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Shorpy and His Friends
... at Bessie Mine" -- near Birmingham in Jefferson County, Alabama. Photograph by Lewis Wickes Hine. Entire uncropped image . Crop ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 04/28/2019 - 3:00pm -

December 1910. "Shorpy Higginbotham, an oiler on the tipple at Bessie Mine" -- near Birmingham in Jefferson County, Alabama. Photograph by Lewis Wickes Hine. Entire uncropped image. CropCan I ask why you cropped the photo? CropTo make Shorpy stand out more. shorpy's armsNotice how even in the photos where he's not carrying buckets his arms are permanently out away from his body? How sad for those kids back then. But sadder today that kids have gone so far the other direction that they consider setting the table & cleaning their rooms a form of child abuse!! Oiler? or Oilee.Sure looks like he got more oil on him than on or in the equipment. Good quality on the resolution. Shorpy's PosseThe crop looks good. The other boys look like Shorpy's posse, and Shorpy is the greasiest of them all. [The white kid on the far right is Dave, also pictured here. - Other Dave] ShorpyThey all look set with grim determination. It's a character asset that not many of today's youth share. Considering what people went through back then I would wonder if it's even appropriate to call them "kids". Pictures like this really make me consider that ... Thanks for posting these! CapsThanks for that. CapsAny idea what the cards or ?? are on the front of the caps? [Lamp holders - Dave] Miners' capsThose are lamp holders. https://www.shorpy.com/files/images/01076u.jpg CarltonYour site is perfect! [Aw shucks. You are most perceptive! - Dave] AwesomeI found your site via Thomas Hawk's blog and I love it. This one is my favorite photo of Shorpy. [Thanks! And thanks to Thomas Hawk. - Dave] What an amazing site.And what an amazing bunch of young fellows. Fate and time . . .We sons of coal miners can only reflect on what might have been if born a 100 years ago. Now I know why my parents were stalwart Democrats . . : >) Shorpy's ArmsI don't think his arms are "permanently out away from his body." I think that the thing he's counterbalancing the weight of that thing he's holding. His arms do look weird though. ShorpyWhat is he holding? [An oil can. - Dave] He Cannot Tell a LieBefore reading "What We Think We Know" about Shorpy, I assumed, from Hine's caption, that Shorpy was younger than 14, and lying in order to work. But he was born in 1896, so at the time of this picture he WAS 14! I am very glad to know that Shorpy was telling the truth. Happy Birthday!Today is Shorpy's birthday! 112 years old today! Happy birthday! [OMG. Thank you for remembering! And Happy Birthday, Shorp! - Dave] Records of the PastI love this quote by Lewis Hine: "Perhaps you are weary of child labor pictures. Well, so are the rest of us, but we propose to make you and the whole country so sick and tired of the whole business that when the time for action comes, child labor pictures will be records of the past." Which is what his pictures ended up being. [I wonder if he'd be surprised at all he accomplished. - Dave] It's that time of year again...Shorpy's birthday is today! Happy 113th birthday, Shorpy! I have never seen thisI have never seen this picture by Hine. This is brilliant, everything about this picture just captures me! The look of pure disgust and determination on the boys faces just kills me! There is something about the way the way Hine decided the capture them in this triangular formation with the point coming at the viewer. The dirt and grime that covers the boys as well adds another dimension to the work. The position and the way Shorpy is holding his harms along with his gang of followers behind him make it seem as if they are going to come out of the picture and attack. They are ready for anything that anyone throws at them, on moment away from strike! Once again this is fabulous! Happy birthday ShorpyGlad to know about Shorpy, this worked kid, who served to his nation at the First War World, today in his birthday I give my sincere greetings to him. [Thank you very much! - Dave] (The Gallery, Birmingham, Lewis Hine, Mining)
Bustling Baker: 1942
... Road No. 41. From Milligan, via Baker and Blackman to the Alabama State Line. SR 62 Road No. 62. Extending from Road No. 7 on Alabama State Line via Berrydale, Munson, Baker and connecting with Road No. 1 ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/24/2022 - 9:12pm -

June 1942. "Baker, Florida. Crossroads in nearest town to Escambia Farms." Acetate negative by John Collier for the Farm Security Adminisration. View full size. It's a mystery to meGreat photograph. My eye keeps drifting to the two men walking and I wonder what is casting that shadow they're walking into. I cannot identify with certainty what the intersection looks like today. But I'll bet a buck that stop sign was yellow. Dave, thanks for the photo below answering my question about what made the curious Y-shaped shadow. I would have never guessed signs atop the Blue Bird Market. I notice there is a time lapse between photos. In the photo posted, there is a perfect triangle shadow on the wooden building across the street. In the one below, there is no shadow. Perhaps John Collier stopped for lunch. Red and yellowThe octagon stop sign became the standard in 1922. Supposedly the standards group wanted the color to be red, but red paints at the time all faded over time, so yellow was selected. The sign in this photograph has the obligatory bullet holes familiar to anybody who grew up in a rural area. Electro-organicGraphic proof: utility poles come from trees. Today's perfectly-machined, pressure treated obelisks seem to deny it, but that's about as organic a shape as you're going to find in power distribution systems. Good for about 20 minutes in a Florida hurricane. (In my observations, the majority of power poles in Florida seem to be cast concrete these days.) Home of the Baker Block MuseumSadly, that does not mean building materials. Rather, it is an important repository of Florida Panhandle History. I went through Baker in the 1950s, when it was a wide spot in the road with a train stop. Whatever this isIs still there. Same building? Completely missed itWow. First I went to Baker FL on Google Maps and completely missed the red-roofed house. I was looking for the building with the brick posts next to it and the highway numbers. So then I searched FL HWY 62 & 41 but that put me near St. Petersburg which is nowhere near Baker. So now I'm wondering about the HWY signs in the Shorpy photo.... It gets more confusingseaelf, you just described why I said I cannot identify with certainty what the intersection looks like today. I could not reconcile those 1942 highway signs to today, either. Given the highway signs are off, I think it's a stretch to conclude the 1942 wooden structure is the red house in Google Street view. So, I compared the Blue Bird Market building Dave provided in my first comment to the building on the corner now. It just got more confusing. The storefronts are identical, but the brickwork along the parapet doesn't match. I'm starting to feel like Rod Sterling should be saying, "Picture if you will, the small town of Baker, Florida." Road numbers In the late 1940s Florida renumbered it’s its highways so these probably the old numbers, and being Florida they were probably little behind in getting them changed. Roads scholarshipLet's see if I can explain the highways, or just cause more confusion. According to an FDOT site, in 1925, Florida designated 62 state roads, including: SR 41 Road No. 41. From Milligan, via Baker and Blackman to the Alabama State Line. SR 62 Road No. 62. Extending from Road No. 7 on Alabama State Line via Berrydale, Munson, Baker and connecting with Road No. 1 at Milligan. The descriptions confused me, until I remembered this is the Florida Panhandle, and Alabama is both west of Baker, and north of Baker. Then, in 1945, Florida renumbered its state roads, and SR 41 and portions of SR 62 both became SR 4. The SR 189 designation came later. (The Gallery, Florida, John Collier, Small Towns)
Checking Out: 1942
June 1942. "Wilson Dam, Alabama (Tennessee Valley Authority). Workers checking out at end of shift at a ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 04/26/2023 - 3:28pm -

June 1942. "Wilson Dam, Alabama (Tennessee Valley Authority). Workers checking out at end of shift at a chemical engineering plant." Acetate negative by Arthur Rothstein. View full size. (The Gallery, Arthur Rothstein, Factories)
Caffeine Warehouse: 1935
December 1935. "Coffee house in Selma, Alabama." The Sadler Grocery Store, purveyor of Kon-Koffee-Kompany's Table Talk ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 01/05/2023 - 3:38pm -

December 1935. "Coffee house in Selma, Alabama." The Sadler Grocery Store, purveyor of Kon-Koffee-Kompany's Table Talk and Selma Pride ("Roasted Last Night") as well as Coca-Cola and Dr. Pepper. Nitrate negative by Walker Evans for the Resettlement Admin. View full size. TimingLet's see ... if I can have Dr. Pepper at 10, 2 and 4, that means that at 6 and 8 I can have coffee. At the next 6 and 8, I can have Coca-Cola. Start out with lots of caffeine early on, then taper throughout the day. Of course, I could mix either the Selma Pride or Table Talk with Coke for a really nice caffeine hit late in the day. Then I could stay up all night roasting coffee for the next day. Coffee, White --Subliminal messaging?? We may never know if it was intended, but that name certainly conveys it. Yet history had the last laugh: what was known as Sylvan Street (see marker painted on steps) is now Martin Luther King Street. Nice work by BlantonEspecially finding just the right angle to fit "Selma Pride Coffee" and "Table Talk Coffee" in between the windows. Koffee KornerIf Sylvan Street is now MLK, then this is the corner with Water Avenue today. Kitty-corner is the old railroad depot, now a museum, making this a pretty good location in 1935. Sign Of The TimesI tend to agree there is no hidden message in the sign. 1935 Selma wouldn't bother to be coy about the prevalent attitudes and would feel no reason to hide what was obvious in everyday life to a certain segment of the population. The Hawaiian KIdiosyncratic spelling and alliteration were something of a fad in brand names of the 1920s and '30s, resulting in quite a few "Koffee Kompany" businesses in locales from Tacoma to Indianapolis to Selma, not to mention the Kona Koffee Kids -- a girls' baseball team. Is there trouble brewing in that Kon-Koffee-Ko name? Probably not. Must have been pretty bad coffeeI roast my own coffee and had a laugh when I saw that the company used "Roasted Last Night" as a slogan. Roasted coffee needs to "air out" for 2-3 days before grinding and brewing. The roasted coffee beans release CO2 during the "airing out" time, and if brewed before that happens, the coffee tastes terrible. The first time I roasted coffee, I didn't know that, and wondered why it tasted so bad. Now, I can't drink most coffee made outside my house because it is hard to compare to the quality of home-roasted coffee made from fresh green coffee beans almost straight from a coffee plantation. Koo Koo Ka ChooI am the yeggman Watch Your StepsIt's interesting that the railing only begins about halfway up. I guess the stairs aren't dangerous before that point. The BikeEarly Grub Hub vehicle? Have a Nice Trip --That first step at the bottom is a doozy. The Circus!Three railroad trains, double length! Circus Was HereThank you Paul Schmid for that beautiful circus poster. The remnants of a Cole poster on the side of the grocery store. Feel sorry for those poor animals such as lions and elephants that have no place to be kept in such conditions. (The Gallery, Stores & Markets, Walker Evans)
Water Avenue: 1935
December 1935. "Main street architecture. Selma, Alabama." Premises of the Cotton Exchange and L.C. Adler & Co. furniture ... Quarter", then quickly read that it is instead Selma, Alabama. Then, I scrolled down to the next photo, and it's New Orleans! And ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 01/14/2023 - 11:37am -

December 1935. "Main street architecture. Selma, Alabama." Premises of the Cotton Exchange and L.C. Adler & Co. furniture store. Note the fire bell tower at right. 8x10 inch nitrate negative by Walker Evans for the U.S. Resettlement Administration. View full size. FiligreeThe word comes to mind when I look at the fine metalwork of that attractive upper gallery. I know it’s used more with regard to jewelry, but we are allowed to use it when talking about metalwork and wrought iron, too. I also think of lace. Period architectural detailsIt's interesting to see the quoins (corner blocks/stones) on the brick building. It's hard to see in the shadows, but it looks like arched windows on the second story. The ventilator grilles above each window are an interesting Southern architecture touch. What's not clear to me is the window/door header on the ground floor above the row of doors/windows. There might be arches hidden behind the porch, or this might have a iron/steel beam as a header. If the latter, I'd tend to date this to early 20th century, if the former, then earlier. And if later, the quoins and similar detail along the ground floor doors could be cast concrete, rather than stone. The porch posts are most likely cast iron. I hope someone has some more history on this building. Sort of survived Head bangersThose low hanging light bulbs in the furniture store appear to be ... low hanging. You would think any one of those chairs they're selling would give a person some extra height so they could change a burned out bulb. Architecture/geography coincidenceWhen I opened Shorpy just now, this was the first image on the top and I said to myself "nice photo of New Orleans French Quarter", then quickly read that it is instead Selma, Alabama. Then, I scrolled down to the next photo, and it's New Orleans! And on top of that, I wouldn't have guessed it by looking. Still there, maybeIf the recent tornado that ravished the Selma area missed this old building then it is still there. [You haven't been ravished until you've been ravished by a tornado. - Dave] Someone stole my balconiesPlease bring them back! The building (1225 Water Avenue) is still extant, and, up until a few years ago (above) looked little different than in 1935. The most recent Street Views show the ironwork missing. Hopefully they just sent it out to be cleaned. The historical survey of the building is rather brief: "1223-5 Water Ave. c 1860-70. Italianate. Two-story, two-bay brick two-part commercial block ... Cast iron quoins." I just knew ...... this was a Walker Evans photograph before reading the caption. [Taken almost 90 years ago, but digitized and made available online by the Library of Congress only last fall. - Dave] (The Gallery, Stores & Markets, Walker Evans)
Gee's Bend: 1937
February 1937. Gee's Bend, Alabama. Descendants of former slaves of the Pettway Plantation. They are still ... Bend still exists as an African American community in Alabama. Gee's Bend Guess there wasn't too much to do after dark ... it. Many who marched or registered to vote in rural Alabama in the 1960s lost their jobs. Some even lost their homes. And the ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 07/30/2012 - 10:49am -

February 1937. Gee's Bend, Alabama. Descendants of former slaves of the Pettway Plantation. They are still living under primitive conditions there. Meat in sacks hangs from tree limbs to be cured. Medium format nitrate negative by Arthur Rothstein for the Farm Security Administration. View full size. Gee's BendGee's Bend was perceived by many of the academics of the day as a pure distillation of slavery. The New Deal saw them like the exotic, mysterious folk found in deepest Amazon or darkest Africa. The FSA project that was created there was entirely different from all the other 1930s projects because of these perceptions. The Pettway Plantation was purchased in 1937 by the FSA and a full project was developed there including schools, store, blacksmith shop and cooperative cotton gin. The photo shows the "swept yard" of the cabins and the China Berry tree where meat was stored as part of the curing process. Gee's Bend still exists as an African American community in Alabama. Gee's BendGuess there wasn't too much to do after dark except.... Gee's Bend and Civil RightsHere is a great article on Gee's Bend and the amazing quilts that come from there. I have been thinking about this article since Shorpy.com published the picture of the Gee's Bend Ferry... This paragraph contains one of the most chilling comments I have ever heard. I don't think I will ever forget it. Many who marched or registered to vote in rural Alabama in the 1960s lost their jobs. Some even lost their homes. And the residents of Gee's Bend, 60 miles southwest of Montgomery, lost the ferry that connected them to Camden and a direct route to the outside world. "We didn't close the ferry because they were black," Sheriff Lummie Jenkins reportedly said at the time. "We closed it because they forgot they were black." I am a newcomer to Shorpy, and I love the amazing photographs...but I am also glad that it provides a forum to remember both the good and bad of American history. (The Gallery, Arthur Rothstein, Gee's Bend, Kids)
Good Gulf Gas, phone 262
... times moved from Virginia to Georgia, and then on to Alabama and Mississippi; so, the trek to California was another step in the ... 
 
Posted by DoninVa - 04/06/2009 - 9:38am -

Grand opening of my father's Gulf Gas station in Gulfport, Ms, circa 1955. The family's 2-door Ford station wagon to the right of the building would make two cross-country Mississippi to California trips in a few years before we finally settled in The Promised Land of southern California. The clown's outfit was covered with Gulf embroidered patches and he has poorly made-up. I was about 7 at this time. View full size. So which hurricanefinally put this station out of business? The other promised landGulfport is now, to many, The other promised land. 2 door Fords were "Ranch Wagons", big open area in the back for us pre-seatbelt boomers to bounce around in. Great picture, thanks for sharing. Sound RentalIt's good to know that that Rambler wagon is "sound"; I'd hate to think it was otherwise! I do like the term "sound"; no longer a familiar usage. Cool. [It's a "sound car" because of the giant bullhorn on top. - Dave] Just Wonderin'I see a median strip--was this on U.S. 90? If so, I passed by many times in those years, maybe even bought gas there in the late '50s and early '60s. And I see only two bathroom doors. Was there a third around back? (Men, Women, and Colored.) Torn DownJust last year a service station identical to the picture was torn down in my town. I also heard on the news today that a service station built in 1933 was being moved so as to preserve it. I missed where that station was located. Sound Car For HireWe had a 53 Ford wagon too. I like the "Bathtub Nash" with extra added features -- a large paging horn and a roving billboard. For a moment I thought the service station also rented "sound" cars, until I saw the loudspeaker. Come one, come all, and join the fun! Hi kids! I'm Gulfy!I don't suppose you have any close-up shots of the clown? Those would be priceless. A guy in Mississippi dressed as a clown, covered with Gulf patches. You can't make this stuff up. Love that station design. Goober Pyle'd sell his mother to own a station like that. Minus the clown. Nash wagonThe car with the sign Sound Car for Hire looks like a Nash. I would love to see what this looks like today. How long...was the station there? Could it still have been there in the early Seventies? If so, I think I might have bought gas there on one of my trips between east Texas and south Georgia; I typically diverted from the direct route just to see the countryside. A Simpler TimeThat was a time when my friends and I, standing on a street corner, could identify the make, model, and year of every car that went by. I can almost identify all the cars here except I can't see the details to get the years right. The big dark fourdoor sedan reminds me of our family 1948 Plymouth Deluxe but I can't see the trim well enough to be sure of the year. I loved that car. I also got in a bad accident with it but I can honestly say it was not my fault. My father then got a 1954 Plymouth Belvedere with a strange kind of breakdown-prone no-shift fluid drive whose proprietary name I can't recall. Moving onWhen I was last in Gulfport, 1990 or so, the building was still there on Pass Road but had become a quick oil change place. My father and mother decided on California and we left Gulfport. I never learned the details of the business decisions to open the station and then leave it, but in California he found his niche selling Fords. We are descended from pioneer folk who in colonial times moved from Virginia to Georgia, and then on to Alabama and Mississippi; so, the trek to California was another step in the process. Perhaps curiously, I have spent most of my adult life in the South...but my favorite baseball team is the Angels. Somewhere in the dusty archive is a photo of the clown and he was a truly amateur joey. Today we have guys with twirling signs and huge foam hands to entice us; an improvement in marketing? 1954 PlymouthThe transmission you're referring to was called Hy-Drive. What Is It About Clownsthat is so scary? I would drive clear of any clown in a gas station - especially this one. HyDriveThe Plymouth scheme of combining a fluid clutch with a three speed manual transmission was called HyDrive. Happy DaysI love this picture! My dad was a salesman for Atlantic Refining in the early 1960s in North Carolina. I have some photos of an Atlantic station grand opening that looks almost identical to this picture, right down to the clown! I recall being scared of the clown as a 3-year old. It was common then at grand openings to have a clown, helium balloons, the trianglar flag streamers (in primary colors like red, blue, green, etc) and a big stack of Coca-colas to give away with every fill-up. Even after the hoopla died down, attendants in pressed uniforms washed your windshield and checked the oil and tires, at least until the first oil shock in '73 put an end to that luxury. What a great time to start a business! City or country locationIt is hard to tell. During my Greyhound driving years I would come upon a little cinder block gas station that still had the "Good Gulf" or "Chief" logo with the trademarked lettering styles over the garage bays in the deep rural South. We had a Phillips 66 in our part of the county, part auto center (gas, service, etc), part convience store and part boyhood education (auto parts calendars). Sound carsI remember the "Sound Cars." They would drive through your neighborhood and you would hear this deep voice saying something like "Come to Meyer's Department Store today for our pre-fourth of July sale, everything 25% off." The voice sounded like the voice of God on an old Charlton Heston movie and it was so loud you could hear it all through the house. Usually the speaker would pause 30-45 seconds before repeating it again as he drove by slowly. Looking back on it, it was a bit eerie. I never heard them after the mid-60s, they probably were outlawed in most towns. Where in Gulfport?Was the station on Highway 90 or on 49? P-15It's definitely a P-15 sedan. I'm betting on '48. I've one in the garage and I'd know that shape anywhere. An "After" PicIf you could remember the address, I could take a pic of whatever's there now for a before and after... I live right next door in Biloxi. Gas Prices in 1955Can anyone zoom in on this to tell me how much per gallon regular gas was selling at this station? When I bought my first used car, a 3-toned two-door 1952 Pontiac Catalina. purchased off a lot in Port Arthur, Texas, not far from a big Gulf refinery there, I think the price of regular leaded was about 31 cents. A year later, in Plainfield NJ, the price was about the same, but the car had worn out completely by then. So my dad co-signed a loan and I bought a brand new, stripped down 1957 two-door Ford Fairlane in Delaware, which was a terrific car. FillerupIn 1955 we handed the attendant a dollar bill and he pumped about four gallons into our car. And that came with a window wash and an oil check. Not long after, with the same car, we did the usual "fill it with oil and check the gas." When gas was cheapMy dad owned a gas station & store around this time period & gas was around 25 cents a gallon. Those were the days, huh? And our city must have been bigger than this one - our phone number was 4 digits & I still remember them - 6621! I have seen this building!I am from Gulfport and I believe I have seen this building just up from the port. I think is was 30th Avenue. My grampa used to paint all the signs around Gulfport. He went by the nickname Munch. Do you know who did the signs Don? Great to see this anyway! Thanks! Have I been there?I think I may have gotten gas there...if its the one I am thinking of, its on the highway that runs parallel to the gulf of Mexico? I stopped at a similar place on the coast about 5 years ago for gas. BathroomYes to the question for Just Wonderin, there is a third bathroom around back. It has a very high ceiling and a window over the top of the door. Gulfport Tire & Auto CareHello - we just bought the old Gulf Gas Station; other than an add-on to the side and read of the building this just as it was then. The address is 1606 Pass Road Gulfport, MS 39501. We will be posting new pictures of the building; we are in the middle of cleaning and painting now. Re: Gulfport Tire & Auto CareAs a preface to the "now" pictures, below is the Requisite Shorpy Google Streetview of the location. View Larger Map (ShorpyBlog, Member Gallery, Gas Stations)
Tuscaloosa Wrecking: 1936
Alabama, 1936. "Antebellum residence converted into Tuscaloosa Wrecking Co. ... size. Per Groucho Marx, We went ivory hunting in Alabama, because the Tuscaloosa there Still Standin' It's been ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 12/26/2022 - 2:30pm -

Alabama, 1936. "Antebellum residence converted into Tuscaloosa Wrecking Co. & Auto Parts." 8x10 nitrate negative by Walker Evans for the Farm Security Administration. View full size. Per Groucho Marx, We went ivory hunting in Alabama, because the Tuscaloosa there Still Standin'It's been moved to a vacant lot, but apparently it's still there: The Drish House. Dr. John R. Drish houseThis house had seen, and now has seen, better days. It was built in 1837 on a 350-acre plantation, with the columns and Italianate tower added just before the Civil War. Dr. Drish died there in 1867, his wife Sarah in 1884. It was the Jemison School from 1906 to 1925. After its time as an auto parts warehouse and Walker Evans's visit, it was purchased by Southside Baptist Church, which built a brick sanctuary on one side. Threatened with demolition, it was leased to the Heritage Commission of Tuscaloosa County in 1994, and after designation as a "place in peril," acquired by the Tuscaloosa Preservation Society in 2007. It was finally renovated starting in 2012 and opened in 2016 as a venue for weddings and other special events. Of course it is said to be haunted. The good with the sadIt is good the Dr. John R. Drish mansion has been saved. It is sad much of the charm has been lost. +85Below is the same view from February of 2021. (The Gallery, Cars, Trucks, Buses, Walker Evans)
Happy Birthday Shorpy!
... Higginbotham, a 'greaser' on the tipple at Bessie Mine, Alabama, of the Sloss-Sheffield Steel and Iron Co. Said he was 14 years old, ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/15/2012 - 9:56am -

December 1910. "Shorpy Higginbotham, a 'greaser' on the tipple at Bessie Mine, Alabama, of the Sloss-Sheffield Steel and Iron Co. Said he was 14 years old, but it is doubtful. Carries two heavy pails of grease, and is often in danger of being run over by the coal cars." Photograph by Lewis Wickes Hine. View full size. Shorpy was born 114 years ago on November 23, 1896. After this photo was taken, he lived 17 more years until he died in a mining accident at the age of 31. This Thanksgiving, let's raise a toast to his too-short but memorable life. Happy birthday ShorpyHappy birthday!!! You are not forgotten Shorpy rememberedWhat a singular thing it is for an otherwise forgotten life to be remembered, even memorialized, this way, via Shorpy, the site. Combined with that, the poignant story of Shorpy the person, his childhood and abruptly shortened life - I gotta say, it brings a tear to my eye. Happy Birthday Shorpy!Shorpy is one day older than my Dad who was born 11-24-96 and died on 1-24-64. Another milestoneNext month will mark the 100th anniversary of this picture and the other photos of Shorpy taken by Lewis Hine. I wonderif Shorpy was related somehow to my 6th grade teacher Mr. Higginbotham, because I remember thinking what an unusual name he had and had NEVER met anyone who had a name like that ... until now! You do honor to his memory.And thank you for running an important historical site. Shorpy, we celebrate your birthday,Yet we are the ones who receive the gifts, not just once a year, but every day that we visit this always interesting and sometimes incredibly moving blog that Dave created and named for you. Thanks to you both and here's to another year. Here's to Shorpy - The hard-working young man, and the fascinating website. Cheers! Happy Birthday and Cheers Shorpy I think it's great that Shorpy Higginbotham (by the way, I know a Higginbotham) is remembered presently as the name and face behind this site that shares our history through "family photographs" for us to enjoy and enrich each other with our posted comments. I hope any one of us has this remembrance decades after our passing. Happy Thanksgiving everyone! Remembering ShorpyDown here in the southern hemisphere we are mourning the loss of 29 miners in a mine explosion in New Zealand. I think it is fitting we remember Shorpy and all the nameless ones like him. www.rwyoung.com.au Possible genealogyI think I've found the 1900 Census record for Shorpy: His real name was Henry. Unfortunately the name has an inkblot over it but all the details work out. His father was a miner. He would have been about 3 years old in 1900, and lived in Graysville, Jefferson Co., which is where Bessie Mine is. [His birth name was Henry Sharpe Higginbotham. The basic facts of his life are recounted on Shorpy's Page. Scroll down for the genealogical details. - Dave] Thank You ShorpyFor being there every day ... Thank you Dave for this fantastic website. I wish we had one like this in the Netherlands. Very pity we don't. May you live on forever and ever. It would be nice if Shorpy H. could see these beautiful photos on his own PC up there in Heaven! Happy Birthday ShorpyThanking God today that children don't have to endure what Shorpy did. Yes, I realize children were tougher then, but life was so dangerous. Thanks Shorpy for your legacy. A toast from meRaise your glass to Shorpy Who worked at Bessie Mine He lives on in our memory Because of Lewis Hine Happy Thanksgiving, Shorpsters A glass for ShorpyAnd I don't even drink. There is much that is haunting about many of the photos that you post, but especially Shorpy's. I'd like to think that somewhere, somehow he's aware of this site and marvels that people know and remember him a hundred years later. Happy Birthday Shorpy!And many thanks to Dave for always providing a great way to start each Morning with visions from the past! Happy Thanksgiving to all! Recognitionof Shorpy's lot in life serves to enlighten all of us of with unvarnished looks at the way this country developed. Thanks to Shorpy (who might be a relative) and all who make this site the success it's become. No Joy in MudvilleIt is true that the future of these innocents was inevitable if they were born into the mineworkers' families in small towns and hollers in which mining was the only work available. There were few choices and to earn a living, they just had to 'man up', take the high risk jobs of (literally) backbreaking labor, accept that any day could be their last and were glad to have any job. These strong and courageous men and boys were not seeking fame and admiration, just struggling to support their families and do their jobs well. Like many people, even today, they were probably considered "nobodies" by the upper crust of society but to their families they were saints and saviors. My mom told me that when her father finished his day at the mines and walked home, his wife had a warm bath ready (with hand-carried, stove-heated water), then started every meal with soup (to clear out the throat and lungs of soot) and made it clear that he was appreciated by his kids all helping and serving him. I can't speak for everyone but in his case, they never got wealthy (owed their soul to the company store), suffered many family tragedies and his work-related injuries stayed with him for life. Things were so different then, it is hard to believe it was just about 100 years ago, but people truly struggled to survive. We don't know how lucky we are today. Happy birthday Shorpy, we hardly knew ye. I never realizedin all the time I've spent here, that the site was named for a real person. Thanks so much for giving us this great place to visit and expand our views of history, and special thanks to Shorpy himself. One for ShorpyI will raise a glass high and take a long drink in his honor. A question for Dave or Ken. What prompted you to choose Shorpy's name and face for this site? [The three photos of him just reached out and grabbed me for some reason. Poignant, I suppose. And the name "Shorpy" was appealing -- unique as far as Google was concerned (just one hit), and available as a domain name. - Dave] Daily remindersEvery day, without fail, includes a visit here. Young Henry Sharpe, aka "Shorpy," looks out at me every time as a reminder of my blessings. I do hope he had some in his short life. Another lowly worker, of a different kind, Green Cottenham, brought through exploration of his life a detailed look at oppression, in Douglas A. Blackmon's unforgettable book, "Slavery by Another Name." I am grateful for the images I see here each day, which serve to reinforce the great faith and effort to achieve true freedom and justice in this country. I am more grateful for the support which makes this site continue its important contribution to the understanding of what we had, what we have, and what we still must achieve; and for authors such as Mr. Blackmon, who "keep going," to bestow honor on the lowly heroes of our past. Happy Birthday ShorpyGotta say, when i was 20, I was out partying, now that I'm 50 I've found a better way to spend my nights, and that's with you dave, and especially SHORPY. Shorpy Higginbotham's story This is Joe Manning, of the Lewis Hine Project. For Shorpy readers who haven't seen it, here is the sad story of Shorpy Higginbotham. http://morningsonmaplestreet.com/2014/11/26/henry-s-higginbotham-page-on... Little MenThere's a heartbreaking lot of little men in this picture. Look at those expressions. It was a different world, and we have it way too easy, now--for which I am thankful! Thanks for the site, Dave. It was an inspired idea. Happy Birthday Shorpy!I love the great history of the U.S. Thanks for the site. Land of Equality Who says that America isn't integrated??? Glad to know nowthat this excellent website is named after someone who would have otherwise been forgotten by history. I find Shorpy's story fascinating and the website a great part of my every day. Thanks for this site and keeping Shorpy's memory alive. A guy who worked hard and served his country. Lunch is on meShorpy is my lunchtime friend. When the the boss comes around, invariably when I'm eating al desko and asks what are you doing, I answer either "a BLT" or "Shorpy." Salute!All my respect goes to the hardworking miners of the world. Always center stage.I can't help but think that although he was short of stature, he was someone to reckon with. Everytime he's in a picture somewhere, he is in the middle of the picture. A real handful. The strange things you deduct from pictures. Happy birthday Shorp! Happy Birthday, Shorpy!This was a rather poignant entry, Dave; thanks for all your fine work on here. Shorpy and I share the same birthday, and had his luck been better he probably would have been alive when I was born in 1959 on what would have been his 65th birthday. I think it is wonderful that an ordinary hard-working guy is memorialized on this site, and I hope he's is aware of it, somehow, somewhere, and is amused by it. I also hope that short and hard as his life was, that Shorpy had moments of joy and laughter that outshone the tough times. Happy 114th, Shorpy!! Training, sort of?Not trying to justify the working conditions that Shorpy and his pals had to work in, but I guess it was good training for the trenches of France where many of these guys would be a few years later. Heck, one might say that Army life was a vacation compared to day-to-day at the Bessie Mine. Thanks to Shorpy for his inspiration and to Dave for taking the ball and running with it. (The Gallery, Kids, Lewis Hine, Mining)
Fruit Market: 1908
... and a variety of produce. Market I live in Decatur Alabama and we have a farmers market but the market here has a catch only ... Iske Furniture This photo is looking eastward across Alabama Street. I found Iske Furniture in the 1909 Indianapolis City Directory ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 07/27/2012 - 9:28am -

Indianapolis Market. August 1908. Wit., E. N. Clopper. People shopped at open-air markets like this for fresh produce before the advent of the supermarket, which was basically a self-service farmers market, butcher shop and dry goods store all under one roof. View full size. Fantastic photo. I'll takeFantastic photo. I'll take a couple potatoes, a couple apples, and oh yeah, a cucumber if its not too soft. Take a little time, feel the sunshine and fresh air, have a nice little chat.....This is why I dislike Walmart so very much. Market PlaceHere in Baltimore, we still have "hokey men." They come around with a pony-drawn cart selling fruits, veggies, and crabs. Each has his own cry. They are honest and the wares are fresh. MarketsWe still have the Haymarket in Boston. Amazing produce at bargain rates. Having had the pleasure of living in London for several years I've been to markets in many European cities. The best? I think Vienna. Van VendingWhen I traveled around Great Britain a while back. I became acquainted with the minivan produce vendors in the small hamlets and villages. Granted, the distances to the larger towns were not that big by our standards here in the USA but over there they just didn't travel to shop. If the local shops didn't have what you wanted fresh you waited for the minivan vendor to come around. The driver would stop in a mostly central area and opened the back end or side door. There was a scale and sacks and a variety of produce. MarketI live in Decatur Alabama and we have a farmers market but the market here has a catch only locally grown produce.It's something my wife and son and myself do together we enjoy talking to the farmers they are always so proud of their produce and you can buy things alot cheaper and of better quality than what is sold at the supermarkets like wal mart or publix.I hope more people go to these ans support the little guy ! If you tell the truth you don't have to remember anything. Mark Twain HuckstersIn Philly people would buy produce off Hucksters who would drive to the streets with fresh fruits and vegetables, but that was in the day when the milk and bread were also delivered and I remember the guy who would sharpen kitchen knives on his wheel using foot power, lots of mobile vendors but my favorite was the pretzel kid who would sell fresh Philly soft pretzels from his bike, they would yell "FERRRESH PERRRETZELS" Iske FurnitureThis photo is looking eastward across Alabama Street. I found Iske Furniture in the 1909 Indianapolis City Directory with an address of 23 N Alabama St. This puts the location across the street from (east of) the city's former court house (now replaced with the 28 story City County Building. Also seen is the 'Court House Kneipe' saloon which has an address of 19 (N. Alabama St). So this is near or on the corner of Washington and Alabama St. This area is now a parking lot and was the southern edge of the now-demolished Market Square Arena. ColorizedColorized in photoshop. Click to enlarge Hokey MenIn Baltimore they are also known as Arabbers. (The Gallery, Indianapolis, Kids, Lewis Hine, Stores & Markets)
Pick a Possum: 1916
... From a "Possum Expert" I grew up in rural Alabama and trapped rabbits and possums in what were called "rabbit boxes". ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 09/11/2011 - 6:39pm -

New York circa 1916. "Opossums hanging up outside shop." 5x7 glass negative, George Grantham Bain Collection, Library of Congress. View full size. Seems like rabbits?Under the table 'possums, it looks like there is a pile of rabbits as well. And what is on top of the table? I love this site, my favorite time of the day. [No one's said anything about the ducks yet. - Dave] The Possum DealerI guess it's a sign of the times, the man in the bloody butcher's smock is wearing a derby hat, a high starched collar (detachable), a white shirt, a necktie, a suit jacket and shined shoes. All he has to do is ditch the coat and he can be off to lunch with Evelyn Nesbit. Tastes like...Anyone know what possum tastes like? In one of the fancier restaurants in Florida, I've had gator meat. Alligator meat really does taste like chicken (when grilled and marinated like chicken). Yumm yummWe got them! Possums! Possums! Get your fresh hot possums! Hello, Possums!That appears to be Granny Clampett herself hurrying to buy up a few for supper. But are these . . .free range possums? Jeb and WillyThere is something about this picture that just makes want to put words into the mouths of the two men with their opossums. I don't know what exactly - something to the effect that they can offer the photographer a good deal on a nice one - skinned out and ready for stew. Just makes me want to write a story.... I always enjoy these little looks back to times gone by - Thanks so much! Hangin With the PossumsI'm wondering less about the merchandise and more about the location. This is New York, by which they presumably mean New York City. One wouldn't think there'd be enough of a market for possum in the Big Apple that you'd have nine or ten of the critters hanging outside your shop. A sign of the times? [This is Chinatown. - Dave] Frontier Fast FoodI'm pretty sure there isn't anything in the world that would induce me to eat an opossum. Why no squirrels, I wonder? Well dressed, but...The possum dealer is indeed very well dressed under his coat, but look how filthy the gutter is! Must have been hard to keep nice clothes clean, even if you weren't slaughtering vermin all day. Recipe CornerNo mention of possum in my 1904 White House Cookbook but several rabbit recipes. My grandmother grew up in Texas and has had possum and she said it wasn't worth trying. But for those that care, here is the recipe for Fricassee Rabbit from the 1904 White House cook book. Clean two young rabbits, cut into joints, and soak in salt and water half an hour. Put into a saucepan with a pint of cold water, a bunch of sweet herbs, an onion finely minced, a pinch of mace, half a nutmeg, a pinch of pepper and a half a pound of salt pork cut in small thin slices. Cover and stew until tender. Take out the rabbits and set in a dish where they will keep warm. Add to the gravy a cup of cream (or milk), two well-beaten eggs, stirred in a little at a time, a tablespoonful of butter, and a thickening made of a tablespoonful of flour and a little milk. Boil up once; remove the saucepan from the fire, squeeze in the juice of a lemon, stirring all the while, and pour over the rabbits. Do not cook the head or neck. Taste of PossumI've actually had possum - very greasy, dark meat. My dad was quite a hunter when I was a kid, and being a child of the Depression, he wouldn't consider us not eating whatever he brought home - that would be wasteful. However, I'd go out of my way not to eat possum again - yuck! Same goes for raccoon and beaver. Bear, on the other hand, was quite delicious - though I oppose killing them on moral grounds. Playing PossumHow do we know they weren't just playing dead? And those guys were just the Allen Funts of their day, waiting to see a customer jump out of their shoes when the 'possum suddenly scampers off the counter. Candid Glass Negative Show. We need those little cartoon X's over the eyes maybe. Where'd they come from?Opossum are able scavengers. I'd imagine at that time they were all over the trash bins and alleyways of NYC. I'll bet armed with a small club or a slingshot one could kill quite a few at night. Probably a sort of cottage industry. The Dixie CookbookFrom the Dixie Cookbook. OPOSSUM. — Scald with lye, scrape off hair, and dress whole, leaving on head and tail; rub well with salt and set in a cool place over night; place in a large stone pan with two pints water and three or four slices bacon; when about half baked, fill with a dressing of bread crumbs, seasoned with salt, pepper and onions if liked. After returning to pan place sweet potatoes, pared, around the opossum, bake all a light brown, basting frequently with the gravy. When served place either an apple or sweet potato in its mouth. — Mrs. L. S. Brown, Atlanta Meta GivenMy cookbook treasure, "Meta Given's Encyclopedia of Food," has a recipe for roast possum as well. (First printing 1947.) I found it among such culinary delights as turtle soup (and how to dress a turtle), muskrat Maryland, and a complete American Legion raccoon dinner. Courtesy of the Chillicothe, Missouri chapter. [Meta rules. I have both volumes of Meta Given's "Modern Encyclopedia of Cooking," the 1959 edition. They've been in my family since they were new. A great cookbook! - Dave] New YorkThis is funny I am in Tennessee and have had dealings with New Yorkers and have been called possum eating hillbilly.. I tried to explain that it was Turkey deer fish squirrel rabbit and other game birds before possum. But it looks as though it was Sunday dinner in New York. Possums look differentDunno bought y'all but the only possums I have ever seen are white, no where near that furry, and much much smaller- do they have bigger possums back east? [Possums are not white. Maybe you're thinking of armadillos. - Dave] JoyThe old (unexpunged) versions of The Joy of Cooking actually have a brief bit on dressing and preparing Opossum. You have to look under O and not P in the Index. Sadly, my copy is newer and doesn't have this lovely tidbit, so I'll have to rely on someone else. Like ChickenI actually cooked a possum, in a Dutch oven over (and under) coals, as a part of a historical reenactment of the 1830's in Washington-on-the-Brazos, Texas. It tasted like chicken. I love these booksI have both the volumes of Meta Given's Modern Encyclopedia of Cooking as well, the fifth printing 1956, I suspect they were a wedding gift as my parents were married in 1956. I love them, they are a treasure of not only unique recipes, but everything else from buying fruits, storing food and entertaining! Janet This Opinion From a "Possum Expert"I grew up in rural Alabama and trapped rabbits and possums in what were called "rabbit boxes". Consequently, I have caught many possums. My family would eat the rabbits I caught, but I sold the possums locally to those who did eat them. Generally, the price of a regular size possum was 50¢ and the larger ones would bring 75¢. This was during the 1940's. The animal carcasses in this photo do not appear to be possums to me. Among other things, they are much larger than any I have ever seen. 50 shades of gray?Possums come in all shades of gray, from such a light gray as to appear almost white to such a dark shade that they are nearly black. (The Gallery, G.G. Bain, NYC, Stores & Markets)
McCollum Grocery: 1936
Moundville, Alabama, in 1936. Photo by Walker Evans. [Update Nov. 9, 2007: This would ... The only problem is that it is not from Moundville, Alabama or even close by. After I found the image on the site, I excitedly told ... email from the mayor of Hayleyville [Haleyville? - Dave], Alabama. The image was of a store in his town and the store occupying it had ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 09/07/2011 - 4:18pm -

Moundville, Alabama, in 1936. Photo by Walker Evans. [Update Nov. 9, 2007: This would seem to be in Greensboro, not Moundville. Although the mayor of Haleyville has another theory. - Dave] View full size. Mmmmmmmmm Bacon Skins.....Mmmmmmmmm Bacon Skins..... Loftis CafeCurb service at the spot next door. Looks like someone's waiting for that next customer.... Grocery CompanyI love this picture. The man lurking in the doorway and the car parked in the street to the left. Wonderful! Sally Which Ville?The only problem is that it is not from Moundville, Alabama or even close by. After I found the image on the site, I excitedly told my sister, Belinda N., who lives in Moundville of the image. Although she didn't immediately recognize it, she emailed a reporter from their local newspaper and he published the image in his column. Dozens of Hale County's residents told of where the building was and history seemed to be moving along swiftly as it should. Then, they received an email from the mayor of Hayleyville [Haleyville? - Dave], Alabama. The image was of a store in his town and the store occupying it had just closed in October of this year. Having the writing on the wall proved to be the "writing on the wall"! Due to the passage of so much time it was an easy mistake to make but it should be corrected for future readers of the blog. Time blurs our recollections of the past and sometimes even the past itself, if we but let it. [Things are still a little blurry. The caption information is from the Library of Congress Prints & Photographs division. Thanks for the info. Below is a different view of the same store. Click to enlarge. The caption here is "County seat of Hale County, Alabama," which would mean this is not Moundville or Haleyville, but Greensboro. - Dave] FoundView Larger Map GreensboroThese photos are definitely from Greensboro, Alabama. The C.A. Johnson store existed here into the 1980's, when it burned. (The Gallery, Stores & Markets, Walker Evans)
Silver Place: 1939
...     The Solomon Siler House in Pike County, Alabama. May 1939. "Old home in Alabama built about 1850 called 'Silver Place,' owned by Mr. Frazier, now ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 04/08/2019 - 9:19pm -

        The Solomon Siler House in Pike County, Alabama. May 1939. "Old home in Alabama built about 1850 called 'Silver Place,' owned by Mr. Frazier, now rented by two families." Medium format negative by Marion Post Wolcott for the Farm Security Administration. View full size. Solomon Siler HouseHere are some more views, including interiors -- https://www.loc.gov/resource/hhh.al0705.photos/?sp=1 Cat On a Hot Tin RoofBig Daddy may not have made his move on this place yet in 1939, but it looks like they might still be able to stage a garden party at the house now. Once someone gets out a coat or paint or two on the circa 1845 family manse. Near Orion, Alabama. For SaleThis house is for sale, as it happens. The price was reduced last month to $175,000. Lovely photos of the interior here: https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/5843-County-Road-7714-Troy-AL-36081/1... Fascinating to compare room by room with the 1935 photos linked by jtkirkland. A tricky bit of carpentryOne thing that catches my eye is how the 4 large, square pillars become more narrow at the top, giving an illusion of greater height. Here's a view from the 2nd floor. (The Gallery, Dogs, Kids, M.P. Wolcott, Small Towns)
Pleasantville: 1910
... find a map of that system on line, but it did serve Mobile Alabama and Pensacola Florida. Pensacola, Florida Nice photo. The ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/06/2019 - 9:07pm -

Circa 1910 comes this most agreeable vista. Who'll be the first commenter to put a name to a place? (Hint: Half the answer is already here.) View full size. UPDATE: As many commenters correctly surmised, the city is Pensacola, Florida. The original caption: "Tarragona Street wharf, Pensacola, Florida." Louisville, KYHome of Hillerich & Bradsby and the former Belknap Hardware Company. The Lewis Bear Co.Your place in Tampa Florida to get a Gonzalo Cigar Half a Chance ..."Bay" St. Louis, Mississippi? Lovely city on the GulfIt's Pensacola, Florida. Here's a photo with the Court of Record still under construction. And while I don't see any dogs lying about, Uneeda Biscuit is here. Good ViewBuena Vista, California. And it is ...San Francisco? I'll hazard a guessPensacola, Florida? PensacolaI can say without a shadow of a doubt this is Pensacola, Florida. The structure in the bottom left is currently the T.T. Wentworth Jr Florida State Museum. It was built in 1907, however, and served as Pensacola City Hall from 1907 - 1985. I don't know wherethis is but suddenly I feel like I needa Biscuit. Chula Vista?Chula Vista, California? PleasantvilleI'm thinking Chula Vista, California. A GuessPensacola, FL [Holding up hand]Port of Tampa? Tampa?The building just to the left of the Coca-Cola billboard building says Tampa, Fla. [Should have stopped at the billboard! - Dave] Some thoughtsWell, I don't see the half of the name, but I do see that this is the Louisville and Nashville Railroad. Cannot find a map of that system on line, but it did serve Mobile Alabama and Pensacola Florida. Pensacola, FloridaNice photo. The Lewis Bear Company building mentioned Tampa, Florida. That company got me to Pensacola and after that I found the T. T. Wentworth, Jr. Florida State Museum which is in the lower left of this picture. Don't ask me where the cannons went. The Louisville and Nashville Railroad went to Pensacola, but not to Tampa at that time, so that information helped, too. Is it ...Pensacola, Florida? Pensacola FloridaFor Sure! That is the old City Hall in the lower left - now a museum. And the city isSan Francisco? Tampa, FloridaShot in the dark. The Lewis Bear CompanyLewis Bear Company was started in a town that has a water front layout like this -- Pensacola. The building across the street from the official looking building in the foreground could be the one in their 1899 ad. L. & N.R.R. Louisville & Nashville Railroad. I learn SO much on this site! More entertaining AND educational than normal websurfing. PensacolaI will guess Pensacola, Florida, because of "The Lewis Bear Company" on the white building just to the right of the center. It was founded in 1876 in Pensacola. PleasantvilleNever mind that, what about the cannons? Has to be ...Louisville, Kentucky. I'd guessSpanish architecture, L&N Rail Road, and an ad for the Lewis Bear Co leads me to think Florida add in the comment about the agreeable vista and I'm going with Buena Vista, Florida. Even then, a major Navy base.Notice the two early destroyers steaming along the waterfront. The one in the lead (on the right) could be either USS Smith, DD 17, commissioned in November 1909, or USS Lamson, DD 18. According to Friedman's "US Destroyers," these two (built by Cramp in Philadelphia) were the only ones with the No. 2 and 3 funnels paired. The photo shows the original low funnels; they were increased in height after sea trials. The ship on the left is one of two built in Bath, Maine, either Flusser (DD 20) or Reid (DD 21). All these were commissioned in 1909 and belong to the last group of coal fired destroyers built for the US Navy, displacement about 700 tons, and later called the "flivvers" (lightweights) once 1000-ton destroyers became normal in the run-up to World War I. Pensa ... That towerOn the right -- what's it for? [Looks like a fire bell. - Dave] Split-level wharfThe railway docks have been built with a trestled ramp which raised the freight cars up to a higher level for loading directly from the ship when at high tide. A lower level track was on the dock itself, for low tide loading. I've never seen this before. Almost the view from my window!I am seeing this a few days too late to be the first to answer, but I am currently sitting in my office with my windows facing that view, but I am one building to the right of where that picture was taken -- my office window faces the TT Wentworth Museum and the park. I have bricks from the warehouse by the water tower in the picture from when it was demolished back in about 2003, I used them to build a small paver patio in my yard. Pleasantville 1910 and the NavyI see two very early US Navy destroyers behind the wharves. (The Gallery, Boats & Bridges, DPC, Florida, Pensacola)
Ensley Furnace: 1936
... March 1936. "Steel mill and company houses -- Birmingham, Alabama." The Ensley works of the Tennessee Coal, Iron & Railroad Company, ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 01/04/2023 - 12:46pm -

March 1936. "Steel mill and company houses -- Birmingham, Alabama." The Ensley works of the Tennessee Coal, Iron & Railroad Company, along with the skeleton of a snagged kite. 8x10 inch nitrate negative by Walker Evans for the U.S. Resettlement Administration. View full size. Long timers?Did steel workers of that day live in the company houses for very long or were they able to save up enough to buy a place outside the mill area? The factory would have been up to maximum capacity in a few years. What to do with 600 acres nowMost of the Ensley plant has been demolished, but the smokestacks, below, still stand. Here is a history of the plant and property, still owned by U.S. Steel's USS Real Estate division. The last listed redevelopment proposal was in 2011. Click to embiggen
Blowing Smoke: 1943
... spectaculars, was 28 when he arrived in New York from Alabama with $9 in his pocket. He developed a multimillion-dollar business ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/01/2012 - 1:35pm -

February 1943. "New York. Camel cigarette advertisement at Times Square." Photograph by John Vachon for the Office of War Information. View full size. Ames Billiard AcademyRight behind the Camel sign was Ames pool room, where parts of "The Hustler" were filmed with Paul Newman and Jackie Gleason in 1960. Douglas Leigh Inc.Douglas Leigh, the man who designed this and other advertising spectaculars, was 28 when he arrived in New York from Alabama with $9 in his pocket. He developed a multimillion-dollar business designing and erecting breathtaking signs. Leigh created the Super Suds detergent sign with 3,000 large "floating" soap bubbles per minute. A 120-foot Pepsi-Cola waterfall, the Bromo-Seltzer sign with actual effervescence and the Old Gold cigarettes sign with 4,100 light bulbs were all Leigh creations. His giant Camel sign that puffed out real smoke rings lasted for 26 years on Broadway and was copied in 22 cities. He was also the brains behind the 25-foot A&P coffee cup that let off real steam. -- From Leigh's 1999 New York Times obituary Where are my smokes?I just love the two women in the corner digging through their purses... What might they be looking for in 1943? Money? Ticket to a show? And the short white socks... Scotty, beam me to NYC, 1943 please! What's in a name?"Costlier tobaccos," sounds like today's cigarettes! Mixed MediaI adore these adverts where the object does something -- smoke or steam, movement, three-dimensional objects etc. Signs of the TimesAh yes, the sign, the Hotel Claridge and Times Square during the war years. I remember them so well, along with Toffenetti's Restaurant, any Longchamps or Childs NY outlet, the Woodstock Hotel and, when my family was flush, the Hotel Taft and the Roxy Theater. Camels were hard to come by for civilians during the war. My dad resorted to rolling his own using Model smoking tobacco and one of those hand-operated machines. All those bulbs!I would love to see a picture of this sign at nighttime. With all those lightbulbs, I bet you could see it from the moon. Very LifelikeDoes it cough and wheeze? OverlapI wonder what the neon over the top of the words "Costlier Tobacco" would say when lit? It looks like it can be turned on and off to make different slogans. Shorpy window peepers.I just love how many Shorpy images have someone looking out a window! The hotel window above the M in Camel has a shadowy face and a hand holding the curtain back. [That's Ima Lamp. Not much of a talker, but she really lit up a room. - Dave] Big smokeWhen I was about 12 or 13 years old in 1952, I went with my siblings, stepfather and mother on a trip to New York City and walked directly beneath the sign. I was amazed at how large it was. The tube blowing the "smoke" was probably a good 2 to 3 feet across. That scale doesn't show up well in photos. What a dumpNo one's noticed Bette Davis crossing the street? Slower BurningOne of the neon sign slogans apparently was "Slower Burning" http://www.si.edu/opa/insideresearch/photo_pages/V17_TimesSquare_smokeri... And "I'd walk a mile for a Camel" http://www.panoramio.com/photo/19461756 I'd Walk a MileBoth my parents smoked Camels. My dad switched to cigars around 1960, he died in 1963. My mom smoked 'em until she died in 1985. My mom told me that during the war she had to smoke a cheap brand called Marvels because Camels were hard to come by. Apparently cigarettes weren't rationed, but most of the cigarette production was shipped to our troops. Nicotine NostalgiaMy old German father rolled his own cigarettes which he smoked six days a week. However . . . Camels on Sundays! Remember the Leave it to Beaver episode where Beaver & Larry Mondello climb up on a big sign? I think it was steaming tea. When I was a kid......my mom told me that there were 20 guys in a room behind the sign smoking cigarettes. At the appointed time, they would all exhale and blow their smoke through the hole. T'was trueMost of the cigarette production during WWII went to troops overseas. It's the wrong brand, but many should remember the marketing cry, "Lucky Strike Green Went to War." Today's familiar Lucky Strike pack came into being in stores as Green was shipped off to far-flung battlegrounds. Regarding that steamy Camel sign: My brother and I often sidled by it in the 50s, and would wait for the "smoke" to puff out at traffic. I think we thought it was smoke, not steam. I've often wondered if such friendly advertising contributed to my 20 year habit and my brother's 35 year habit. Alas. The Camel SignIt's interesting, I found a number of images of this billboard online. The structure of the puffing billboard remained the same, just the smoker was repainted over and over again. 1941(?) 1943 1944 1945 (film of billboard in action. Opens in your media player) 1964 1965 Time to Go"Lucky Strike Green has gone to war". There was an untold story behind that, which has been told (about ten years ago) in a book called The Father of Spin. The CEO of whichever company made Luckies contacted Edward S. Bernays in 1932 because he had a problem. He wanted more women to smoke his cigarettes, but they told him they wouldn't buy Luckies because the green clashed with their clothing. Bernays suggested changing the package color, but the exec wouldn't hear of it. So Bernays set about influencing public opinion to make green a "fashionable" color. He organized an elaborate clandestine PR campaign (Bernays more or less invented PR), to get tastemakers to glom on to the green idea. It worked in the sense that green temporarily became a fashionable color that year, but it didn't move the sales of Luckies by much, and certainly not in a sustainable manner. If you know that story, it doesn't take much to connect the dots and see that the war was the perfect excuse to get rid of the offending green. Never mind that many folks at the time expressed outrage at a tobacco company's crass claim of "sacrifice," when many were sacrificing much more than a package design. (The Gallery, John Vachon, NYC)
The Neighbors: 1936
... March 1936. "Middle class houses of the town. Birmingham, Alabama." Nitrate negative by Walker Evans for the Resettlement Administration. ... down. Construction like this was common throughout Alabama, Mississippi and Louisiana -- cheap and allows maximum circulation for ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 09/05/2012 - 6:05pm -

March 1936. "Middle class houses of the town. Birmingham, Alabama." Nitrate negative by Walker Evans for the Resettlement Administration. View full size. Nice LinesThe contrasting images and diagonal lines criscrossing this scene are astounding. Masonry DetailsI love this photo. Not having ever been to Birmingham (I imagined Birmingham as being flat) nor being schooled in the journeyman practice of masonry, several details stand out: The thinness of the brick piers holding up the bungalows on the hillside The masonry arch caps on the chimneys The stonework terracing within the cemetery hillside The fieldstone cemetery wall All together, it appears to highlight a profound contrast to the present day: an attention to detail combined with relatively inexpensive labor and maximum use of local stones. FavelaI was also struck by those piers ... just waiting for a good wind gust. Also, the scene reminds me of a South American hillside barrio or favela, with no real streets in sight. Presumably the substantial houses at the top of the hill are facing a real street, but everything else is served only by footpaths. StiltsI'm amazed at the houses on the brick pillars. It looks like one small earthquake could take them out. QuietAh - nice quiet neighbours. Bliss. Birmingham PlotsI grew up in Birmingham. Neighborhoods like this have been a victim of urban blight and many small frame homes like these have been torn down. Construction like this was common throughout Alabama, Mississippi and Louisiana -- cheap and allows maximum circulation for the summer months. My last home in Jackson, Mississippi, dates from 1915 and the foundation is exactly the same as these houses, albeit on not as steep of a grade. Fieldstone walls and houses are very common in the Birmingham area, as are terraced cemeteries. I wish I could identify this one, sadly the only last name visible is a very common one. If anyone is able to figure out where this is I'll ask my father to take a photo. It looks like a white cemetery in the foreground and the unlandscaped plot behind it is more than likely a black graveyard. Burial grounds were segregated until the late 1960's there. Bone OrchardNice solution to the slope in the cemetery. I guess that kept Granny from scrunching down in the toe-end of her box. Moline, ILThis picture reminds me of my grandma's house in Moline IL! Her basement was built into the side of a hill with two floors above. The house was torn down in the late 80's. Looking at the lot today, no one would suspect that a house ever sat there. Thanks for the memory Shorpy! Vigilando...Los porches de las casas miran, vigilantes, hacia el cementerio. Entre éste y las casas se está realizando una ampliación en la que algunos, previsores, han empezado a construir su tumba, aún más cerca de las casas. ...gracias, SHORPY. Hilly BirminghamI live in Birmingham. Like much of northern Alabama, it's quite hilly. The city sits in a valley between Red Mountain and Shades Mountain. There are lots of old neighborhoods built on the slopes of one hill or another. This neighborhood could have been on the North Side of downtown, judging by the houses and the cemetery on the slope. Some of our city's most interesting homes sit precariously on the side of Red Mountain. Press uno por EnglishUppa you ess! [Dear Norm: Anyone is welcome to submit a comment here regardless of the language they speak. Civility and good manners are a requirement, however. - Dave] Es VerdadI thought Paco's comment was beautiful, either in Spanish or in English translation. Anyone can easily obtain Spanish to English translation on the Internet. Somewhere in BirminghamI live in Birmingham and I believe that this picture was taken by the airport. I'm Guessing Pratt CityI'm thinking this could have been around Irish Hill (now Dugan Avenue) in the Pratt City section of Birmingham. Birmingham PhotoI grew up in Birmingham and my father who also grew up there loved to take my brother and I to all sorts of ineresting places that most people didn't know about. The picture is of the original Jewish cemetary which is somewhere around Birmingham Southern College and the current interchange of I-65 and I 59/20. I was too young to remember exactily the location but since I had never seen anything like the cemetary I never forgot it. Birmingham cemeteryI took locating this photograph as a challenge, and I believe I have it placed. I was a child long ago in Birmingham also, although I never saw this particular cemetery. I think the photograph was taken in Knesses Israel Cemetery at about the center of the cemetery, Latitude: 33.522351 and Longitude: -86.831288 with the camera pointing to the northeast. This is consistent with the post George Adams made. The key to identifying it was the church at the top of the hill on the left side of the photograph with the patched tin roof and the twin towers. I believe that to be Old Sardis Baptist Church located at 1240 4th St N., now with the top of the southern tower removed, the roof's peak lowered, and its exterior walls veneered with red brick. From what I can see with Google Satellite and Streetview, it's the only recognizable structure in the picture still remaining, and most of the lots where houses are shown then now have trees or underbrush covering them. Baker grave in pictureGoing from Norwood_nomad's comment, I found the coordinates for Baker grave in the photo on Find a Grave here 33.5225503,-86.8315599. (The Gallery, Birmingham, Walker Evans)
Ashwood: 1939
... differences. Everybody was just trying to survive (1940s Alabama). Ashwood: 1940 May 1940: Third and fourth grade children ... many of the race riots, sit-downs, boycotts etc. began in Alabama. [Not to mention sit-ins. - Dave] If you think this ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 09/08/2011 - 9:52pm -

May 1939. "Second and third grade children being made up for their Negro song and dance at May Day-Health Day festivities." Ashwood Plantations, South Carolina. View full size. Photograph by Marion Post Wolcott for the FSA. My father, my uncle, our neighborsand for that matter the whole mining camp looked like they were dressed in black face when they came out of the mines after a hard day shoveling coal...where they worked side by side with african-americans...and nobody ever gave it a second thought about racial differences. Everybody was just trying to survive (1940s Alabama). Ashwood: 1940May 1940: Third and fourth grade children rehearsing for radio comedy, "Amos 'N' Andy: The Early Years." No way the above picture could happen today without some major controversy. No way could it happen todayNo way could it happen today at all. That's because most peopleThat's because most people nowadays know this is ridiculously wrong. Amazing how far we've comeThis must have been a "fun" time at the school...They were probably in their mid-twenties by the mid-fifties when the many of the race riots, sit-downs, boycotts etc. began in Alabama. [Not to mention sit-ins. - Dave] If you think this isn't offensive......then I want you to consider what would have happened had a group of black children dressed up in whiteface in 1939, then sang some traditional "white" songs in mock-patrician accents while lighting cigars with $20 bills. If it resulted in only their school being burned down, they would have been lucky. Perfectly acceptable?someone clearly thought this was perfectly acceptable at the time, but the little girl with the mirror? what might SHE be thinking? the blonde, blonde hair and peter pan collar! and that kid in the double breasted suit! i'm not even sure what they're not sure about Why is it wrong?Is it wrong to dress as an Eskimo to do an Eskimo song and dance? Or dress as Spanish Conquistadors for a play on that subject? Or as white cowboys or Native Americans? Or wear wooden shoes and pigtails for a nice Holland number? [There's a big difference, these days, between blackface and dressing up as a conquistador. I'll bet most people know what it is. - Dave] I never really understoodI never really understood why dressing in blackface is supposed to be so hurtful either. Where is the insult? [Really. Where is the insult? Aside from being mocked by your former owners as shuffling, dimwitted buffoons who speak in moronic dialect, I mean. - Dave] Portland, Oregon: 1992When I was in college, a friend mentioned that her church had organized mock Passover ceders [seders?] in which each member of the congregation was assigned a role, with lines to memorize, etc. She was surprised to discover that somebody she knew sincerely celebrated the holiday, and was worried that she had committed a faux pas along the lines of dressing in blackface. In practice, I just found it funny. Dressing as a member of another culture, even in a stereotyped manner, is not inherently offensive, though it can become offensive if it derives from a history of degrading depictions. Those who have never seen footage of old blackface performances may not be aware of what they entailed. I suggest renting the Al Jolson film "Wonder Bar," which ends with a jaw-dropping blackface routine set in Negro heaven. The movie also includes memorable pre-Hays-Code material about homosexuality and suicide. Junior HighI remember acting in the 7th grade play in Jr. High School in Ohio in 1966 as the only black character in the play. I portrayed the character in blackface and stole the show. Of course in 1966, 2 years after the Civil Rights Act, the correct term was Negro. MinstrelsyIn 1948 my high school had a minstrel show. Today I marvel at the Chicago Public Schools' insensitivity in allowing this. To top it off, our school didn't have an auditorium, so we had the show in a heavily black school. We were a bit uneasy. Amos & Andy"I never understood why, in a a radio broadcast,, the performers had to be in blackface make-up." If you're talking about Amos & Andy they didn't. Freeman Gosden and Charles Correll, didn't wear blackface for their broadcasts although they did "black up" (as was the common term for applying blackface) for publicity photos - wear they were frequently seen at the microphone - and for their rather infamous feature movie "Check and Double Check" which was the highest grossing RKO picture until "King Kong." When "Amos & Andy" moved to TV, the entire cast was made up of African-Americans. Alternate activity suggestionsFor the people who imagine that dressing up in blackface is just imitating an ethnic group, consider that the whole blackface minstrel thing was invented by white people as a representation that they wished were true, because it made black people easy to dismiss. If these people were genuinely interested in imitating black people where's their "Fredrick Douglas oratory contest" or their "Duke Ellington piano recital"? Well, I guess that wouldn't be as educational as smearing black paint on your their faces would it? Ashwood 1939I never understood why, in a a radio broadcast,, the performers had to be in blackface make-up. Ashwood KidsMuch to these kids' credit, none of them appears to be having a very good time. The way many of the girls are holding their arms out would indicate that they are desperately trying to avoid getting any of whatever that stuff is all over their dresses. This sort of thing was by no means relegated to the south. Click here to view a still of Mickey Rooney and Judy Garland in a scene from the 1941 film "Babes On Broadway." Some temporal perspective, please. Many of the commentaries concerning the photograph are no more than guilt swathed in politically correct speech. What is the point of such nonsense? The photograph stands for itself. A fraction-of-a-second glimpse of America, in that time and that place. No other. Any attempt to impute guilt, shame or right-or-wrong is doomed to failure. It amounts to nothing more than whining and sniveling by first-world people with electricity, computers and full bellies. Knock it off. I propose we work to identify the, "sense," of this and other photographs that this glorious Shorpy venue offers. The subjects. THEIR thoughts and actions. What was the photographer trying to show show and say? And look toward the technical details of structure, identity, light, health, dress, and many thousands of details that are lost when the, "I'm Politically Correct," lot start in on a subject. They belong on Craigslist Rants and Raves with those other such people who have reduced their lives to bumper-sticker philosophies. I am very grateful that this photograph exists. Without it, we would all be a poorer people. These are our ancestors, and like us, they are found in a place and time like no other. This photograph was taken 69 years ago. I am fairly certain that 69 years in the future, many of OUR activities will be viewed as those of barbarians. Thank you, John D. Rockhill Tempe, Arizona Late to the game..I know I'm late to the game with my comment, but...little children are not prejudiced, but this is a prefect example of young learning from their elders! Very sad! Shame on John for not believing this can be hurtful! I also love the pictures and take the offensive with the beautiful, but I believe it was wrong. History, RevisitedThe greatest thing about photography is that the perspective of viewers keeps changing as the years pass. (The Gallery, Education, Schools, Kids, M.P. Wolcott)
Wreck on the Highway: 1939
...     The Solomon Siler House in Pike County, Alabama. May 1939. "Old home in Alabama built about 1850 called 'Silver Place,' owned by Mr. Frazier, now ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 04/11/2019 - 10:16am -

        The Solomon Siler House in Pike County, Alabama. May 1939. "Old home in Alabama built about 1850 called 'Silver Place,' owned by Mr. Frazier, now rented by two families." Medium format acetate negative by Marion Post Wolcott for the Farm Security Administration. View full size. It's for saleThis 4023 sq. ft. house at 5843 County Road 7714 in Troy, AL, is priced at $175,000. It sits on 4.2 acres and has 5 bedrooms and 2 baths. A 4-inch paintbrushAnd a quick trip or two or three or four to Sherwin-Williams would spruce the place right up. I think. I went to the scene of destruction.Admittedly looking pretty sketchy in these photos, this is really a well proportioned, handsome house. Beautiful staircase and hallway inside as well. And thank you, Dave: now I will have Roy Acuff singing in my head the rest of the day. "When whiskey and blood run together, Did you hear anyone pray?" More than a 4-inch paintbrushHappily, there was more in the resto budget than paint! They even got the county road moved away from the front porch. Additional Views HereSome additional exterior and interior views here: https://www.loc.gov/resource/hhh.al0705.photos/?sp=1 Almost like a real estate listing, but not. A fast photographerI'm impressed that the photographer was able to move all the equipment across the road and set up for another shot before the dog could leave the porch. (The Gallery, Dogs, Kids, M.P. Wolcott)
Old Reliable: 1942
... in 1941 and 1942. In the early photos, in training in Alabama, he is wearing one of the doughboy style helmets. After the war ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 02/15/2019 - 3:55pm -

June 1942. Fort Knox, Kentucky. "Infantryman with halftrack. A young soldier sights his Garand rifle like an old-timer. He likes the piece for its fine firing qualities and its rugged, dependable mechanism." 4x5 Kodachrome transparency by Alfred Palmer for the Office of War Information. View full size. Garand RifleInteresting photo. Latest rifle, the Garand and a World War I type helmet. Looking at the markings on the vehicle, it doesn't seem to be US ARMY. Could it be US MARINE CORPS? [U.S.A.W. - Dave] HelmetIf I remember correctly, the US used those WWI/British style helmets until early 1942, when it switched to the more familiar "wrap around" helmet used through the rest of the war. I suppose the old helmets could still be used for training. Helmet TransitionI have photos of my father in the Army in 1941 and 1942. In the early photos, in training in Alabama, he is wearing one of the doughboy style helmets. After the war started, there are photos of him in Hawaii in 1942 with the newer, more familiar GI style helmet. Tire's on backwardThe directional tread on that tire's going the wrong way, so either the tire was put on the rim wrong or the right and left wheels were switched. The factory shots have them mounted correctly. [I bet they knew what they were doing. See above. - Dave] Tires on backwardIf it was a drive wheel it is definitly on backwards. A drive tire put on this way would not be self cleaning. It would fill up with mud and lose traction. Put on correctly the tire will be self cleaning and retain traction. With non-drive tires the direction of the tread is irrevelant. ["Irrevelant"? See above. - Dave] The tire is on backwardFarm kids pick this stuff up early, with chevron-type tread like that on a powered wheel the bars won't self clean and the tire is effectively bald in mud or snow. This is the recommended mounting for a non-powered wheel, unfortunately it's on a driven axle. The government was in the process of changing to the more familiar NDT (Non Directional Tread) right about the time this picture was taken, it simplified maintainance and eliminated possible future issues like this halftrack might experience. [If only you'd been there to tell them. And them and them and them. - Dave] Leave it to ShorpyLeave it to Shorpy commentors to start a tire tread direction thread. Surprised me to realize I've never thought about it before, and I'm an old guy. It would seem having the tread chevron point first as it contact a dry surface would provide a modicum of extra grabbing force. Although, as the below people noted, it would be gunked up immediately in mud and snow. It's hard to imagine they'd stop and turn their treads every time the weather changed. Just choose one and live with it. So, it's easy to see where mult-directional treads would take care of having to make a call on the old treads and their direction. Solving problems, one of man's more useful abilities. Can't believe I just wrote three short paragraphs on tire tread direction on large vehicles of long past decades. Maybe that's why I love this site. Brings out some unique discussions and responses at times. Tire Treads"This is the recommended mounting for a non-powered wheel, unfortunately it's on a driven axle." I was not aware that the front axle on a half-track was a driven axle. In fact I don't think it was - the front wheels were for steering while the tracks provided power. You will observe on the photo of the truck (the middle of the three that Dave posted) the front tires was chevrons forward and the rear tires were chevrons back. [As we can see from the axles and differential cases in the photos already posted, the front wheels are driven. - Dave] Stuck in the MudWhile I shouldn't try to second guess the military thinking of the day regarding which way to mount their front tires, I can report why we would occasionally run farm tires "backward". The idea in mounting R-1 (chevron) tires backward was that you had better traction going in reverse than forward. Thus, with superior traction in reverse, you could (almost) always count on being able to back out after you got stuck. Yes, it also meant you were more likely to get stuck in the first place but the chances you'd have to call for a tow in that event were supposedly less likely. While you wouldn't likely see this done on a tractor, it was fairly common to see it on combines. Especially in areas known for a wet harvest like Oklahoma wheat harvest or soybean harvest in Mississippi. The other possibility for running their front tires backward might have had something do with wear issues. Chevron tires wear out quickly on pavement when run the "right" way. As I recall, the leading edge of the outside tread bar will wear away fast. By running the tires backwards, they may have found the tire treads wore down more evenly and lasted longer. Well, just a thought anyway. [Note that the WW2 tire and the R-1 tractor tread (below) are totally different designs. In the R-1 the tread is made of separate ridges. Which is what gives you traction and self-cleaning at the same time. You could put it on either way and get dig-in, either from the middle or from the edges. On the WW2 tire the ridges are all connected at the middle. The only dig-in is from the edges. - Dave] RotationYou guys are amazing. Good point about not trying to second-guess military thinking on these matters--no doubt they did have their reasons. One might simply have been that the front wheels on halftracks run on paved roads would certainly wear unevenly, and with no back wheels to add to the mix the only way to rotate them is to run them with the treads going the other way for a while. Perhaps they were more likely to do this in conditions where dig-in was less of an issue, or when the front wheels were being used unpowered (though I don't know whether that was an option, as it was on my old Power Wagon). At least in training or other less time-critical situations, they could still switch them back before conditions were likely to get muddy. I'll bet there was a manual on this at one time. This is speculation, but I'm wondering if the central tread ridge connection on the WW2 tires was perhaps designed to improve wear on pavement, since it puts a more or less continuous band of rubber on the part of the tire with the most road contact. I would think it might also help the tire retain its shape as it compresses on contact, which could also improve wear on pavement. Related question: I've often wondered whether the powerful rear tracks on halftracks could sometimes overpower the steering capabilities of the front wheels in certain particularly loose conditions, especially since I understand most of the load is over those tracks. Thus the wisdom of driven front wheels--but I'm wondering if there was also an option to brake a rear track individually, as with a tank. I would think steering like that from both the front and rear would be the ultimate combination. Historical tiresLow pressure, pneumatic farm tires first appeared only 10 years before this photo was taken. Not long before the war, new tractor production had finally just made the switch over to majority rubber tires in place of steel wheels. The first farm tires evolved from knobby aircraft tires into the 45 degree barred tires still common today. Many of the early barred farm tires had a tread connector strip down the center of the tire similar to the tires on your halftrack. I don't know when the tread codes (R, F, I) first appeared but my guess is not until the 50s or 60s. Your halftrack tires are probably closer to what is today an R-4 tread rather than an R-1. The R-4 is directional and similar to the R-1 but has less open area. At low speeds (under 12mph), the barred tire self-cleaning action comes as mud is forced from the center of the tire to the outside. Squished. Trust me, if you reverse a directional barred tire, this self-cleaning mechanism disappears quickly. The tires ball up with mud and won't self-clean run backwards until you get enough speed up (25mph+) to "throw" the mud off. "Reid Gray" may have hit on your answer though. The tires may have also been run backwards to keep them clean and maintain front traction for steering. That makes more sense than anything I mentioned. Keep up the good work. Thanks. M1 Garand RifleThe soldier in both the photo taken in June 1942 by A Palmer of the OWI, and this one, are members of the US Army. Both are wearing the M1937 helmet and their M1 Garands are the very early "gas trap" model. This system was was discontinued in July 1940 in favor of the "gas port" model which continued in use until production was finally discontinued in 1957 in favor of the M14 Rifle. Both soldiers are wearing the obsolete helmet and using the obsolete rifle because they are probably participating in training field exercises. I suspect both photos were taken by Mr. Palmer, probably on the same day in June 1942 as it appears that the markings on the bumper indicate that it is the same half track. M1 GarandThe Garand shown is in color photo is a Gas Port design and not the earlier Gas Trap design. http://www.fulton-armory.com/GasTrapGallery.htm It's a gas port all rightAgree, that's a gas port rifle. Gas trap rifles were in use as well, although they were to be refitted with the newer design parts when they were sent back for depot maintenance or overhaul. Note the early sight knob without the lock bar. Only the Army had M1 Garands at this point. The Marines stuck to their trusty 1903 Springfield rifles until first-hand experience alongside the Army at Guadalcanal convinced them that the new design was preferable. Note the mix of WW1 gear (belt, canteen and other gear), interwar helmet (WW1 metal, 1934-era liner) and new rifle and herringbone twill uniform. This was common then, and I admired the movie "The Thin Red Line" for getting that right. Bumper #The "D-R" stands for demonstration Regiment. (The Gallery, Kodachromes, Alfred Palmer, Cars, Trucks, Buses, WW2)
The Goode Mansion: 1939
Lawrence County, Alabama, 1939. "Freeman Goode Mansion (Mrs. William Skeggs estate). Town Creek ... House, also known as Saunders Hall, in Lawrence County, Alabama. It is an example of the kind of vernacular classicism that a talented ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 07/22/2012 - 4:41pm -

Lawrence County, Alabama, 1939. "Freeman Goode Mansion (Mrs. William Skeggs estate). Town Creek vicinity. House built 1821 by the Rev. Turner Saunders." 8x10 acetate negative by Frances Benjamin Johnston. View full size. Veneer Jack ArchesThe jack arches in question are little more than an ornamental veneer in this particular house. A close look at the failed masonry above the basement window opening (at the far left) show that regular courses of brick constitute the remaining depth of the wall; the jack arch is only one brick deep and essentially a veneer. The bulk of the wall rests not upon a lintel, but upon a de facto lintel which in reality is the head jamb of the window. Regardless, it is an incredible house, and I'm happy that it still survives (though the white foundation and black trim ARE depressing). An amazing ruinAnd it is still there, although not in the kind of shape we usually see when visitors are invited in for tea and to view the architecture. I am enjoying these photos of the decaying South. People there seem reluctant to do tear-downs. It is to their credit. ExploringAs a kid I remember going through old abandoned homes and buildings. It was a lot of fun. My kids don't get to do that, nor do they want to. On my job, from time to time I get to look around in old abandoned dwellings and businesses. I think I am more afraid today then when I was a kid (crackheads, snakes, & rats), but I still enjoy it. This One SurvivesOddly enough, its condition in 2010 is not that much improved from 1939. http://www.hmdb.org/marker.asp?marker=32772 The thing about these F.B. Johnston pictures is that they always make the house appear quite a bit larger than it actually is. RottenAnd that, children, is why you don't construct a lintel out of wood. Still standing after all these yearsThe mansion is "currently known as the Goode-Hall House, also known as Saunders Hall, in Lawrence County, Alabama. It is an example of the kind of vernacular classicism that a talented amateur with access to some architectural books could produce for a local builder to follow. The house was sold to Freeman Goode on Feb 12, 1844. There is a room with a dirt floor that is called 'the dungeon' by locals. It has bars on the windows and chains on the wall. There is also a brick-floored kitchen in the basement where the slaves are said to have cooked the meals." (swiped off Wikipedia) House of SpiritsI grew up not very far from here. The mid-South has lots and lots of old, dilapidated homes that stand to this day and I used to explore these type places with my family and friends. They would make your skin crawl because you could almost feel the former owners hovering around, protective of their worldly domain. Not responsibleSure we can powerwash your house Mrs. Skeggs. However, I need you to sign a release form because of possible structure collapse. If Walls Could Talkwhat stories they would tell. Jack archesThe failing masonry openings have no lintel but rather rely on brick jack arches. These arches are the least strong amongst all the other kinds known and will definitely fail under excessive loads or even moderate loading if not built very carefully. Notice the architectural details constructed from butted boards -- how the wood has shrunk up over time leaving very wide gaps. Also some of the boards are terribly wide and knotless. Inverse arches as lintelsInteresting the use of inverse or upside-down arches as lintels. I recall this also being used on the brick fort in Charleston, which was placed on a very unstable foundation -- the inverse arch is designed to spread the load across the bottom (or top) of the arch. I toured this housea few years back. It was divided into apartments and the decor was gold linoleum and black-velvet Elvis paintings. Brought tears to my eyes. BleachersI like those front steps. They look like something I could build. Curb AppealIt appears as though someone made some repairs after 1939, including the front steps and a paint job, and then let the house go to seed again. Perhaps an enterprising real estate agent attempted to improve curb-appeal and failed to make the sale. This is where i liveI sit here and have looked at a few of the comments.The house is alot better shape than most of you may think.Me and my family live in it now and are working to make it more desirable.it still needs alot of work but is very much livable. My ComplimentsI admire cmelson and family for even trying to keep a historic landmark like this house in living condition. What a commitment. I would love to be able to do something like that but just do not have the resources. Good luck to you and your endeavors. (The Gallery, F.B. Johnston)
The Summer of ’36
... of sharecropper Frank Tengle at their Hale County, Alabama, cabin. View full size. 35mm nitrate negative by Walker Evans. ... my parents' childhood to life for me. Both are children of Alabama sharecroppers, and became sharecroppers also. My father attended school ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 09/08/2011 - 8:51pm -

Summer 1936. Children of sharecropper Frank Tengle at their Hale County, Alabama, cabin. View full size. 35mm nitrate negative by Walker Evans. Is it propaganda somewhat?I know these people were as poor as they appear, but I do have a feeling the photographer wanted their worst clothes on, don't you? I mean the way she appears to be brushing her hair, and the other lady seems to be adjusting her rags, it just seems so staged. But don't get me wrong, my own mother and father lived this at this very time in Oklahoma, with dust to boot. I know it is real. [The Tengle family, along with their neighbors the Fieldses and the Burroughses, were the subject of the book "Let Us Now Praise Famous Men" by James Agee and Walker Evans, probably the most famous photoessay the 20th century. You might want to give it a read. This picture, one of the photographs in the book, is in the archives of the Library of Congress. - Dave] DisagreeAccording to James Agee, Evans allowed the mothers to clean up their children, if they desired, before he photographed them. Candid shots were not to be achieved at the cost of shaming the families beyond the shame they already felt ComparisonI am African-American, born around this time and lived in the South. We were not affluent by any means, but we were never this poor. I attribute this to the luck of being in a more prosperous city with a never-failing industry (tobacco) where there was always employment available. Comparison IIMy dad is from the South about this time and this was still in the Depression. He said he was lucky to have one pair of shoes a year and they didn't wear them except to go to school or something. My Dad talked about finding a five dollar bill and it was a joyous occasion. That money bought all three kids (him and two brothers) clothes and shoes for the year. It was a sad time when people were doing without and doing the best they could. LUNPFM"Let Us Now Praise Famous Men" may be the most famous photo-essay book of the 20th century today but it certainly wasn't in its time. If I recall correctly it sold only a few hundred copies. Neither Agee nor Evans had achieved the fame they later achieved at the time of the book. Same as todayuneducated, stupid, selfish people having children they cant feed or cloth properly.. b/c wasnt invented , i know but there was abstinence. [I wonder if they were so moronic that they couldn't spell "clothe." - Dave] Life as a SharecropperThis photo brings my parents' childhood to life for me. Both are children of Alabama sharecroppers, and became sharecroppers also. My father attended school until the 2nd grade, and then worked in the fields until he was drafted for WWII at the age of 18. Girls often attended school, since many of the girls could not perform as well in the fields. Many times the children did not have shoes. Animals could go through the house at will. Clothes were made from croker sacks. Fruit was the usual holiday gift for children. Meat was not common at meals. Families attempted to raise and store produce to make it through the year. One of my grandmothers was physically handicapped and raised three children in this environment. Many fathers were alcoholics and spent what little money they came across on booze. After WWII, my parents left Alabama for good with little more than a single suitcase. My father, having learned to read and write in the Army, led a very successful life. My generation was the first to be born in hospitals and graduate from high school. This photograph does not exaggerate the life of a sharecropper's family during the 30's in Alabama. (The Gallery, Great Depression, Rural America, Walker Evans)
Pre-Med: 1901
Mobile, Alabama, circa 1901. "Alabama Medical College." 8x10 inch dry plate glass negative, Detroit ... building is gone. A little history: Opened as Alabama Medical College in 1859 in Mobile by Josiah C. Nott and other ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 07/31/2012 - 6:50pm -

Mobile, Alabama, circa 1901. "Alabama Medical College." 8x10 inch dry plate glass negative, Detroit Publishing Company. View full size. The college looks pretty decrepit.Wonder if the building was still in use. The three little friends sitting on the curb look cute. Tough slogGood example of why the advent of pavement was such a blessing for the pulling horses of yesteryear. A standard passenger carriage like the one in this pic would be a cinch for a horse to pull if it were on pavement; on an alternately loose/rutted deep dirt road like this, it was tough going indeed. I'll hazard a guessthat the creepy little building on the left is where they store the Cadavers? School of MedicineSadly, this fine building is gone. A little history: Opened as Alabama Medical College in 1859 in Mobile by Josiah C. Nott and other physicians as part of the University of Alabama. Closed by the Civil War in 1861 it reopened in 1868. Reorganized in 1897, it became the Medical Department and in 1907 the School of Medicine of the University of Alabama. The Mobile School was closed and moved to Tuscaloosa in 1920 as a two year basic medical science program, which was offered through 1941. 692 19th Street South, Birmingham AL. (The Gallery, DPC, Kids, Mobile)
Furnished Rooms: 1936
March 1936. "Detail of boardinghouse. Birmingham, Alabama." 8x10 inch nitrate negative by Walker Evans for the U.S. Resettlement ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 01/03/2023 - 4:50pm -

March 1936. "Detail of boardinghouse. Birmingham, Alabama." 8x10 inch nitrate negative by Walker Evans for the U.S. Resettlement Administration. View full size. 9 rooms, sidewalk viewIf this be it then it had about a dozen years of defiance left: a 1947 aerial shows a building, a 1950 Fire map has a ghost image. (And for those unconvinced by mere wordage, those fire maps show a two-story wooden house with a facade-wide front porch.) The camera angle is greatWalker Evans placed his camera level with the top step and cropped his photo at the bottom of the steps, giving you little sense of depth but a lot of sense of height. You're looking straight through the house at a rough wood fence or shed behind the house. Inside, you can see a small hanging light and an arch. I'm guessing the ground floor rooms had at least 14-foot ceilings. The gingerbread on the porch posts form points which look Moorish. It must have been quite a house. I did a quick search for a current 2416 address in Birmingham where this house might have been. My best guess is there's an industrial building there now. Dave, there is a small sign above the front door. I can read an '8' but am uncertain about the rest of it. Can you read it? Engrossed In SewingIt appears the lady in the upper right window was unaware of the photographer. I am sure she couldn't even fathom a bunch of people 87 years later would be viewing her. (The Gallery, Birmingham, Walker Evans)
Our Confederate Dead: 1905
... it makes any difference -- my father's family has been in Alabama since before the Civil War. I'm not a northern agitator. Whining ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 10/14/2022 - 11:46am -

Portsmouth, Virginia, circa 1905. "Confederate monument, Court Street." 8x10 inch dry plate glass negative, Detroit Publishing Company. View full size. No longer standingIn 2020, the Confederate soldier statues were beheaded by sledgehammer. Later that year, the monument was removed by order of the Portsmouth City Council. Now with protection. No longer aroundJust like those it remembered. Dismantled for being a traffic hazard ... among other reasons. And now, like the Confederacy, it is goneThe boy at left is standing at an entrance to what is now called the Old Court House. I can't read everything painted on the windows and signs on the house next door, but I can make out the word "Law". A side door on the house puts you on a short, direct path to the courthouse. That lawyer must have had a good practice. I believe the building you can see directly behind the monument in 1905 is the building now painted yellow. If you use the Street View kozel supplied to move to the other side of the Confederate Dead monument, you'll see another Portsmouth police car parked, protecting that side of the monument. Turns out it needed protection. After the monument was vandalized in 2020, the Portsmouth City Council voted unanimously to move it to an undisclosed storage area. I like the figures on this monument because each is not standing squarely on its base; part of a foot is airborne. They're largely generic, made of cast white bronze. In a bit of irony, the sailor representing the Confederacy here also appears outside the Grand Army of the Republic Memorial Hall in Wabash, Indiana. Monu mentalI see that after 117 years, a monumental obsession with a failed war and the failed, immoral value system behind it, is still literally impeding a clear path to progress in the South. Rollerskates and road applesNot a good mix. Bye-byeAfter many battles within the city, the monument was finally taken down. https://www.wavy.com/news/local-news/portsmouth/portsmouth-begins-proces... Contentious statuesWe live in an era when statues are being hauled down everywhere: people sitting on thrones, on horseback, raising an arm. If you had anything to do with empire, conquest, colonialism – you’re toast. But I see nothing at all wrong with memorials to the dead. That’s what this monument is: a memorial to people who died in war. I feel sad it has to be guarded. The latestIn August 2020, after the monument became a target of protests and attacks, the City removed it and put it in storage, minus some portions of the statutes of the rebels that had been severed earlier that summer. One statue, when severed from its pedestal, fell on a participant, seriously injuring him. And the message was, We wonHayslip, you made your remark before I realized the boy to the right of the monument was not on roller skates, and removed that observation from my comment. He is simply standing so close to two horse apples that I first thought he had wheels under him. I apologize. [The boy is indeed on skates. - Dave] davidk, I agree the pendulum has swung too far in removing any statue or monument which is not in sync with our current way of thinking. One of the most egregious removals was the 2018 removal of the Dr. J. Marion Sims statue from Central Park in New York City. The appropriate place for any Our Confederate Dead monument is in a cemetery or on a Civil War battlefield. But monuments honoring the Confederacy in the middle of downtown streets and intersections were meant to send another message. Accordingly, a few million newly freed slaves were about to find out, the hard way, that being given your freedom did not mean you were given equal rights. Speaking of whiningI agree with Dave. AntonioB, you're whining the way southerners like you have since the 1960s Civil Rights movement, "Our race relations are just fine. If you northern agitators wouldn't stir things up, we'd all be happy with the way things are." But in saying you've improved race relations since the 1920s (you had a long way to go), you're acknowledging improvements were needed. And now you're again blaming northern agitators for removing Confederate monuments from downtown squares, streets, and intersections. You will not accept many residents of those cities are simply tired of looking at the last vestiges (that's a spoiled northern uber elitists cushy white liberal arts college term) of a government that believed in enslaving other human beings and committed treason against the United States. There is nothing about the Confederacy to be proud of. In fact, it is something to be ashamed of. And if it makes any difference -- my father's family has been in Alabama since before the Civil War. I'm not a northern agitator. WhiningSo much for keeping politics out of here. But you wokesters should know the South has gone leaps and bounds over the North when it comes to race relations the last 100 years. FACT. Statue, obelisks or not. Only ones whining about these monuments were spoiled northern uber elitists from cushy white liberal arts colleges. [Southerners whose ancestors were enslaved might also have some objections. And I do see some whining here. - Dave] (The Gallery, Civil War, DPC, Kids)
The Chickenator: 1941
... program cooperative cannery and hatchery in Coffee County, Alabama." Photo by John Collier, Farm Security Administration. View full ... for its final ride. The fact he's a black male in 1941 Alabama tells me this is not a pleasant job, regardless of pain not inflicted. ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 07/17/2022 - 8:44am -

August 1941. "The painless killer. Food for Defense program cooperative cannery and hatchery in Coffee County, Alabama." Photo by John Collier, Farm Security Administration. View full size. How the hook worksYou can see the harness under his shirt that holds it on. When I was growing up, I had a friend whose dad lost his hand in a farming accident. The harness was made with a cable so he could operate the hook to open and close to grab things. Most chickens die happy!!A recent survey shows that 90% of all chickens prefer the Chickenator over the lowly hatchet. At least they died happyThe "painless killer" machine reminds me of the Tilt-A-Whirl amusement park ride, the one where centrifugal force pinned riders against the wall, then the floor dropped. At least the chickens had a good time before meeting their Maker. How does this work?I can't figure out how this works. The chickens are hung on bent coat hangers from a rack you can rotate inside a homemade metal drum. The man doing the work seems to somehow be securing each chicken for its final ride. The fact he's a black male in 1941 Alabama tells me this is not a pleasant job, regardless of pain not inflicted. The hanging dead chickens behind him are not decapitated or otherwise mangled looking. What killed them? Oh good Lord! Dave posted the enlargement below to answer my question. He could have just said, "It's a mystery that has been lost to time." [Click to embiggen. Any colorizers out there?? - Dave] HookedI wonder if the supervisor lost his hand in a more-automated machine? Oh, and that little boy is gonna pay for counseling later. Maybe it does this ...It looks like it is possibly like a big centrifuge to spin the chickens free from their blood. It looks like they are punctured in the brain first. Okay, let's go all the way with this --It appears to me that something is being inserted to go through what little brain the bird has and therefore kills it? Or am I wrong? As a kid I was witness to the old hatchet and the running of the chicken with his head cut off. Which I assume now allowed the blood to run out of the meat. A friend who has chickens has a conelike contraption where he places the chicken upside down, the head sticks out of a hole in the bottom and he grabs hold of the beak and slices the head clean off with the blood draining away. I don't understand why the head is still left on in this picture although I have certainly seen plucked chickens with their heads on in European markets. I'll have the saladThe more I know about where our meat comes from, the less I eat. ChickendI've only slaughtered about 1000 chickens, so I am no expert. It would have been great to have the tool this man is using to pith the chicken before cutting its throat. Pithing a chicken involves destroying the chicken's brain. This is a "nice" way of rendering the bird senseless before bleeding them. I don't think this device spins the chickens to hasten the bleed-out. Rather the round shield probably just keeps the blood from spattering. It must be collected for disposal. Years ago when I raised my own meat chickens, I used a special pithing knife (about 1/4" wide, stiff and pointed) inserted upwards through the roof of the mouth into the brain. I always had to be careful not to push too hard and stab the palm of my hand. The tool shown in the photo looks like a better way to go, faster and safer. (The Gallery, Agriculture, John Collier, WW2)
Old News: 1942
May 1942. "Childersburg, Alabama. Police force." Medium format acetate negative by John Collier for the ... a Mexican loop holster and giving Mr. Photographer the ole Alabama side-eye. (The Gallery, John Collier, Small Towns) ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/25/2022 - 5:46pm -

May 1942. "Childersburg, Alabama. Police force." Medium format acetate negative by John Collier for the Farm Security Administration. View full size. Norman RockwellWould have cropped that image of the police officer and man with a paper and ran with it, and likely would have added something else like a curious little terrier or a kid with a fishing pole to the painting too. Do I see a Blackjack... in our lawman's hip pocket, along with what looks like a .38 Special in his holster? He's well-armed for such a sleepy town. Confidential Informant?Two train tracks cross each other in Childersburg. One is raised and probably not in this 1942 photograph. The other has only two streets near downtown, 8th and 9th Ave SW that cross the tracks. Only 8th then dead ends. I'm thinking the building in the picture use to be on 8th Ave on the left, and the house beyond the tracks is gone. More interesting are the four men. The lawman is leaning in close to have a quiet chat with a shabbily dressed man who is missing the right earpiece of his glasses. [And part of a finger. - Dave] OW THAT HURTS!! The fella to the left front leaning back in his chair has his head all bandaged up. Was he injured taking down a bad guy? Or was he worked over with the blackjack in the officers back pocket? Curious Headgear on the left.I can't tell what's going on with the chin-strap looking appliance on the man on the left, or indeed, which man is wearing it. Is it a bandage or brace of kind? Brace yourself Can't imagine what affliction the man with the cigar came down with to require whatever 1942 medical contraption is on his face and head. Does not look like fun. Yankee at 3 o'clockBlackjack in his pocket, sportin' a Mexican loop holster and giving Mr. Photographer the ole Alabama side-eye. (The Gallery, John Collier, Small Towns)
Shine: 1936
... lay his hands on a 1936 telephone directory for Marion, Alabama? That would clinch it. Bennie's sign I love his sign! I ... and the guess Bennie Sims: 1930 census, Marion, Perry, Alabama. 26 years old, bootblack, private stand. Lives with Mother Lissie ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/13/2013 - 4:10pm -

"Shoeshine stand, Southeastern U.S., 1936. (Title and date from Walker Evans, 1973. No caption for this image in FSA/OWI shelflist.)" Who will be the first Shorpyite to clear up a longstanding curatorial mystery and figure out where this is? Large-format safety negative by Walker Evans for the FSA. View full size. Phone 278So who out there can lay his hands on a 1936 telephone directory for Marion, Alabama? That would clinch it. Bennie's signI love his sign! I especially like the curved lettering on his name. Winston-Salem, NC?SSDI gives a Bennie Sims, 1899-1987, born in NC and who died in Winston-Salem. I'll guess the photo's multi-seat setup means it wasn't too small a town, and that that's Bennie in the photo, face blurred, in his mid-30s. He did lots of manual labor and socialized regularly, and so lived to a ripe old age of c. 88 after eventually closing down his shine parlor in Winston-Salem. B-B-B-Bennie and the guessBennie Sims: 1930 census, Marion, Perry, Alabama. 26 years old, bootblack, private stand. Lives with Mother Lissie who is 58 and divorced, washerwoman at home. Also residing with them is a neice, Edith 18 years old. The home is owned by them and its worth is listed as $2,000.00 Bennie is listed as married but no spouse is attached to the census. Bennie Sims, bootblackAccording to the 1930 U.S. Census, Bennie Sims (born circa 1904) was a bootblack employed in a "private stand" who resided in Marion, Perry County, Alabama. He's listed as the head of household and his mother, Lizzie (born circa 1872), resided with him as did his niece, Edith Cannon (born circa 1912). Bennie's rideIt's a Columbia. Great classic bike. Questions In 1936, a telephone was a total luxury. Why did Bennie need one and where is it? Did he work by appointment? If he did off-the-foot shines did he get calls for pickup and delivery? That would explain the bike. If he was into running numbers or some other gambling enterprise he might have needed both. Your background music for viewingwritten in 1922 I believe. Have you ever passed the corner of Fourth and Grand, Where a little ball of rythm owns a shoeshine stand, People gather 'round and they clap their hands, He's a great, big, bundle of joy, He pops the boogie, woogie rag, The Chattanooga shoeshine boy! He charges you a nickel just to shine one shoe, He makes the oldest kind of leather look like new, You feel as thought you wanna dance when he gets through, He's a great, big, bundle of joy, He pops the boogie, woogie rag, The Chattanooga shoeshine boy. (There may be other verses but you get the idea!) 19 Million TelephonesBy 1935 there were something like 19 million telephones in the United States -- around one for every six people. Sixty years after its invention, the telephone was hardly a luxury. Popular Shoe Colors Judging from the row of Shoes in the center of the photo, the popularity of White shoes outnumbered Black shoes and Two Tone Shoes (the pair on the left) by at least a ratio of 3 to 1 in 1936. Good for the Shoe Shine Business as I assume white shoes would get dirty very quickly walking around on those dirt streets! High Society In 1935, my father earned perhaps $60 a week. We lived in an apartment in the Bronx in NYC. Our rent was probably less than $60. We didn't get a phone until 1950 or a television set until 1952. (The Gallery, Bicycles, Small Towns, Stores & Markets, Walker Evans)
Now Pleying: 1956
October 1956. Phenix City, Alabama. "Remodeled Palace Theatre." Me Tarzen, you Jene. (Also: "Praire.") 4x5 ... is not what it seems Sorry, geniuses, but Phenix City, Alabama is spelled without an "o". Of course, I can offer no excuse for the ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 06/07/2022 - 4:51pm -

October 1956. Phenix City, Alabama. "Remodeled Palace Theatre." Me Tarzen, you Jene. (Also: "Praire.") 4x5 inch acetate negative from the Shorpy News Photo Archive. View full size. No surpriseThey can't even spell 'Phoenix' Spelling?Or, it just goes with "Phenix" ... Reminds me of todayNothing worst then when ur local theater cant even spell the name of the movies heros. Both Sides NowCorrect on the other side of the marquee, so maybe they were running short on vowels: http://cinematreasures.org/theaters/26792/photos/242743 Marquee Too-FerWell, at least they spelled "Praire" correctly. I mean, it's not like they could have looked down from the ladder at the movie poster in the window for a guide (and squeezed an "I" in without running out of room). The '47 Chevysays "Me too!" No need for parking meters nowDave's comment includes the address of 1513 Fifth Ave for the Palace Theater. Here's that address today on Google Street view. Shades Of Great Saturday MatineesI spent many a Saturday with my friends at a similar Palace on Gay and Hoffman Streets in Baltimore. Two movies sure to attract young boys plus also on the bill two cartoons and of course a serial where you were sure that Flash Gordon or Superman or Zorro or Dick Tracy were in a death trap they could not escape. Our admission price was 12 cents and penny candy and 5 and 10 cent candy boxes and bars at the concession stand. One usually got at least one Good and Plenty since they lasted longer than a Hershey bar and there were enough of them you could throw a couple at the screen when the hero and the girl started to get mushy. If you had eaten all of your G&Ps you could always blow into the box and a beautiful high pitch Bronx Jeer would meet the kiss on the screen. On the way home we always stopped at a corner candy store to get a humongous jaw breakers and suck our way down to the hot tasting center core. We got all that that entertainment, candy, friendship and grand memories for a thin quarter. Times long gone never to be repeated except in the fond reminisces of a senior who smiles when a youngster asks," 25 cents? What and when could you ever get for 25 cents that was any good, old man?" "Heavenly bliss every Saturday afternoon.", says I. Spelling is not what it seemsSorry, geniuses, but Phenix City, Alabama is spelled without an "o". Of course, I can offer no excuse for the other misspellings. [That was a joke! One that a lot of you evidently didn't get. - Dave] >> They can't even spell 'Phoenix' LettersWhen I was a little kid, I thought putting letters on a movie marquee was one of the greatest jobs in the world. As it turned out, not so much ... but I did do a lot of typesetting in the '70s before the Mac came out and killed the profession. (I love Macs! I'm writing this on one! Don't fuss at me!) CHEAP RENTALSSmart theatre owner -- booking two low rentals, a 1942 "B" western paired with a recent 1955 "B". Probably shown for a couple of days over the weekend. (The Gallery, Bizarre, Movies, News Photo Archive)
Far Hills: 1900
... often in movies. Gladstone station doubles for Tuscumbia, Alabama, and Boston in the opening of the Patty Duke movie "Miracle Worker" ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/02/2012 - 4:12pm -

Far Hills, New Jersey, circa 1900. "Old country road." Probably not in Google Street View. (Update: How wrong I was!) Detroit Publishing Co. View full size. Time of the yearI would also like to estimate the season (as Dave said, it cannot be around midsummer): 1. There are freshly fallen leaves on the ground, also on the road. It is Autumn. 2. In the photo sun shines from South-West. The shadows are in 35-40 degrees. Now I must estimate the angle at noon: It would be about 45-50 degrees, which is a bit less than the angle at the time of equinoxes (50 deg). 1 and 2: The photo is taken slightly after autumnal equinox (23.9.), let's say, 30th of September. The well-dressed boyAdd me to those that think this is a fantastic photo. The multiple buggy tracks in the road drew me into it, but the child apart from the three girls caught my eye. Looks like a boy in a dress. I have a photo of my grandfather, born 1911, with long curls and wearing a dress. Couldn't believe that they dressed boys that way, but since have seen many photos of it. Strange custom. Anyway, great find! Sleuthing...I just love hunting down some of these places! I had just found it when I checked back and found I was right! There are a number of historical markers, one just shy of the location (for the Peapack Brook Rural Industrial Historic District). The longitude and latitude brought me within a short distance of the spot. http://www.hmdb.org/marker.asp?marker=18574 "The confluence of Peapack Brook and the North Branch of the Raritan River became a rural industrial center during the 18th century when a saw mill, grist mill, tannery and bark mill were located nearby. The Peapack Brook Rural Industrial Historic District includes five houses, several outbuildings and mill structures that reflect the industrial and agricultural development of the area, ca. 1750 - 1900." Michael L found itI grew up in Far Hills -- this is Main Street, which runs between Far Hills and Peapack. Hot DayI guess is it's quite a hot day in June or July. There's haze out in the field and they have a warmish look on their faces. The side window is open to get some air. [Leaves on ground, bare branches, etc., do not say June or July. - Dave] Nothing looks plumb in this photo... but the trees. Yes I know, trees are plum. Girl powerLooks like young ladies rule that roost. I would hate to be the little boy that had to tell them otherwise. Railroad CrossingA couple of clues lead me to believe that the little stone bridge in the background goes over a railroad right of way. Any idea whose line it might have been? [You just might be on the right "track." Stay tuned. - Dave] Definitely a railoadI checked "10 Main Street, Far Hills NJ" on MapQuest and it clearly shows a railroad crossing the street a little southeast of the address. It really isn't very unusual for a rail line to be below the grade of another road (or house) in hilly country. And, as Dave from MN commented, you can definitely see the old truss bridge for the rail line, and possibly part of a signal post, just to the left of the bridge. [You are maybe a little late to the party. The next post shows the rail crossing. - Dave] Thanks Dave! LOL, I was a tad late and did see the photo of the trestle bridge after I had posted this. Day late and a dollar short as usual. HillsThe bridge doesn't look high enough for a RR, and anyway they'd just have a level grade crossing. There's no great traffic on the local line as it dead-ends a few miles north. A better cue is the hill, probably, but I don't remember the topography well enough at a distance of 30 years. I used to bike through Far Hills every weekend as part of my regular century route. I failedI spent a few minutes trying to find this place in Google. Far Hills, New Jersey is a small burg, with few streets, most of which are covered in Street View. The apparent stone bridge in the background should narrow it down to just a few possible locations. Sadly, no success for this tipster, but hopefully someone more resourceful can take on the challenge and win. Hey! There it is!The hint that it is a railroad, not a stream, helped mightily. This seems to be the place: [Kudos to Michael and the half-dozen others who managed to find this place. Color me impressed and amazed! - Dave] View Larger Map StuccoThe first thing I noticed was the stucco on the house. When the house was new, it must have looked really nice but it just seems kind of upscale for a country house which appears to be out in the middle of nowhere. Maybe Papa had something to do with the railroad? There's a muddy road ahead...The hooves of draft animals and the wheels of the buggies or wagons they pulled have cut into the dirt road when it was wet. Looks like it's drying up a little now. The house is only about a dozen feet off the road. I'll bet it caught a lot of road-dust when the weather was dry. Definitely a railroadThe raise in the road is tall for the time period. Also note the narrow, single track, truss bridge to the left. It is a rail line. Now for the New Jersey folks to ID it. EvocativeThis strikes me as one of the most evocative photographs I have seen on Shorpy. It would take me the proverbial thousand words to explain why. They are spinning around in my head: about all the unseen creatures and things whose existence is so evident, including the world beyond the bridge. Punto de vista.Google hace las fotos desde un punto de vista bastante más alto (desde el techo de una furgoneta) aproximadamente a la altura de los antepechos de la planta primera, que aparecen en una línea casi horizontal. En la imagen antigua el fotógrafo intencionadamente, para resaltar el barro del camino, quizás, puso la cámara mucho más baja, aproximadamente a la altura de los ojos de las niñas y, para captar las copas de los árboles, inclinó ligeramente la cámara hacia arriba. Magnífico, gracias a todos. Una cosa más, lo que se ve a la izquierda de las niñas ¿es una señal del ferrocarril? Did we make her a Saint yet?Beginning in 1908, Mrs. Ladd had provided a convalescent facility on the Natirar estate, originally at “Maple Cottage,” a large residence that once stood along Peapack Road where “deserving gentlewomen who are compelled to depend upon their own exertions for support shall be entertained, without charge, for periods of time while convalescing from illness, recuperating from impaired health, or otherwise in need of rest.” Natirar gatehouseI believe this is the gatehouse to the Natirar estate. [Natirar -- "Raritan" spelled backward! - Dave] The stone abutmentThe truss bridge for the rail line has been replaced, but one of the stone abutments for the overpass is still there and looks as good as new. Quite a tribute to some long-gone stonemason. Wow wow wow! ChangedFar Hills looks mighty hardscrabble in this photo, a far cry from the hoity-toity zip code it has developed into over the years. Home MakeoverIn the "Bird's Eye View" in Bing Maps, there is what appears to be a large dumpster behind the house. Perhaps some renovation work was ongoing at the time. Far HillsianThis is awesome! I live in Far Hills and take NJ transit into the city on that train line over that bridge. It is indeed the gatehouse to Natirar, soon to be Richard Branson's Virgin Spa, but through part of the leasing agreement, plain folks like us can walk around the grounds. The train trestle in the first picture is down behind the white house. It takes you over the Peapack brook which runs through Natirar. The tracks run under that dirt road and alongside the brook before terminating in Gladstone. Supposedly during the Revolutionary War a tunnel was dug under this road and it's still supposed to be there. If I can find more on that I will post. This is a really picturesque area and the train line (the old Erie Lackawanna) was used often in movies. Gladstone station doubles for Tuscumbia, Alabama, and Boston in the opening of the Patty Duke movie "Miracle Worker" (although they use a Black River train). Thank you for this! WOWI crossed that bridge many many times on the way to Bernards High. Used to live in Peapack. We all took the Erie Lackawanna train to school, ages ago. Wish to see a lot more pictures people. Bring them on. Thanks! Art (The Gallery, DPC, Kids, Rural America)
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