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Aerial Washington: 1911
Circa 1911. "Washington from Washington Monument." Points of interest in this first ... Surprising lack of motorized vehicles for ca. 1911. [Here are seven. - Dave] Cargo Tram Now there's something ... - this was before I switched to digital.) DC in 1911 What a great photo. More of these buildings than one would think are ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 04/09/2014 - 1:24pm -

Circa 1911. "Washington from Washington Monument." Points of interest in this first installment of a six-segment panoramic view include B Street (today's Constitution Avenue), running diagonally from the Potomac Electric powerhouse at lower left; Louisiana Avenue, branching off in the general direction of Union Station at upper right; the Old Post Office and its clock tower at left-center across Pennsylvania Avenue from the Raleigh Hotel under construction; the Agriculture Department greenhouses in the foreground with a corner of the Smithsonian "National Museum" at far right, just below Center Market; Liberty Market at upper left, below what looks to be a vast tent encampment; and, at right-upper-center, the Pension Office north of Judiciary Square and the District Court House. 8x10 glass negative, Detroit Publishing Co. View full size.
"Tents"All those tents are actually slate turret roofs on top of rowhouses. Very typically, a pyramid shaped slate turret would top off the projecting bay of a DC rowhouse. All four sides would have been slated. Slate, because of its mineral content (lots of mica) can be very reflective at certain angles, hence the white appearance.
[Conical was also popular. - Dave]
SurprisingSurprising lack of motorized vehicles for ca. 1911.
[Here are seven. - Dave]
Cargo TramNow there's something I had never really thought of: street cars for freight; a forerunner of today's semi-rigs I suppose. There's one being loaded/unloaded in front of the lumber yard. 
First of six?Great! Bring them on!
Kann's Busy Corneraka Kann's Department Store.  A good history of the life and death of the buildings can be found here.
[More here. - Dave]
+86Below is the same view taken in December of 1997.  (Please excuse my still-limited scanning talents - this was before I switched to digital.)
DC in 1911What a great photo.  More of these buildings than one would think are still there.  The "District Court House" south (right) of the great Pension Building on Judiciary Square is the original DC City hall, started in 1820.  After a several-years-long redo, it now houses in grand style the DC Court of Appeals (the state supreme court for the District.)  Peeking around the office building to the left of the City Hall on 5th Street NW is the then-new US Court of Appeals building, which housed what is now the US Court of Appeals for the DC Circuit until 1952, when it moved to the new federal courthouse on Constitution Avenue (now the Prettyman Courthouse.)  The old US Court of Appeals building now houses the US Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces, on which I am privileged to sit.  It is an exquisite little building, quite well-preserved, with many of its original furnishings.
Ford's TheaterI had a thought that Ford's Theater was off in this general direction, so I took a look.  Not being all that familiar with D.C. I'm wondering if that is the peak of the theater with porthole just above the scaffolding atop the hotel under construction.
(The Gallery, D.C., DPC, Railroads, Stores & Markets, Streetcars)

New Train: 1911
... Photographer unknown. View full size. New Train: 1911 Tighter information: new locomotive (a "train" is what it pulls). ... 
 
Posted by kevhum - 09/23/2011 - 12:02am -

No. 11 built at the shops in Samoa, Humboldt County, California. Taken in Samoa, 1911ish. Oregon Eureka Railroad owned by Hammond Lumber Co. Photographer unknown. View full size.
New Train: 1911Tighter information: new locomotive (a "train" is what it pulls). O&CRR No. 11, a 2-8-0 Consolidation type of engine, was indeed built from existing used and newly made parts in 1910. It was not retired until 1952; its boiler was removed to power a sawmill at Carlotta, CA but was deemed unsafe for use by a boiler inspector and eventually cut up for scrap.
(ShorpyBlog, Member Gallery, Railroads)

Office Hours: 1911
...   UPDATE: Click here for Part 2. May 22, 1911. "Buhl Stamping Co., Detroit, Mich. Office from inside." Manufacturer of ... ever, maybe worse. No private calls here Phones in 1911 were hardwired, usually to a wall. I bet this phone was hardwired to the ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 03/28/2022 - 4:21pm -

        UPDATE: Click here for Part 2.
May 22, 1911. "Buhl Stamping Co., Detroit, Mich. Office from inside." Manufacturer of milk cans and tubular lanterns. 8x10 glass negative, Detroit Publishing Company. View full size.
A lot going onInteresting that the conversation on the phone had to be taken away from the desk and perhaps out of earshot. But what seems to be more telling is the body language and facial expressions of the two people sitting.
Their eyes locked ...... and their Master Plan was hatched!
If looks could maimHold the phone! Secretary Ratched, prim but formidable in her shirtwaist, feet planted as if more than ready for battle, has locked furious eyes with Mister Bowler Hat lounging across the room beyond the counter where Young Whippersnapper is malingering over a convo with -- who? Some floozy he hopes to walk out with that evening? His body language does not convey the gravitas common to a business call. Doesn't Junior have some seatwork of his own to do anyway, or does the vacant desk belong to the cute typist who has gone to lunch? At any rate, once that receiver is replaced, somebody's gonna hear a little something something from somebody else. And watch your back for the rest of the week, sonny boy.
Time to move on.Man, how I wish she could have quit the next day, with no notice, so she could work somewhere that didn't demand robotic organization, cleanliness, and fealty --
Very nice and tidy office.That's a very nice clean and modern-looking office for its time. The ceiling light fixtures still look very contemporary too. They could be for sale in 2022.
"I told you . . . . . . never to call me here." An early version of NSFW?
The light shades are very similar to one that has graced my dinette for 45 years. It is a Holophane Extended E-9 model. This photo shows the shade with a carbon filament light bulb.
The Paperless Office, Ahead of ScheduleBeginning in the 1970s, trend-spotters started predicting that office automation, especially desktop computers, was about to make office paper redundant. Every office, they promised, would soon look something like Buhl Stamping. Things didn't go as planned, and most offices seem to be as cluttered as ever, maybe worse. 
No private calls herePhones in 1911 were hardwired, usually to a wall.  I bet this phone was hardwired to the baseboard of the counter and the cord you see is about all the cord there was.  The phone was likely put there so people on either side of the counter could use it.  With the display in the corner this looks like where orders were placed for milk cans, tubular lanterns, and whatever is on display.
The room looks new, no wear and tear.  Some art on the walls would be nice.  It would be interesting to see some avant garde photos of milk cans and tubular lanterns.  The woman and the man in the bowler were aware their picture was being taken.  They were probably told to not move.
Perfect Milk CansDon't buy imitations ...
Sexual Tension, 1911 StyleYou can almost cut it with a knife.
(The Gallery, Detroit Photos, DPC, The Office)

Night Shift: 1911
June 1911. Alexandria, Virginia. "Old Dominion Glass Co. A few of the young boys ... been letting him know that all day. Night Shift: 1911 Almost all the workers in factories and mills at this time were white. ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/04/2011 - 7:51am -

June 1911. Alexandria, Virginia. "Old Dominion Glass Co. A few of the young boys working on the night shift at the Alexandria glass factory. Negroes work side by side with the white workers." Photograph by Lewis Wickes Hine. View full size.
"Side by side with the white workers"It seems as if Mr. Hine wants to say that that is a shame apart from young boys working.
Perspectives Do ChangeWhen Mr. Hine noted that "Negroes work side by side with the white workers," I don't think he thought that was a good thing.
How times have changedAnd kids these days think they have it hard when the internet goes down for an hour.
Just the factsI'm not getting any kind of point of view from reading the associated statement.  Sounded like the writer was stating a simple fact.  Maybe the writer felt he needed to explain why the black kid was in the photo.
Those poor children.  My heart is heavy just looking at that photo.  They should be in school or playing.  And yet, from their expressions I get the feeling that these kids ended up okay.  I wish I could say the same thing about of lot of the young boys around today.
Working togetherAt a time when blacks and whites weren't always seen working together, even if they did. It is a plain statement of fact by the photographer that they work together at the mines.
Huh?Actually, I thought Mr. Hine's note was taking pains to point out that at lower class levels the races were mixing - over the dual issue of working to pay rent and provide food for a family. Nowhere does Hine apply a pejorative sense. He had been a crusader who used his art to help end child labor. So I don't think he would have minded at all.
Two things come to mind1. The boy on the far right seems to think he's a pretty tough guy.
2. The variety of the facial features show how unique we all are. I'm glad God didn't make us all from the same mold. It would have been pretty boring by now.
Hey you - photog!Kid on the right appears to be saying:  "here, hold my jacket while I give that photog a bunch in the nose!"
Expressions on their facesI see Apprehension, Anger, Fear, Indifference, not much Joy though.
Glass Could Be Half FullWhy must Hine's comment be interpreted in the negative? As he was documenting child labor, it may have struck him as a pleasant surprise that the boys worked together regardless of race. Encountering such comraderie in Virginia a mere 46 years after the end of the Civil War might have had a lot to do with it.
[The caption information comes from more than one photo. Hine took several pictures of just the black workers. - Dave]
Called OutThe boy with half a jacket on (2nd from right in front) looks like he's scared enough to pee his pants. My imagination tells me that the boys to either side of him (especially the one with his hand against his shoulder) plan to beat him up on his way home from work, and they've been letting him know that all day.
Night Shift: 1911 Almost all the workers in factories and mills at this time were white. The country was segregated - remember? That's why it is very rare to see an African-American in Hine's child labor photos, especially in a state like Virginia. The fact that this situation is an exception is the only reason Hine mentioned it. That's all there is to it. Hine was not a racist. He believed deeply that everyone had dignity and should be treated with respect. But he was not a 1960s-style civil rights worker. Had he been a photojournalist in the days of the bus boycotts and the Selma marches, his camera would have been right there on the front lines.  
Old Dominion Glass


Washington Post, Feb 24, 1907. 


Mammoth Bottle Plant.
Old Dominion Glass Company One of Alexandria's Big Industrial Concerns.

…
The factory is the largest south of New Jersey. Its daily output is in the neighborhood of two carloads. The number of bottles varies, as it takes a much longer time to make the large bottles than it does to make the small vials. A team, however, turns out from five to six thousand bottles a day. The Old Dominion Glass Company makes a specialty of beer and soda bottles, which are not only guaranteed to stand the highest pressure from within, but also the hottest steaming. Not less than 2,000 molds are kept by the firm. These vary in size and style from the one dram druggist vial to a fifteen-gallon carboy.
This plant covers four or five acres and employs not less than two hundred and fifty blowers and molders. Here everything in the manufacture of the glass bottle may be seen. First the visitor is carried to the enormous sand pits, where hundreds of tons of glistening white sand is being hauled away to be mixed with soda, ash and lime in chemically exact proportions. This mixture, which has to be carried out with great accuracy in order to secure the best results, requires the employment of a special chemist for that purpose. It is then placed in an enormous furnace or retort. Here it is subjected to a temperature that is almost inconceivable. The foreman will tell that this mass has to be brought to a temperature of 2,800 degrees before it will fuse. This intense heat is obtained by burning unrefined coal gas under heavy pressure. At this plant there is a separate manufacturing department for this gas, and here many tons of coal are consumed daily in order to get the necessary amount of gas.
As the sand, lime and soda ash fuse into a liquid mass, it flows to the end of the furnace, where swarthy workmen, scantily clad, stand with long iron pipes. They dip the ends of the pipes into the white-hot mass and draw out a small bulb of it. This they roll on slabs until it cools to an orange color. It is then thrust into a mold and the glass blower inflates the bulb, making it fill the recess. The bottle is then taken out of the mold with pincers and placed upon a pair of scales. Here one must stop to marvel. Every bottle tips the scale and makes it balance absolutely. It is this feature that enables the glass blower to make from eight to ten dollars a day. If he should get the fraction of an ounce more of the liquid mass on the end of the iron pipe, the thickness of the bottle would vary and of course the weight would be a variable quantity.
…

(The Gallery, Factories, Lewis Hine)

Jersey Hotties: 1911
July 11, 1911. "On beach near Casino, Asbury Park." Anyone up for a nice cold lemonade? ... time machine was needed, this is the moment! Was this 1911 or 1908? I've just checked the Library of Congress website and the date ... GG Bain photograph is July 19, 1908. [The date (7-11-1911) is written on the edge of the negative. Someone seems to have confused it ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/07/2012 - 11:34am -

July 11, 1911. "On beach near Casino, Asbury Park." Anyone up for a nice cold lemonade? 5x7 glass negative, George Grantham Bain Collection. View full size.
It's the Dad!My guess is that the man smoking, looking disinterested in the children and clearly setting himself apart from the little ones, is of course, their father.  Who else could look so disengaged?
Hat manThe guy on the left seems a teensy bit overdressed.
The Butler did it!Who the heck is the creepy guy in the suit and tie?
"The look"The stare of the young lady -- straight on and unwavering!  Marvelous!
Gibson GirlyThose women have their arms bare all the way up to the elbows! What's next -- exposed ankles?
Sand paleIt would be some time until suntanned skin would be considered attractive on women. That was popularized by our old friend Coco Chanel, who also popularized extremely heavy smoking for women (she suggested 3 to 4 packs a day, to keep weight down). 
Very Now in a Then Sort of WayWith a change of costume but not necessarily much change in hairstyles, the two young women and their children can be seen in the same poses on any summer beach today (you won't even have to wait for summer here in San Diego where I'm writing), not to mention the boy behind them who's smiling as he notices the camera. I've an old friend who lived out here in the 1970s who looked quite like this girl and who frequently wore her long hair in the same Edwardian crown roll, and looked smashing in vintage shirtwaists with boned collars. Same thoughtful gaze, too, but I can't say that I remember her showing up on the beach in those shoes.
PainterlyFrom the composition to the use of lighting and shadow - add a few brush strokes and this is Renoir or Seurat.
MesmerizingI spent five minutes absorbing the details of this image.  I've always found the Gibson Girl look very fetching, and the young woman holding the child is, well, I'd love to meet her.  
Gosh, to know the whole story of this simple scene. Where and how they lived, what did they have for lunch, what happened at home that evening, or throughout the rest of their lives for that matter. These pictures resonate in some deep place for me and I'm sure many others.
Still waiting for that time machine.  Somebody, please hurry.
Que Seurat, SeuratI have to agree with T.U.M., it sure looks like it would make a perfect Seurat subject.  Hope the photoshop contest crowd gives it a shot.
P.S. -- The Jersey Shore still attracts some of the most attractive women in the world.  
A TuesdayA Tuesday if I remember correctly, around noon on a sunny summer day ... Just inspired me to write a story.
This is a remarkable photo.This is a remarkable photo. The ladies are lovely, the voyeur looks the same as he would today... The boy on the right in the seersucker suit looks as uncomfortable as can be.  I love this photo.
Heaven forbid!This really is a wonderful picture in so many ways. It's probably my all time favorite photo here on Shorpy. My take on the people follows:
The woman holding the little girl and saying something to the boy is their mother. The woman in the foreground is her sister and the other little girl is hers, the cousin of the boy and his sister.
As for that oddball in the straw hat being the boy's father, heaven forbid! At best I'll let him be the uncle, and even that's a stretch, although it would leave open the question of just who the heck he is. I'm tempted to Photoshop him out of this otherwise enchanting scene, but that would be "lying" and so I won't do it.
As Anonymous Tipster commented: Gosh, to know the whole story of this simple scene! If ever a time machine was needed, this is the moment!
Was this 1911 or 1908?I've just checked the Library of Congress website and the date given for this GG Bain photograph is July 19, 1908.
[The date (7-11-1911) is written on the edge of the negative. Someone seems to have confused it with the date written on this negative. - Dave]
Two very different daysThanks for the clarification! So it really was 7-11-1911, a Tuesday. In that other picture, the one dated 7-19-08, the surf is high and wild. Couldn't possibly have been taken on the same day as this placid "Seurat"-like scene.
Glad to know that Shorpy leaves no stone unturned to assure accuracy.
100 years ago todayand today is 7/11/11!
Stewed PrunesNothing screams beach outfit like an overcoat, shirt, tie, trousers, black socks and shoes.  Luckily, the straw hat deflects the 90 degree heat rising from the scorched sand preventing this hallucinatory individual from spontaneously combusting.  Later in the day, this gentleman was reported to be seen leaving the Casino wearing only his trousers and hat.  He immediately left Asbury Park, went home to find a wool suit and promptly returned to his spot on the beach.
(The Gallery, G.G. Bain, Sports)

Great-Grandpa was a PA coal miner
... Throop Coal Mine Disaster of 1911 I see you are from Scranton. I am from Pittston. I put together a ... kenginlaz@comcast.net . Thanks! Mining disaster 1911 I live in the uk and have two family members with a date of death/ burial 13/5/1911. Can you tell me where I could find a list of miners killed in Throop ... 
 
Posted by gmr2048 - 02/01/2008 - 1:18pm -

Miners from near Hazleton, PA. Exact year unknown (probably early 1900s). My great-grandfather is the bottom-left miner. View full size.
Great photo! Where isGreat photo! Where is Hazleton?? My Gr. Granpa and Granpa were from "Six Mile Run". Also miners. don't think they are in your photo, but really looked. Gayle
[The caption says Hazleton is in Pennsylvania (as opposed to Hazelton, in West Virginia). Google Maps shows it near Scranton. - Dave]
PA CoalminersMy great-grandfather (a Lithuanian immigrant) was also a coal miner in the Hazleton area right around dthis same time frame.  I'd love to know more about the people in the picture, or at least your great-grandfather.
PA CoalminersI just happened to stumble onto this site and boy, the memories are flooding!  My grandfather and greatgrandfather were both minors from Hazleton.  Both are long gone but I still travel from Connecticut to Hazleton on a regular basis to visit family there.  We have 5 generations going there.
PA CoalminersI too had a grandfather and greatgrandfather from Hazleton who were coalminers.  They came from Czechoslovakia around 1910.  I still make trips from CT to PA to visit family there.
PA Coal MinersMy grandfather came from Poland and also worked in the mines in Hazleton, PA.  I seem to remember the family saying it was the highest point in Pennsylvania.  I had relatives who lived both in Freeland and Highland not far from Hazleton. - Chris
PA coal minersHazleton, PA is in the "hard coal" or anthracite region of PA mining country. I grew up in Windber, in southwestern PA, in the "soft coal", or bituminous region. My uncle worked in the mine. I remember the "strike breakers" going to work, and more than that, I remember the BIG men with BIG guns who prevented anyone from interfering. I was about 5 or 6 yrs old. I still have a dear friend who lives there. (We are octogenarians). Has anyone else noticed the 3 or 4 very young men, boys really, in the picture?
My great grandfathers tooMy great-grandfathers both worked as coal miners in northeast PA, not sure if it was Hazleton or another town though. One was from Poland and the other was from Romania.
Pa. CoalminersMy great grandfather. grandfather, and great uncles were all coalminers in western Pa. One great uncle was killed in a cave in in 1927. Back then mining was done with picks and shovels and work was sporadic at best.
Mines in BelgiumI had too a grandfather and others in my great grandfamily who were miners here in  Frameries - Borinage - Belgium.
Some of them and many other coworkers and friends died in the many coal mines installed in Borinage in the 19th and half part of the 20th century.
They worked hard and live wasn't very pleasant everyday.
A link to the last mine in Borinage closed in 1961, now a museum.
http://www.pass.be/index.jsp
Other links
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frameries
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Borinage
http://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Borinage
http://www.google.be/search?hl=fr&q=borinage+mines&btnG=Rechercher&meta=
PA CoalminersMy grandfather and great grandfather were coal miners in NE Pa (Plymouth, near Wilkes-Barre, which is of course near Hazleton).  They were of Irish descent, and lived very hard lives.  My great-grandfather lived in a home owned by the coal company, as did most of his time, and died in a mine collapse in 1895.  His son lived into his late forties, and succumbed to 'black lung'.  Fortunately, the family line continued and are all living much healthier and longer lives, some of them still in the NE Pa region.
coal dust in our veinsAlthough no one in my family was a miner, I am from Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvcania and grew up with the consciousness of coal.  I recall vivdly being a very small girl in the early 50s and hearing every morning on the radio the announcements of which mines wouild be working, and which, idle.  Presumably, if the mine didn't work, you didn't get paid.  Mining was the only economy of the area, and when the mines finally closed, the Wyoming Valley -- probably never ever a real boomtown, certainly never for the miners--sank into depression from which it has never recovered.
Our house was heated with coal; the truck would come periodically and empty its load into the chute.  I would take the dark, hard crystals that had spilled in the driveway and try to draw on the sidewalk with them.  As the 60s and 70s wore on, obituaries in the paper were filled with notices of old, and not so old, men who had succombed to anthracosis--black lung--the miner's scourge.  
The men in the mines were taken ruthless adventage of by mine owners, who exploited them and offered them shacks to live in which, even into the 60s, had no indoor plumbing. I would like to recognize all of the souls who worked so hard for so little, many of whom met their deaths deep underground.  Benetah those smudged faces were proud and hardy men.
Plymouth PA CoalminersMy Mother was born and raised in Plymouth, moving away in 1936-37. Her Father, and other relatives were miners. I'd like to hear from others with similiar backgrounds from the area. I still drive thru Plymouth a couple times a year.        bb1300@aol.com
coal miner's granddaughterGreetings from another NE PA native.  My great-grandfather, great-uncles and grandfather all worked in the coal mines of northern Schuylkill County.  Other relatives worked in the factories, foundries and mills in the area.  This part of the country was also the birthplace of the American labor movement and I am proud to say I'm a union member.
Does Anyone Have?My mother told me that we had an ancestor who was killed at one of the Southwestern PA coal mines in the early 20th century.   Where might I find a list of those who lost their lives in the PA coal mines long ago?  Please contact me at pje6431@hotmail.com.  Thanks.
PA CoalminersMy step-grandfather was also a miner in Western PA in the period 1910-1920??  I don't know if it was Hazelton.  His name was Dominick Demark or Demarco.   He and my grandmother and my father came from Canada, but my father and grandmother were originally from Chaleroi, Belgium.    
Hazleton, PA CoalminersMy great-grandfather and great-uncle worked as coal miners in Hazleton, PA.  Both were born in Kohanovce, Slovakia.  Great-grandfather, George Remeta, immigrated around 1892.  How would I find which mine he might have worked in?  I keep thinking I might be looking at a picture of him and never know it!  Also, does anyone know if payroll records or employee records exist?
Mine near HazeltonThe Eckley Mining Village is located near Hazelton and Freeland PA.  It is an interesting village and informative as well.  Some of the homes are still lived in but when the occupants die the homes belong to the village.  Well worth a visit.  There are some names available and the museum and churches are very good.
Dot
Great-grandpa was a PA coal minerGreat photo...my grandfather was too a Lithuanian immigrant and worked in the mines in Scranton Pa. I cherish the stories my mom told me of her father during that time.  I once took a tour of the Lackawanna Mines..it was an experience I will never forget. My hats off to our forefathers!
grandpa worked in the mines.My grandfather worked in the mines in the Hazleton area also, he kept journals, the year 1946 he speaks about working in tunnel 26 and such....hard life.
HazletonHazleton is in east central PA, near Jim Thorpe, Lehighton, Wilkes Barre and Scranton.  Upstate, as my grandparents called it.  They were from Welsh coal miner stock and were born near/in Hazleton.  These are hard, anthracite coal mines that had been worked heavily since the first railroads went through in the 1840s.
mining accidentMy great grandfather was killed in a mining accident at Highland #2 colliery in Luzerne Co. PA on 2/13/1888.  Would anyone know how I could get a newspaper article/obit/any info available on this accident????
Anthracite mining recordsI don't think they are available online, but the Pennsylvania Archives has microfilm of old PA mine accident records  http://www.phmc.state.pa.us/bah/dam/Coal%20Resources.htm
I'm pretty sure the coal region county historical society libraries have them too.
Re: Mining accidentTry newspaperarchive.com. What was your great-grandfather's name?
anthracite mining recordsFound some online.  They even have 1888. Try here:
http://www.rootsweb.com/~paluzern/mines.htm
Throop Coal Mine Disaster of 1911I see you are from Scranton. I am from Pittston. I put together a booklet on the Throop (Pancoast) mine disaster. I included a few Scranton Mine accidents. If interested the booklet sells for $12. I will pay postage.
Jim Bussacco
1124 Main St.
Pittston Pa   email bing1124.1@netzero.com
Anthracite coal miningI always like logging onto your site. My father and three brothers were coal miners in the Pittston region. I worked as an outside laborer in the tipple of a mine. In 1943, I left the mine to go into the US Navy. When I returned after the war. I worked in strippings.
Pittston was the greatest town in anthracite mining and had plenty of accidents. The last being the Knox mine disaster in 1959. I wrote a book about coal mining in Pittston, including most of the major disasters. I also have a great collection of coal mine pictures, including the Knox Mine Disaster.
I hope more people with coal mine connections log in your site,
Thank you
Jim Bussacco   bing1124.1@netzero.com
PrepselsLooking for info on Prepsels, late 1800s early 1900's. My grandfather Raymond Prepsel (spelled Prepsal on some papers) came from Austria/Hungary to work the mines in the Hazelton area. On his certificate of competency issued by the Miners' Examining Board of the Fifth District of Luz. Co., Pa. dated July 16, 1898, his name is spelled Bribsel. He resided in Deringer in Luzerine [Luzerne?] County. My great-grandfather Paul was also living in the area and in Lost Creek, Pennsylvania. I'm doing my family tree and hope someone who reads this can help me. I only know that Elizabeth Prepsel (Raymond's sister ) married a Leo Witkowski and lived in Lost Creek. I'll keep checking back on this site.
This is the names of the people who signed his competency certificate are Anthony Reilly, Isaac Williams and William Dinko.
My Great Grandfather is in the photo too!John Yuhasz, the tall gent in the back row, fifth from the right (including the boy) is my great grandfather. He migrated from Hungary to work in the mines.  He built a home on Goodman Street in Throop by the ball field just before he was killed in the accident.   His wife never remarried, but his son, my grandfather Louis, worked in the mines until he was in his early 30's, then moved to Detroit, where he worked for Packard Motor Cars.  My mother has this photo too. Louis passed away in 1994 at the age of 87, but he still had his carbide lamp.
My Great-Grandfather was a Coal Miner too!He lived near the Hazleton area and actually died in a mine collapse in 1928.  I have tried to find records of this mine explosion, but all I can find is a list of mine explosions, and there was one where 10 men died in Parsons, Pa. There was no article attached. I'm thinking that might have been the one where he died.  According to family stories, he died during a rescue attempt. Anyway, on the upper right hand corner of this picture is a young man standing in the background who has a strong resemblance to some of the pictures I have of my Great-Grandfather.  I would love to be able to find out if that was him.
Looking for CoalAnyone know where I can order/buy a sample of anthracite?
Mine AccidentGo to www.nytimes.com, and do an archive search for the 1851 to 1980 archives. Put WILKES BARRE MINE in the search box, and confine your search to May 25, 1928 to May 31, 1928. You will come up with three articles about the Parsons mine disaster. However, you will only be able to see the headlines. If you can find a public or college library that has ProQuest, which gives you free online access to the NY Times, you can read and print these articles. Good luck! Joe Manning, Lewis Hine Project.
Johnny DeVeraMy dear father passed away one week ago. he and my mother are both from Pittston. PA.  while going through his things, we came upon a story about a coal miner who never wanted his 11 year old son to follow in his footsteps, but rather wanted him to find a new life.  Unfortunately, as the story goes, he found a new life, only to return to the old and meet  his death.  it is a two page story. beautifully written.  my grandfather was a great writer.  the story has no author.  we are trying to locate the author.  could be my father too. we wonder if this is a true story, regarding the outlaw, Johnny DeVera, the son of a coal miner in PA
Hazleton, PennsylvaniaHazleton is near where the Luzerne, Carbon, and Schuylkill County lines meet. It is about 28 miles South or Southeast of Wilkes-Barre.
PA Lithuanian Coal MinersMy grandfather was a Lithuanian miner sometime before 1960.  He lived in Pittston.  I'd like to find out more about the Lithuanian miners and their families.
Pancoast mine disasterMy grandfather (Joseph Urbanowich) and perhaps his father worked the Pancoast mine .. I was wondering if your information includes the names of the 72 people who perished in the disaster. My grandfather was only 12 at the time, and I cannot find any information about his father. My grandfather was Lithuanian, lived on Bellman Street in Throop (Dickson City) in 1917 .. and then a couple of other places in Dickson City. I vaguely remember him saying something about being born around Wyoming Pa as well .. In any case, I'm interested in your booklet .. do you take paypal ??
Belgian minersDoes anyone have information on Max Romaine or Alex Small from Primrose Pa.?  Alex was my grandfather and Max my great uncle. We are trying to build a family tree and don't have much information on the Romaine part of the family. I know for sure Alex worked in the mine for 50 years and helped get benefits for black lung.  I believe Max was also a miner.
Throop PAI was just reading your reply regarding your greatgrandfather being in the photo.  i was born and raised in Throop and both of my grandfathers worked at the pancoast mine and also my wifes grandfather.  Do you have any other names of people in the photo?  I hae a lot of info regading Throop and can be contacted at sandsroad1@hotmail.com.  thanks
Anthracite coalYou're asking about a chunk of anthracite coal. I can sell you a 5 or 6 pound piece for $5 plus postage. I live in Pittston.
Jim Bussacco
bing1124.1@netzero.com
River ferries & PA coal minesMy grandfather ran a river ferry at Frank, Pennsylvania, also called Scott Haven (name of the post office). The name of the coal mine was different and I have forgotten what it is. I would like to know if anyone knows where this place is today.  I have pictures of the ferry and the school.  Granddad moved the family in about 1920 to Crooksville, Ohio to a dairy farm.  The mine either closed or was a strike and he had a family to keep.  Any help is appreciated.
Judy
Langsford PAI am also interested in confirming a Lithuanian miner of No. 9 mine in Langsford, PA.  Any help would be appreciated.  Michael Lucas or Lukas or Lukasewicz.  Thanks!
Lance Lucas
Amherst, MA
Scott HavenScott Haven is on the Youghigheny River south of McKeesport.Coal mines in this area were Shaner,Guffy and Banning.Many other small independent mines.There is not much left in Scott Haven now.I'm not sure there is even a post office left.
Knox mine disasterMy grandfather was the last one pulled out. Next Jan 22 is there any talk of a get together? 
Hazleton MinesMy great grandparents Stephen and Mary Dusick came to this country in 1888 from Spisska Nova Ves in Slovakia. They knew the place as Iglo Spisska Austria. They had a one year old son also named Stephen. My great grandfather and my grandfather worked in the mines. On the 1900 census I learned that my father, a 13 year old boy, was working as a slate picker.
Perhaps George Remeta or his children knew my family. :)My grandfathers 1917 draft registration gives the name of the mine but I find it hard to read. Looks like Pzeda Bros. & Co Lattisonee Mines PA. I know I'm not close but maybe someone will recognize a few letters.
correction: Lattimer Mines is place where my grandfather workedAfter doing more research I now know the place was Lattimer Mines but I still cannot read _____ Bros. & Co ____
Lattimer Mines and Mine RecordsPardee Brothers and Co.  Ario (Ariovistus) Pardee was patriach of one of the three prominent families (Markle and Coxe Families are the others)who first developed the mines in the Hazleton Area also known as The Eastern Middle Anthracite Field.  Pardee operated the Lattimer Mines where my great grandfather worked and where my grandmother was born.  
For those looking for mining records, look for the Annual Report of the Inspector of Mines.  These reports cover PA's anthracite and bituminous mining districts from 1870 to present.  The reports from 1870 to 1920 or so are particularly detailed.  If you had an ancestor who was killed or injured in an accident, his name, age, and a description of the incident will be included.  You can find some years for some districts online at rootsweb.  Otherwise if you know the area where they worked, the local library may have copies.  If not the State Library and PA Geologic Survey Library in Harrisburg have the complete set.  
Lansford PAIt's Lansford, not Langsford. The No. 9 mine is now a tourist attraction. It also has a museum which has lots of history and photos.
WOW!Wow! I haven't been back to Shorpy for a while now, and it's cool to see that this photo has sparked such a discussion!
I'll take a look at my original scan when I get home tonight and see if there is any other info on the back of the image. I scanned both front and back. (The original photois in the possession of my Uncle). As I remember it, tho, the only person identified is my great-great grandfather. I'll post back if I find anything else interesting.
Your grandfather John YuhaszDo you know the names of the other miners in the photo?  I'm still looking for information on my great grandfather, George Remetta and his son, also George, who were coal miners in Hazleton or Freeland during that time.  Also, what was the name of the mine?
Stephen and Mary DusickIf you could let us know the exact name of the mine it would help! Not sure if my great grandfather, George Remetta, knew your relatives.  If there were Slovak Lutherans, there is a great chance they knew each other.  My great grandparents attended Sts. Peter and Paul Slovak Lutheran church in Freeland.  Church records are available through LDS Family centers and are complete although they are written in Slovak!  Let me know...I'll be checking back with this site from time to time!
Deb Remetta
DusickThe 1900 census just says that my great grandfather worked in a local mine. Doesn't help. They were Roman Catholic as far as I know. My grandfather's 1917 draft registration form gives more clues. He worked in the Lattimer mines and lived on 992 Peace Street Hazleton.
When my great grandfather was 60 in the 1920 census he said he worked with a timber gang. Does anyone know what that was? My grandfather worked as a slate picker when he was 13. Those poor young boys. 
John McGarveyMy grandfather died in a cave-in in 1887, before my father was born in late November 1887. Name John McGarvey. wmcgarvey@tampabay.rr.com
Great-GranddadMy  great-grandfather John Davies was a coal miner from Milnesville. I believe he's in this photo, bottom right hand corner, second from the right. He came to the U.S. from Wales between 1880 & 1895.
Hello from WindberHello from Windber, Pa.  I am writing stories at the present for our new quarterly historical newsletter for the Windber Area Musuem, it is being mailed out to museum members as a thank you for their support, membership is only $5 per yr, if interested in receiving it.  Your story of remembering the guns, etc. is one of the few I have heard from someone who actually still remembers that period of time in Windber's coal strikes., etc.  If you have any photos, or a story of interest, small or big, memories, etc. that I could put in our newsletter I would be happy to receive it.  Also if you happen to have served in the military service we are planning to honor the men and woman from this area by having their photos and service records displayed during the month of July in the museum. thank you for your interest in our endeavor.  Patricia M. Shaffer,  dstubbles5@aol.com
No. 9 MineMike Lukas was my grandfather from Lansford, Pa., and worked in the No. 9 mine until it closed in 1972.
- Mike Futchko
badkarmahunter@yahoo.com
No 6 mine LansfordI am looking for any info on # 6 mine in Lansford.  My grandfather was a miner there and suffered a massive stroke in the mine. PLEASE if you have any info or pictures of this mine, PLEASE contact me papasgirl@verizon.net. Thank you very much.
Lithuanian Miner George NeceskasMy grandfather George Neceskas was a miner in Scranton PA at the Marvin Mine. (His Army discharge papers list his name as George Netetsky).  Some of his relatives still live in Scranton, although I am not personally acquainted with any of them.  None of us ever went down in the mines after he did. He had 4 children.  3 of those 4 had a total of 6 children (including my brother and I) and those 6 children had a total of 8 children. 2 of those 8 children have 2 children each.  None of those 4 bear his last name anymore, although there are still some Neceskases living in New England now. Only his children spoke Lithuanian.  None of his other descendants were taught the language.
Pa. MinersHi! My family (from Plymouth) were all coal miners. They were McCues, Burnses and Keefes, from Carver Street and Vine Street and Shawnee Avenue. My Uncle Fritz (Francis Keefe) was blown up in a mining accident in the 1950's, and nearly killed, but left with a green freckled face on the left side.
   The early relatives were Hugh McCue and Peter Burns from Ireland. County Cork and County Downs. Do you know anything of that? My mother's father, Patrick McCue, born in the 1870's, worked as a breaker boy starting when he was 9. He was orphaned that year.
Please respond to Turkeyfether@aol.com
Thanks, Kathy  
My great great grandfather My great great grandfather worked in the PA coal mines.   He died in 1906 in Scranton when he failed to heed his helper's warnings to not go back and relight the fuse.  He was 46. I have his obituary and death certificate. He suffered a crushed hand, fractured skull and a fractured radius and died from shock. There were reports that his eyeball fell out but I'm not sure. His wife had a ride to the hospital but did not have a ride back so she had to walk 15 miles back home to tell my great grandfather and his siblings that their dad had died. So, my great grandfather and his younger brother started working in the mines when they were 11 and 10, respectively.  He was born in Switzerland and only spoke German at home. He's buried in Forest Home Cemetery in Taylor.  I think my great grandfather started working Pyne Breaker in Taylor and my aunts at the Economy Silk mill in Taylor. 
Coal miners in the 1920 CensusI'm researching family in VA and WV.  I found in a 1920 census in column 13 (normally for year of immigration) the letters BWF and sometimes MH and these men were coal miners.  Can anyone tell me what the initials stand for?  I'm aware of the UMWA, a union.  Could they be the initials of the company name of the mine?  Also the birth state has USW above the state name.  Am I on the right track?  Thanks for any help.
Carol    Caf1b2h@cox.net 
[Googling those initials gives this answer: The census abbreviation BwF means boy living with father; MH means a miner is the head of the household. - Dave]
Two Lithuanian GGF's were Coal MinersOne was naturalized in 1892.   He lived in Scranton, Nanticoke or Sheatown at various times.  
I suspect he was brought over as "Contract Labor".   That was the story from Grandfather, supposedly it was a German firm.   Anyone know the names of the companies that did this sort of thing, in those days?
Does anyone understand what the immigration process was at that time?  I'm trying to work backwards from the Naturalization to establish the year he came over.
His last name was Lastauskas (which morphed into Lastowski).
Underwood CollieryI am looking for pictures, information, families that have relatives that lived in Underwood Village near Scranton that are interested in sharing photos, etc. My grandfather was a mine superintendent there until they tore the village down. Thanks.
[How are people supposed to get in touch with you? - Dave]
Underwood Connection?I recently found a photo of breaker boys on a site called "100 Photographs that Changed the World" by LIFE. My grandfather and G. Grandfather worked in the mines in PA and W.V. The 4th boy from the left, in the front row I believe is my grandfather. If you took my nephew, put him in those clothes, and smeared coal dust on his face, you would not be able to tell them apart. Even the way he stands to the look on his face (we call that the Underwood scowl, my dad had it, my son has it, and my granddaughter has it.
In researching the picture, it was breaker boys from South Pittson, PA. If any one has any information on Clyde or Fred Underwood, I would be excited to hear from you at: kenginlaz@comcast.net.
Thanks!
Mining disaster 1911I live in the uk and have two family members with a date of death/ burial 13/5/1911. Can you tell me where I could find a list of miners killed in Throop disaster in 1911. My email is caroleh1@hotmail.com
Mining disaster infoI would recommend contacting the following for starters:
http://www.pioneertunnel.com/home.shtml
After that, try the Pennsylvania Archives at:
http://www.portal.state.pa.us/portal/server.pt?open=512&objID=2887&&leve...
One other area is the Luzerne County website.
http://www.luzernecounty.org/living/history_of_luzerne_county
These people are an excellent resource at the Osterhout Library:
http://www.osterhout.lib.pa.us/
Last but not least.  Go here first:
http://www.luzernecounty.com/links2.htm
I do not think you will be too successful in your quest. I hope I have been somewhat helpful to you and not  caused too much confusion.
Good luck.
Williams Coal MinerMy great-grandfather and great-uncle both died in a coal mining explosion near Scranton.  I am not sure where though. My dad says it was before he was born, prior to 1928. He thinks it was in Taylor, PA. Anyone have any info on Williams? rcanfield4@yahoo.com
Davis miners of Schuylkill Co. PAMy David ancestors were all coal miners from Schuylkill County, Pennsylvania, in the late 1800s and early 1900s. John Davis, my great-great-great grandfather, came from Wales as a small child. He married Ann Hanna and died in 1902. One of their sons, David David Davis [??] (my great-great grandfather), and Charles Garfield Davis (great grandfather) were miners. I don't know if at any point they spelled or changed their name from Davies to Davis. But there were so many Davis and Davies miners during that time. This was such a huge family with so many children from each generation and I know there were other John Davis'/Davies in the family. Do you have any further info about the family I could research and maybe help? Please email me, froggy3538@msn.com
Lithuanians in the PA minesMy great grandfather and great-grandmother worked in the Scranton mines during the early 1990s [1890s? - Dave]. My grandmother was born in Scranton in 1915.I am interested in finding more info especially documentation of their existence. Their names were August and Anna Palukis. Have you found any similar info?
My email address in barthra@utrc.utc.com
Thanks
Bob Barth from CT.
Taylor Borough Mine Disaster 1907I now have more information regarding when and where my Great GF and Great Uncle were killed.  It was the Holden Mine in Taylor Borough, PA.  Any information would be great!
rcanfield4@yahoo.com
dot2lee@yahoo.com
Hazelton MinesMy mother's father, Conrad Sandrock, worked the mines around Hazelton most of his life. They lived in a small town just out side of Hazelton called Hollywood. There were strip mines across the road when I was young (1950s and '60s). I always love looking at the pictures on this site and wondering if my grandfather worked with any of these men. I know I have never worked a day in my life that would compare to one day in these mines. I take my hat off to all the men who fed their families do this kind of work. Would love to see the average kid nowadays try that.
G-Grandfather Lithuanian coal miner in Hazleton.Apparently my Lithuanian G-Grandfather was a coal miner in Hazleton, PA around 1900-1915. Haven't been able to find out much more information than that. Anyone know where I can find census records, by chance?
Information pleaseMy great-grandfather immigrated from Hungary to work the coal mines at Derringer and Tomhicken circa 1887. I welcome any information you may have about how they were recruited, how they were transported from the port of entry to Tomhicken.
The Pennsylvania Historical society record of Lucerne County said miners paid for a plot of land to bury their loved ones. My great-grandparents lost three of their children and I would like to locate where they are buried.  Also I am interested in knowing if their deaths were recorded by the State of Pennsylvania or some other agency (Town, County) that existed at the time.
Finally, I want to know of any stories that were written about the life that they and their families endured during this time.
Please contact me at mtkotsay@gmail.com
Thank you very much.
[Your great-grandparents -- what were their names? - Dave]
Taylor, PA, Coal Miner RelativesMy mother's family is from Taylor where her father, George Zigmont was a coal miner. They lived in a neighborhood called "The Patch." The houses were built on top of the mineshafts while they were digging the coal out underneath. Years later the abandoned shafts started caving in and the houses became unstable.  The entire community was condemned and the homeowners forced to move.  
My grandfather, his daughter, my great-aunt (who owned Rudy's Bar at the top of 4th Street) and her daughter were among those who had to give up their homes and got virtually nothing for their property or houses. I believe this was in the 1960s or possibly early '70s. 
George's father, Anthony Zigmont, immigrated from Austria/Poland in 1893 and settled in Taylor.  How did these immigrants wind up in Taylor from Ellis Island?  Did someone direct them there?  Did they already have relatives in the area?  Was there a group who immigrated from the motherland and settled together in Taylor? If so, does anyone know where in Austria/Poland they came from?
Slovakia, miners fromOne looks like my grandfather. Second row down on left in white shirt and tie.  Mikula is last name.  He came to PA mines after death of his father in mine accident. Also Mikula. GF left mines to work in auto plant in Detroit.
Greenwood Colliery & drifts behind Birney Plaza, Pa.Information received.
Immigrant coal minersMy grandfather immigrated from Slovakia and worked the coal mines in Coaldale, Pennsylvania. Does anyone know what year this might have been?
My great-grandfatherMy great-grandfather was also a coal miner for Moffat Mines. His place of employment was near Taylor in Lackawanna County. I recently retraced his steps and wrote about it here. What a challenging life they led.
(ShorpyBlog, Member Gallery, Mining)

Church Street: 1911
Burlington, Vermont, circa 1911. "Church Street north from Bank Street." 8x10 inch dry plate glass ... the photo between 1910 and 1920. That would be either 1911 or 1916. Hence, I suppose, Dave’s “circa” in the caption. ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 02/18/2014 - 1:39pm -

Burlington, Vermont, circa 1911. "Church Street north from Bank Street." 8x10 inch dry plate glass negative, Detroit Publishing Company. View full size.
Same scene todayChurch Street is a pedestrian mall.
View Larger Map
Sunday, Sept. 3The day of the Eagles excursion to Montreal.  The LOC database dates the photo between 1910 and 1920.  That would be either 1911 or 1916.  Hence, I suppose, Dave’s “circa” in the caption.
Church St. revisited..As a former resident, I found this particular photo quite enlightening. I worked at several bistros and bars on this street in the 80-90's, Leunig's in particular on the corner of Bank and Church. But the details here are incredible by use of the enlargement to pan in and out. So what is the deal with he ornamental light-right upper on the pulley system for lowering/raising? Oil-kerosene? Pretty unique as is the unknown trolley system, wow. Thanks Shorpy, will be ordering a few of these to take back to Vermont. Cheers! PS, more Vermont pics please??? Chips Hanson/Stowe
[Carbon arc lamp. -tterrace]
Where's the pool table?Those knickerbockers look like they're buckled BELOW the knee!
Anyone here?Sometimes these pedestrian malls kill commerce in a downtown. Customers can't park near stores, or something to that effect. It happened in the 1980s in Eugene, Oregon, I know. By the time we moved, they had begun to reopen the streets to traffic.
Street lights in the rainAnyone know how they kept the street lights working in rain? Looks like the connections weren't real weatherproof.
Stanley SteamerI'm going to go out on a limb and say that is a 1909 Stanley parked at the curb.
Not SureWhat the heck is corset parlor?
You are surethis scene is from Down East by the Moxie sign on the store to the left.
Stanley SteamerYippee!!! Too cool, the Stanley Steamer sitting at the curb definitely dates the photo before 1915; the Stanley was a pretty unusual sight even back then.
[There's no reason an elderly Steamer couldn't be parked at the curb any time after 1915, unless they suddenly dematerialized when they got to be a few years old. - Dave]
Great photoI already posted but this photo is packed with great detail of the Edwardian period of transition from old to modern --the stately matron on the left, but a frisky young girl running up the street (kids will always be kids; timeless) --the blocks of ice in the back of the ice wagon, --the quiet but powerful Stanley Steamer with the well dressed lady waiting patiently in the back seat (a "lady" would never drive) while we know that the Stanley had the pilot-light keeping the steam pressure up; starting a Stanley from cold was a 20-minute process
--the streetcar conductor oozes presence and confidence
--the streetlight-on-pulley to lower for maintenance.  Too cool.
Leunig's locationWe lived in South Burlington, VT for almost 30 years. Leunigs actually was at the corner of Church and College Streets.  
(The Gallery, Cars, Trucks, Buses, DPC, Stores & Markets, Streetcars)

Harvard Gold Coast: 1911
Cambridge, Massachusetts, circa 1911. "The 'Gold Coast' -- Dormitories of wealthy students." Mount Auburn ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 04/05/2023 - 1:03pm -

Cambridge, Massachusetts, circa 1911. "The 'Gold Coast' -- Dormitories of wealthy students." Mount Auburn Street, with Ridgely Hall and Claverly Hall on the left; the whimsical Harvard Lampoon building on the right. 8x10 inch glass negative, Detroit Publishing Co. View full size.
That face!On the little flatiron building.
Still Whimsical After All These Years ...
Anon, a Nun --And some kid.

Gentlemen, remove those silver spoonsI found two news articles.  The January 30, 1904, edition of American Architect & Building News stated construction was about to begin on Ridgely Hall, next to the existing Claverly Hall.
Then an article in April 11, 1927, Time Magazine, about how Harvard President Lowell wanted each class to share the same dormitories, regardless of social status.  I have no doubt his attempt to mix students by their education class and not social is why Alan Jr., Robert, and Henry Hudson refused to attend Harvard (joke), costing them an inheritance (no joke).
Ohhh the fog!Some memories are crystal clear ... others are curiously shrouded in fog!
That face, by the way, is the Lampoon Castle, "clubhouse" for the Harvard Lampoon ... creative incubator for the likes of Fred Gwynne, John Updike, George Plimpton, Conan O'Brien, and B.J. Novak.
The Gold Coast did house Harvard undergrads, but they were originally privately owned buildings. They rented to Harvard families who didn't want their young men to endure having to live in the antiquated dormitories in the Yard. For their time, they were luxury condos, marble and dark oak foyers, with electricity, gas, and running hot water. All the units were suites, comprised of a common room with a fireplace, two or three bedrooms, and a private bath. Likely one of those would be for students' personal valets (students didn't have time to do their own washing and pressing). There are no dining facilities in these buildings as the residents took their meals either on campus or at their respective finals clubs. By 1930, the buildings had been bought by Harvard and absorbed into what is now Adams House. A bit of irony... by then, most Harvard students preferred to live in the newly built River Houses, and Adams was a bit of an "if you must" choice. The building with the archway entry is Claverly Hall (recently renovated), designed with students who did crew in mind. And there is an Adams House suite that's been renovated and appointed to be exactly as it was when Franklin Delano Roosevelt (Class of 1904) was living there. I stayed in a Claverly Hall suite during a reunion ... one of the foggy memories. 
Well played, old man -- thanks for stirring up the foggy ghosts, Shorpy! 
(The Gallery, Cars, Trucks, Buses, DPC, Education, Schools)

Biloxi Shrimps: 1911
March 1911. Biloxi, Mississippi. "View of the Gorenflo Canning Co., taken at 7 a.m. ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 09/17/2009 - 3:47am -

March 1911. Biloxi, Mississippi. "View of the Gorenflo Canning Co., taken at 7 a.m. Many tiny workers here, some of whom began to arrive at the factory as early as 5 o'clock, an hour before they were allowed to begin work, and long before daylight on a damp foggy day. The whistle had blown and they came and stood around merely to hold their places. When the shrimp 'catch' has been good, they begin work early, but today it was not good so they were waiting for daylight. In this group I ascertained the ages of a few, as follows. One child of 6 years, one of 7, two of 8, one of 10 and there were many more." (Lewis Wickes Hine.) View full size.
May swear off shrimpWow!  I might be upset at the sight of 2 dogs in a food preparation facility if it were not for the condition of the whole area.  Looks like the workers had to bring their own buckets and bowls.  And look at the piles of, uh, debris on the floor and everywhere.  What a charming fragrance this place must have had!
HosedThere appears to be a watering hose, not unlike a fire-hose, the nozzle of which, is hanging on the first wooden post. It snakes to the right. Is it a fire-hose or used to wash the tables?
Shrimp boats are a-comin'Peeling fresh whole shrimp is unpleasant work.  There are lots of sharp pointy edges that make your fingers bleed. And eww - eyeballs, too!  I know this was a lot less dangerous than some of the other jobs Hine photographed, but I certainly don't envy them having to stand around and peel shrimp all day long.  And yet they look happy and grateful, for the most part.  I'll have to remember this next time I grumble on a Monday morning.
Free dog IIILove the dog, among other thing a very efficient means of assuring that any shrimps that get dropped on the floor will never get returned to the tables. (Anyone who thinks dogs won't eat shellfish can visit my house.)
ToppersThis image from the past has a magnificent variety of headwear including a fedora, straw hats, caps, bonnets and scarves.
Hard, cold workEven Mississippi is cold in March, and that barefoot kid with the worried look was surely numb from the cold and the wet before the day was half over, and they all must have had numb, sore, and torn up hands by day's end.  It looks like an integrated work force, and I spied what looked to me like a half-pint of whiskey, or a similar bottle, near a woman's shoe.
Got shrimp?It makes me think of Bubba in Forrest Gump. "They knows all there is to know about the shrimping business."
Still shrimpin'Gorenflos is still in the seafood industry, mainly the retail side.I would imagine the dogs kept the rats and cats away.The canneries do have a gut wrenching odor especially in the heat of summer. 
Hard WorkUnlike most of these types of photos, you can make out more than a few smiles, and people seem to be conversing with one another. It must have been awfully stinky, but they seem to be rather content. 
(The Gallery, Kids, Lewis Hine)

Mule Room Boys: 1911
October 1911. Lowell, Massachusetts. "Robert Magee (smallest), 270 Suffolk Street, ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 11/22/2009 - 8:07pm -

October 1911. Lowell, Massachusetts. "Robert Magee (smallest), 270 Suffolk Street, apparently 12 years, been working in Mule Room #1, Merrimac Mill, one year. Michael Keefe (next in size), 32 Marion Street, been at work in #1 Mule Room for eight months; apparently 13 years old. Cornelius Hurley, 298 Adams Street, been at work in #1 Mule Room for six months; about 13 or 14 probably." Photograph and caption by Lewis Wickes Hine. View full size.
What the heckis a mule room?
[It's the room in a cotton mill that houses the mules, or yarn-spinning machines.  - Dave]
Ya gotta lovethose shoes!
Sense of prideWhen I see these old photos of boys outside of their workplace (and sometimes inside), they seem so proud of themselves. I wonder if it's because they are having their photo taken or because they have a job? I'm not saying bring back child labor, but there's a difference in the faces of a tween in a school photo and in a work photo from back then.
If ya ask meI'd say the big boy is sweet on the little boy!
And if ya ask meBig brother just gave little brother a "Wet Willie!" 
Hurley FamilyCornelius Hurley's father was Michael Hurley who worked for the city as a laborer (pick and shovel), was 41 in 1910, and was a widower before 1900.  His mother's maiden name was Sarah Dempsey.
Cornelius (13) had two brothers and a sister.  His brothers John J. (16) and Michael J. (15) both worked in a carpet mill and had not attended school in the last year.  He and his sister May/Mary A. (14) were still attending school in 1910. 
He served in WWI.
By 1920 their last name had changed to Herlihey.  His father is still working for the city as a laborer and Cornelius has now joined him in the same capacity with the city.  His brother John is a weaver at a carpet mill.  His brother Michael and sister Mary are working as clerks for a candy manufacturer.  They are all still living at 298 Adams Street.
In 1926 he went to Detroit, MI.
By 1930 he he had moved to Chicago, IL and he was a salesman for a soda fountain supply company.  He married Charlotte Strand on December 15, 1931 in Chicago.  They later moved to Los Angeles, California where Cornelius died on November 1, 1953.
(The Gallery, Kids, Lewis Hine)

302 Mott Street: 1911
December 1911. Family of Mrs. Mette making flowers in a very dirty tenement, 302 Mott ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 09/09/2011 - 10:29am -

December 1911. Family of Mrs. Mette making flowers in a very dirty tenement, 302 Mott Street, top floor. Josephine, 13, helps outside school hours until 9 P.M. sometimes. She is soon to be 14 and expects to go to work in an embroidery factory. Says she worked in that factory all last summer. Nicholas, 6 years old and Johnnie, 8 yrs. The old work some. All together earn only 40 to 50 cents a day. Baby (20 months old) plays with the flowers, and they expect he can help a little before long. The father drives a coach (or hack) irregularly. View full size. Photo and caption by Lewis Wickes Hine.
DirtRobert,
You need to click on the full size option.
The floor is dirty, the door has small child "art", the table cloth is dirty and has numerous holes.
I'm sure they are doing their best under who knows what type of circumstances.
Where's the dirtThe notes state, "a very dirty tenement."  There are some things like a wash-tub and a scrubbing-board that are in plain view.  Maybe those thing cold have been stowed a bit better.  But the wall cabinets have lites you can see the shelves inside and the insides seem to be in order. The floor is clean.  The women's clothing seems to be quite nice.  Those boys look fine with their jackets and even a scarf on one.  The only thing that shows something a bit out of order is the dark blotches on the oil cloth. Most likely holes.  The house keeping looks great to me.
Making flowersI've seen other flower photos here... who do they make the flowers for and what are they used for?  Hats maybe?  Also, are they real or silk?  Must be fake right? 
[Probably made for clothing manufacturers in the garment district. I'm not sure how they made artificial flowers back then. Although we do have some photos of real roses being dipped in white wax. - Dave]
Dirt  If you look at the wall by the mirror you can see the "dirt" on the wall.  My guess is that it is from smoke from a cook stove or coal heater.  People used to scrub down their walls every spring to remove the grime accumulated from a winter of heating and cooking.  I guess the comment of "very dirty" spoke to the grime on the walls as much as anything else.
  Actually if you look at the table and other furniture in the room they seem pretty ornate.  A family fallen on hard times?  Dragging once nice stuff from place to place, each place a little more worse for wear than the last.
Not DirtyPoverty is not the same as being dirty. The linoleum on that floor may be a wreck from being where one enters the house. Perhaps they don't have the money to go out and replace it. The baby's high chair may also be putting black marks on the floor as it gets dragged around. They also might have to haul some coal upstairs for the stove. 
These folks lived in a world of maybe 10 people in an apartment the size of the average kids bedroom these days. They are so poor that the entire family including kids is working to keep their heads above water financially. These weren't the days of handi-wipes and swiffers and vacuum cleaners and kids laying around all day playing on their computers and listening to their ipods. 
BTW, the kids clothes all look very clean. Any mess on a baby is because it's a baby. There's no washer and dryer sitting nearby to pop the kid's jammies in every time they get a little mess on them.
If you're ever in New York, you can get an eye opening introduction to how how immigrants to America lived down on "the lower east side" by going to this museum. I've been there. Take the tour of a real tenement which was purchased and "saved for historical/educational purposes.
http://www.tenement.org/
Go read the works of Jacob Riis and look at his photos. It's a testament to the human spirit that these people left their homelands to come to a new country to try to get a better life for themselves and their kids. This is the story behind Ellis Island and the Statue of Liberty. It's the story behind the American dream.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jacob_Riis
Dismissing things as dirty misses the point.
Thanks for sharing the photo, however. It's appeciated.
[The captions describing these photos are by photographer Lewis Hine, written around 100 years ago. "Dirty" is his description, not ours. - Dave]
Re: Not DirtySomething we mention every now and then: The captions describing these tenement photos were written by photographer Lewis Hine almost 100 years ago. "Dirty" is his description. It helps to remember that he is trying to paint a bleak picture for his audience -- the U.S. Congress -- in his organization's effort to end the practice of child labor.
StagingSomething to remember about Hine's photos is that they are not "candid" photos.  At this period of time, taking a photo like this required a big heavy camera on a tripod, and a flash powder apparatus.  Probably the table had to be moved back toward the wall and sink to "get it all in."  Since it is a "staged" photo, I'm sure Hine controlled what was in the photo to get his story across.
[That would be posed, not "staged." Big difference. - Dave]
Dirty TenementsThis is Joe Manning, of the Lewis Hine Project. Hine had a habit of commenting about the cleanliness and neatness of his subject's houses or apartments. I suspect that it might have just been a value judgment based on his own preferences. Perhaps he was very fastidious, maybe picking that up from his mother when he was growing up in Wisconsin. We can't assume that he was just trying to exaggerate for effect. I did research on a woman who was photographed in her house in Leeds, Mass. She was putting bristles on toothbrushes. Hine's caption, in part, says, "putting bristles into tooth brushes in an untidy kitchen." I interviewed the woman's granddaughter, who had never seen the photo. When she saw the caption, she said, "Untidy kitchen? Gramma was spotless. You could eat off her floor."  
Point Taken DaveGood point, Dave. Thanks for clarifying that.
[One of my many pet peeves. I could start a zoo! - Dave]
Dirty? Untidy?Thanks for the great insight, Joe. It sounds like Mr. Hine had a few quirks of his own. Don't we all?
BeautyThey may be poor but they do have a gorgeous opalescent vase standing on the shelf in the upper right hand corner.
I lived there302 Mott Street, 5th floor.  Small apt, typical for NYC.  great location.  Miss the city.
EurekaMrs. Mette was Maria Auletta/Avoletti Motta, who lived with her husband Joseph and  eventually with their nine children born between 1896 and 1920. By the time this photo was taken Maria and Joseph were naturalized American citizens who had spent most of their lives in the US (after being born in Italy). Oldest daughter Lucy is not picture or mentioned in the caption. Baby was Daniel, born in 1910.
Joseph died in 1919 at the age of about 50, while the children eventually married and mostly moved to Long Island.
The family lived at 213 Mott Street in 1905 and 105 Thomson Street in 1915 (no 1910 listing).
(The Gallery, Kids, Lewis Hine, NYC)

The Witts: 1911
May 1911. Roanoke, Va. "Dependent Parents. R.L. Witt. He is apparently working on ... own living neighbors with more kindness. The Witts: 1911 This is Joe Manning, of the Lewis Hine Project. The girl on the right ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/31/2011 - 10:49am -

May 1911. Roanoke, Va. "Dependent Parents. R.L. Witt. He is apparently working on the railroad, but his three oldest children, here work in the Roanoke Cotton Mills. Mamie is only 12 years old and earns very little. Home is very poorly kept. Mother would not be in the photo." Photo by Lewis Wickes Hine. View full size.
If R.L. remarriedwould the siblings be half-Witts?
Now this is poorAnd people today think they have it tough.  I can't imagine what it would be like to grow up in a family as hard up as these people.  Hard working and still just making ends meet.  Barely!!
Clarence WittThe boy, based on the 1910 census is Clarence, born 1896.  By 1920 he is still living in Roanoke, and is married to Creasey and they have a 1 year old child.  He works for a hardware company and can read and wright.  In 1930 he is still in Roanoke and still working for a hardware company and his wife, now called Minnie, and he have 6 children, Robert, Russell, Grace, Richard, Howard and Ada.  The oldest four children are all in school.  That is the story of America during the immigration period.  We look at those poor kids working in factories and farms and worry.  But in large part, they grew up and lived better than their parents, and their kids better than them.  
Before there were iPadsThis picture is a classic example of the "old days" when families struggled to earn a living and the children were expected to contribute. Not a lot of playtime for the kids. This family displays the simple dignity of folks who endure life's struggle without being self-conscious over their condition or place in society.
My paternal grandmother would have been about the age of the girl on the right. She knew hard work all her life.
This website is a reminder of our past - with its stately buildings and its stately families.
I hope they were able to afford shoes later in life and were able to enjoy the marvels of Maytag.
BOTH Washboards Broken?Perhaps both washboards on top of the wooden barrel are out of service, considering all of the moving parts they have.  My mother would have been saddened by this picture stating that soap and water are cheap.  She grew up on a dry land cotton farm in the Texas panhandle with nothing.  Water from a cistern, no power etc.  Her childhood friend lived on the neighboring farm in a dirt floor shack. Even the dirt floor was always swept clean and hard as concrete, the children were clean, dresses and bonnets were clean etc. Every time I see a similar situation as above I always think of my mother, her stories and her wanting to just grab kids like these and scrub 'em good.
Big LickMy great-grandfather might have worked right alongside the man pictured -- he was born in Roanoke in the 1880s and began working for the railroad shortly before this photo was made.
It's quite probable that this house is still standing somewhere in South Roanoke, and I feel I may have even passed by it dozens of times in my life.
Mamie WittHere we see another shot of Mamie working in that cotton mill.
Clean GetawayMy mother, born in 1919, had 9 brothers.  Everyone worked on the farm and most had side jobs as well.  Spare time was an unknown commodity.  Yet my grandmother managed to keep them all CLEAN!  She worked like a mule, but the key word there is "work." There was very little money when I was growing up but my mom would have stole a bar of soap, found a puddle and a rock, and cleaned that mess up. And she was no thief, but you get my point.  The first thing I see when I look at this picture is laziness, not poverty.
[I'll bet your grandmother didn't do laundry with a bar of soap and a puddle. Laundry was generally a once-a-week affair that involved fetching water from a pump or well, boiling it over a fire or stove, a lot of scrubbing, then drying and ironing. If you have but one or two changes of clothes, work in a knitting mill and have a dirt yard and no plumbing, this is how you look before washday rolls around. - Dave]
No, she didn't do our laundry in a puddle.  She pressed clothes in a dry cleaners six days a week so she was busy with other peoples wearables.  But your not taking into consideration the unkempt porch, dirty hair and the lone shoe. Other folks worked in dirty jobs as many hours and didn't live this way Dave. That was all I'm saying.
[I suspect that if we traveled back a hundred years -- or looked at more of Lewis Hine's photos -- we might come to a different conclusion. - Dave]
Out of the pictureThe statement "Mother would not be in the photo" might be a clue as to why this family is so dirty.  Maybe she was too depressed or sick to do anything.
It's back!Yet another random single shoe in the yard.
Pick Me, Pick Me!Looks like the littlest one is digging for gold, there!  Thankfully, kids never change. All of us probably have picture of ourselves or one of our siblings with a finger up the nose!
What does it say about us?We all look at a 100-year-old photo of a family on  the porch of their home. All the people in it are long dead.
Yet it's possible for us to still pass judgment on them: "They were lazy!" "They never heard of a bar of soap?" 
Many of us have ancestors who also grew up extremely poor, hard-working, and needy, in both small towns and cities across America. That we are all here at all is a tribute to their determination and success. Yet just as many families were destroyed by sheer bad luck - by eminent domain, by sudden accidental death, by fire, flood or influenza. 
This family is gone. Is there harm in feeling sympathy for them, even if their clothes are dirty and their house is slovenly? We cannot know the troubles they bore - whether the mother never recovered after the birth of her youngest less than four years ago, whether the father was a gambler, a tippler, or a wastrel, or whether the children had any supervision or guidance. Perhaps there is even some benefit to imagining them compassionately. It may help us regard our own living neighbors with more kindness.
The Witts: 1911This is Joe Manning, of the Lewis Hine Project. The girl on the right was Eva Witt. The father was named Robert L. Witt. I talked to the son of Russell Witt, one of the boys in this family who was not pictured. He was very surprised about the Hine photos (there are four of this family, three of them with just Mamie in them). He did not know what happened to Mamie or Eva, but he knows someone in the family who is working on the family tree. He will see if he can get more information from that person.
(The Gallery, Lewis Hine)

Carnival Ride From Hell: 1911
January 1911. South Pittston, Pennsylvania. "A view of the Pennsylvania Breaker. ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 06/24/2021 - 11:31pm -

January 1911. South Pittston, Pennsylvania. "A view of the Pennsylvania Breaker. 'Breaker boys' remove rocks and other debris from the coal by hand as it passes beneath them. The dust is so dense at times as to obscure the view and penetrates the utmost recesses of the boys' lungs." Photo by Lewis Wickes Hine. View full size.
From the 1906 book The Bitter Cry of the Children by labor reformer John Spargo:
        Work in the coal breakers is exceedingly hard and dangerous. Crouched over the chutes, the boys sit hour after hour, picking out the pieces of slate and other refuse from the coal as it rushes past to the washers. From the cramped position they have to assume, most of them become more or less deformed and bent-backed like old men. When a boy has been working for some time and begins to get round-shouldered, his fellows say that “He’s got his boy to carry round wherever he goes.”
         The coal is hard, and accidents to the hands, such as cut, broken, or crushed fingers, are common among the boys. Sometimes there is a worse accident: a terrified shriek is heard, and a boy is mangled and torn in the machinery, or disappears in the chute to be picked out later smothered and dead. Clouds of dust fill the breakers and are inhaled by the boys, laying the foundations for asthma and miners’ consumption.
        I once stood in a breaker for half an hour and tried to do the work a 12-year-old boy was doing day after day, for 10 hours at a stretch, for 60 cents a day. The gloom of the breaker appalled me. Outside the sun shone brightly, the air was pellucid, and the birds sang in chorus with the trees and the rivers. Within the breaker there was blackness, clouds of deadly dust enfolded everything, the harsh, grinding roar of the machinery and the ceaseless rushing of coal through the chutes filled the ears. I tried to pick out the pieces of slate from the hurrying stream of coal, often missing them; my hands were bruised and cut in a few minutes; I was covered from head to foot with coal dust, and for many hours afterwards I was expectorating some of the small particles of anthracite I had swallowed.
        I could not do that work and live, but there were boys of 10 and 12 years of age doing it for 50 and 60 cents a day. Some of them had never been inside of a school; few of them could read a child’s primer. True, some of them attended the night schools, but after working 10 hours in the breaker the educational results from attending school were practically nil. “We goes fer a good time, an’ we keeps de guys wot’s dere hoppin’ all de time,” said little Owen Jones, whose work I had been trying to do.
        From the breakers the boys graduate to the mine depths, where they become door tenders, switch boys, or mule drivers. Here, far below the surface, work is still more dangerous. At 14 or 15 the boys assume the same risks as the men, and are surrounded by the same perils. Nor is it in Pennsylvania only that these conditions exist. In the bituminous mines of West Virginia, boys of 9 or 10 are frequently employed. I met one little fellow 10 years old in Mount Carbon, West Virginia, last year, who was employed as a “trap boy.” Think of what it means to be a trap boy at 10 years of age. It means to sit alone in a dark mine passage hour after hour, with no human soul near; to see no living creature except the mules as they pass with their loads, or a rat or two seeking to share one’s meal; to stand in water or mud that covers the ankles, chilled to the marrow by the cold draughts that rush in when you open the trap door for the mules to pass through; to work for 14 hours — waiting — opening and shutting a door — then waiting again for 60 cents; to reach the surface when all is wrapped in the mantle of night, and to fall to the earth exhausted and have to be carried away to the nearest “shack” to be revived before it is possible to walk to the farther shack called “home.”
        Boys 12 years of age may be legally employed in the mines of West Virginia, by day or by night, and for as many hours as the employers care to make them toil or their bodies will stand the strain. Where the disregard of child life is such that this may be done openly and with legal sanction, it is easy to believe what miners have again and again told me — that there are hundreds of little boys of 9 and 10 years of age employed in the coal mines of this state.
-- John Spargo, The Bitter Cry of the Children (New York: Macmillan, 1906)

A little researchOne little search on google answers the question of if this is still allowed to exist. 
http://hrw.org/children/labor.htm 
Think Outside the USIt may not be happening here, in the US of A but that doesn't mean it isn't happening...
http://hrw.org/children/labor.htm
how trueI agree totally with the previous comment. But serious, this is a fantastic photo-- how incredible that this was (and probably still is) allowed to exist!
Breaker BoysThere haven't been any kids in American coal mines since the child labor laws were passed around 80 years ago. Plus of course coal-sorting is automated and done by machines now.
Breaking..The little boy in the center of the photo looks to be about my son's age. Thinking about my son living that life tears me up. I can't fathom what it would be like to send your child off to that, much less having to work it.
That dangerous line of work made for some amazing photos, and some serious thought...
This picture has me wondering..I realize that children had to work hard to survive back then, but even my generation had to help our parents as soon as we were able to. Aren't we now raising a bunch of lazy kids that will never grow up. First you worked when you turned 6, then 9 or 10. It's getting so that we are letting children stay children way too long today, and parents are spoiling them to the point that often they are still living at home as adults. There has to be a happy medium here somewhere. I expect that in coming years we will still be taking care of our "children" well into their twenties! Don't get me wrong, my heart breaks to see these tiny children in these photos having to do the things they did to survive!
Required School SubjectPerhaps a required course about child labor should be taught in schools.  Maybe today's children would gain an appreciation of what they have rather than lamenting what they do not have.
Children staying children....Quote "...we are letting children stay children way too long today, ....." Unquote.
Pray tell....at what age should a child cease to be a child?
BK
Canberra
Children staying children...At what age should a child cease to be a child? That's easy. The answer in America is 18. If you're old enough to go to war or vote, you're an adult and it's time to get with it.
I started working part time (with a work permit) at 15, and my father made it clear I had to be self sufficient or in college at 18, after graduating high school. It worked out pretty well, and I think that vast bulk of children today would benefit from a few deadlines.
Children staying children....I remember my US Marine son saying "I'm old enough to vote and to die for my country, but I can't legally drink a beer." He was age 20 when he said this.
Coal Miner's DollarThis may be a foolish question, but where did the boys put the rocks and debris they retrieved?  Was there some kind of separate "trash" channel within the chute?  Did they just toss it somewhere to the side?
The text description of the work is chilling. And these children endured this hellhole for less than Loretta Lynn's "miner's dollar" - 60-70 cents a day.
Maybe not in Americabut people who aren't Americans are still human beings, right? Still people with souls and hearts and, as Neil Gaiman wrote, entire lives inside every one of them.
And we all tend to think of them as lesser beings, or their troubles as less important to us, because they were born on the other side of an artificial border. 
Mine Owners BurdenDo you believe that any of the folks who profited from the work of these children every set foot in one of these mines? Do you believe THEIR children ever had to even lift a finger to get whatever they needed or wanted ? Just the same old story, the elites living on the backs of the majority. Don't think it isn't going on right now, and that it couldn't happen here if the moneyed elite (left and right) could just get their way! Ah, the good old days!
[Yes, they did set foot on the premises. They also provided a livelihood for the thousands of people who chose to work there. - Dave]
What beyond bare subsistence is a livelihood?Directed to Dave's response to "Mine Owner's Burden":
Perhaps the owners did set foot in the mines, perhaps they did support "the thousands who chose to work there"; but what choice did many of these kids have? Many were either orphaned or born into families without the means to survive if their children did not go to work in the mines. The fact is that the mine owners DID NOT pay a wage that allowed for the families to live above poverty level, even with their sons working beginning work at age 7 or so.
[As Lewis Hine documented in his report to the National Child Labor Committee, hardly any of these children were orphans (back when orphans were usually committed to orphanages). Most of them came from two-parent households that, as Hine took pains to point out, didn't need the extra income. And there were other employment opportunities for boys their age -- work in agriculture, fabric mills, markets, etc. - Dave]
From Bad to WorseJust when I thought Tobacco Tim had it bad, Shorpy's comes up with this. Unfortunately I'm quite sure that things have been even worse for some kids. 
Something to ponderBehind every "endowment for the arts", "trusts" that built museums and public venues and all originating from the money made in that era there are proverbial hunched shoulders of the boys as on the photo. 
AirI feel honored to join a line of comments that stretches back over 14 years to the time of the original posting of this photo.  This is a piteous sight indeed, these children performing appalling work in such cramped and hunched-over positions.  The text by Spargo documents the numerous horrible features of the job, not the least of which was the dust in the air.  Which makes me wonder: couldn’t the overlords at least have opened that window?  Sure, it was January, but wouldn’t the chill have been worth it for the sake of fresh air?
Constant reminderI live in Northeast Pennsylvania not far from old coal breakers, plus the mountains of culm and coal waste. I was told that the probably the hundreds of thousands tons of this stuff was picked by boys just like these. 
110 years laterThis photo is heartbreaking. However, it struck me that today a group of children would have the same posture - all bent over their phones. That is heartbreaking, too, in a different way.
Gramps Survived ThisMy granddaddy (1891-1969) was a breaker boy in Pennsylvania. He had to help support a large family. I remember hearing that he got $2 a week and a box of groceries. Then he went off to Europe and fought in WWI in France. He must've been a tough guy but never showed it. He lived a long life but finally black lung disease and a heart attack did him in.
(The Gallery, Kids, Lewis Hine, Mining)

On the Street Where You Live: 1923
... Jack) and sell Asphalt Products to passers-by. Built 1911 Washington Post, Sep 17, 1911 Building Permits B.M. Artley, to erect two-story frame ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 09/12/2011 - 5:19pm -

Washington, D.C., circa 1923. "Allied Asphalt Products Co., 3402 18th Street N.E." National Photo Company Collection glass negative. View full size.
Wish I Lived There...I would sit in a rocking chair on that front porch sipping iced tea (possibly strengthened with a little Black Jack) and sell Asphalt Products to passers-by.
Built 1911

Washington Post, Sep 17, 1911 


Building Permits

B.M. Artley, to erect two-story frame dwelling at 3402 Eighteenth street northeast, $1,375.  C.M. Chaney, architect; R. Dows, contractor.

Street parkingSomething seemed odd about this house and it finally clicked: it doesn't have a driveway!
There are other cities in the US and WorldDave ~
I realize it is your hometown, but enough of the D.C. photos already.  Please.  It's not a very attractive city and there is an entire world of historic photos out there - could we see some of those.  Please.
[There are two things (at least) you seem not to be aware of! - Dave]
What a nice houseI wouldn't mind a house like that. Very attractive. Today, it appears that there's a church on that lot.
And now ....View Larger Map
Do NOT talk to the neighborsThat's a pretty formidable brick wall on the right.  Assuming that there is just another house past it, I wonder what prompted someone to build such a thing.
That's the type of thing H.P. Lovecraft would have given a morbid reason for.
CharmingVery charming house that is fit to illustrate the phrase "good old days".  But, I don't like the curve of the pole on the left, and I wonder why the tall brick wall on the right?
Mighty oaks from little acorns growI wonder if the sapling in the original picture is the same as the grown up tree showing in the Google street view.  It looks to be in about the same spot.
The "wall" and street treeTwo things...the small street tree in the old picture, it appears to be the same cultivar as the huge tree in the modern street view.  Wonder if it is?  Also, the wall, appears to be the small single story storefront seen in the modern street view as well.
WallIs that a wall or the side of a building? If so, the building appears to still be there next to the driveway.
Ok, I'll bite...From previous comments....

I realize it is your hometown, but enough of the D.C. photos already. Please. It's not a very attractive city and there is an entire world of historic photos out there - could we see some of those. Please.
[There are two things (at least) you seem not to be aware of! - Dave]

Dave, what "two things (at least)" are you referring to?  I suppose the #1 reason is that one of the primary resources for the photos of this site is the Library of Congress in Washington, D.C.  Are you counting the two major contributing studios (Harris & Ewing and National Photo Co.) as two distinct reasons?
Additionally, in response to the Anonymous Tipster, I believe the architecture of D.C. is both special and intrinsically attractive - it reflects the monumental architecture one would associate with a Capitol city as well as the American vernacular architecture  of the past two centuries.
Nice shuttersI was disgusted by the shutters on my own home--they had been added as an afterthought and were completely unnecessary. When the garage was tacked onto my house, the wall ended right beside a window, so the owners just put the window's other shutter on the garage wall, perpendicular to the window. So ugly. I thought to myself, the house was built in 1920! No way would they have done something so stupid then! But check out the shutter-work on this place. I guess I was wrong!
Sears Home?This looks very similar to a Sears home of 1908-1914.
http://www.searsarchives.com/homes/1908-1914.htm
Modern Home No. 159 has many of the same attributes as this beauty
Just around the cornerJust around the corner from
1804 Kearney Street N.E.
https://www.shorpy.com/node/5713?size=_original
DC Real Estate Records show
3400 - 3402 18TH ST NE
Owner Name:  	PURITY PENTACOSTAL DELIVERANCE
Mailing Address: 	3406 18TH ST NE; WASHINGTON DC20018-2722
DC Real Estate Records do not list a 3404 18th St NE
Side of a buildingThat indeed is the sloping side of the building next door. Dave, DC is fine. Keep it up
In My Humble OpinionI think the wall must have been the property line.  Looking very close, I think there is also a driveway between the house and wall, although it is not very well maintained, and it is very narrow.  Also it has a lot of grass and weeds in it.                                            Have a Great Day!
Off-street parkingRather than driveways, this area appears to have alleys.
Sorry, FreddieMiss Doolittle is not receiving visitors today. You are about 95 years early; we were expecting Mr. Shaw first.
Built 1911I am stunned to see the building permit notice from the Washington Post (see comment below). The builder-architect, C.M. Chaney, was my grandfather (mother's father). His full name was Conrad Marene Chaney, and he was a prominent housebuilder in Northeast Washington for many years. He is noted as one of the pioneers in bringing the bungalow-style house to the Distict. He passed away in 1938, a year before my mother was married, so I never knew him.
No drivewayIn the old days, neighbourhoods had these nifty things called back alleys. Most people parked their cars in detached garages that faced the alley. That way, if a car was left running or if a fire broke out residents wouldn't be in risk of their lives, and the street wouldn't look like a Parade of Garages. (Electric and other wires also ran down the back alley, and the city picked up garbage there.)
I'm not sure why I'm writing this in past tense, though, since I've never owned a house that didn't back onto an alley.
My Shorpy RoutineWhen the day is full with not a lot of time I'll view the photos then scan the comments to look for any [Dave zingers] - until there's time to catch up on the full list of the comments later. A classic Dave bit today.
Not my street, but around the cornerI live about four blocks from this house and walked down there to see what I could see about this place. There is indeed an alley behind this particular block, though not all blocks in our neighborhood have them. Also, if you look closely at the left side of this photo you can see another house behind the trees; I believe that house has been incorporated into the two storefront church now numbered as 3400/3402. (You can see it when viewed from the alley). I assume that the subject of this picture was demolished and replaced by the tan storefront and the little apartment walkup, I guess in the 1930s. Finally, I think the brick wall on the right side of this photo is the south wall of the dreary OOB "childcare center" that exists there today. 
As a neighbor, I sure wish there were something else on this block now, either homes or viable storefronts. These buildings are all essentially abandoned, having been vacant or "under renovation" for most of the ten years I have been in the area. There are dozens of storefront churches around...I can think of four others within three blocks of this site. 
(The Gallery, D.C., Natl Photo)

Gray Gardens: 1911
Atlantic City circa 1911. "Hotel Strand." And a vista of manicured monochrome greenery. 8x10 inch ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/02/2012 - 7:40pm -

Atlantic City circa 1911. "Hotel Strand." And a vista of manicured monochrome greenery. 8x10 inch glass negative, Detroit Publishing Co. View full size.
And it's dang hardto grow grass on the beach.
Completely misunderstood"Hey Charlie, I lined up a couple of hoers back at the hotel."
Replace your divots!Looks like the ghosted gent on the left is swinging away. I wonder what their task is here, surely not a path, maybe a garden area. The gents in the distance behind the hedge may have clippers in their hands.
The Saratoga looks like a bow tie affair.
The Strand at the BoardwalkThe Strand at the Boardwalk and Boston Avenue was bought by Steve Wynn for $8.5 million and torn down. In 1980 he built Golden Nugget Atlantic City casino at a cost of $140 million. It closed in 1987 and is now Atlantic City Hilton.
Fireproof Fun in the SunThis hotel was at Pennsylvania Avenue (now Danny Thomas Blvd) on the Boardwalk, right at the famed Steel Pier. The hotel claimed to have a fireproof garage and baths supplied with running saltwater, similar to the saltwater pool at New Jersey's Palisades Amusement Park high atop the Palisades north of New York City. 
"The Hotel Strand is a modern, fireproof building, constructed of steel, brick and granite, and having a capacity of about 350 guests. It is situated directly on the oceanfront of Pennsylvania Avenue, the most prominent and widest thoroughfare of Atlantic City. The dinning-room is so constructed that a full view of the ocean may be had from every table. The bedrooms are so arranged that a suite of two or three with a private bath and parlor communicating can be secured." -NY Times, January 4, 1903 
However, the fireproof boast caught fire fifty years later: "Mrs. Esther Schoenthal, 63, is the first of four persons to be rescued by firemen after being trapped on the 7th floor ledge of the blazing Hotel Strand at Atlantic City. Two other guests and a maid were trapped on the ledge for more than an hour as smoke boiled about them during the million dollar fire." -AP, April 1, 1953
It was eventually knocked down, and today the Trump Taj Mahal. 
(The Gallery, Atlantic City, DPC)

Swan Street, Buffalo: 1911
Buffalo, New York, circa 1911. "Swan Street." The motorcar gains a foothold where hooves once trod on ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 07/22/2012 - 10:41am -

Buffalo, New York, circa 1911. "Swan Street." The motorcar gains a foothold where hooves once trod on Swan in Buffalo. 8x10 glass negative. View full size.
Elllicott Square BuildingA block up the street on the left is the Ellicott Square Building.  When it was built, in 1896, it was the largest office building in the world.  
Nice Truss!That's an optimistic tire patch, and it doesn't look home-made. Could it be a Patented Herniated Tire Belt?
Parking against the kerbI was always taught (in UK, and I don't think kids these days are taught it anyway) that if you are parking on a downwards slope against the kerb, then turn the wheels inwards so that if the handbrake gives then the vehicle would only roll towards (and be stopped by) the kerb.  The car in the centre of the picture would roll out across the highway.
Right Hand DriveOf the cars where the steering wheel can be seen, all three have right hand drive. Surely they weren't all imported from eg. Europe? When did LHD become standard in the US?
[There was a gradual transition from a mix of left- and right-hand drive cars. - Dave]
Where's Waldo[rf]?I see Statler
Meep! Meep!Why am I imagining that Wile E. Coyote is somewhere under that great block of stone on the curb?
Anchor? Horse-hitch? Something to do with the ghostly passers-by?
TaggedThe cars have two license plates. Why izzat?
[One for New York and one for Ontario. - Dave]
VaultsI love the carriage all the way on the right. "Vaults for Silver storage. Cold Storage Vaults for furs." Not a fancy motorized vehicle but instead an old fashioned carriage with wooden wheels.
Looking at windowsOne of the ways you can tell if a building is from the 1800s or not, is if it has arch-top windows. Obviously they knew how to make flat-top windows then. The top floors of the buildings shown here have them. The 1907 hotel Statler has them entirely. 
Obviously they didn't abruptly stop making them on December 31, 1899. But for the most part, you can date a surviving old brick building when it has those windows.
The building in the right foreground is a classic round-top masonry example that would have been around during the Civil War. I love it, especially the windows. (Though I'd hate to try and get a 2011 glass man to replace one of those upper panes).
Was it just fashion that made so many buildings have this look, or was there something structural all those keystones added to the masonry, which the flat top windows do not give the walls?
The Hotel Statlerbuilt in 1907 at Swan and Washington Streets was Ellsworth Statler's first hotel.  Although still owned and operated by Statler, it became the Hotel Buffalo in 1923 when the new Statler at Niagara Square opened (built where the Castle Inn had stood).  Hotel Buffalo was sold in the 1930s.  It was closed in 1967 and demolished in 1968.  The land was vacant until what is now Coca-Cola Field was built in 1988.
Tire patchWonderful tire patch.  THE most important historic element in the photo.
Arched WindowsArch-top windows don't need a steel lintel to hold the masonry above them.  The masonry arch itself directs the downward force of the bricks or stones above out to the side.  With a flat top you need to use steel or a very hefty chunk of stone over a very narrow opening to do the same thing.  Glass for an arched window isn't very difficult to get, and even the window frame itself isn't particularly complicated as long as it's a wood window (metal windows or metal-clad windows are another story).  Getting glass that's bowed out, like you see in the windows around some turrets, now that's difficult.  
I figure the turn of the century is about the time that steel became cheap enough and well understood enough structurally to be used for window and door lintels.  It certainly saves on masonry work, because you don't need to build wood falsework to form the arch, nor do you have to cut the many bricks to fit around that arch.  Unfortunately, these steel lintels need to be painted and maintained, because if they start to rust they break up the masonry around them and are a huge pain to replace.  
Multiple License PlatesCars that traveled out of state were not automatically considered registered in their non-home state.  We take for granded this reciprocity today.
Oftentimes you needed to acquire a temporary license plate or a permit to operate your vehicle in the state you were visiting.  These license plates would differ by size, shape, and/or color to differentiate them from regularly issued plates.
Probably the owners of these vehicles worked in New York City and commuted from Ontario or vice versa.  The use of multiple license plates can be found in many places including photos of New York City, with New Jersey or Connecticut license plates displayed, and in the District of Columbia with Maryland or Virginia license plates displayed.
+111Below is the same view from September of 2022.
(The Gallery, Buffalo NY, Cars, Trucks, Buses, DPC)

Fork Mountain School: 1911
... West Virginia ( historical location ), October 31, 1911. Scanned from a silver/sepia print. My grandmother, Myrta Shafer, ... her oldest child, was not born for another six years). 1911 was the first year that costumed trick-or-treating was recorded in North ... 
 
Posted by Splunge - 08/22/2011 - 1:14pm -

Fork Mountain School, West Virginia  (historical location), October 31, 1911.
Scanned from a silver/sepia print.
My grandmother, Myrta Shafer, all of 24 years old at the time, is the school marm standing by the tree, next to the girl who seems so intensely grim. I know that my grandmother was a teacher, and as I have been unable to identify anyone else in the photo, I assume that this was her class (my father, her oldest child, was not born for another six years).  1911 was the first year that costumed trick-or-treating was recorded in North America, so I doubt these rural children were preparing for a night of confectionery extortion. Perhaps their stolid expressions simply reflect their prospects, growing up in the devastated tinderbox that was Tucker County in 1911. View full size.
(ShorpyBlog, Member Gallery)

Harvard Eddie: 1911
May 13, 1911. "Harvard Eddie" Grant, third baseman for the Cincinnati Reds. A Harvard ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 11/07/2022 - 5:09pm -

May 13, 1911. "Harvard Eddie" Grant, third baseman for the Cincinnati Reds. A Harvard grad who practiced law after retiring from baseball, Eddie was among the first to enlist in the Army after the U.S. entered World War I in 1917. An infantry captain, he was killed by an exploding shell in France, where he is buried.  Gelatin silver print by Paul Thompson. View full size.
Salute! “Edward Leslie Grant gave his all not for glory, not for fame, but just for his country.... His memory will live as long as our game may last.”
— Kenesaw Mountain Landis
Eddie's Final Resting PlaceEdward L. Grant
Captain, U.S. Army
307th Infantry Regiment, 77th Division
Entered the Service from: New York
Died: October 9, 1918
Buried at: Plot A Row 2 Grave 24
Meuse-Argonne American Cemetery
Romagne, France
(As listed in the American Battle Monuments Commission website (www.abmc.gov)for WWI overseas burials)
In ten seasons, Grant batted .249 with 5 home runs and 277 runs batted in.  His most productive season was in 1910 with Philadelphia of the National League, where he hit .268 with 67 runs batted in.
The curse of Harvard EddieI think the Giants would be wise to replace his missing plaque: http://www.worldwar1.com/tgws/thismonthgrant.htm
Eddie GrantSomewhat the flavor, feel and appearance of the original "Field of Dreams."
Edward L Grant Highway There is a street in the Bronx called Edward L Grant Highway, running from 167th Street and Jerome Avenue (a few blocks from Yankee Stadium) up to the Cross Bronx Expressway. I believe it is also known as University Avenue, which led to the NYU Bronx Campus, where the NYU Hall of Fame is located. I think the campus has been shut down for many years and don't know if the Hall of Fame is still operational.
Eddie Grant MemorialThere was a tombstone/memorial in dead center field in front of the clubhouse at the Polo Grounds dedicated to Eddie Grant. See the May 30, 1923 article in the NY Times here.
Curse of Harvard Eddie was broken yesterdayFWIW, Giants management has been unable to recover the lost monument or plaque, but a new plaque was created and installed on the wall by Lefty O'Doul Gate at AT&T Park. Doing a little more research, that plaque has been lost more than once, but the replacement must have put the spirits upset over this neglect at rest. The San Francisco Giants won the World Series yesterday.
Fear the beard. Go Giants.
(The Gallery, Cincinnati Photos, Paul Thompson, Sports, WWI)

The Funny Place: 1911
Atlantic City circa 1911. "Bathing at the Steeplechase." George C. Tilyou's Steeplechase Pier and ... an era of mind-boggling change. There were people alive in 1911 who were born in a world without trains, planes, automobiles, electricity, ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 07/20/2012 - 3:43pm -

Atlantic City circa 1911. "Bathing at the Steeplechase." George C. Tilyou's Steeplechase Pier and some interesting signage, including a bear-filled Steiff Toys billboard. 8x10 inch glass negative, Detroit Publishing Company. View full size.
Full Moon OutLooks like a little wardrobe problem.
Pre-Alfred E.I believe we have the inspiration for the first "What, me worry?" kid.
Nucky's WorldThanks for all the recent AC shots. They're particularly evocative, as I've been watching the wonderful Boardwalk Empire. And that Steeplechase face is so iconically creepy, I love whenever it pops up.
Only one reason for such a turnoutAs hundreds of young ladies make ready in the warm Atlantic surf, the big crowd up on the boardwalk is waiting for that annual favorite, the ever-so-sexy Wet Swimming Gown Contest. 
Inspiration for the Coppertone kidin the straw hat.
Backward sign"Lipschitz Cigars"? That's true, especially if you don't light 'em.
Hello!And we have one guy staring back at the camera with a big "hiya!" for the future.
Large Swimmies?Or has this bather got air pockets in their swimwear? I think that is a hat this person is wearing.
Mystery SolvedSo Atlantic City is where Hannibal Lecter grew up. 
Master of his domainWhy, yes, here I am.
It's Tillie!Anyone who went to Asbury Park, NJ before 2004 will remember Tillie, the famous mascot on the side of the Palace Casino. I realize now that he is named after George Tilyou. Tilyou must have built both amusement park piers.
Thank you for teaching me something new about my beloved home state and one of its beloved icons.
[update: "Tillie" was indeed Tilyou's mascot. appearing on the Steeplechase Piers at both Coney Island and Atlantic City, and the Palace Casino in Asbury Park. Tilyou deserves his own day of recognition for bringing so much pleasure to decades of visitors to the NY/NJ shore resorts.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tillie]
No Way to Explain

New York Magazine, Jun 28, 1993 


Summer Places
By Pete Hammill

There is no way to explain to today's young about the vanished past. But it retains a fierce power.  On a recent visit, I walked west on the boardwalk and saw the Parachute Jump rising 260 feet above the summer sky.  The old ride had been repainted, landmarked, fenced off, existing now only as a piece of municipal structure, a monument to what we lost.  Worse, it is all that remains of Steeplechase - The Funny Place, the fifteen-acre amusement park that George C. Tilyou founded in 1897 and that was vividly alive when I was in my teens. The symbol of the park was a huge grinning face, a slightly menacing mixture of Alfred E. Neuman and the Joker. A mechanical racehorse round around the edges of the park, the carved wooden horses and their live human riders moving into the dells and over water and above hedges, while music played on a blurred sound system. 
Steeplechase charged a general-admission price that kept out the winos and the riffraff (bragged those who paid), but that didn't free it of Coney Island's tawdry charms. The rides and runways were packed with thousands of people, eating corn, cotton candy, ice-cream cones.  During World War II, you saw sailors in the park, laughing wildly in bumper cars, moving kids aside to try games of chance and sometimes winning plaster Kewpie dolls and stuffed animals. 

Oops, after posting this I learned that the above extract of a Pete Hammill column is probably referring to the Steeplechase Pier at Coney Island, not the one in Atlantic City. Apparently the Alfred E. Neuman/Joker face was a signature logo of the franchise.
These make me a bit sadEvery time I see people of this era enjoying what was to be the very last years of stability I get a little morose thinking what was to come for them.  They are all gone now and with them stories of a much simpler time.
[This was an era of mind-boggling change. There were people alive in 1911 who were born in a world without trains, planes, automobiles, electricity, telegraphs, radio, phonographs, motion pictures or telephones, and then came to see all of these things during their lives. Hardly "simple times." - Dave]
PioneerYesterday I watched the 1952 movie, Million Dollar Mermaid, on TCM about the Australian swimming champ Annette Kellerman (played by Esther Williams). It had a beach scene that took place in 1907 and the bathing suits looked just like this. Kellerman was one of the first to popularize tight fitting one piece bathing suits for women and was even arrested for indecency for wearing one in Massachusetts!
Lucky NuckyEnoch "Nucky" Thompson (re: Boardwalk Empire) is probably sitting over there, cigarette in hand, glass of bourbon (neat) on the table, counting his money!
Re: ... a bit sadMy grandmother was one of those people Dave refers to in his comment response below. She was born 19 years before the Wright Brothers' first flight, and died five years after we'd landed on the moon.
Marking time with Halley's CometI think it was fascinating that Mark Twain was born in a year when Halley's Comet was visible on earth and he died at 74 while it was once again visible on earth.  Astronomers estimate it passes approx. every 74 to 75 yrs. apart and I got to thinking that my mother saw it twice since she was born in 1910 (the year Samuel Clemons died) and lived until 1995, ten years after its 1985 return.  Though we tend to get nostalgic for our loved ones and wish they were here to see what is happening now, we don't realize all the experiences and adventures they had which we will never know and will never come again.  Every era has its redeeming events and we have no choice but to live in the world in which we find ourselves.  My mom fondly remembered the depression years as being her favorite for special memories even though they were living an austere life.  She was in the bloom of youth, beautifully good-looking, madly in love with her husband, had her children then and enjoyed endless good friends and made life-long relationships. She lived close to the 1939 World's Fair in NYC for that year. The lack of money was part of her joy-filled memories of "making-do", simple amusements like the beach above (they had buses), common every-day activities were relished, no car, no vacations, thrifty creative cooking, just totally embracing the intangible happiness of loving and living life.  She never seemed envious or resentful of the affluent, but thrived in living her life with enthusiasm and survived well into the age of computers, space stations and skype, surely a life well-lived.  Yes, time machines would be great, but will never happen, so we might as well live while we can.  Unlike Halley's comet, we only go around once.  
Those SwimmiesThose "large swimmies" are probably Ayvad's Water-Wings, made in Hoboken.  Meant for either adults or children as an aid to swimming or learning to swim, they were canvas, coated on the inside with some sort of water-repellent substance, and had a stopper made out of wood and metal.  I have an old pair in pristine condition.  You can still find them quite frequently on eBay.  I think they were marketed from about 1900 to 1930, so there are lots of pairs still out there.  You can also spot them in old mail order catalogues.
Harlot!Who is the slut showing her knees just above the SHORPY watermark?!
Re:  a bit sadThe comment regarding people living in these times and having all these new inventions reminds me of my grandmother, who was born in 1903 and lived on a farm for her first 20 years.  She died at age 105 in 2008. About five years ago I asked her what she thought was the most important improvement had happened in her lifetime.  To my  surprise she said the invention of the tractor was the happiest for her. It unburdened the hard life the draft horses on the farm had. They still used them to pull the wagon to take them to town, but they didn't have to work in the fields anymore. Grandma was sharp as a tack til the day she died, so it wasn't dementia talking.
The StrandI see a building with signage calling it the Strand. I am familiar with one in Galveston, TX which has historical significance back to prior the famous 1900 hurricane. Are these related? Was there a chain of Hotels under this name?
["Strand" means beach. - Dave] 
(The Gallery, Atlantic City, DPC, Swimming)

143 Hudson Street: 1911
New York, December 1911. "143 Hudson Street, ground floor. Mrs. Salvia; Joe, 10 years old; ... some sort. [It's a gas meter. There was no radio in 1911. - Dave] Nut Pickers It doesn't look that horrible, at ... conversion site. According to their calcs, one dollar in 1911 would equate to $23.64 in today's economy. So, their nut enterprise would ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 09/09/2011 - 6:17pm -

New York, December 1911. "143 Hudson Street, ground floor. Mrs. Salvia; Joe, 10 years old; Josephine, 14 years old; Camille, 7 years old. Picking nuts in a dirty tenement home. The bag of cracked nuts (on chair) had been standing open all day waiting for the children to get home from school. The mangy cat (under table) roamed about over everything. Baby is sleeping in the dark inner bedroom (three yrs. old)." Photo and caption by Lewis Wickes Hine. View full size.
re: Paper ThingsI think they're Victorian Christmas tree decorations which are usually filled with nuts or candy.  I would guess that the family is shelling walnuts to put into the paper containers (cone and slit-sided).  
143 Hudson Street:This is Joe Manning, of the Lewis Hine Project. I found the sons of Joe and Camille last year and interviewed both of them. This is quite a story, but I haven't posted it on my website yet. This tenement burned down a few years later, and the family lost everything, including their family pictures. When I sent the Hine photo to Joe's son, he was very excited, because it was the first photo he had seen of his father as a boy, his grandmother at a younger age, and the inside of the tenement where they lived. Joe became a New York City policeman and moved to California when he retired. Camille married and had a long and successful life. The story will be posted on my site some time this year. www.morningsonmaplestreet.com/lewishine.html
ExaggerationHines sure likes to breathe fire into every scene.  Place doesn't look dirty to me -- just messy, like any kitchen where work is being done.  Cat doesn't look mangy and cats always roam all over everything.  All seem to have shoes (a good sign in those days).  So, the nut bag was open all day -- so what.  They have protective shells.  Hines certainly did an admirable job of depicting poverty but I don't think this is one of those times based solely on the photo.  They all look pretty happy to me.
[Hine's motive, as we have pointed out many times, was the elimination of child labor. So his captions, which accompanied these photos in the National Child Labor Committee's report to Congress, tended to paint as bleak a picture as possible. As for the cat, his point was that fur, fleas etc. could have gotten into the nuts, which were already cracked and would go back to the wholesaler to be sold to the public after the kids had removed the shells. Communicable disease and adulteration or contamination of foodstuffs and fabric were among the health issues attached to tenement homework. - Dave]
The CatSorry, but I must once again take exception to Mr. Hine's description, even though I know his intentions. The family looks happy, and I would hardly describe the apartment as "dirty." My 3 cats "roam about over everything," as all cats are wont to do, and this one is no more mangy than I am. Cats really have a bad rap, considering they are one of the cleanest creatures on earth AND they keep vermin populations down.
[His point was that cat hair, fleas etc. could have gotten into the nuts, which were already cracked and would be sold at market after they were hulled. - Dave]
Judgy?The caption seems a big judgmental to me...the place may be a bit messy but it's not as bad as the caption says is it? They all seem to be happy. The furniture looks pretty nice.
Josh
Radio?Anyone know what the "thing" is hanging on the wall next to the calendar?  Looks like a box of some sort.
[It's a gas meter. There was no radio in 1911. - Dave]

Nut PickersIt doesn't look that horrible, at least they're smiling. The way Hine describes this scene, he would have had a stroke seeing the people in the Elm Grove picture.
The WallsIn this photo and in a lot of other photos of tenements, there always seems to be a lot of pictures hanging on the walls. I've always wondered why this is.
Also in this photo the wallpaper is unusual. Can anyone make out what the pattern is?
Items on lineThere's a line/cord running from the doorway to the gas meter and it has items hanging from it.  Can anyone tell what they are?  The look like little paper lanterns to me.
Christmas ornaments perhaps?
[Are they papillotes? Those paper cutlet frills you'd put on the bones of a crown roast. Maybe another branch of this family's cottage industry. - Dave]

Paper thingsI don't know about the slit-sided ones (can't tell for sure if they have a bottom or liner in them) but to this day you can buy nuts at Christmas in those cone-shaped bags like that, so maybe they are all nut-containers of some kind.
Shell GameFrom their smiles, it does appear they are trying to make a game of this tedious task.  That looks like a sewing machine at far right.  If so, it would seem Mrs. Salvia could earn more by stitching piece goods for the garment industry than shelling nuts.  But maybe not. I don't think any of the home workers earned much, whatever the task.
[According to Lewis Hine's notes, "nut-picking" brought in about $4 a week. - Dave]
Nuts to DollarsOut of curiosity, I went to a dollar buying power historic conversion site. According to their calcs, one dollar in 1911 would equate to $23.64 in today's economy. So, their nut enterprise would garner the equivalent of something like $88 per week now. 
The thing on the wallIn the tenements, each apartment had a gas meter installed on the interior wall. If you wanted gas, you put money in the slot like a vending machine, and you could run your stove, lamps, what have you till the money ran out.
TB WindowThose windows commonly seen in old tenement photos like these were called "Tuberculosis Windows".  The idea behind them was to facilitate air circulation in those stuffy tenements, thus helping to alleviate the TB that was rampant at the time. 
143 Hudson StreetThis is Joe Manning, of the Lewis Hine Project. The link to my story of this family has been changed. It is now:
http://morningsonmaplestreet.com/2014/11/26/camille-and-joseph-salvia-pa...
(The Gallery, Kids, Kitchens etc., Lewis Hine, NYC)

Dormitory: 1911
... cards. Our cadet/orderly/cook has calendars for 1910 and 1911 on the wall, and a crest for the Quartermaster Corps on the bed. Thanks to ... Card ID Third card to the right of his left ear is 1909-1911 Chicago White Sox Doc White. From upper right, two down, four over is ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/15/2008 - 9:44am -

"Young man in dormitory room." More baseball cards. Our cadet/orderly/cook has calendars for 1910 and 1911 on the wall, and a crest for the Quartermaster Corps on the bed. Thanks to Kurt for suggesting this photo. View full size. National Photo Company Collection glass negative, Library of Congress.
The Middle ShelfIt looks as though the middle shelf of his desk has more of the postcards that he's papered his wall with. Based on the size of his pocket watch (on the next lower shelf) those shelves aren't very wide. There looks to be more Baseball cards on the shelf above.
I'm not sure if that's a toothbrush below the tooth powder cans. Somehow the size of the head looks to be too large - as large as his pocket watch. 
Note the whisk broom on his table; just the thing for brushing off a uniform. There are so many details about this picture that make you want to know more.National Photo suggests the Washington D.C. area; the decoration suggests permanent residence; the fact that it's not a large barracks room but rather just two beds in a small room suggests either a junior officer or an NCO (which his apparent age would argue against) but his clothing suggests something lower. Even the emblem of the Quartermasters Department (before 1912) on the bed doesn't tell us bis branch of the Army. Wouldn't equipment such as this, issued by the Department be marked in a obvious way to prevent theft?
Tiny FridgeThat shiny object next to his elbow resembles a tiny refridgerator. the guy looks like a medical intern/student.
[Back in the olden days, they called it a mirror. - Dave]
Baseball cards!It's too early for the Babe, but there could be a Ty Cobb rookie card on that wall. Either way I'd give my left arm for those cards!
This is an amazing photo.This is an amazing photo. Can anyone identify any of the players on any the baseball cards? This picture belongs in the collection of the National Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown!
Mosquito nettingWhen was the last time you slept with netting on your bed? This was a time when we still had outbreaks of Malaria and yellow fever in this country. 
Kittens of Doom?The postcard in the top row, seventh over looks like it could be a Harry W. Frees picture of the "Kittens of Doom." Being pulled in a cart by what looks to me like a chicken? I am probably way off.
Cool picture though, we plastered our dorm room walls with tons of stuff too. Almost 90 years later... 
QM CorpsThe crest on the bed appears to be the insignia of the Quartermaster Corps: sword and key on a wheel, topped with an eagle. GI bed.

Hey JudeDoes this fellow remind you of Jude Law the actor? Great picture at many levels.
Sugar DaddySeen on the wall: I like this town. I think I'll buy it for you. 
Too funny!
PinupsThe thing that struck me immediately was the modesty of our cadet's pictures of ladies.  And yet, there they are, up on the wall for him to sigh over.
Collegiate SlobEvidently his RA never told him where the laundry room was. What, was he picking watermelons? Playing baseball?
Back in the olden days, they called it a mirror. - Dave
You're crackin' me up, man.
If You're a Man, Smile!What's on the wall. Click the image to zoom, then click a second time to expand.

Toothbrush/powderThe toothbrush looks rather well worn. Interesting containers for the toothpaste and powder.
And if you don't smile?Guess our friend is not-so-manly.
This IS an awesome post, Dave. Are those records in the middle shelf of his desk? I can't decide if that's what it is or just some papers/books.
[On the wall: "If you're a man, smile! If you're a dog, wag your tail." - Dave]
Dorm GuyI think the mosquito net is interesting. Tropical climes maybe.  Like everybody else, I would really like that baseball card collection.
Card IDThird card to the right of his left ear is 1909-1911 Chicago White Sox Doc White. From upper right, two down, four over is Frank Chance, Chicago Cubs, published by American Tobacco Company 1909-1911.
TyThat's Ty Cobb leaning on the can by the pole at the right.
Christy MathewsonA 1911 Christy Mathewson card is in the row above the whisk broom, 5th card from the right.
Cards Cont'dMost of the cards to the left of this fellow are T 205 gold border cards, published by the American Tobacco Company in 1911.  The complete 208 card set can be seen here -- http://www.vintagecardtraders.com/virtual/t205/t205.html
The one leaning on the can is not Ty Cobb but Albert Bridwell, NY Giants --
 
I can ID most of the gold border cards.  Starting below the post card with the dogs, to the left of the calendar, the three portraits are (top-bottom) Owen Wilson, Pittsburgh Pirates; John J. McGraw, NY Giants; and Arthur Devlin, NY Giants.
Directly to the right, the four cards are (L-R) Larry Doyle, NY Giants; G. C. Ferguson, Boston Rustlers; Frank L. Chance, Chicago Cubs; and William A. Foxen, Chicago Cubs.
Farther right, three cards vertically (top-bottom) Arthur Fletcher, NY Giants; Charles E. "Gabby" Street, Washington Senators; the bottom one I have not been able to ID.
The five in full view to the right of the 'Ty Cobb' can (L-R) Christy Mathewson, NY Giants; Robert Ewing, Philadelphia Phillies; George Gibson, Pittsburgh Pirates; Frank L. Chance, Chicago Cubs; and Tony Smith, Brooklyn Superbas.
That is all.  Someone else do the rest!
This is a dorm room for sure...Girls on the wall, sports figures and not a book to be seen.
Gems"I love my wife, no more kids"
"I like this town, I'll buy it for you."
"We had a rompin' good time."
Positive ID?OK, I think I got the one T 205 I couldn't before (bottom card in the vertical set of three farthest right).  I believe it is Thomas J. Needham, Chicago Cubs. Other possibilities are Harry McIntyre, Chicago Cubs, or Ed Konetchy, St. Louis Cardinals.
  
CardsThe cards behind his head look like mostly t206 white border.  I see Josh Devore, Hal Chase, Red Ames, Ed Foster, Doc White, Christy Mathewson, Heinie Berger...
Burning Down the HouseIt just occurred to me that this fellow looks like David Byrne of Talking Heads.
i am entrancedThis is truly a fine and complex room. It radiates the personality of the occupant. Though he doesn't smile, his relaxed pose shows a humor that comes through in his eyes. The hands are clean and held in a "just ask me" clasp of slight composure. The ladies on the wall compete
with the ballplayers. As was a sign of the times. Influenza was out and about, as were malaria and encephalitis. Mosquito nets were a necessity everywhere.
My only big question is: Can you tell me about the 3rd large postcard or picture on the left?' It looks like Coronado Island of San Diego. I am sure I am wrong. Thanks for the excellent work on this Dave. It gave me introspection for my day of calamity (so far).
(The Gallery, Natl Photo, Sports)

Hudson Motor Cars: 1911
Washington, D.C., circa 1911. "Hudson cars, H.B. Leary agency, 1317½ 14th Street N.W." Harris & ... Why??? 99 years and still on the road Here's a 1911 Hudson, snapped at a car show in Concord, North Carolina, April 10th, ... the faux siding are even the same as what was there in 1911. The Star building is holding up well though. View Larger ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/07/2012 - 10:39pm -

Washington, D.C., circa 1911. "Hudson cars, H.B. Leary agency, 1317½ 14th Street N.W." Harris & Ewing Collection glass negative. View full size.
Keep the Cars Coming!I love the pictures of the cars! Where else can we see such detail of these cars "in period"?
Enough!How many more pictures of DC car dealerships are we going to have to suffer through?
Squeeze me.I bet kids found those horns irresistible as they walked by parked cars.
Great Scott!I looked and looked, and then my wife noticed: These are all right hand drive cars! Why???
99 years and still on the roadHere's a 1911 Hudson, snapped at a car show in Concord, North Carolina, April 10th, 2010. Its body style (touring car) is like the one visible in the storefront window. This was only the third year for Hudson production.
No Hupmobiles?Five spiffy Hudson models in a row and not one Hupmobile!  I owned a Hudson myself for over 40 years.  They were good cars (obviously).
Great historical car photographI love these vintage car photos. They are as much about our history as the architecture behind them. This photo just got copied into the Hudson folder in my digital car collection.
memo to 8:28Hey Anon at 8:28 - some of LOVE pictures of old cars.
If you're "suffering" - GO SOMEWHERE ELSE !!!!!!
What's wrong with cars?What's wrong with pictures of cars? Besides, they're neighborhood pictures. At least around here, we no longer have laundries on the scale of the Star Laundry next door. Quaker Oats isn't a surprise, but some of the store-side ads are. Some products are a lot older than you think.
Please keep to the LeftThere was no requirement for left-hand steering in those days-- but Henry Ford switched from right to left in October 1908 as his Model S gave way to the Model T, and he wound up with enough sales volume to influence the trend. By about 1914, most or all the US cars had settled on left-hand drive.
[In 1914, many if not most American cars used right-hand drive. Even in the early 1920s some manufacturers were still using RHD. - Dave]
Seriously?These dealership photos are beautiful. Americana at its finest. Keep 'em comin'.
Anyone know where Star Laundry might be?I see eight signs in this picture. Wow.
Star LaundryThe Star Laundry building is still there, relatively uncannibalized, at least above the first floor level.  At street level, it is now the La Villa Restaurant, a take-out fajitas and taco joint. The buildings on either side, including the Hudson dealership, have been "updated" beyond recognition. No way to tell if the buildings behind the faux siding are even the same as what was there in 1911. The Star building is holding up well though.
View Larger Map
My HeritageAs the scion of two generations of hand laundrymen, I understand the importance of "We mend your linen." If the customer didn't know his sheets were torn, the storekeeper took the heat. Sometimes they would be beyond repair and were returned unlaundered.
As for "Regular Pkgs 10¢" -- my grandfather opened his laundry on Market Street, on the Lower East Side, in 1910. Unfortunately, he died in 1935, so I'll probably never know if he ever got as much as a dime for a bundle of wet wash.
In any case, notwithstanding the disapproval of Automobile Dealership Americana, this is one great photo.
Left and RightEarly cars had right-hand steering because the brake lever (which was hand-operated), gearshift and horn were on the outside of the car. Since most drivers were right-handed, they had to sit on the right to reach them.
Car displayWhat I find so interesting about most of these car photos is that the cars are displayed on the street.  The businesses were storefronts rather than stand-alone car lots.  I suspect this is the case since cars were rare and most probably had to be special ordered. I wonder when the stand-alone lots became the standard mode of car sales.
Bring on the Detroit DealershipsI can't wait until you feature MORE early car dealerships. Bring 'em on!
8:28: What a Party PooperI love the old auto dealership photos. Why should 8:28 complain? There are also old buildings in the photo.
I propose that a right-hand drive auto be driven over the foot of 8:28 until a more reasonable attitude is evinced.
More HeritageMy dad was an automobile dealer all his life. I practically grew up in showrooms and used-car lots in the 1950s and 1960s.  I love these shots, keep 'em coming!
Times have changedThat Hudson dealership is now a gay bathhouse. 
(The Gallery, Cars, Trucks, Buses, D.C., Harris + Ewing)

Alhambra: 1911
Cleveland, Ohio, circa 1911. "Euclid Avenue at 105th Street." 8x10 inch dry plate glass negative, ... were long since abandoned. Collectible plates Those 1911 Ohio license plates were made of porcelain, and highly prized by license ... axles and the early use of coil springs. No Horses 1911 and the horses are already gone. Look carefully! See any 7 or 8 ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 07/30/2012 - 10:46pm -

Cleveland, Ohio, circa 1911. "Euclid Avenue at 105th Street." 8x10 inch dry plate glass negative, Detroit Publishing Company. View full size.
IonicI wonder if the Ionic Quartette got positive or negative reviews.
Ionic QuartetteI would love to know what an "Ionic Quartette" is.
And what is it I'm supposed to "Not Fail" to do?
All gone nowThat area is now where most of the Cleveland Clinic buildings stand.
Case Western is just a mile or two further down the street from here.
Bright ideaSomeone should put a traffic light at the corner soon.
Street PaversI'm always amazed by the thousands of pavers in city streets. A lot of manual labor. The car behind the Model T Ford on the left looks like a Stearns.
39092The car with the milk can tied on the back is definitely being driven by Buster Keaton.
AlhambraThe Alhambra stood till the mid 1970s on Euclid Avenue. It was torn down to make room for the Cleveland Clinic. By this time the neighborhood was in a major downswing and most buildings were long since abandoned.
Collectible platesThose 1911 Ohio license plates were made of porcelain, and highly prized by license plate collectors.
A great time to have lived.I have always been fascinated with era of the 1890s to the mid '20s.  Beautiful buildings, horses, cars and trolleys on the street at the same time. 
Buster KeatonThe car with the milk can is a Brush, designed and built by Alanson P. Brush. It was a small, simple, one cylinder runabout. Unusual features were wooden axles and the early use of coil springs.
No Horses1911 and the horses are already gone.
Look carefully!See any 7 or 8 year old boys?  There was one named Leslie (he usually went by Lester then) Hope who lived with his parents in 1911 near where this picture was taken.  They had been in the US for only 3 years.  His mother used to take him to occasional Vaudeville shows at the Alhambra.  He later changed his name to Bob and eventually made some movies, a few of them with a fellow named Bing Crosby.
Interesting mix of left and right hand drive vehiclesThe car behind the Stearns is a Baker Electric which was advertised as being the perfect auto for ladies. No engine to crank and no smelly gasoline fumes. They were driven from the rear seat and the passengers rode in the front seats, which could be swiveled around so you could carry on a conversation with the driver face to face. They also had marvelous curved glass on the corners of the cabin and little flower vases inside. The one behind the Baker is a White made in Cleveland. Possibly a steamer, as White only started producing gasoline cars in 1911. 
Alhambra --> Ronald McDonald HouseIf I am correct that this photo is looking east, then the spot where the Alhambra was is now where the Ronald McDonald House is. As others have said, this area is dominated by the Cleveland Clinic now. The current view is totally different:
View Larger Map
The one structure nearby that is still standing from that era is the East Mt. Zion Baptist Church, which is about one block to the west.
(The Gallery, Cars, Trucks, Buses, Cleveland, DPC, Streetcars)

Packard Fire Squad: 1911
May 3, 1911. Detroit, Michigan. "Packard fire squad." Ask the fireman who owns one. ... guys were very proud to have such a nice fire truck in 1911. I bet they had the new guy crank it up. Roots of a solid reputation ... Two spares Given the state of tire technology in 1911, it wouldn't be surprising if they had to stop in the middle of a fire run ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 07/24/2012 - 9:53pm -

May 3, 1911. Detroit, Michigan. "Packard fire squad." Ask the fireman who owns one. 8x10 inch glass negative, Detroit Publishing Company. View full size.
Model 30This looks like a Model 30.  It roared along with a booming 30 horsepower. Top speed of maybe 20 mph with all those guys and their gear on it. Here's a survivor, exactly the same angle.  If it weren't for a few details, you might think it was the same machine.
Sharp dresser!Look at the kid.  Even I don't dress that well.
A future fireman??The young boy looking on certainly seems duly impressed.
What a magnificent machine!I know that the design of cars has improved a thousandfold since then, that modern vehicles are faster, more economical, safer, easier to maintain and operate, more reliable, more comfortable, &c., but since I was a little boy I've loved this kind of design. Of course, back then every car was something special.
Stupid questionbut are those tires white? Or is it just the angle and my eyes are deceiving me?  I've seen white ones on motorcycles from this age but not on four-wheeled vehicles.
[Natural rubber is white. Eventually the tire manufacturers started adding carbon black to the mix. - Dave]
DoppelgangerThe man holding on to the windshield on the far right bears a startling resemblance to actor Russell Crowe! Looks like the headlights on that rig were Acetylene-gas powered.
Love the boardI love the board attached to the curb, leading the vehicle down to the street. It reminds me that motor vehicles were still so rare that this sort of solution had to be improvised. I bet these guys were very proud to have such a nice fire truck in 1911. I bet they had the new guy crank it up.
Roots of a solid reputationPackard enjoyed a great reputation that was in part based on the excellent commercial vehicles it built early in its history.
Tough Guys!There are some tough looking dudes on that truck!
MissingNo curb cut for the driveway, and no Dalmatian.
Left-hand drive?I'm curious as to why this fire truck has left-hand drive in the States.
[It has right-hand drive. Not at all unusual for the era. - Dave]
Two sparesGiven the state of tire technology in 1911, it wouldn't be surprising if they had to stop in the middle of a fire run to change a tire.
Hey !I need a can of Brasso and a rag.
Squad rigWhile this rig does have a chemical tank on it it is primarily for transporting firefighters to a fire.  In 1911 horse drawn steam pumpers, hose wagons and ladder trucks (not motorized) where the rule as gasoline powered versions of such equipment are in their infancy.  By 1921 horse drawn rigs would be in the minority and would all but disappear by the late 1920's. Such "squad" rigs and chief cars were often the first gasoline motor vehicles a fire department would purchase.
It's the BeavI think that is Beaver Cleaver visiting Fireman Gus. 
(The Gallery, Cars, Trucks, Buses, Detroit Photos, Fires, Floods etc.)

Ellis Island: 1911
New York circa 1911. "Inspection room, Ellis Island." 8x10 inch dry plate glass negative, ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/01/2012 - 5:43pm -

New York circa 1911. "Inspection room, Ellis Island." 8x10 inch dry plate glass negative, Detroit Publishing Company. View full size.
A new beginning, or maybe notImagine what this room must have been like when all those benches were full. Such emotion, such optimism, and likely, such fear. I can only wonder how the immigrants felt who were directed to the door behind the officials on the left.
This Room WasA Cathedral of Hope for so many thousands.
Ellis Island KidsSince all four of my grandparents came to America through the gates at E.I., I took my kids to this sacred place many moons ago.  We toured all the floors, the museums, the infirmary, every inch of it, it was riveting to me.  They have exhibits of authentic luggage and possessions carried overseas, actual clothing that was worn, photographs of many of the immigrants with their personal autobiographies on headphones (if you are curious) and it really puts one back there in time.  One of my young sons could not believe how very poor so many people were, having written that they came with just coins or a few dollars or even nothing in their pockets.  He was totally immersed in the photos and in so many of them, the kids' faces were blurred out to blankness like the child with the lady on the second floor. Anyway, at one point my tearful son said "This boy is so poor, he doesn't even have a face."  It took us a minute before we 'got it' but has provided much laughter in the retelling; maybe you had to be there.  I'm grateful every day that my ancestors' decision to become Americans was a priceless blessing for all their descendants.  Ellis Island is unforgettable.  God bless America.
DetainedMy grandmother was detained (coming in from Poland) due to an eye infection. Her two younger siblings and mother waited for three days with relatives in new York. Once Grandma was released they left to settle in Chicago.
Stairway to HeavenI made a special trip to New York from Colorado just to see Ellis Island. It was one of the most moving places I have been as both sides of my family passed through there. My favorite spot was the stairs leading out after you passed inspection and were granted entrance to America. They're about 15 feet wide and you can see and walk in the indentations made by the millions of feet that have worn down the steps. I couldn't help but think of my grandparents who walked down the same stairs. 
It was worth every penny spent to restore Ellis Island. And I recently heard from a friend who's a project manager for the National Parks Department that the other buildings at Ellis Island will begin restoration soon.
My GrandmotherMy grandmother arrived at Ellis Island as a young woman (12 or 13) after traveling by ship from Greece with her father. The mother she barely knew met them there and on the ferry back to NYC, threw my grandmother's precious belongings into the river and told her she was in America now and would start over. That story used to break my heart when I was a girl; I guess it still does.
My family and I visited a few years ago and it really does feel like a sacred space. Like OTY here, I am so thankful my grandparents left their Greek villages and became Americans.
Mine tooMy grandmother came through Ellis Island with her parents and siblings.  My father and his family came from Eastern Europe via Canada to the USA.  It's worth noting in these present times that my family and millions like them waited in line and came to the USA legally. Everyone who does otherwise, regardless of the country from which they come, disrespects the sacrifices made by millions of honest immigrants from around the world.
RootsBoth my parents were immigrants. My father, his mother and three siblings came through Ellis Island in 1922. I was able to find them on the Ellis Island Web Site. My mother's family came here in 1923. Eastern European immigration just about ended in 1924 because of the so called "Red Scare" laws. Interestingly , I found my Mother's mother (my grandmother) and my mother's 2 younger sisters and her only brother on the Website but not my mother, an older sister or my grandfather. They left Southampton, England in 1923 but don't appear on any Ellis Island records. My mother lived 103 years and I could hold a conversation with her up to about a year before her passing. She always insisted that she came into "Castle Gardens" but Castle Garden stopped receiving immigrants in 1892 and turned the job over to Ellis Island. I sort of believe she may have come in to Boston or Philadelphia but just didn't remember. Every so often I start searching for the records again but with no tangible results. In any case  I'm one grateful guy. They endured enormous hardships to get here and they just made it. God Bless America.
+99Same view from August of 2009.
When I immigratedForty-seven years later, I arrived at Idlewild (now JFK) on Pan Am (now extinct) with $75 in my pocket (now spent). It was certainly a more pleasant way to begin the new life, but the excitement felt by the Ellis Island immigrants could not have been any higher than mine.
How do you do it?timeandagain, have you simply been visiting the sites in the LOC photos and reshooting them or are you n cahoots with Dave and know a couple years in advance what he's going to post?
Plaster JobLooking at the post +99 from timeandagainphoto and one that I took when there this summer, it looks like they plastered over all of the block walls and tile ceilings in that building. Unless they added that in the restoration--which would seem strange.
Lost And FoundSeeing that lone bag on a bench makes me wonder if they had a lost and found.  If so, the abandoned/lost bags might be part of the exhibits mentioned in another comment, with their own tales to tell.
WartimeWhen the US entered the First World War, Ellis Island became the mobilization centre for Red Cross Nurses heading overseas.
My ex-husband's grandmother. Charlotte Edith Anderson was the first Canadian Indian to be trained as a nurse, though no hospital in Canada would train her. She trained at the New Rochelle Hospital. Edith (as she preferred to be called, wrote in her wartime diary about her arrival at Ellis Island from New Rochelle where she had been working as a Public Health nurse, visiting New York City before heading overseas and her departure.
I was pleased to have transcribed her wartime diary but sad that I didn't get a copy before my husband and I divorced.
https://www.shorpy.com/node/7764
Re: How do you do it?I've been doing comparative shots of identical views since the mid-1980s.  When I moved to DC almost 20 years ago I started using the photographs from the collections of the Library of Congress (they were only available in physical files at the library then).  I research specific cities and place them in separate files along with maps where the shots were taken.  When I visit those cities, I take the appropriate files with me and take current shots from the same perspective.  I have hundreds of sets and thousands of shots of cities throughout the country in several lateral files as well as on several gigs of computer memory.  Drives my wife insane.
Ocean Border, Land BorderI'll bet that if there had been a land border between Europe and the United States, a lot of European immigrants would have slipped across, too.  The sacrifice was in taking the risk and the leap of faith to come here.  I'll also bet that many immigrants without documentation would gladly become citizens today. To my mind they should be given the chance.
Guastavino Tile CeilingJuly 1916, an explosion occurred on Black Tom Island, a loading facility just a few hundred yards off Ellis Island.
The blast caused $400,000 in structural damage. As part of the repairs, the Guastavino Brothers installed a new tile ceiling over the Great Hall.
Dad DetainedMy father came through Ellis Island in 1920  with his father, mother and two younger sisters.  They came from Greece. He was a boy of 8 and he had some sores on his head.  He had to be detained. They wrapped adhesive tape on his head.  If you remember the old adhesive tape,if you didn't have sores before they put it on your head, you certainly would have sores afterward.  They also changed his first name from Evstrathios to Charles.  He was very proud of his heritage and he was glad they made a monument out of Ellis Island.
Isle of TearsListening to Irish Radio, couldn't help thinking back to this photo.
Guastavino Tile  Paul39 mentioned the repair after the nearby explosion.  That answers my question of how they made plaster adhere to the glazed tiles that I saw when I visited a few years ago.  The original substrate was probably terra cotta.
  The oyster bar under Grand Central Terminal has a wonderful example of Guastavino tile ceiling which is hard to find now.
Grandma on the LusitaniaMy grandparents on my father's side came through Ellis Island from Russia. My grandfather arrived sometime in the final decade of the 19th century, and just this evening, after seeing this post, I have done a search at  ellisisland.org on my grandmother (who I have more information about), and may have discovered documentation of her arrival on the ship's manifest!
Thank you, Dave and Shorpy, for pointing me in this direction! I have contacted a cousin who hopefully will be able to verify or discount my findings. Here is an image of the manifest which has me so excited. Please scroll down to Line 14.

Finding relativesThis is a wonderful photo, and I can easily imaging my grandparents sitting there as children around 1904-1906.
Mr. Mel, frequently immigrant names were not spelled as we think they should've been.  You may want to try searching the Ellis Island database via a different search engine: http://stephenmorse.org/  (first item on the page).  Mr. Morse, the inventor of the 8086 computer chip, created this site soon after the original EIDB went public, because their own search engine was so pitiful.  He has since improved it.  It will enable you to search by sounds-like, just the first letter, and more.  There are FAQs to help use the search engines. (I highly recommend many of the other search engines on that page - amazing!)
CSK, congratulations!  But there's a whole second page to your passenger list, which will have even more information.  So go back to where you found your page, and click on "Next" or "Previous" (sometimes the original microfilms were rolled backwards on the reels).
beachgirl2, it was very rare that officials at Ellis Island changed names, this is mostly a myth.  They had to match the names to the departure lists created in "the old country", and there were plenty of translators for the languages brought over.  (These departure lists still exist for Hamburg and some ports in England)  But sometimes a recent immigrant wrote back home, and told them to use his new name, now that he was American.  Or they Americanized them soon after arrival, to blend in.  Or a schoolteacher couldn't pronounce the birth name. ...  So if you research, you should be able to figure out when your father changed his name - before he left Greece, or very soon after the family arrived.  But probably not on Ellis Island.
Great photo - and new version too!
Explosive AlterationsI was told by an archaeologist who works at Ellis that most of the interior (including the ceiling and walls) had to be redone after the building suffered blast damage from the Black Tom explosion of 1916.
A website for Jersey City history notes that: "the Statue of Liberty sustained $100,000 in damages from the spray of shrapnel, and newly-arrived immigrants at Ellis Island had to be evacuated for processing at the Immigration Bureau at the Battery in New York City."
Also, the buff-colored "stone" of the walls in the current photos is actually plaster with incised and painted joints (an accurate restoration of what had existed following the Black Tom incident, or so I am told).
(The Gallery, DPC, NYC)

Big Red: 1911
June 18, 1911. Poughkeepsie, New York. "Cornell Varsity rowers." 5x7 glass negative, ... contemporary exactly 100 years ago. The picture being from 1911, I am essentially in the same stage in life as the man in the lower left ... a final paper). Future swimmers You're sure it's 1911? I can see wearing a shirt from the previous year, but it seems odd to ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/09/2012 - 11:38pm -

June 18, 1911. Poughkeepsie, New York. "Cornell Varsity rowers." 5x7 glass negative, George Grantham Bain Collection. View full size.
Matt Damonon the far right!
No two exactly alikeShirts that is.
They look so happyIn the not too distant future most of these boys will be fighting and dying in Europe.
[An oft-expressed sentiment, but statistically speaking, not true. Of the 24 million American men who registered for the draft in WWI, not even 6 percent saw combat. For the bulk of combatants (men 21 to 31), around 14 percent saw action. - Dave]
No expense sparedon those uniforms.  Had they not heard of bake sales?
Past and PresentI've been inactive for a while, but I felt compelled to comment on this. I'm a member of the Class of 2013 at Cornell and I've always related myself to the Class of 1913. It gives me pause to think of my contemporary exactly 100 years ago. The picture being from 1911, I am essentially in the same stage in life as the man in the lower left (though I would rather be in his position right now, down by Lake Cayuga, instead of writing a final paper).
Future swimmersYou're sure it's 1911? I can see wearing a shirt from the previous year, but it seems odd to have one with a 2-years-in-the-future date (unless it means something else).
[These shirts aren't calendars. The year shows which graduating class you're in. You wouldn't expect to see any shirts with the current year -- the Class of 1911 had already graduated. -- Dave]
Well-defined musculatureCombined with goofy expressions leaves me torn between lust and derision.
Tiny CoxswainFor some reason I'm reminded of a comment from that stalwart British radio show "I'm Sorry I Haven't a Clue", wherein Humphrey Littelton spoke of a college rowing team, with the phrase "eight burly rowers and their little cox." Evidently mornings were generally chilly down by the waterside.
Wet Ivy This varsity Cornell crew was training for an eight-oared race on the Hudson, which they would win in dramatic fashion nine days later.  Trailing Columbia for nearly the entire four-mile race, Cornell pulled ahead in the last half-mile, after two of the "Morningside oarsmen" began to fade. The account of the race in the New York Times' June 28, 1911 edition is a model of early dramatic sportwriting. The victorious "Ithacans" were E. F. Bowen, Clinton B. Ferguson, W. G. Distler, J. B. Wakely, W.O. Brouse, B. A. Lum, E. S. Bates, C. H. Elliott, and Coxswain H. J. Kimball.
Poughkeepsie?Cornell is in Ithaca. What is that body of water if not Lake Cayuga?
[The Hudson River. College teams travel to play other teams. - Dave]
Hubba Hubba'nuf said.
(The Gallery, G.G. Bain, Sports)

The Girl: 1911
1911. "The girl works all day in a cannery." Location unspecified but possibly ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 05/20/2009 - 12:45am -

1911. "The girl works all day in a cannery." Location unspecified but possibly Mississippi. Photograph by Lewis Wickes Hine. View full size.
HauntingThat stare will stay with me for a long long time.
I knew I'd seen that look before!Dave, I've spent half the day trying to remember why this picture looked so familiar; I'd decided that it must be because you posted a picture of a young boy with the same freckles and look (presumably, her brother) about a year or so back.
And now I know... 
Still photographyNo, this is not a hard stare, this is a difficult holding still for the picture.  We forget how long people had to stand still in the old pictures.  This girl may have had to hold mannequin still up to ten minutes depending on equipment and conditions.  In the really old ones like civil war it could be twenty minutes.  that's why people didn't smile, it was just too hard to hold an expression that long.  Even if a flash pan were used it would still take 30-90sec of posing, which by today's instant standards is still a long time to hold your pose.
[You're thinking maybe of the early years (1840s-1850s) of photography, when daguerreotype exposures could last a few minutes. The exposure time for emulsions in the Civil War era would be a few seconds at most for outdoor shooting. Lewis Hine's circa 1910 outdoor exposures would have been made in a fraction of a second. - Dave]
Afghanistan USAAlmost everyone remembers the National Geographic girl from Afghanistan cover years ago. This image ranks with it in emotion.
SpottedI had freckles like that as a child. They only come out when you get lots of sunshine. She didn't spend all of her summers indoors despite the caption. I'm not suggesting she didn't have a hard life, just reading her freckles. 
No need to read the caption...This is instantly recognisable as a Hine photo, the look on the kid's face is practically his trademark.
Drawn InThis is the face that initially drew me into Shorpy.com, as it is the icon/link from the fabulous Plan59 site. I have to admit I have searched long and hard to see the full photo, and now that I have, it hits me like a 9-pound sledge.  This child, who was probably treated as an expendable, faceless entity in her life of labor, could not have dreamed what impact she would have almost 100 years after she "had her picture made". Thanks for posting it.
[This photo has been on the site for almost exactly two years (originally posted May 21, 2007). Every now and then we like to move the exceptional images out front for their moment in the sun. - Dave]
Roy Batty's Grandmother?She's seen things we would not believe.
HardshipWhen you didn't know anything else or any other life, it wasn't hardship. It was life. You worked hard -- whether it was at your family's farm or a factory. You played when you could and you found joys in little things.
Reading emotion and meaning into anyone's stare from Shorpy is a tricky thing. Some of us would find it a bit offensive to read despair and hopelessness into our stare just because we worked hard and happened to wonder who in the world was taking our picture.
WowI just can't believe the despair and hopelessness captured in this 98-year old photograph. Our self-centered youth of today have no idea what true hardship is. Thanks for giving us a perspective and a glance back at our past. No wonder we have the greatest nation on earth - our forebears were hardy folks. 
Spooky BeautifulI feel like her eyes can see straight through to my soul. Still, she looks like a sweetie and I want to give her a hug and brush her hair from her forehead.
The Eyes Have ItI don't know where to start. Her gaze goes right through
you. It's hard to believe someone so young can have a face that says so much about hardship. We see many of these faces on Shorpy.
Boring into your soul.Talk about a 1000 yard stare!
BackgroundThe lifeless grungy background of this just makes it all the more haunting. Most of Hine's photographs show working conditions or some kind of melancholy scenic background, but this makes it feel like she's alone in the whole world. Powerful photo.
Tidings from Christmas PastAnd from the foldings of its robe, the spirit brought two children.
They were a boy and girl. Yellow, meagre, ragged, scowling, wolfish ... Where angels might have sat enthroned, devils lurked, and glared out menacing.
"Spirit! are they yours?" Scrooge could say no more.
"They are Man's, and they cling to me, fleeing from their fathers. This boy is Ignorance. This girl is Want. Beware them both, for on their brow I see written "Doom."
"Have they no refuge or resource?" cried Scrooge.
"Are there no prisons?" said the Spirit, turning on him
for the last time with his own words. "Are there no workhouses?"
The bell struck twelve.
FrecklesToo bad we didn't have color photos from back then.
With all those freckles she probably had pretty red hair.
It's just a lookYou can see the same sort of looks on any kid. Take a look at her for instance. It's not all hardship and despair that we see in these old photos.
LikewiseThe stare is freaking me out, too.
Regarding the stareI'm not saying the girl in the photo didn't have a hard life because she probably did. However, I work in a middle school and I see that piercing, serious stare in current photos every day, even when the occasion is a happy and proud one. I don't know what the reason was for this young lady's dark stare, but our kids tell me it's just "not cool" to smile in a posed photograph. No reason was given as to why is that so. Just the other day they were photographed by a local newspaper because they won a state tournament and the right to go to the national competition. Their picture showed them as if they were about to attend a funeral. Go figure.....
I get this look every dayMy 5-year-old daughter has a stare like this.  When she was younger, she'd stare at the people behind us in the checkout line and freak out the other shoppers.
(The Gallery, Kids, Lewis Hine)

On Broadway: 1911
New York circa 1911. "Broadway at night from Times Square." With a phantom or two loitering at ... at 35th. - Dave] George M. Cohan. On February 13, 1911 the George M. Cohan Theater opened its doors at 1482 Broadway & 43rd ... The "Little Millionaire" opened September 25, 1911, and was the last production that George appeared in with any family ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 07/18/2012 - 6:55pm -

New York circa 1911. "Broadway at night from Times Square." With a phantom or two loitering at the subway entrance. Companion to the night view of Times Square posted here on Monday. 8x10 inch glass negative. View full size.
StreetlightsYou can still find  those lampposts dotted here and there throughout the city. I think they are called "Bishop's Crooks."
Subway entranceIt's neat to see the subway entrance at the right.  There used to be quite a few like that, but now there's only one left, down at St. Marks Place, I believe.
[Astor Place. - Dave]
+98Below is same perspective (north from 43rd Street) taken in January of 2009.
Phantoms and a great photo.I always enjoy seeing the phantoms of blurred people and objects in these old photos, it gives a sense of life and reality, that there were real people living there. Cars, trolleys, horses, going about their business the same as we do today.
With a little imagination you can almost hear them!
Hitchy-KooLooks like an ad reading "IT'S A HITCHCOCK CONQUEST" next to the Cohan theatre, likely referring to the actor Raymond Hitchcock, who was a star on Broadway at the time. Oddly enough, both Cohan and Hitchcock were celebrity endorsers of the fine, refreshing taste of Moxie.
Macy's signAccording to the company's web site, Macy's moved to its present Herald Square location at West 34th and Broadway in 1902. Were they paying for advertising space at "the competitor's spot" -- Times Square? I love the phantom newspaper vendor slumped over near the subway entrance.
[The sign is on the store, eight blocks away in Herald Square. This view is from the southern limit of Times Square. - Dave]
+98  I disagree"Below is same perspective (north from 43rd Street) taken in January of 2009"
That's the Times building behind the subway entrance to the right. So unlike your picture, we are standing in Times Square looking north up Broadway, and the street just ahead on the left is 47th.
[Not quite. The view here is looking south down Broadway from 43rd. The next street to the left is 42nd. The big building outlined in lights is the Hotel Knickerbocker. The Hotel Albany was at Broadway and 41st. We can also see the Hotel Normandie sign at 38th, and the Macy's sign at 35th. - Dave]
George M. Cohan.On February 13, 1911 the George M. Cohan Theater opened its doors at 1482 Broadway & 43rd Street.  Its narrow entrance led to a marbled lobby which had murals depicting the Four Cohans up until the event of "The Governor's Son."
After you entered the theater, you were treated to various scenes from his Broadway successes that were painted on the walls above and surrounding the boxes. The theater was virtually a shrine to his career. Opening night featured "Get Rich Quick Wallingford." The "Little Millionaire" opened September 25, 1911, and was the last production that George appeared in with any family members. The theater became a full time movie house in 1932, and by 1938 it was demolished.
Subway Entrances/ExitsIn the original IRT system, entrances had the rounded roof, exits had the angled roofs. None survive today, though there are replicas installed at Astor Place, not St. Mark's, and an elevator at City Hall is similar in style. 
This picture is even more important for showing the Times building from ground level, giving an indication at how narrow it really is. It's a shame this gorgeous building was stripped of its ornamentation in the 70s, and soldiers on today vacant, making more money as a billboard than as a rented building. Still, and I forget who said it, but it is the most famous building in the world whose architecture is almost completely unknown.
Re: +98 I disagree (and Dave)I humbly apologize for my misidentification of the perspective and thank you both for providing me with the proper location.  I based my shot on a very low-res copy of the original photograph that I had.  The Cohan Theatre building looked much like the Paramount building and I incorrectly believed the Hotel Knickerbocker was the Hotel Astor.  However, after I posted the (incorrect) "now" version, it just didn't look right when I compared it to the hi-res Shorpy shot (especially with "Times" so prominently written in the window right in front and the Macy's sign in the distance).  It's been driving me nuts.  Looks like I've got another shot to take after I overcome my embarrassment.
The perils of going from front to backAh, I see that Hitchcock was appearing just down the street in The Red Widow, as "Cicero Hannibal Butts," which might explain the "conquest" comment. This is what happens when you don't keep up with Shorpy on a daily basis.
Much different todayIt's interesting how many hotels, theaters, and restaurants are on Broadway below 42nd Street in the photo.  Today, there is very little activity below 40th, and most of Times Square activity extends from 40th up to about 48th.
Where is this building?Has this building been torn down? It looks like the Flatiron building but in going back and forth with the Flat Iron building the facing doesn't look the same but yet the angle of this building looks like it.
[This is the old New York Times building, seen here and here and here. Now covered with advertising signs, it's where the ball drops on New Year's. - Dave]Thanks very much. I was going nuts trying to tie those buildings together. So the NYT built two kinds of Flat Iron buildings? Do they face each other?
[Two kinds? - Dave]
100 years laterOn my lunch break today I went out today and looked at this location. First of all, no sign at all that this structure, the subway entrance, existed. Today it would sit directly in front of the NYPD booth, where there is clean sidewalk, no sign of a former hole in the ground. But 100 years is along time and I'm sure the sidewalk has been repaired numerous times. Also it looks like this the subway is right in front of the face of 1 Times Square, but in fact there was about 40 feet between it and the building. Also in 1924 no sign of the subway entrance farther down 7th avenue on the right. [Historical map]
It's great to be able to jump back in time 100 years, and see how much has changed, and how much is still the same. On a personal note, my great grandfather, John Larson, was a foreman at Hecla Iron Work in Brooklyn, and that firm apparently made all of the original IRT subway entrances. I don't have any information he worked on this project, but still I feel a little pride looking at these old entrances.
+100In an effort to atone for my FUBAR post (+98 below), I retook the same view below from April of 2011.
Subway Entrance on Times SquareIn 1911 the IRT subway ran a slightly different route than it does today. Tracks ran up the east side of Manhattan to 42d street then crossed over to the west side to continue uptown.
This is how the station was originally configured (as seen at the track level):
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Times_Square_%E2%80%93_42nd_Street_/_Port_...
The cross-over tracks are now the Times Square Shuttle.
(The Gallery, DPC, NYC)

Alex Chilton: 1911
1911. "Lt. Alexander W. Chilton, 15th Cavalry." In or around Washington. ... Chilton, West Point Grad Washington Post, Jun 2, 1911 Army Orders Second Lieut. ALEXANDER W. CHILTON, Twentieth ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 07/23/2008 - 4:41pm -

1911. "Lt. Alexander W. Chilton, 15th Cavalry." In or around Washington. National Photo Company glass negative. Library of Congress. View full size.
Chilton, West Point Grad Washington Post, Jun 2, 1911
 Army Orders 

Second Lieut. ALEXANDER W. CHILTON, Twentieth Infantry, will proceed to Fort Snelling, Minn., and report to the commanding officer of that post for duty.


Portrait of Alexander W. Chilton, long-lived graduate of West Point.
Alex > JohnWow, in that portrait link, he resembles John Cusack.

Lt ChiltonNot exactly a GI haircut.
Alex Chilton (Heh, heh!)"It is written in the stars
     He'll get his captain's bars,
 But he hasn't got enough box tops yet."
      -- Tom Lehrer
Steve Miller
Someplace near the crossroads of America
Alexander Chilton and family(It's slow at the reference desk this afternoon.)
The 1930 U.S. Census has Alexander Chilton, 43, an Army officer, living in Las Cruces, NM.  Born in Minnesota about 1897, father from Canada, mother from New York.  Wife's name Armitea, 38, son Alexander, 11. Also in the household is Jose Figueroa, 27, servant.
There's a U.S. Veterans Gravesites record for Alexander Wheeler Chilton, a colonel in the U.S. Army in WWI and WWII, (28 Jun 1886 - 17 Sep 1985), service start 1 Aug 1903, buried in the Santa Fe National Cemetery Section 3 Site 850 in New Mexico on 24 September 1985.
There's also one for an Omira Baily Chilton (26 Feb 1892 - 19 Jun 1979), wife of Alexander W. Chilton, buried in the Santa Fe National Cemetery Section 3 Site 850 on 27 Jun 1979.   
Chilton the AuthorIn 1917, as an assistant professor of history at West Point, Alexander W. Chilton co-authored "The History of Europe from 1862 to 1914," available on Google Books. The title's a little off; the book's final page mentions the U.S. declaration of war in April 1917 and the fourth anniversary of the start of the war. Two years later the same pair issued "A Brief History of Europe from 1789-1815," which is also available on Google Books. In 1923, the same pair wrote "English Analysis And Exposition."
But lest you think he wrote only dry textbooks, he is also credited as the co-author of the story upon which the 1927 silent movie "Dress Parade," a romance set at West Point, was based.  However, when the movie was released, a West Point student, Lieut. John Hopper, sued DeMille Pictures Corp. and Pathe Exchange for a million dollars, alleging that he had written the story first (the year before) and that it had been plagiarized. "West Pointer asks $1,000,000, Alleges Story Plagiarized," Syracuse Herald, May 4, 1928, at 23. I can't find an story on the outcome of the suit, but when the film was re-released in 1944, Chilton, not Hopper, was credited as the author. The Internet Movie Database does the same. 
Chilton's son, Alexander Jr., sat for the West Point entrance exams in 1936, but he appears to have ended up as a Marine; he's listed as a major in Headquarters Company of the 3rd Battalion of the 7th Marines in the Battle of Okinawa, and as a Lt. Colonel and the commanding officer for the 2nd battalion of the 9th Marines from 1957 to 1958.
Chilton the SonBased on your info on Alexander Jr (and other great info) checked the USNA alumni database for the son since there was a chance that since he was a Marine officer he made into the Naval Academy (OK - no jokes about USNA taking him after not making it into USMA). No dice. He must have entered service and became an officer another way.
In addition, about dad, the Summer 1944 U.S. Government Manual published by the Office of War Information's Division of Public Inquiries lists "Director, Army Specialized Training Division: Col. Alexander W. Chilton."
Also a clipping titled "Sons of Bremerton Men Today Follow in Father's War steps"

In the dictionary......illustrating "ramrod-straight posture."
EquitationNeat that while he is indeed ramrod straight, he's riding with both a longer stirrup and much more forward leg position than you would normally see today. He also doesn't seem to be using any sort of saddle pad, which is interesting. 
I wonder if that was just because he was relaxed, was a mediocre rider, or if position has evolved. (Although you'd think not so much in the last 100 years, given all the emphasis on riding before!) My guess is that' he's just relaxing, given the loose reins and collapsed wrists. 
Yeah, I'm a geek. 
EquitationWhile I agree the stirrup is a little long, perhaps the lighter saddle is for jumping. Your body is out of the saddle anyways, and less weight is less weight and less material needed. It looks like ones I have used. Good heels though.
Oldest living West PointerAlexander Wheeler Chilton, born June 28, 1886, graduated West Point in the Class of 1907, ranked 39 out of 111. After retiring in 1936 as a lieutenant colonel he entered active duty in 1940 and retired for the second time as a colonel due to disability in 1946. On August 4, 1984, he became the oldest living West point graduate. He died September 17, 1985, at the age of 99. 
I actually met him.My great uncle was a professor at New Mexico State University; by the time I went there from 1977-1980, he was gone.  His daughter, my cousin, lived in his house and had soirees every weekend; I was always invited.  Among the guests were eminences from the upper crust of Las Cruces (such as it was).  I had dinner at various times with the University president, several local politicians, Clyde Tombaugh (the discoverer of Pluto), and Colonel Chilton.  I do not remember a thing about him.
(The Gallery, Horses, Natl Photo)

Washington Rabbit: 1911
Washington, D.C., 1911. "Mrs. J.R. Band with pet rabbit." Happy Easter from Shorpy! Harris & ... Sagacious Bunny Washington Post, Oct 31, 1911 Has the Newest Fad in Pets Mrs. J.E. Band Adopts Dainty ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/18/2012 - 5:49pm -

Washington, D.C., 1911. "Mrs. J.R. Band with pet rabbit." Happy Easter from Shorpy! Harris & Ewing Collection glass negative. View full size.
LocationWas this taken at Thomas Circle? That looks like the base of the Thomas statue in the background. The church steeple in the distance also looks familiar.
On a leash?I've had pet rabbits growing up, and this rabbit is completely trusting enough to slip a leash over its head, or it was put on while it was drugged. I can also see it trying to hop off after seeing a dog go after it and choking itself.
Some rabbits allow it...Not mine, however. I've got two, and they'd both go for my throat if I so much as waved a harness and leash near them...they like being petted, but try to pick them up and all bets are off.
But I have seen rabbits happy to be on a harness and hopping about, though they usually go around the neck and chest to avoid that choking risk.
RabbitryYou have to start with a harness when they're young, and be willing to follow where they hop - they will never learn to walk like a dog.  The bun I got as a baby liked it well enough; the one I adopted as an adult freaked out and was like watching a wild piece of ever-popping, furious and furry popcorn on the end of the string.  I was covered in angry red scratches by the time I could hold him still long enough to get the bunny harness off and pack it away forever! :)
The key to bunnies making good pets is they have to be housepets and have interaction with you every day.
Fashionable purseI'm impressed by Mrs. Band's purse. It looks quite modern! I had no idea they used such small purses back in the day.
Compact purseShe had less to carry.  It would take too much space to list what ladies carry today compared to then so I list what I believe they did carry.  To wit:  Powder compact with mirror, a handkerchief, a coin purse, her house key and perhaps a comb.  
Sagacious Bunny

Washington Post, Oct 31, 1911 


Has the Newest Fad in Pets
Mrs. J.E. Band Adopts Dainty White Angora Rabbit,
Adorned With Pink Collar.

"Oh, look mommer; look!  Isn't it just too perfectly seweet?"  Mother and small daughter were passing Thomas circle.  "Mommer" looked at a bunch of fluffy white wool decked out with pink ribbons which was disporting itself on the grass.
The bunch of "fluff" is the latest fad in the pet line, and its owner, Mrs. J.E. Band, calls it "Bunny."  But it's not a common rabbit; it's an angora, with the most attractive long white hair imaginable.  Mrs. Band lives at the Iroquois apartment house, and is often seen giving "Bunny" an airing in the circle.  And a most picturesque pair they are -- she in her trim walking suit and big white felt hat and "Bunny," as white as snow, with a shirred pink ribbon collar, embellished with bunchy rosettes of pink baby ribbon under each ear, and attached to his mistress by a long pink ribbon "lead."
Mrs. Band is very proud of her pet.  She has had "Bunny" since it was 3 weeks old.  She says "Bunny" is very sagacious.  She certainly is as full of little tricks as a dog can be. She protests with funny little grunts -- the only sound she is able to make -- if she finds that her mistress is going out without her.  She wakes people up in the morning when she thinks they have slept long enough of or is tired of her own society.  She stands on her hind legs and begs when her mistress or Mr. Band has anything that she wants. As for Mr. Band, he is a busy man, but does not dare come home in the evening without something in his pocket for "Bunny."  She expects it, and goes through his pockets looking for it, and he says he can't stand the reproach in her ruby eyes if he has in the press of business forgotten her.  He simply has to go out and get something for her ladyship.
Mrs. Band, who is well known locally as an equestrienne and lover of fine horses, finds "Bunny" a much more practical pet then either a dog or cat.  Landlords don't object, because "Bunny" makes no noise and never loiters around the halls.  Everybody in the big apartment building is interested in the unusual pet and nobody is afraid of it. There is no license to be paid on it.
On the whole, in these days when the authorities are making life a burden to dog owners, the new fad has obvious advantages.

OK, see that photographer...KILL!
Church of the Ascension and Saint AgnesI believe that is their spire in the background, completed 1875. 
View Larger Map
Bunny in Thomas SquareFor those (such as me) whose browsers have difficulty with the previous NPR link, here is the direct link to the fantastic now/then embedded photo of Mrs. Band and Bunny in Thomas Circle. Kudos to Jason E. Powell for inspired creativity, excellent technique and attention to detail.

Thomas CircleThis photo was featured in an article titled "Time Travel on the Cheap" and you can see Thomas Circle then & now. Check it out!
(The Gallery, Animals, D.C., Easter, Harris + Ewing)
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