Thanksgiving in Lorain – 1930

Detail of a Hughes Provision Co. ad - Nov. 25, 1930

Thanksgiving is only a few days away. So, as usual here on the blog, we'll look back and see how the holiday was observed in the Lorain Journal in years gone past.

Let's start with Thanksgiving 1930 – just one year into the Great Depression.

A few days before the holiday, the Journal presented an interesting look at local turkey farms, including that of "Doc" W. G. Schaeffer of Amherst (of Beaver Park fame) and Mrs. L. A. McClellan of LaGrange. The article was written by John Love and appeared in the paper on Nov. 25, 1930.

In that same edition of the paper, it was reported that the cost of a typical Thanksgiving feast had dropped to $6, lower than previous years.

Also in that same paper were the grocery ads with everything needed for the big day. No multiple pages of store ads in 1930; they all fit on one page! (Yes, there's an unflattering caricature of a Black waiter toting a turkey in the A&P ad.)

But what if you wanted to enjoy a meal at a local restaurant that day? Perhaps because it was hard times, there weren't very many ads offering a special Thanksgiving meal. Here are two that I did find, both in the November 26th edition of the paper. Both had quite a menu.

That same November 26, 1930 had a special illustration on the front page.

Lorain was preparing for a 'quiet Thanksgiving' with businesses closed and church services scheduled. The prisoners at the city jail were going to enjoy roast chicken, dressing, mashed potatoes, cranberry sauce and pie. I wonder – did anyone got themselves deliberately arrested so they could enjoy that feast?

Lastly, the editorial page had a fine selection of Thanksgiving-themed columns, including a nice one by the Editor. 

Be sure to read the one by A. M. Hopkins (whose column I believe was nationally syndicated, as opposed to being a local one) – it's pretty well-written, and captures what it was like to spend a Thanksgiving with grandparents perfectly.

Detail of a Standard Home Utitlies ad – Nov. 24, 1930