Although the situation that brought Henry Stevens to bankruptcy and to this auction is unknown, it imight have been caused by the depression of the 1890s. It reached its peak from 1893 to 1896, and in many ways was as severe as the Great Depression of 1929-1940. Unlike then when people relied on the federally funded programs of the New Deal to alleviate some of the suffering, in the 1890s there were few social programs and none that were federally funded. When Mr. Stevens was forced to sell his home, his choices would have been few: relying on family charity, living and working at the town’s poor farm, or moving elsewhere and hoping for better luck.
Forrest L. Stetson’s Electric Print. Auction! The Lee Place. November 5, 1892. Pocumtuck Valley Memorial Association, American Centuries. https://americancenturies.org/collection/l03-014/. Accessed on October 16, 2024.
Please note: Citations are generated automatically from bibliographic data as a convenience, and may not be complete or accurate.