It's always fun to flip through old photos - especially those from Pennsylvania because we have so many good ones - but it's even cooler when you can compare them with modern shots to look at how much the world has changed.
We found some excellent vintage photos that we think show off the evolution of our state, and we've included their current counterparts for perspective. Some of them leave us a little nostalgic, others reflect the "small stuff" that can get lost in our BIG history, but most of them make us very grateful to live in the modern era.
Here are 33 of our favorite "then-and-now" flashback photos that make us appreciate Pennsylvania throughout the decades (and centuries!).
1. Bethlehem Steel Works, 1881
2010: Bethlehem Steel Mill
2. A swimming hole in Ambridge, 1938
2010: A swimming hole on the Lackawaxen River.
3. Union Fire Company, 1850
Benjamin Franklin helped to establish the first fire department in Philadelphia, Union Fire Company (also called Benjamin Franklin's Bucket Brigade), in 1736.
1942: Volunteer firemen training in Lititz.
2012: Firemen at Fort Indiantown. Training is a bit more intense these days.
4. Colton Point State Park on Pine Creek, 1921
2010: Pine Creek Gorge.
5. Mennonite School near Hinkletown, 1942
2007: Schoolchildren in Lancaster County.
6. Quehanna Plateau, 1907
The Central Pennsylvania Logging Co. clearcut a significant portion of the Quehanna Wild Area during the logging boom of the early 1900s.
2010: Some of the clearcut area of Quehanna Wild Area have yet to grow back.
2010: Luckily, new growth is beginning to sprout in the Quehanna State Forest.
7. Parkside Ave. Baseball Park in Philadelphia, 1938
2009: Citizens Bank Park, home of the Phillies.
8. Pittsburgh Greyhound Station, 1943
1974: The 30th Street Station in Philadelphia.
9. Duquesne Incline, 1938
2015: Duquesne Incline.
10. Mellon Arena, 2007
The Civic Arena in Pittsburgh, built in 1961, was the world's first major retractable roof stadium (the name was changed to Mellon Arena in 1999). The Mellon Arena was home to the Pittsburgh Penguins between 1967 and 2010. The arena was demolished in 2011.
2010: The Consol Energy Center became the new home of the Penguins in 2010. This photo, taken by David Fulmer before the old Mellon Arena was demolished, shows the reflection of the former venue in its glass windows.
11. The Pennsylvania Turnpike, 1942
2007: The Pennsylvania Turnpike in Chester County.
2013: An abandoned tunnel of the Pennsylvania Turnpike. A 13-mile stretch of the highway was bypassed in 1968 due to the traffic jams created by the narrow tunnels.
12. Salmon Fishing in Lancaster County, 1942.
2015: Bill Anderson, President of the Little Juniata River Association, fishing in Blair County.
13. Amity Hall Billboard near Harrisburg, 1938
2009: Amity Hall Inn before it was burned to the ground by arsonists. The Inn was built in the 1800s and closed in the 1980s, and was the subject of many local ghost stories.
14. Forbes Field, 1909
This was the third home of the Pittsburgh Pirates from 1909-1970 and first home for the Pittsburgh Steelers (1933 -1963).
2005: PNC Park, home of the Pirates (2001-present).
15. Lititz Spring Pretzel Company, 1942.
Trick photo: Pennsylvania pretzels (of any variety) never change...they are always delicious!
There are hundreds of other photos we wanted to include, but if we did, this list would never end! Do you remember these places "back in the day"? Are there others you think deserve recognition? Tell us about them in the comments!
Subscribe to our newsletter
Get the latest updates and news
Thank you for subscribing!
