72 Years Ago

My maternal grandfather owned and operated a local weekly newspaper for most of his adult life. Each year all of those weekly issues were compiled into books. Upon my uncle's death a few years ago, I became the keeper of all 36 year's worth of books.

I thought you might like to see some of the ads from 1936. Please excuse the poor quality of these photos. The pages are fragile. They don't lie flat. The color is uneven. But the content is so interesting. Click on each picture if you would like to see a larger image.

My Granddaddy:


The header on the paper:


Need some new shoes for Easter?



How about new clothes for the family?


Time to buy groceries?


Or maybe a new washer?

Federal Minimum Wage Rates, 1938-1997*

1938 $0.25 1975 $2.10
1939 $0.30 1976 $2.30
1945 $0.40 1978 $2.65
1950 $0.75 1979 $2.90
1956 $1.00 1980 $3.10
1961 $1.15 1981 $3.10
1963 $1.25 1990 $3.80
1967 $1.40 1991 $4.25
1968 $1.60 1996 $4.75
1974 $2.00 1997 $5.15

Postage stamps cost $.03, gas $.12 per gallon; average annual income is $1,327.00,