by Oyler. He recalled shows such as “Red Rider” and “Hopalong Cassidy” at the Old Show, which was near the current Bridgeville Area Historical Society building on Station Street. The building still stands today.

The next presentation in the “Bridgeville Remembered” series will be on World War II. The presentation will be held at 7 p.m. Dec. 12 at Bridgeville Public Library. It is free and open to the public.