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The Pike, Long Beach 1963
... Pike at Long Beach, California, August 1963. An old-style amusement park with wooden roller coaster "The Cyclone," closed in 1979. View ... Creatures Unless I'm horribly misaken, this was the amusement park featured in the Ray Steckler classic bad film "The Incredibly ... 
 
Posted by tterrace - 07/28/2020 - 11:06am -

The Pike at Long Beach, California, August 1963. An old-style amusement park with wooden roller coaster "The Cyclone," closed in 1979. View full size. Hear that?This picture has a special quality for me. It seems, if you concentrated, you could just hear the music, and smell the scent of those wonderful/awful amusment park treats. I love the cars! Wonder what they'd be worth now? Pike TykeI was just a few weeks old and living up north in Contra Costa County when this was taken. Oh, myI moved to LA in the year 2000. The only remnant of this place was an arcade, under a peaked circular roof. A couple of years later amid rampant condominium construction, only the roof remained, like a giant coolie hat on cinder blocks. It looked like someone wanted to save that roof. I moved away. Did they put it to some use? Long Beach is wonderful, it's always *almost* Santa Monica. Shhhh. Save it for me. The Incredibly Strange CreaturesUnless I'm horribly misaken, this was the amusement park featured in the Ray Steckler classic bad film "The Incredibly Strange Creatures Who Stopped Living and Became Mixed-Up Zombies"! I highly recommend the Mystery Science Theater 3000 treatment of it. Incredibly Strange but trueYep, the Pike was the place where "Incredibly Strange Creatures" was filmed. It might be one of the best "worst" movies of all time. The PikeI started school at Long Beach State in 1964, in contrast to the weeks old tyke. The Pike was great fun to walk around in during the day, even if your pockets were empty. Got a little edgy though when the sun went down. Lots of sailors foreign and domestic roamed that place the nights I went there. I remember it as kind of seedy and hinted of lurking danger in the darker corners. But those were enticing features to me and my friends in that era. We loved it. A dose of real life beyond a sterile campus setting. Magic BusIs anyone else salivating at the sight of that new-looking split-windshield Microbus? Scary!!Nothing in this world is WORSE than an "Incredibly Strange Creature Who Stops Living and Becomes a Mixed-Up Zombie"!! 58 Merc1958 Mercury Monterey in the foreground. Nice. '63 T-BirdThat's a Thunderbird next to the MicroBus. The side "vents" indicate it's a '63. In a way, this was really the last summer of the 1950's... just before the Kennedy assassination and the British invasion. SailorsI was one of those "domestic sailors" and rode the roller coaster many times between 1964 and 1966. There were many attractions in the Longbeach area at that time. The PikeLoved the Pike. Rode the Cyclone when I was 11. Nobody ever mentions the diving bell that dove into a tank with a bunch of tired old fish and a lazy stingray. Got tattooed there at 18. The Pike NowMy in-laws always told me about the Pike so my wife and son met some of her relatives there last summer on what was my first trip to California. The Pike is back...sort of. They have a ferris wheel that offers a nice view of the area and a carousel. Aside from that, there are some restaurants and shops and that's about it. I think the area where the Pike "was" is now all condos and parking lots. Josh Family outingMy Dad heard about the Pike from guys at work and convinced Mom that it would be a fun outing. When we arrived we were not allowed to get out of the car. It was 1967 and it was full of "hippies, ladies of the night and aimless drifters" according to my Mom. We never made it back and then they tore it down. My Aunt remembers good times there in the 40's with her friends and cute sailors. 1962, 10 Years Old.Mom gave me five bucks and cut me loose there for the day, barefoot. I would dip in the plunge till pruny and dry while I hit the arcades with penny toss and a ride. Wild Mouse, Cyclone, Tilt-a-Whirl and a strange airplane ride at the end of the park where you could control your spin and turn yourself upside down on a windy day. I rode it several times and grew up to be a pilot by age 17. Laugh house later was torn down and found to have been storing a real mummy as from an old 1800's traveling carnival. When money was found in its mouth he was identified. Mom worked across the street in the Heartwell building. All back while Rainbow Pier was still in existence and the Long Beach Arena was a planned dream. Thanks for the photo of my time. ClickWhat was the name of the photo gallery where you stood behind the funny painted standups and got your picture taken? MadnessThis place was also seen in It's a Mad Mad Mad Mad World (1963). There are a couple of stills from the movie here.. http://members.cox.net/mkpl4/mmmmw/thumb.htm near the bottom of the page under "Long Beach." That coaster looks huge in the movie. The Old Pike DaysWalt Disney said he built Disneyland because the Pike was too seedy for his daughters. My dad took me on the roller coaster when I was 12 and scared me to death. Gawd I was glad when the ride was over. I went there in 1968 in my Navy days and my buddies got me on the Tilt-A-Whirl at full speed. I was sick for two days. Now the place is just a lot of tacky condos. Dancing at the PikeIn 1962 I met Dennis Patrick Smith of Long Beach at the Pike. We loved dancing there, or walking on the beach and finding snack places in Long Beach. I went back to school and my romance with DPS continued by telephone and letters. In 1964, I was back in Long Beach and that summer we loved the bumper cars. What incredible atmosphere the whole area provided! My relationship with DPS continued for 19 years, but in another realm, much like the decline and demise of The Pike. The mental pictures of Pike memories still conjure up nostalgia like no other, and particularly dancing on that ocean air dance floor. Days at the PikeSummertime at the Pike. (ShorpyBlog, Member Gallery, tterrapix)
Modern Dentistry: 1901
... observed here. I will also observe, with considerable amusement, that the woman parking her bike in front of the shoe store wasn't ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 02/07/2023 - 9:35am -

Washington, D.C., circa 1901. "View of F Street N.W., north side between 12th & 13th, showing various businesses." 5x7 inch glass negative, D.C. Street Survey Collection. View full size. Narrow vertical display on rightOn the far right of the photo, to the right of the Schneider display window with the electrical fans, I see a tall vertical display of nine white squares with black figures on them. What in the world is that? Egg salad sandwich and pieHow great to see Reeves being built. It remained, until at least the 1960s, a favorite of DC shoppers. I still remember my awe at how fast the restaurant would serve your order, seeming only seconds after it was taken by the server. Wow, who does the woman with bicycle look like --Miss Gulch? Parallel parkingI always find it entertaining, in fin de siècle photos, to see bicycles parked below the curb, as if they were either horses or motor vehicles, though this convention is not strictly observed here. I will also observe, with considerable amusement, that the woman parking her bike in front of the shoe store wasn't buying the hype about "bicycle face". [They're parked they way they are (against curbs, lampposts, etc.) because there's no bike rack and they don't have kickstands. - Dave] Reeves' counter revolutionThis photo captures a turning point in one of the longest-living restaurants in the District. What began around 1887 as a grocery store at 1209 F Street N.W. became Reeves in the late nineteenth century when Sewell Reeves took ownership. According to a history of District restaurants, "by 1902 he had enlarged the building with the bakery and candy departments occupying the second and third floors and the lunch counter lengthened to seat 150." Known for that lunch counter, it would remain in place until the 1980s, reopening after a 1984 fire, until it was displaced from F to G Streets by redevelopment of this site. The pie was strawberryReeves was on F Street well into the 1980s, closed for a bit and then reopened on G Street for a while. They were famous for their strawberry pie. Remarkable bike parkingFrom the modern point of view, what is the most striking about the way the bicycles are parked is that not one of them appears to be locked to anything. When apostrophes were used correctly.And periods were used indiscriminately. (The Gallery, Bicycles, D.C., D.C. Street Survey, Stores & Markets)
Confederate Veterans: 1917
... auto shows, roller-skating, bowling and a variety of amusement and sporting events. 1930 By the early 1930s, Center Market ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 09/11/2011 - 9:00pm -

The Gray and the gray. "Confederate veteran reunion, Washington, 1917." National Photo Company Collection glass negative. View full size. The last soldierThe last Union veteran to die was in 1947 in Minnesota. Life Magazine had a write up on this. There is one veteran from WW1 now living. It is in the newspapers as I write. He is 108 and lives in Pennsylvania. [The Wikipedia article on last surviving veterans, which is never an exact science. The most we can usually say is that someone is thought to be the last survivor of a particular war. That article has the last two Union vets dying in 1953 and 1956. - Dave] Johnny Reb in his 60'sThis was an eye opener for me as to just how long ago the Civil War took place. These guys were teenagers when it happened and here they are they are in their 60s in 1917. A cool and timely picture. Convention Center MarketBuilt in 1874, the city’s first convention center extended the length of Fifth Street between K and L Streets, and was known as the Northern Liberty Market. It was an immense single room 324 feet long, 126 feet wide and 84 feet high at the center. The architecturally significant structure featured a curved roof and was supported, without any interior columns, by a series of enormous iron and steel trusses. 1893 A second floor was added to form a large auditorium, with seating for 5,000. The building was renamed the Convention Center and popularly known as the Convention Hall. The facility operated there for 50 years, hosting revival meetings, fairs, auto shows, roller-skating, bowling and a variety of amusement and sporting events. 1930 By the early 1930s, Center Market – the city's largest building – was located at Pennsylvania Avenue and Seventh Street. It was later demolished for the government's Federal Triangle construction project. Many of that market's vendors moved a half-mile north to the Convention Center building, which was renamed New Center Market. News Travels SlowlyLooks like the Gillette Safety Razor was slow to take hold in the South. Great image!I'm guessing that this group from Nashville had ridden with Gen. Nathan Bedford Forrest based on the flag they carry. I bet they all could tell stories to keep you going for days if anyone would listen. Commander at the front looks like he takes his position very seriously. Old DixieDying (slowly) for their cause. StubblyI must say, Confederate vets knew how to rock the facial hair. UniformsObviously these men are better dressed than they ever had been during their war when the Confederate uniforms were nominally gray, and later "butternut" but sometimes ended up being whatever you could find or even scrounge off of dead bodies. I wonder how many of our images of Confederate soldiers and how they dressed come from seeing images like this and the studio portraits that the young men going off to war had taken rather than the reality of the field. Yes they all look oldYes they all look old, but what does that say about me? I can remember when the last Confederate (in fact the last Civil War) veteran died, sometime in the 1950s, and the reason that it is in my memory bank is that it happened near where I lived at the time (Baytown, Texas) and the high school band from Robert E. Lee High School (Go Ganders!) played at the funeral. I would later attend REL. And apparently, things going the way they are, I will live to see the last WWI veteran die. A Mighty Host of Gray1917 marked the 27th annual Confederate reunion and the first to gather outside of the Confederate States. I've extracted only a few of the many newspaper articles of the time, and in just this small sample, there are inconsistencies regarding the age of the youngest. [Upon Stanton Square's blue fingers, I hereby bestow the Purple Heart. - Dave] 1,500 Veterans in City Special Trains Bring Gray Hosts From as Far as New Orleans. More than 1,500 Confederate veterans, representing a majority of 22 States that are to send delegates to the annual Confederate reunion that opens here tomorrow, were registered at headquarters yesterday. In addition incoming trains from the South brought Sons and Daughters of the Confederacy and thousands of others whose sympathies are Southern. Col. Robert N. Harper, after hearing reports from John Dolph and others of the registration committee lat night again expressed the opinion that the total number of visitors, including delegates, will reach the 75,000 mark before the first day of the reunion is over. From an early hour yesterday shifts of volunteers were busy constantly registering the veterans at the Union Station, where scenes similar to those that characterized the inauguration preliminaries prevailed. An extra force of policemen was on duty at the station handling the crowds and seeing to the necessary enforcement of rules. As early as 6 a.m. the "vets," many wearing the suits of gray that will be conspicuous here during the week, began to arrive. Many were intent on attending the memorial exercises at Arlington and to obtain a glimpse of President Wilson. The first excursion train to pull into the station was the "Tom Green Special," from the cotton belt, bringing veterans from Memphis, Texarkana, Pine Bluff and the vicinity. Closely following it came others from Augusta, Ga.; Newberry S.C., and New Orleans. At noon several special excursion trains, each carrying an average of 300 veterans and others, arrived. In the afternoon, the Elliott Tour Special brought large delegations from Birmingham and Atlanta. H.F. Cary, chairman of the transportation committee, said yesterday that at least 38 specials from every point in the South would reach Washington before Wednesday. It is conservatively estimated that of the 40,000 survivors at least 5,000 will attend this year's reunion. ... Veterans were taken either to their hotels or to the "tented city" not far distant from the station. Last night, close to 200 of the visitors slept under canvas. The majority were fatigued after long journeys and expressed a preference to "stick close to quarters" rather than see the sights as some suggested. More than 500 were quartered in a large red brick structure at the corner of New Jersey and C street northwest. Arriving there they were assigned to rooms. Meals were served under a large canvas tent close by. Washington Post, Jun 4, 1917 Sidelights of Confederate Reunion About a half hundred veterans responded to the sounding of the dinner gong at the tented city yesterday and enjoyed the first meal served "under canvas." The menu consisting of vegetable soup, fresh pork, prime ribs of beef, new potatoes, green peas, stewed tomatoes, assorted pies, iced tea, coffee and bread and butter, was a sample of the generous treatment the "boys" can expect during their stay in camp. ... When some one had the audacity to inquire of A.B. Rowland, of Fulton Ky., one of the party at the tented city, as to his age he answered, "I'm one of the kids. I'm only 72." As a matter of fact, the youngest Confederate veteran is 69. Washington Post, Jun 4, 1917 Dixie's Sons Own City Washington surrendered yesterday to a mighty host of gray - without a struggle. White-haired and gray-coated veterans owned the city. Streets and avenues were a dense gray mass from early morning until late at night. Hotel lobbies were crowded to the doors. Public parks, the Capitol, government buildings and nearby places of historic interest were given over ungrudgingly to the venerable guests from Dixie. Bands played familiar airs, fife and drum corps beat age-old battle marches and buglers sounded the reveille and taps. ... The Tented City on the Union Station plaza was the mecca last night for veterans and sightseers from all parts of the District. The large mess hall was the busiest place in Washington from 4 p.m. yesterday until 8 o'clock last night. Nearly 15,000 meal tickets had been issued to veterans since Monday morning. Camp fire meetings were held last night in every nook and corner of the plaza. War time stories were "swapped" and Southern songs filled the air with melody. Officials of the registration booth at Union Station said last night that between 15,00 and 20,000 veterans had arrived in Washington since Sunday morning. Washington Post, Jun 6, 1917 Sidelights of Confederate Reunion Editor C.A. Ricks, of the Courier, Huntington, Tex., who was born February 28, 1851, claims to be the youngest Confederate at the reunion. He enlisted August 1, 1863 in Courier battery at Shreveport, La. ... The Georgia delegation greeted the President with a shower of peanuts, while the ladies literally bombarded the stand with flowers. Washington Post, Jun 8, 1917 Third Veteran Wins Bride at Reunion The third Confederate veteran to take unto himself a wife while attending the recent reunion is Dr. John A. Pollock, 71, of Kingston, N.C. His bride is Miss Lula L. Aldridge, 50, of the same city. ... Dr. Pollock also is the next to the oldest of the three "vets" who are going South with brides. The oldest was Frank H. Raum, of Richmond, Va., who was one of Mosby's men. He is 73. The "vet" who got the youngest bride is James A. Thomas, 63, of Atlanta, Ga. He married Miss Elizabeth Roberts, only 25. Washington Post, Jun 10, 1917 ObservationsNotice Santa Claus on the left has a peg leg. As for facial hair, if you look at silent movies of the period they usually have old geezers shown with similar whiskers. I think this stereotype was based on truth, that the oldsters kept the style from their youthful days. There are only about 11 confirmed WW1 vets still living, as listed on Wiki. All of the Central Powers guys are gone. Only 2 remain who actually spent time in the trenches. MedalistsSeveral of the veterans, including the officer in the frock coat, are wearing the Southern Cross of Honor. These were given by the United Daughters of the Confederacy starting in 1900 to Confederate army and navy vets. The Confederate States of America did not issue any medals. And the last Civil War widowI read the article below a few years ago. The Shorpy photo brought it to mind. "Civil War widow, final link to old Confederacy, dies" The cantankerous 81-year-old man struck up a few conversations with the 21-year-old neighbor and a marriage of convenience was born. They were married in a civil ceremony at the courthouse in Andalusia on Dec. 10, 1927, and 10 months later had a son, William. The story actually gets better but I'll leave it to everyone to read the whole thing. It still amazes me that so much history walks among us. Whenever I get the opportunity to talk to a WWII veteran I grab it because they are fast disappearing also. Oldest Confederate WidowThere may still be a couple of Confederate widows among us but it's their choice to remain in anonymity. Maude Hopkins was the last one publicly known. She died Aug. 17 2008. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maudie_Hopkins Why did young girls marry veterans old enough to be their grandfathers? The pension was attractive in Depression days. BeardI think the guy on the far left bought his beard at the Acme Novelty Shop so he could join this Facial Hair Club for Men reunion WW2 VetsI saw on Fox News on Veterans Day that there are about 2.1 million veterans of WWII left. About 900 die every day. Actually, the United Confederate Veterans were organized locally into camps and drew from veterans living in the area. They took their names from famous officers, units and the like. The label on the flag here is more likely the name of the camp from Nashville. Southern Cross of HonorThe UDC awards a Cross of Military Service to any veteran of WWII or Vietnam upon application. The only additional requirement for the award is that in addition to proof of their own service, he or she provide proof of direct lineage to a soldier similar to one of the men shown in this fine picture. These crosses are beautifully made pieces and serve to establish a remarkable lineage to the present day. Many, if not most, of the men shown in this picture had grandfathers or great grandfathers who were soldiers of the American Revolution--and many of their fathers served in the War of 1812. Shades of GrayI've colourised this picture at https://www.shorpy.com/node/11187 if anyone's interested. (The Gallery, Civil War, D.C., Natl Photo)
Girls Gone Wild: 1924
... View full size. Arlington Beach was an amusement park on what is now the grounds of the Pentagon. Unheard of ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 09/12/2011 - 7:36pm -

May 7, 1924. "Three models from Washington's spring fashion show snapped at Arlington Beach." National Photo Company glass negative. View full size. Arlington Beachwas an amusement park on what is now the grounds of the Pentagon. Unheard ofCan you imagine three "fashion models" of our day allowing themselves to be photographed in such a state of relaxed and comfortable undress, with their hair crumpled and their dresses spattered? They look so ... what's the word I'm looking for ... so happy. All I can say isHubba, hubba and hubba. In my humble opinion..the one in the middle has the best gams.And the Drew Barrymore look doesn't hurt either. Scandalous!Or should I say, Scandal-lust..... Here comes TrebleA trio of real charmers, regardless of year! Very nice, lots of happiness and glee in these three! Hem and HerWhat are the young girls of today thinking. Just look at how high the girl on the right is hiking up her hem. Shocking I tell you, shocking. What would their mothers think? Next thing they'll be dancing in public. Women didn't act this way until they got the vote. QuestionDid anyone say why the three models snapped? Rare GlimpseVintage thigh! Snapped...Some insensitive cretin called them "a bunch o' flappers!" Girls Gone Wild -- in colorOr so I like to think. Click to enlarge. Better and BetterDave, you are to be complimented. SHORPY gets better every day. [We can thank Fred for these groovy colorized images. - Dave] Well!And to think, my wife won't go swimming with me because her bathing suit has a hole in the knee. My GoshThey're not even wearing shoes and socks! Photographer used good filmThe photog used good film as its ASA was fast enuf to capture the ripples in the water without distortion. Really good for its day. Probably used a 4x5 grafik camera ... huge neg [None of these photos were made with film. Which is why it says "glass negative" in the caption. - Dave] (The Gallery, D.C., Natl Photo, Pretty Girls)
Coney Island: 1905
... that saved my twin boys' lives was pioneered in an amusement park. It would never fly today but thank goodness it did then! ... closing. Astroland, which is closing , is one of the amusement parks there. Two famous Coney Island attractions, the Cyclone wooden ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/03/2012 - 3:03pm -

Luna Park at Coney Island circa 1905. Detroit Publishing Co. glass negative. Tonight only: "Infant incubators with living infants." View full size. EtherealThis is such a good shot; long exposure with unearthly looking lights. Ric Burns did a superb documentary on Coney, the incubators were quite an attraction. Infant incubatorsWere they space-age incubators designed to make super-babies? Or just run-of-the-mill babies for people who had never had one of their own? Coney PreemiesAnd Next to the Bearded Lady, Premature Babies (NYT) The babies were lined up under heaters and they breathed filtered air. Few of them weighed more than three pounds. They shared the Boardwalk there on Coney Island with Violetta the Armless Legless Wonder, Princess WeeWee, Ajax the Sword-Swallower and all the rest. From 1903 until the early 1940's, premature infants in incubators were part of the carnival. It cost a quarter to see the babies, and people came again and again, to coo and to gasp and say look how small, look how small. There were twins, even, George and Norma Johnson, born the day before Independence Day in 1937. They had four and a half pounds between them, appearing in the world a month too soon because Dorothy Johnson stepped off a curb wrong and went into labor. All those quarters bought a big house at Sea Gate for Dr. Martin A. Couney, the man who put the Coney Island babies on display. He died broken and forgotten in 1950 at 80 years old. The doctor was shunned as an unseemly showman in his time, even as he was credited with popularizing incubators and saving thousands of babies. History did not know what to do; he was inspired and single-minded, distasteful and heroic, ultimately confounding. More here. Infants in IncubatorsSounds like something out of a Tom Waits song -- you know, along with Horse-Faced Ethel and the girl with the tattooed tear. Did you have fun at Coney Island?"Yeah, I spent all night checking out the babes." Medical HistoryThe incubators were extremely important in drawing attention to premature infants - and in raising money to advance the research. Countless babies were saved by the facilities at Coney Island, and countless more saved afterward thanks to the research and effort Dr. Couney began. As distasteful as putting infants on display may seem, I humbly bow to his memory. If he hadn`t taken the first steps, medicine may not have gotten up to the level it is today in that field. And my son probably wouldn`t be running around healthy after having been born at 14 ounces. Coney's CouneyThe Coney Island History Project inducted Dr. Couney into the Coney Island Hall of Fame. "By 1939, he had treated more than 8,000 babies and saved the lives of 6,500. One of them was his daughter, who had weighed less than three pounds at birth. Couney operated under constant criticism and numerous attempts to shut down his exhibit, which many considered to be "against maternal nature." But Couney persisted and provided medical care for the children of parents otherwise unable to afford it. By the time his Luna Park exhibit closed in 1943, Couney's methods were being used in mainstream hospitals." More here. Plus some interviews with Couney's "incubator babies" and their relatives. Fascinating!I never realized that the technology that saved my twin boys' lives was pioneered in an amusement park. It would never fly today but thank goodness it did then! Coney PreemiesThis type of showmanship used to be common. As a former preemie (born in the '70's) it's interesting to know what came before. Thank you!I was born premature myself, 10 weeks early, weighing only 2 pounds 6 oz, with a hole in my heart that required surgery - after which I weighed less than a pound. It's thanks to the work of this doctor that I am alive today, and it's sad to read that after developing the technology that would save so many lives, he died forgotten. Man eating chickenI do not intend to be in a world of my own, but these comments reminded me of the time our family was completely bamboozled at the State Fair of Oklahoma by a canvas sign at the sideshow proclaiming "See the enormous LIVE man-eating chicken" (yes, I know - everybody got it but us) and of course we all paid our quarter and went behind the stage to see just that, a very large man sitting at a table eating chicken! Boy, did we learn a valuable lesson. It was just a few years later that the fraudulent labels were prohibited in those shows but numbskulls like us have become much more cautious. Live and learn. Dying by degreesConey Island has been dying by degrees for decades. It lost a lot of the old luster when Luna Park burned down in 1945 and Robert Moses ordered the land rezoned for public housing instead of amusements (Moses apparently hated the area's "tawdry amusements"). In 1953 he had the whole area rezoned for public housing and announced plans to demolish all of the amusements. This was eventually fought and the area between 22nd and the Cyclone were retained as an "amusements only" area. The last of the three great parks, Steeplechase, closed in 1964 and was demolished by Fred Trump (Donald's father) before the site could be given landmark status. He wanted to build more low cost housing but couldn't get the zoning changed. Current efforts by a group called Thor Equities are responsible for the sale and closure of Astroland. Closed.Coney Island seems to be closing for good. It's sad to think of the millions of people who had such fond memories there over the years. I guess it's true- Time eventually catches up with us all. http://www.comcast.net/articles/news-general/20080907/Coney.Island/ [Coney Island, which is a great big actual island, is not closing. Astroland, which is closing, is one of the amusement parks there. Two famous Coney Island attractions, the Cyclone wooden roller coaster and the Wonder Wheel at Deno’s Amusement Park, won't be affected. - Dave] Couney on Coney"Growing Up On Long Island" is being presented at the Long Island Museum in Stony Brook until the fall. Included is the story of Dr. Couney and the babies he saved at Coney Island. What a great presentation! Toys, games, child labor, celebrities, interviews, Bannister babies, and more. For info, call 631-751-0066 or email mail@longislandmuseum.org. (The Gallery, Coney Island, DPC, Sports)
Karl the Karrot: 1955
... below while snorting in a vain attempt to conceal his own amusement. Fireman Frank Hey, my cousin, best friend and I were on that ... 
 
Posted by tterrace - 09/22/2011 - 4:52pm -

This button was a promotional piece about 1-3/4" in diameter, given out by shoe stores on the purchase of a pair of Keds, one of the sponsors of the daily kids' show "Fireman Frank" broadcast by KRON-TV in San Francisco during the mid-50s. Fireman Frank was George Lemont, a hip SF deejay who stepped into the role after the original Fireman, a roly-poly avuncular gent more in the style of a kids' TV host, dropped dead. Lemont's humor appealed as much to adults as well as kids; you could hear the studio crew guffawing off-camera at things that went over our heads. Between cartoons, Lemont brought out his cast of puppets, including robot Dynamo Dudley, the beret-wearing, bop-talking Scat the Cat and best of all, Karl the Karrot. Karl, as you can see, was a sort of proto-beatnik, literally a carrot with a pair of shades. His dialog consisted entirely of "blubble-lubble-lubble" while he thrashed about, chlorophyl topknot flailing. At home, we were all in convulsions on the floor. Original Fireman FrankI remember watching the jolly chubby Fireman Frank. One day he was gone. I wondered what happen to him. Does anyone know his name? Fireman Frank FanThis is cool. I loved afternoons and Saturdays with Fireman Frank on the tube. It killed me how Fireman Frank broke himself up waving around a limp Karl the Karrot - where Karl would stare out blankly, bobbling up and down as Frank tried to contain his hysterics below while snorting in a vain attempt to conceal his own amusement. Fireman FrankHey, my cousin, best friend and I were on that show. We just loved it. When he interviewed the peanut galery (that was on Firman Frank I think) He asked my cousin, who had swiped her mom's hat to wear there, to show her profile so that the audience could see her hat. She of course did not know what that meant, so she took it off and gave it to him. It was funny to me because when she got home she got into trouble for taking the hat. I of course was happy she had gotten scolded as she was a very pretty girl and was always the center of attention. I was just a messy little tomboy that just went along for the ride. Thanks for the memories. Local live kid showsmust have been a national staple. In Texas, we had Mr. Peppermint in Fort Worth, Uncle Jay and his sidekick Packer Jack, an old prospector, in Austin and Cap'n Jack (I think) in San Antonio. Even tiny KCEN in Temple had their own guy, who could draw a picture from a kid's scrawl. We went for my brother's birthday, ca. 1959/1960. Local Kids ShowsThe Lincoln, Nebraska area had Sheriff Bill and Silent Orv (who was silent because they'd have to pay him more if he spoke). Later on, I learned television directing on the last live "Romper Room" in the country - never knew what might happen with a roomful of pre-schoolers on live TV. Fireman Frank FanTo add to the Fireman Frank archive: Dynamo Dudley's mother (or mother-in-law) was a can of nails that would be grabbed and rattled whenever it seemed necessary. Yahoo! At Last...he's alive!!!I have vivid memories of Karl the Karrot...one of my all time favorite TV characters. I have been asking people "Do you ever remember watching a show in the 50's with Karl the Karrot who just bobbled his head around and went...blblblblblblblbl blblblblb blblbl?" No one remembered and I was beginning to think I'd made it up! Thank you for bringing Karl (and that cool button) back to me...I shall forward this page to the zillion people who thought I was just having another acid flash!! Holy Karrot juice!Never thought I'd find a person who had seen that show. I remember the carrot losing his "vigor" over the week and being pretty limp on Friday to be revitalized on Monday. I have the button also. (After 50-some years) Fireman FrankI was on Fireman Frank with the greatest young comedienne of her time, Westlake Stephie, age 7. It was a fun show. Fireman Frank againWatched it everyday it with on. The thing I remember most was, Fireman Frank said "we don't like Lima beans," and I still don't like them. Rhode Island RedI, too, loved Fireman Frank. Wasn't Rhode Island Red one of his characters, too? The limp Karl the Karrot, wobbling around by Friday afternoon, was something we all looked forward to. Thanks for bringing back these wonderful memories. Too bad there aren't any witty kids' shows today. And I think the Peanut Gallery was Howdy Doody (with Buffalo Bob Smith) and not part of Fireman Frank. Karlotta Karrot During those years of childhood in San Francisco there were truly great kids' shows. Fireman Frank was without question the best. I remember Karl's girlfriend Karlotta, who spoke in the same type of oogle pattern that Karl used. By the way does anybody remember during Christmas time when Happy Holly of the Whitehouse department store called Santa? Love Karl the KarrotKids' shows in the '50s were great. I loved Fireman Frank and Karl the Karrot. My absolute favorite though was the Banana Man on Captain Kangaroo! Banana ManI never saw Karl the Karrot (we had The Old Rebel and Cowboy Fred and Captain Five at various times), but The Banana Man was my absolute, all-time favorite too. If you never saw his act, it's hard to imagine what it was like. Here is a website, somewhat disorganized, with a lot of info: http://facweb.furman.edu/~rbryson/BananaMan/index.html The "Sam Levine" and "History" links are the best, but it's all interesting (to absolute fans anyway). Py-O-My was the sponsorI remember having to put up with Frank while babysitting my little sister after school before the folks got home (I was a teenager then) and the sponsor for a while was Py-O-My (kind of like Betty Crocker) dessert and pudding mix. Rumor was that the original Fireman Frank partook too much of Py-O-My and dropped dead of blocked arteries. I remember a couple of guys in our neighborhood and I set up a FF-like puppet show one summer to earn money to buy Superman and other comics by charging a nickel to the little kids who wanted to watch. One guy's older sister made a "Scat the Cat"-type sock puppet while I had fun cutting and pasting pieces of cardboard together to make a Dynamo Dudley. I remember one kid's mom getting upset because he has swiped the only two carrots in the house to make Karl (In those days two carrots went into the stew). We made enough to make our local grocer happy to sell those horrible old comic books. Fond RekollektionsI remember the Karl the Karrot episode where he had a fight with Rocky Mashed Potato. I loved Scat the Cat,with his band-aid on one of his cheeks. Rhode Island Red the giant rooster puppet, with a wing that would pop up like it was pointing while he said, "He went thataway!" then break into a silly laugh while his head went up & down. Wish someone can find the name of the original Fireman Frank...just for memories and recognition for him. Fireman Frank ShowThat was a great show; a classic 50's kids show. Can't forget Skipper Sedley who became "Sir Sedley" for whatever reason. Also "Mayor Art"; "Bozo The Clown"; "Captain Satellite" and on a national level, "Howdy Doody" and "The Micky Mouse Club" These were all basically afternoon and Saturday shows. The essential 50's morning children's show was of course, "Captain Kangaroo" with the classic serial Cartoon "Tom Terrific".. Frank and Karl! Oh yeah!Great memories. Loved Fireman Frank and Karl too. I remember Karl getting more wilted every day. And I do remember Happy Holly at Xmas time. This is the first time I have heard anyone else mention Happy. Those were great days for kids' shows. I had the TV pretty much to myself as my parents and older sisters had not acquired the habit of watching very much. I have been trying to find video snips of some of those old shows but they are rare. Loved Fireman Frank!Fireman Frank used to show "The Little Rascals" as well as cartoons. Plus he demonstrated how to make chocolate milk with Bosco. His puppets were hilarious. Scat the Cat had been in fights and had a rough voice. I think robot Dynamo Dudley talked in gibberish like Karl the Karrot. I had a Dynamo Dudley Club Card at one time. The funniest puppet was Rhode Island Red, the rooster. My mother would come into the room and laugh. I would love to see photos or kinescopes of that show. Where is this stuff? THE DAY KARL "DIED" !The "Fireman Frank Show" with Lemont was the best kids program ever and Karl The Karrot was special. Karl was a real carrot and noticably "age" or wilt every day due to the hot studio lights. I clearly remember Karl breaking off in Lemont's hand during their dialogue and Lemont saying something like: "Ah kids; Karl is hurt but will be back like new soon. And of course Karl returned as a fresh new carrot for the next show. I'll never forget the shock of Karl's "accident" and "relief" at seeing him back better than ever for the next show! My kids thought I was making this story up when shared during their youth. Thanks for the super comments. Fireman FrankSeveral commenters have asked about the first Fireman Frank, the one who George Lemont took over from. I just came across a post on a forum from someone who remembers, and the guy's name was apparently Frank Smith. So now we also know where the Frank came from. Fireman Frank 1955-57Coming to the SF Bay Area and getting our first TV in April 1955 I only recall the latter (thin) Fireman Frank (with his weekday nightly KRON show after the early evening news and a longer one on Saturday afternoons with a drawing contest that I submitted to a few times). Captain Fortune had an early Sat morn one on KPIX, with the stock intro showing a bunch of kids running up to a large Victorian-looking house on a hill. One of CF's standard features was to have one of the guests make some scrawl on a large drawing pad and then ask him to turn it into a specific item. KPIX also had a late afternoon (pre-news) Deputy Dave featuring, of course, western films (vs cartoons). It seemed like that they all had Bosco as a sponsor (using a milk carton that had its brand obscured). He once had a contest for an (outboard) power boat - awarded for the best name for it. An acquaintance of my father won with "DD5" for Deputy Dave (Channel) 5! The arrival of the Mickey Mouse Club on ABC (KGO) in October 1955 provided some stiff competition for some of these locally-originated afternoon kid shows. The San Antonio show mentioned earlier was Captain Gus on KENS in the afternoons http://www.dmd52.net/blast.html feauring mostly Popeye and Three Stooges fare, at least during the few seasons of its 2-decade + run that it had my attention. Before Fireman FrankGeorge Lemont was to kids as Don Sherwood was to the adults. I remember his predecessor, Frank Smith, but George had a show before Fireman Frank. He was called Uncle George and would draw caricatures and cartoon pictures. He used clever cross-hatch shading on his drawings and would call them "the downtown treatment." I loved his puppets, but he reached a new height with the introduction of Karl the Karrot! Great days of kids' TV back then: Kris Kuts (the felt shapes), Deputy Dave Allen, Captain Fortune (Who's that knocking on my barrel?), Mayor Art, Crusader Rabbit (voice done by a lady from Petaluma, I'm told)and Captain Satellite (I remember seeing his first telecast on that NEW channel, KTVU). Del Courtney and Tony Petucci (Ralph Manza), Sandy (The moon belongs to everyone, the best things in life are free) Spellman, Fran O'Brien, Sherwood's minions, Bobby Troop, George Cerutti, Julie London, and Ronnie Schell. Great times. Rad CarrotThat is a mighty rad carrot with a hairy nose and wild hair. No wonder why he had some major kid appeal. The 50's Bay Area Christmas While reminiscing about Fireman Frank and Captain Fortune, each Christmas, I always recall with grand fondness those early television trips to the North Pole escorted by the magic elf, Happy Hollie. "Happy Hollie calling Santa Claus at the North Pole... come in, Santa!" I believe it was brought to you by either "The White House", or "City of Paris". You could always be assured there'd be one commercial by "Mission Pac"... fruit packages for mail delivery to east coast friends. "No gift so bright, so gay, so right, send a Mission Pac on its way" Fireman FrankI'm so happy to learn there are others that have fond memories of Fireman Frank / Uncle George! Remember how he'd have the puppets refer to him as "skinny-in-the pit"? I would crack up when he'd tell the kids to be sure to send in for his one-way yoyo while just dropping a stringless yoyo. The lady who voiced Crusader RabbitHer name was Lucille Bliss, and she also did Smurfette. But legendary to me is the fact she waited tables on the side, and a deejay from KSAN recognized her voice, and asked her to come into the station and record the doomsday alerts. "This is a test - this is only a test. In the event of an actual alert, " etc. In the voice of Crusader Rabbit! This included (I assume) the real kiss your butt goodbye warning, in the event of nuclear war! Man- would I love to hear a copy of this. Jay Ward with Art Alexander created the Rabbit here in Berkeley, eventually moving to LA for production. You can read all about it in The Moose That Roared, by Keith Scott. (ShorpyBlog, Member Gallery, Curiosities, tterrapix)
The Funny Place: 1911
... is named after George Tilyou. Tilyou must have built both amusement park piers. Thank you for teaching me something new about my ... of Steeplechase - The Funny Place, the fifteen-acre amusement park that George C. Tilyou founded in 1897 and that was vividly alive ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 07/20/2012 - 3:43pm -

Atlantic City circa 1911. "Bathing at the Steeplechase." George C. Tilyou's Steeplechase Pier and some interesting signage, including a bear-filled Steiff Toys billboard. 8x10 inch glass negative, Detroit Publishing Company. View full size. Full Moon OutLooks like a little wardrobe problem. Pre-Alfred E.I believe we have the inspiration for the first "What, me worry?" kid. Nucky's WorldThanks for all the recent AC shots. They're particularly evocative, as I've been watching the wonderful Boardwalk Empire. And that Steeplechase face is so iconically creepy, I love whenever it pops up. Only one reason for such a turnoutAs hundreds of young ladies make ready in the warm Atlantic surf, the big crowd up on the boardwalk is waiting for that annual favorite, the ever-so-sexy Wet Swimming Gown Contest. Inspiration for the Coppertone kidin the straw hat. Backward sign"Lipschitz Cigars"? That's true, especially if you don't light 'em. Hello!And we have one guy staring back at the camera with a big "hiya!" for the future. Large Swimmies?Or has this bather got air pockets in their swimwear? I think that is a hat this person is wearing. Mystery SolvedSo Atlantic City is where Hannibal Lecter grew up. Master of his domainWhy, yes, here I am. It's Tillie!Anyone who went to Asbury Park, NJ before 2004 will remember Tillie, the famous mascot on the side of the Palace Casino. I realize now that he is named after George Tilyou. Tilyou must have built both amusement park piers. Thank you for teaching me something new about my beloved home state and one of its beloved icons. [update: "Tillie" was indeed Tilyou's mascot. appearing on the Steeplechase Piers at both Coney Island and Atlantic City, and the Palace Casino in Asbury Park. Tilyou deserves his own day of recognition for bringing so much pleasure to decades of visitors to the NY/NJ shore resorts. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tillie] No Way to Explain New York Magazine, Jun 28, 1993 Summer Places By Pete Hammill There is no way to explain to today's young about the vanished past. But it retains a fierce power. On a recent visit, I walked west on the boardwalk and saw the Parachute Jump rising 260 feet above the summer sky. The old ride had been repainted, landmarked, fenced off, existing now only as a piece of municipal structure, a monument to what we lost. Worse, it is all that remains of Steeplechase - The Funny Place, the fifteen-acre amusement park that George C. Tilyou founded in 1897 and that was vividly alive when I was in my teens. The symbol of the park was a huge grinning face, a slightly menacing mixture of Alfred E. Neuman and the Joker. A mechanical racehorse round around the edges of the park, the carved wooden horses and their live human riders moving into the dells and over water and above hedges, while music played on a blurred sound system. Steeplechase charged a general-admission price that kept out the winos and the riffraff (bragged those who paid), but that didn't free it of Coney Island's tawdry charms. The rides and runways were packed with thousands of people, eating corn, cotton candy, ice-cream cones. During World War II, you saw sailors in the park, laughing wildly in bumper cars, moving kids aside to try games of chance and sometimes winning plaster Kewpie dolls and stuffed animals. Oops, after posting this I learned that the above extract of a Pete Hammill column is probably referring to the Steeplechase Pier at Coney Island, not the one in Atlantic City. Apparently the Alfred E. Neuman/Joker face was a signature logo of the franchise. These make me a bit sadEvery time I see people of this era enjoying what was to be the very last years of stability I get a little morose thinking what was to come for them. They are all gone now and with them stories of a much simpler time. [This was an era of mind-boggling change. There were people alive in 1911 who were born in a world without trains, planes, automobiles, electricity, telegraphs, radio, phonographs, motion pictures or telephones, and then came to see all of these things during their lives. Hardly "simple times." - Dave] PioneerYesterday I watched the 1952 movie, Million Dollar Mermaid, on TCM about the Australian swimming champ Annette Kellerman (played by Esther Williams). It had a beach scene that took place in 1907 and the bathing suits looked just like this. Kellerman was one of the first to popularize tight fitting one piece bathing suits for women and was even arrested for indecency for wearing one in Massachusetts! Lucky NuckyEnoch "Nucky" Thompson (re: Boardwalk Empire) is probably sitting over there, cigarette in hand, glass of bourbon (neat) on the table, counting his money! Re: ... a bit sadMy grandmother was one of those people Dave refers to in his comment response below. She was born 19 years before the Wright Brothers' first flight, and died five years after we'd landed on the moon. Marking time with Halley's CometI think it was fascinating that Mark Twain was born in a year when Halley's Comet was visible on earth and he died at 74 while it was once again visible on earth. Astronomers estimate it passes approx. every 74 to 75 yrs. apart and I got to thinking that my mother saw it twice since she was born in 1910 (the year Samuel Clemons died) and lived until 1995, ten years after its 1985 return. Though we tend to get nostalgic for our loved ones and wish they were here to see what is happening now, we don't realize all the experiences and adventures they had which we will never know and will never come again. Every era has its redeeming events and we have no choice but to live in the world in which we find ourselves. My mom fondly remembered the depression years as being her favorite for special memories even though they were living an austere life. She was in the bloom of youth, beautifully good-looking, madly in love with her husband, had her children then and enjoyed endless good friends and made life-long relationships. She lived close to the 1939 World's Fair in NYC for that year. The lack of money was part of her joy-filled memories of "making-do", simple amusements like the beach above (they had buses), common every-day activities were relished, no car, no vacations, thrifty creative cooking, just totally embracing the intangible happiness of loving and living life. She never seemed envious or resentful of the affluent, but thrived in living her life with enthusiasm and survived well into the age of computers, space stations and skype, surely a life well-lived. Yes, time machines would be great, but will never happen, so we might as well live while we can. Unlike Halley's comet, we only go around once. Those SwimmiesThose "large swimmies" are probably Ayvad's Water-Wings, made in Hoboken. Meant for either adults or children as an aid to swimming or learning to swim, they were canvas, coated on the inside with some sort of water-repellent substance, and had a stopper made out of wood and metal. I have an old pair in pristine condition. You can still find them quite frequently on eBay. I think they were marketed from about 1900 to 1930, so there are lots of pairs still out there. You can also spot them in old mail order catalogues. Harlot!Who is the slut showing her knees just above the SHORPY watermark?! Re: a bit sadThe comment regarding people living in these times and having all these new inventions reminds me of my grandmother, who was born in 1903 and lived on a farm for her first 20 years. She died at age 105 in 2008. About five years ago I asked her what she thought was the most important improvement had happened in her lifetime. To my surprise she said the invention of the tractor was the happiest for her. It unburdened the hard life the draft horses on the farm had. They still used them to pull the wagon to take them to town, but they didn't have to work in the fields anymore. Grandma was sharp as a tack til the day she died, so it wasn't dementia talking. The StrandI see a building with signage calling it the Strand. I am familiar with one in Galveston, TX which has historical significance back to prior the famous 1900 hurricane. Are these related? Was there a chain of Hotels under this name? ["Strand" means beach. - Dave] (The Gallery, Atlantic City, DPC, Swimming)
F Street: 1908
... [The Hydraulic Dive was a roller coaster at the Glen Echo amusement park. - tterrace] Hydraulic slide I visited Glen Echo in ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/09/2012 - 7:14pm -

Washington, D.C., circa 1908 "F Street, looking toward Treasury." Note the sign on the Lincoln Park streetcar advertising the "hydraulic dive" at Glen Echo. 8x10 inch glass negative, Detroit Publishing Company. View full size. The location of the photograph and a little history This was taken from the steps of what is now The National Portrait Gallery what was the Patent Office. The building on the right and the one on the left are still there as are 50% of the buildings you see down F St. There is a Wikipedia entry on the large building on the left Currently they have a Gordon Biersch on the 9th St. level and the rest of the building is a Marriot Courtyard and the building on the righrt across F St. is a McCormick and Schmick's Now What Are You Going to Do with It?Looks like the sanitation engineer has amassed several large piles of "horse exhaust." What happens now? [Looks more like a construction project. - tterrace] That may be, but Washington, D.C. has been piling up crap for years, so I was a little confused! [My first clue was the flags on tops of some piles, making me think, "Ah, road work." Then the large light-colored chunks in the piles, and the fact that they're adjacent to rectangular holes opened in the pavement by the tracks. - tterrace] Great details!!Love the details in this photo -- as well as in so many of the others you post here on Shorpy. Note the man washing the window on the second story of the building in the far right hand of the picture. And, if you look directly up F Street to the Treasury Building, it looks like they're doing some major repair on the top of the building over a portion of the front columns. Street level flagsThe horse exhaust piles, AKA road apples - why do you suppose some are marked with a flag? [Those are piles of excavated debris. See enlargement in the first comment. - tterrace] Nice vantage pointThis wonderful photo was taken from the grand staircase at the Patent Office Building, part of which is visible on the far right. But you can't stand there today for a then-and-now photo. The steps were torn out in the 1930s as part of an effort to smooth out the dogleg on F Street, visible here. The Smithsonian has supposedly agreed to restore the steps, but there's no sign that project is going to start any time soon. Where are the automobiles?In 1908 I would have expected to see at least a few automobiles. There may be one in the far distance, but it is difficult to be sure. I have always been fascinated with how quickly the transistion from horse drawn vehicles to motor vehicles took place as documented in shorpy.com photos of the early 20th century. Summer in the cityIt looks like a typically hot summer's day, long before air conditioning was commonplace. Notice that all the street-level businesses along the north side of F Street have canvas awnings, while those on the shady south side have none. Could the unopened awnings on the Patent Office windows (foreground) have been folded up in anticipation of the window cleaner? Hydraulic signage?Was that even a word in 1908? But seriously now, I think it reads "WYNDALE LANE GLEN ECHO," IMHO. [The Hydraulic Dive was a roller coaster at the Glen Echo amusement park. - tterrace] Hydraulic slide I visited Glen Echo in the summer of 1951. The swimming pool was a quarter mile across and easily held a thousand kids. It had a water slide three stories high. I don't remember a name but this must have been the "Hydraulic Dive". The dimension asserted are the perceptions of an 11-year old. In the summer of 1952 Glen Echo was closed (at least to me). Polio scare. What a dressI love the dress that the motion blurred woman right in front (behind?) the trolley is wearing... The feathery pattern must have been beautiful and colorful. I'll take a one-way ticket into that image please! (Yeah, I watched 'Midnight in Paris' but still have an illogical feeling that certain times and places in the past were better than now.) Union TrustI think that must be Union Trust Company on the left and Rich's Shoes on the right at 10th. I look at these and think that my great-grandmother could have been in the crowd, or my grandmother or her siblings. (The Gallery, D.C., DPC, Streetcars)
Leftward Ho: 1919
... [Yes; in this area specifically, "The Zone," the area of amusement concessions. -tterrace] (The Gallery, Cars, Trucks, Buses, ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 10/02/2015 - 1:07pm -

San Francisco, 1919. "Cadillac touring car at marina." Putting rubber to the road with a variety of treads. 5x7 glass negative by Christopher Helin. View full size. HingedNote the "fat man's steering wheel," with hinged spoke, that could be swung out of the way for ease of entry. HoldoverI don't know about the rest of the country, but in West Virginia we still had to know our hand signals to pass a driving test in 1975. Many motorcycles still didn't have turn signals and believe it or not, quite a few old cars and trucks were still around with only a single stoplight. Never had to turn my palm rearward for left or right turns. Came naturally for stops though. Good Roads MovementAt first I thought that window sticker said "Yes Cool Roads" but then I realized it's Good Roads. Here's some info: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Good_Roads_Movement Location clueOver on the left is the sign and tower of the Ghirardelli chocolate factory, so my guess is that we're probably on Bay St. and the empty block is an as yet undeveloped part of Fort Mason. Hand Signals As the owner of a 1930 roadster lacking turn signals, I can attest to the reactions of modern drivers to hand signals such as that pictured here: they wave back. Illegal Hand SignalWhere, in the South, I passed my driving test 67 years ago, one had to have the palm facing rearwards in hand signals. The palm was said to be lighter in color. Scary StuffI used to ride motorcycles with no turn signals well into the 90's, it was always a little scary and iffy approaching turns and stops. People rarely knew about hand signals and what they meant, which made me extra cautious about turns and stops. It felt like I was riding with a big old target painted on my back. It's Chestnut Street, not Bay Street.This would be Chestnut St, which is the original 1913 route of the Lincoln Highway It was the northernmost street in this area and had a streetcar line on it. The bare land was developed into the Marina District neighborhood, with Chestnut being the main commercial strip. [Which would place the row of similar houses in the background on the 2900 block of Van Ness Ave., where at least one of them seems to remain. -tterrace] Formerly the Fair?If this is Chestnut Street, would that bare land on the left have been the site of the 1915 Panama Pacific International Exposition? [Yes; in this area specifically, "The Zone," the area of amusement concessions. -tterrace] (The Gallery, Cars, Trucks, Buses, Chris Helin, San Francisco)
Last Ones In: 1943
... 1943. Glen Echo, Maryland. "Swimming pool in the Glen Echo amusement park." Where most of the swimsuits aren't swimming. Medium-format ... is where you find it. Where do you find it? Glen Echo Amusement Park. The Coaster Dips are cool. So's the Crystal Pool. For ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 11/16/2015 - 4:39pm -

July 1943. Glen Echo, Maryland. "Swimming pool in the Glen Echo amusement park." Where most of the swimsuits aren't swimming. Medium-format negative by Esther Bubley for the Office of War Information. View full size. Waist linesNot an obese or even slightly overweight person in sight. Rubber bathing capsI HATED those things! They pulled the hair going both on and off, were hot, and just plain miserable! Fun is where you find it jingleSummer Teen radio in the Washington, DC- Baltimore area in the '50s and early '60s was constantly peppered with the Glen Echo jingle which can be heard at the following link, as originally broadcast on station WPGC: http://DCMemories.com//glenechobobraleigh1.mp3 Fun is where you find itI remember radio commercials in northern Virginia in the early '60's for Glen Echo. I think it started this way. Fun is where you find it. Where do you find it? Glen Echo Amusement Park. The Coaster Dips are cool. So's the Crystal Pool. For summertime fun, it's Glen Echo after dark. Glen Echo Amusement Park. Anyone else remember this? A Military HangoutI noticed all of the "fit" folks too. At first I wondered how so many prime military men could be there until I saw the line outside waiting to get in. Lots and lots of uniforms so have to assume that those inside were mostly military too. Crystal Pool is goneOnly the outline of the pool and the original façade of the entrance are still there. The entrance was restored a few years ago. Art Deco doorway leading nowhere. (The Gallery, Esther Bubley, Swimming)
Too Much Fun: 1905
... The Argus newspaper. FIRE AT CONEY ISLAND. AMUSEMENT PALACE DESTROYED. DAMAGE 3,000,000 DOLLARS. NEW YORK, May 27. ... fire occurred yesterday at Dreamland, one of the great amusement resorts at Coney Island, New York. The damage is estimated at ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/05/2012 - 1:49pm -

New York circa 1905. "Dreamland Park at Coney Island." Among the amusements to be sampled: An observation tower, the Bostock trained animal show, a Baltimore Fire cyclorama, the General Bumps ride, a miniature railway, Will Conklin's Illusions, the Temple of Mirth and Hooligan's Dream. 8x10 inch dry plate glass negative, Detroit Publishing Company. View full size. Oil burnersThese were oil burning steam locomotives. The Miniature Railroad was built by the Cagney Brothers in 1904 to replace an earlier version that was lost in a November, 1903 fire. It made a circuit of the park running underneath the promenade. The locomotives, which could pull three of the two-passenger cars, were built by the Cagney Brothers' Miniature Railway Company in New York. Their ad below is from the February 7, 1903 issue of The Billboard. An earlier Shorpy post with a closeup of one of the locomotives has more information here, and a 1903 Edison silent movie of Coney Island before the fire (found here) shows the train emerging out from under the promenade at the 7:44 minute mark. You Can't Miss MeI'll be the one wearing a mustache a hat and a dark suit. The cops must have had an awful time with witness descriptions of the perps back then. Where to look first?There are so many wonderful aspects to this picture, I hardly know what to take in first. I love the "Temple of Mirth" (Can you imagine "mirth" being used on a ride today? How many folks even know what it means anymore?) I also love the "Hooligan's Dream" (but ditto on the meaning being mostly lost on 21st century folk). What REALLY intrigues me however, is what the people in the forefront are looking at instead of the elephants right behind them, which I would be fascinated by. Surely elephants weren't a commonplace sight. [Happy Hooligan, whose image is in the circle on the sign, was an extremely popular comic strip character of the time. - tterrace] Soon to be gone - againDreamland was rebuilt in early 1904 after a disastrous fire destroyed it in November, 1903. Six years after this picture was taken this scene was again destroyed by fire. It made news even in far away Australia where, two days later, the tragedy was reported by The Argus newspaper. FIRE AT CONEY ISLAND. AMUSEMENT PALACE DESTROYED. DAMAGE 3,000,000 DOLLARS. NEW YORK, May 27. A destructive fire occurred yesterday at Dreamland, one of the great amusement resorts at Coney Island, New York. The damage is estimated at 3,000,000 dol. The menagerie was destroyed, 50 wild animals being cremated. The adjoining place of entertainment, Luna park, was saved. [Dreamland and Luna Park practically constitute Coney Island, which is the greatest resort of its kind in the world. The resources of inventors are taxed to provide new thrills, with the result that each season finds some ingenious novelty installed for the New York clerk and shop-girl. Dreamland contains dozens of forms of entertainment. The visitor may travel by captive airship, or glide at fearful speed down the chute, through a cascade of real water. He may "loop the loop" in a car, or travel in a small chariot over an undulating sea of metal, the waves of which are caused by machinery below. The "Rocky Road to Dublin, " a fearful switchback apparatus, and "General Bumps," involving a hazardous slide down a polished wooden surface, are among the joys of the place; while those who desire to visit other lands may take a trip to the North Pole or the wilds of Central Africa with equal ease and cheapness.] A more complete newspaper story with pictures of the aftermath can be found here, and a few more pictures can be seen here and here. The steam locomotivehas been hooked up to some pretty fancy oversized cars, and can you believe observing HYENAS for 25 cents, forget lions and panthers, they've got HYENAS ! Bostock's Wild Animal Exhibition Broadway Magazine, April 1905. Although Coney Island has improved greatly in the character of its shows within the last few years, the same atmosphere of careless holiday-making prevails, and you always have a feeling of jolly irresponsibility as you go from one place of amusement to another. Bostock's wild animal exhibition in “Dreamland,” is again a prominent feature of the summer. The animals are interesting, whether in their dens or in the arena, while the trainers who put the savage creatures through performances in the large steel cage are as impressive as ever. There was one act I saw at Bostock's lately which struck me as particularly good. A young lady in short skirts, who was announced as “La Belle Selika,” skipped into the cage with seven—I think it was seven—lionesses. She made them get up, reluctantly, upon pedestals in different parts of the cage. Then, as the orchestra struck up the music of the “Pretty Maidens,” in “Florodora,” she danced, teasing the animals by pointing her slippers at them one after another, and retreating just far enough to escape the angry paws darted at her each time. They seemed eager to tear her to pieces. She pirouetted about the creatures, always close to them, but just far enough away to avoid being clawed, until at last she struck an attitude immediately in front of the most savage of her pets and smiled in response to the applause, while the lioness growled. It was decidedly the prettiest act I ever saw in connection with trained wild animals, and it looked fearfully dangerous, whether it was so actually or not Live Steam?I would assume that that little locomotive was actually a steam powered kerosene burner... does anyone know? UPDATE: The kerosene assumption was (wrongly) made because I couldn't imagine firing a firebox that small with coal to maintain a working head of steam - Ausonius. Pigmy Locomotive While the Cagney Bros. operated many miniature railway concessions, the actual builder of this engine was the McGarigle Machine Co, of Niagara Falls, NY. Tobbacconist, is there something in the photo that indicates oil as the fuel source? The following article states the originals were built with a 10 inch firebox burning anthracite. I think this engine is coal fired. In 1905, coal was still a widely available and familiar fuel. Also, the trousers on the engineer appear rather well coated in coal dust. [Additional information and photos.] The Railway Age, July 1, 1898. A Pigmy Locomotive. What is claimed to be the smallest locomotive ever made for drawing passenger cars has been made for the Miniature Railroad company by Thomas E. McGarigle of Niagara Falls. This steam railroad is to be operated at the Trans-Mississippi Exposition in Omaha, Neb., and, in all, six locomotives are to be built for the company under the present contract. It is possible they will be used at other resorts, such as Coney Island, Atlantic City, Deal Beach, Washington Heights and Niagara Falls. … The height of the locomotive from the top of the stack to the rail is 25 inches, and the gauge is 12½ inches. The cylinders are 2x4 inches. The boiler is 1½ horse power, made of steel, and is tested to 300 pounds pressure, and will hold 24 gallons of water. … The firebox is 10 by 10 inches. The weight of this little engine is about 600 pounds, and it will run on a rail three-quarters of an inch square. Hard coal will be used as fuel. The capacity of the locomotive is 10 cars, each containing two persons, or about 4,000 pounds. The locomotive is equipped with sandbox, bell, etc., and has a steam brake between the drivers. One man, whose position will be on a seat in the tender, operates the engine. The scale on which the locomotive was built is about one-seventh that of one of the New York Central's largest engines, and as it stands in the shop it has a very businesslike appearance, as shown by the illustration. Live Steam Model FuelsThere`s no guarantee or requirement that this locomotive is oil fueled. Even today Live Steam enthusiasts operating large scale locomotives are running with a variety of fuels. Propane is popular as is oil or kerosene. However coal is still the most popular fuel for ridable trains like this and can be used at gauges as small as 1.26 inches. So unless there were other considerations, like local laws, there`s a high likelihood that this engine was coal fired. All in the FamilyYes, a great number of the 'Cagneys' (as they were known) were built in the Niagara shop of Thomas and Peter McGarigle; however, since their sister Winifred married Timothy Cagney, it was considered to be all in the family. Peter—an engineer—was mostly likely the one who designed the first of the miniature locomotives, ostensibly in 1885. In the early 1890s Timothy and his brothers David and John, were running a ticket brokerage company known as Cagney Bros. in New York, but by 1898 decided to fully concentrate on marketing the McGarigle locomotives and so incorporated The Miniature Railway Company, of Jersey City. For years the two businesses were nearly indistinguishable from one another, and were in fact interchangeable as far as miniature railways were concerned, as they worked together on various projects. In 1903 the Cagney Bros. Co. was ensconced in the Planter's Hotel in St. Louis—there to build the eight mile miniature railroad that would run through the grounds of the St. Louis Purchase Exposition (the 1904 World's Fair). Timothy Cagney was listed as President, and Peter McGarigle as Chief Engineer. While the Cagney Brothers' Miniature Railway Company was selling the vast majority of the McGarigle railroad oriented output, the Niagara firm was still peddling their own product as late as 1915 when they made a proposition to the City of San Francisco to operate a miniature railway in the park. By the 1920s however, the Cagney Bros. had absorbed the miniature railway portion of the McGarigle Machine Company, and McGarigle's—once also known for their gasoline marine engines—appears to have been reduced to being an automotive machine shop. The locomotive building operation was now referred to as "the Cagney Brothers' Amusement Company Niagara Falls plant." By the 1940s the late Timothy Cagney—and not Peter McGarigle—was being given credit as the inventor. According to one report, two of Cagney's "best known installations were two gold-plated trains with steam locomotives built for the King of Siam, and the 'Trip Around the World' exhibit at the New York World's Fair of 1939 and 1940." As for the oil burner reference, it's from a list of Coney Island rides and shows complied by Kingsborough Community College Professor Emeritus (and former Brooklyn Borough Historian, director and archivist) John Manbeck. He complied a vast collection of Coney Island ephemera that has since been donated to the Brooklyn College Library. On his list of rides and shows is this entry: A Miniature Railroad built by the Cagney Brothers made a circuit of park beneath the promenade. Each of its three small cars, pulled by a small oil-burning steam locomotive, held two passengers. I do not know what his original source was (but I'll try to find out); however, while the vast majority of the McGarigle/Cagney locomotives were coal-fired, it makes sense that these would be oil-fired as it would have virtually eliminated the fear of sparks from the smoke stack—especially so soon after the disastrous 1903 fire. (The Gallery, Coney Island, DPC, Railroads)
New Oldses: 1951
... all-time favourite. I'm bookmarking this page for future amusement. Made in America Sixty years later, the United States is still ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/03/2012 - 11:36am -

"1951 Oldsmobile final assembly." View full size. Ex General Motors archives. Foreshadowing?Anybody else notice that the Olds in the foreground has "404" written on its windshield? That's kind of prophetic, since the Olds brand is now "File not found." LightsThat is a large collection of new fluorescent tubes the workman in the background on the right has to install. I suppose they're cheaper by the acre. holy cow!what is that guy doing with the block of wood and a hammer???!!! Your Father's OldsmobileLook at the second car back in the full-size view. I love how the guy's using a block of wood and a ball-peen hammer to adjust, or "finesse" the fender side molding. The headlight bezels haven't been installed yet either. Probably still have to aim the headlamps before the bezel goes on. And hey...wait a minute! Where are all the robots? ghost?there's a man with hat walked near the cardboard. he look like a ghost :) Now that's a BUMPER...You couldn't get a dent in one of those! good old daysThey sure don't make them like they used to. Drool....I love them. I betDrool....I love them. I bet the amount of metal they used to make cars on this assembly line is the equivalent of today's all car makers combined. dentable"You couldn't get a dent in one of those!" Oh, yes you could! I remember something called a "bumper shop" back then, where people would take their cars to have the dents pounded out of the bumpers. They still never looked right, though. Bar Codes??Sheesh. Notice something else missing?No women. Photoshopped PictureNot to be a nay sayer but the boxes on the right that appear to be boxes of trim have bar codes on them. FAKE! Doubtful it's a fakeI doubt anyone had the inclination to photoshop such a picture and make such a omission as including fluorescent bulb boxes with barcodes. It is entirely possible the boxes have a sort of shipping or coded label on them, it's not so far fetched. Fake?Why bother faking a picture like this? No Bar CodesNo, those are not bar codes. I'd love one of those carsI'd love one of those cars OldsmobileMr. Dave, Do you by chance have more of these GM Archives pics? After all, this is porn for vintage car lovers. [I do have a few more but this is by far the most detailed. - Dave] Notice how shiny the paint is?The paint is shinier and glossier than what you see on most cars nowadays. It's GM's "Fire-Leveled" acrylic lacquer. It was oven baked, causing the paint to re-flow. You can't even use lacquer anymore, because of the volatile solvents in it. As for all the fluorescent tubes? They may have been in the middle of a mass re-lamping. Back in the '70s, an engineer at Vought Aerospace in Grand Prairie, Texas told me that before then (back in the '60s) they hired college students on summer break, who replaced every single fluorescent tube in the plant, whether they were working or not. That way the tubes were all of uniform brightness and color temperature. Goodbye to GMIt's really a shame.....Greed had taken This Great Company down. [It was greed on the part of the unions, and a feckless management's capitulation, that did GM in. - Dave] They don't build 'em like they used to. My dad had a '52 Olds. Geez what a tank! As much as I like these old beasts, I for one am sure glad they don't build 'em like they used to. Modern cars last longer, run better, handle better, and are far safer than anything ever built on a mass scale before. You think any of these old beasts would run 100,000 miles before even needing a tune-up? Not a chance. By 50,000 miles you were looking at a top end overhaul if not a complete engine rebuild. An accident in one of those things at 30 miles and hour would have left you in pretty rough shape, if not done for. Today, you'd likely walk away from the same thing. SignageThe sign at the top middle in the far back says "Drive cars in low gear at walk speed in this aisle." The sign that is more in the foreground says something like "Machine Repair Crib" Bar CodesI think the Bar Code comment may be my all-time favourite. I'm bookmarking this page for future amusement. Made in AmericaSixty years later, the United States is still the world's number one producer of manufactured goods, if by a lesser margin. (Pre) re"possession"This looks like the assembly line where Christine was made, or was "born" (or "possessed"). And before anyone jumps on me for this, I know that "Christine" was a 1958 Plymouth Fury. I'm just saying, if I were working on this assembly line, and the radio turned itself on and started playing George Thorogood's "Bad to the Bone," I'd really have to think twice about coming to work the next morning. (The Gallery, Cars, Trucks, Buses, Factories)
A Really Big Shoe: 1905
... Dried Up Apparently, this was one of a chain of amusement parks built by Frederick Ingersoll, who died in 1929. Its main ... Woodhill Homes development sits on the actual site of the amusement park but there is a greenspace called Luna Park nearby. ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/13/2012 - 9:14pm -

Cleveland, Ohio, circa 1905. "Chateau-Alfonse and Old Shoe, Luna Park." 8x10 inch dry plate glass negative, Detroit Publishing Company. View full size. Dried UpApparently, this was one of a chain of amusement parks built by Frederick Ingersoll, who died in 1929. Its main attraction, a trolley park that served beer, fell victim to Prohibition, and once that closed, its popularity waned. A series of fires in the 1930s claimed a number of the other attractions, rides were eventually dismantled and moved elsewhere, and the last building (the skating rink) was destroyed by fire in 1940. The Woodhill Homes development sits on the actual site of the amusement park but there is a greenspace called Luna Park nearby. http://www.rct2uces.com/files/lunapark/ParkTour1.htm Trivia from the above link: "Entertainer Bob Hope spent much of his youth at Luna Park. He would often sneak into company picnics and try to win prizes in events such as sack races" Long gonehttp://ech.cwru.edu/ech-cgi/article.pl?id=LP2 Sounds like Ed SullivanThe title reminds me of the Ed Sullivan show. Shows my age. I wonder what was inside this shoe? Maybe it was a play area for the kids? 1 centto ride the slide! Let's go! MmmmThis photograph really gives me a hankerin' for orangeade. There used to always be an orangeade stand at the Ohio State Fair that was run by some friends of mine, and they'd give us free drinks. Now as an adult I go there every year and miss the orangeade. Still there?I live near Cleveland and I wonder if that is still there? I have never heard of this place before. GameboyThat employee seated on the right appears to be playing his Nintendo DS game. At least that's the way my kids slouch when engaged in that activity. Watch the Splinters!Looks like two wooden slides coming down either side of the shoe. It had to be a labor intensive structure to build, but a very nice piece of work. The Really Big ShoeThe sign on the ticket house says 1 cent- Sli(de). The little tots probably give a ticket to the man in the chair then climb up through the toe hole nearsted to him. From the little wall behind him I assume the slide exit is probably the other hole. 1 cent for a slide-weeeeee! When I blow the photo up real big it looks like the shoe is made of painted canvas stretched over a frame made of bent pipes. Quite tricky really. Slip 'n slideThe Big Shoe was a giant slide with twin chutes winding down from the little house at the summit. The interior probably contained nothing more than a staircase. If you look at the lounging attendant at right you can see what appears to be a pile of mats in front of him likely used for sliding down the chutes. (When I was a kid, we went to a Fun House in San Francisco that had a similar slide where we rode gunny sacks.) Shoe Slide Seems to me the shoe is a ride. The booth next to the shoe is selling tickets for a penny. I'm thinking the entrance is just past the booth under the heel where one would climb up stairs to enjoy the scenic view from the top of the shoe and then slide down the tongue and exit out the open-toe. People seemed to be easily entertained back then. Family FunEvidently the chateau sold refreshments, and the shoe (as in: There was an old woman) had murals that reflected nursery rhymes. Cleveland's Luna Park. 212The shoe and Chateau Alphonse are nice, but what is the cave/tunnel thing between them with the 212 above the entrance? Shoot the ShoeAccording to this article in the Pittsburgh Press of May 7, 1905, the "Shoot the Shoe" was new that spring. Patrons were met at the top by the old woman that lived in a shoe, and as the fable goes, had so many kids that she didn't know what to do, so she would sweep them down the shoot. Sans SplintersAt the top you were given a burlap sack. The wood was very highly polished, a nice ride. There was a wooden slide at Geauga Lake Park. (The Gallery, Cleveland, DPC, Sports)
Fun Factory: 1921
... this long-forgotten (not so much as a Wikipedia entry) amusement complex surrounded by factories in the Bronx. Even the park itself ... roller-coaster train early yesterday morning at Starlight Amusement Park, 177th Street and the Bronx River, and fell out as the train ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/19/2012 - 4:56pm -

New York, June 1921. "Starlight Park." Our second look at this long-forgotten (not so much as a Wikipedia entry) amusement complex surrounded by factories in the Bronx. Even the park itself has a kind of industrial look. Sign next to the rock: "All persons are FORBIDDEN to sit on the Cascade." Online, the only other pics I've been able to find show ruins. 5x7 glass negative, G.G. Bain. View full size. BRAZEN!Look at that one hussy, with all those men! I even see some skin!! She's not alone, eitherThis must've been THE place to meet attractive, young single men, because if you look closely towards the middle left of the photo, under the second tower/spire there appears to be a group of 5 to 6 other "hussies in waiting..." If Dave would be ever so kind to crop and zoom... Thanks again for another terrific photo on this brilliant website. Ask...and you shall receive... One question, though: how are you dating this as 1920? In their online catalogue, he LoC says there's no date listed on the caption card. [Fantabulous, thank you! About the date, there are 17 glass negatives in this group ("5479") of pictures taken at Starlight. One of them has "6/13/21" written on it. Which I did not even notice until you asked this question. I was basing my earlier "circa 1920" on another 1921 date written on one plate in a slightly higher-numbered group of Bain negatives. - Dave] Starlight ParkFrom a 1995 Letter the the Editor in the New York Times. I am writing to correct your impression, expressed in a chart accompanying the "New York 1945" article, that Starlight Park in the Bronx was a soccer field. Starlight Park included a soccer field, to be sure, but to my family, the Schwartzes, and the other working class, mostly Jewish families who went there, the park was a blue-collar country club. It had a big swimming pool with a sort of observation veranda alongside, a sandy "beach" and lockers by the day or season. It had a picnic grove. It had strategically planted trees, each surrounded by a low wall, which families would stake out for the summer. The "Make-Believe Ballroom" played over loudspeakers all day long, which is how I still know the lyrics to all the 40's songs. Saturday nights the park had big bands and jitterbugging on an outside dance floor; I used to watch my older cousin Sylvia dance with G.I.'s. Weeknights the fathers would come after work, sweating, their jackets hooked by one finger behind them, and the mothers would feed them chicken and boiled beef out of the pots lugged from home. When the sun finally set, we would plod home up Tremont Avenue to Southern Boulevard; along the way we stopped at the candy store my father called the filling station to buy a lime rickey, or cherry soda. COASTER JAM KILLS 1, INJURES 6NY Times article relating to a rollercoaster accident at the park in 1922. Somebody in a skylarking mood stood up in a seat on a roller-coaster train early yesterday morning at Starlight Amusement Park, 177th Street and the Bronx River, and fell out as the train struck a curve on the fifty-foot level. The operator jammed on the emergency brake ... Continue reading We've come quite a wayThe NYTimes article shows we've come quite a way in amusement park safety and racial awareness ("the negro" escaped injury). Yoiks! Some constants remain. Idiots still stand up on rides and kids like to check each other out at the pool. The Eternal TeenagerYou'll note, if you look closely at their faces and their stances, that none of the young men here are threatening, defiant or smart-alecky -- just open, friendly and fun. Also, who knew that they were building phony rock formations way back in 1921? I'd always presumed that they were something invented for miniature golf courses in the 1950s. My maternal grandparents lived in the Bronx from about 1913 until 1927. They would have known about this place and may even have gone there with their two youngsters, born in 1914 and 15. Astonishing DatabaseI am blown away by the NYT database as much as these Shorpy photos. I never realized, and this is confirmed by Kairha, that the Times has archived this much material, put it online, and has indexed it to such a degree. From the article I also learned that apparently coasters in those days had "operators" in the individual vehicles. Who would have known if not for Shorpy? I wonder if Connolly was ever prosecuted for the incident? [Then as now, the operator of the coaster would not be riding in it. -Dave] Roller Coaster fearsThat is one rickety looking roller coaster. Just looking at it is scary. (The Gallery, G.G. Bain, NYC, Sports, Swimming)
Salmon Kitchen Generations: 1984
... them whilst in various states of undress - to the amusement of clever Photoshoppers. [A modern version of those Old Masters who ... 
 
Posted by tterrace - 09/29/2011 - 6:13pm -

Another detail-crammed look into the Salmon Kitchen. Here my mother is caught in mid-pot draining while whipping up Christmas Eve dinner as her granddaughter, garbed in high-1980s style, looks on. GD had not only a great love for her grandma, but for her kitchen. The white utility table behind her is now in her own, along with a vintage restored Wedgewood range. There's so much here I don't know where to begin. My favorite items include, under the copper molds at the upper left, a hamburger patty press that created many a burger I devoured. The chrome Toastmaster had been around since the 50s. Under it, the pressure cooker with a bag of - I think - walnuts from our tree. A loaf of freshly-baked something is cooling on a cake rack next to the toaster. Over on the sink counter, a milk carton was always there to collect various bits of wet cooking by-product waste. Weird how you can get nostalgic over something like that. 35mm Kodacolor 400 negative, shot with bounce flash. View full size. Don't need no stinkin' colander.Your mom is draining her copper-bottom cookware just by holding the lid slightly ajar and turning it over, the exact same way my mom always did. We had at least 3 or 4 colanders, but she rarely used them except for cleaning fruits and vegetables. Was your Christmas Eve meal traditionally meatless as Polish and Italian ones were in the olden days with lots of seafood, pastas and vegetables? Raised quite the welt by nowI clobbered our Toastmaster by thinking I could save time if I buttered the bread, first. Been kicking myself for about 35 years. I still have the Revereware, though. Shiny Object SyndromeI thought perhaps that the Venerable Toastmaster would reveal an image of the Artist - and could be de-convolved and resolved into an "inadvertent portrait" - much like the many folks on eBay who, having similar shiny objects for sale, photograph them whilst in various states of undress - to the amusement of clever Photoshoppers. [A modern version of those Old Masters who worked themselves into their art - van Eyck, "the Arnolfini Marriage" (1434) put his own image of himself working on the canvas, in the small spherical mirror in the background of the painting - properly "distorted" - one can flatten it back out, and voila! there he is. 1434 mind you: 58 years before Columbus.] I tried, but: no. Only the nearby cabinets and windows on the other side of La Cocina Terrazzo peer out at us from the gleaming chromium. (Gleamium?) I am thinking of zipping over to Hwy 88 and taking a couple of shots of the Carson Spur turnout as it is today - there is a 30's shot of it in the Member Photos Division and it would be fun to show it in the "now." Here's my ToastmasterBought at a Salvation Army store for $6 in 1990. I used it for several years, until the spring weakened and it would no longer pop up. No Van Eyck here; I am hiding in the most-distorted outer corner of the appliance (not to mention fully clothed). The carnival glass pitcher and Mexican tile are later acquisitions. RIP ToastmasterOur Toastmaster went up in flames while toasting bread about a week ago. I wasn't the one using it, so not exactly sure what went wrong. But we plan to save it for nostalgia since it's been in the family since the 70s. Regarding the reflections, the studio photography instructor at college assigned a reflective object assignment and specifically stated "do not photograph a shiny old fashioned style toaster." And what did I photograph? Of course - the Toastmaster! I should have heeded his advice. This vs. ThatThe personal "slice of life" pictures like this are so much more interesting than yet another street corner picture of a random building. Meow!Love the photo of the pretty kitty just behind the pretty granddaughter. The "Pizza Chef" statue on the clock is fabulous! Thanks! Return of the ToastmasterFunny thing; I bought this vintage chrome Toastmaster at an antique fair just a couple months ago. Still in working order. $35. Y'know, small appliances were a lot heavier in those days. As a special favor to TahoePines, I got my reflection in it this time. And yes, the pink enameled cart it's on is the very one seen in the lower right corner of the first Salmon Kitchen photo. MemoriesI wonder if that is a Bicentennial glass in the strainer with the stars on it? I also like the barrel pepper or coffee grinder and the metal pot trivet hanging on the wall. Also the granddaughter being very beautiful doesn't hurt your picture at all! Heirloom ToastThis is where my toaster gets its 15 minutes of fame, thanks to tterrace. Given to my parents as a wedding present in 1957, it's the Sunbeam "Vista" self-lowering design that made its debut as Model T-20 in 1949 and continued in production with hardly any change in appearance until 1996. A very sturdy toaster! Thanks to whoever gave it to Mom and Dad. TeaI see a box of Celestial Seasonings Mandarin Orange Spice in the spice rack. Sadly, they've discontinued Emperor's Choice which was my favourite not the least because I get a terrible reaction to flea bites and it was the only thing that stopped the itching. I thought we were specialWe had the only one of those toasters I ever saw before the examples shown here. It was one of Mom and Dad's wedding presents from 1949 and served until sometime in the '70s, when its "elevator" stopped working. Before that, we sometimes had to lift and drop the toast a time of two to get it started. While not in use, Mom always kept ours under wraps with covers made of plastic like shower curtain material -- only thicker. It seemed like a bad choice for something designed to get really hot but we never burned or melted one of them. A toast to toastersI love the toaster photos you guys are posting! It toasts the cockles of my heart. tterrace, is it possible that that's the daughter of your brother and sister-in-law that we see so often? It doesn't seem possible that a child of theirs could be so grown up in 1984 -- didn't they get married in the late 60s? Toasty comments@Hillary: Granddaughter is my sister's daughter. She tells me that she also has the trivet hanging on the cupboard. @OTY: Big deal dinners at our place were definitely not meatless. Mother was especially known for her roast beef and leg of lamb, both with potatoes roasted in the pan. Her secret was to jam garlic cloves into the meat. @eggmandan: For more on the chef figurine on the clock, see this comment. Also, did anyone else notice how happy Dave's salt and pepper shakers were to get into his photo? Dave's shakers = Stetson?tterrace - I zoomed in the salt & pepper shakers! I think they're one of the Stetson late 50's patterns. [The shakers in the pic of my toaster are Franciscan. "Starburst." - Dave] No need for nostalgia on one pointThey still make Revereware, though most of the big pots seem to have be discontinued. I got the starter set back when I moved out 25 years ago and still have almost all of it, plus one of my mother's fifty-plus year old saucepans, three of the monster pots, and a three quart saucepan which I happened upon at the Salvation Army. I also lucked out and got a steamer section that fits the 1 gallon pot. After dropping the pasta in the sink a couple of times, though, I got a colander.They get used day in and day out and are never the worse for wear. BTW, might I add that your niece is pretty darn good to look upon? 2500 miles away and the sameOur kitchen was in Springfield, Virginia -- same toaster, spice-racks, trivets, measuring cups, spoons, and on and on and on. Mom was Italian, cooking must have come naturally to her. She specialized in quality and quantity. Every time I hear someone say mangia! mangia! I think of her. The T-20B and I thank you!Honestly, there isn't a day that goes by without a check-in with Shorpy. Dave, your tireless efforts make life even more enjoyable--I get lost in some of the images, imagining a time well before my own. In particular, the early 20th century beach scenes with people fully clothed lounging on sand beguile me. And tterrace, where would we be without your family's Salmon Kitchen™ et al?? Thank you for sharing your yummy Larkspur goodness--I look forward to your weekend posts the way I did the funny pages on Sundays. BUT...posts with vintage toasters on Shorpy?? Now I had to comment and become a member. My soft spot for old appliances and this thread signaled it's time to stop lurking, contribute, and say thanks! [I looked on the bottom of my Sunbeam -- also a T-20B! - Dave] I Spy: Unusual kitchen toolOK, I don't have a Toastmaster to include here. But I did see an unusual kitchen aid hanging to the right of the copper measuring scoop spoons. Not the acornish shaped tea ball, but next to that is a variable scoop. Here's a picture of the one I got from my Aunt's estate three years ago. Made of stainless steel it can measure any amount from 1/4 teaspoon to 3 teaspoons. It's probably not all that unique but I find it to be a slick & innovative bit of engineering. InterestingWhen I see a photo dated 1950+ I always think, "Why should I care." This photo is different. The hot babe doesn't hurt things though. Is she still that hot? ReverewareWas invented and produced for years in my hometown of Rome NY. Now it has no connection with Revere Copper, is produced overseas, and is not the same thing at all. One can still find vintage pieces, very usable, in thrift shops and estate sales. The ones marked "Rome NY" on the bottom are the best. Whip it, whip it goodOne detail that caught my eye was the hand powered egg beater hanging on the wall next to the "Marvelous Menus" cookbook. I had one of those for years. I remember my mother having me make whipped cream with one of those. Kitchen toolbhappel has spotted something that I can't seem to dredge up a memory of, but blown up it looks like he's right: Stars and StripesThe glass in the drying rack looks like the ones we got from Arby's in the 70s. Mr. Peabodyis who came to mind when I saw Dave's reflection on the toaster. The ironing boardis trapped in its cupboard by the cookbook shelves and tool rack. LikeI think the Salmon Kitchen needs its very own fan club. Patriotic GlassWe had 2 of those glasses also, and they were my favorites. I remember filling both with cherry Kool-Aid and adding a maraschino to each in preparation for a marathon game of Monopoly with my brother. (ShorpyBlog, Member Gallery, Kitchens etc., tterrapix)
Luna Park: 1905
"Luna Park, Pittsburg, 1905." One of several amusement parks of the era that went by that name, the most famous being at ... no one has said this yet but: The popular Pittsburgh amusement park, Kennywood, has a section in the park named "Lost Kennywood" ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 07/26/2012 - 12:34pm -

"Luna Park, Pittsburg, 1905." One of several amusement parks of the era that went by that name, the most famous being at Coney Island. At right: The park's "Scenictorium." Detroit Publishing Co. glass negative. View full size. WheeeeeeeThis place looks like it was a blast. It kind of reminds me of Main Street at Disney. That churchCan anyone identify the Gothic Revival church with two towers in the center background? Full Of Moxie!Great photo. Note the giant Moxie bottle display on the left side of the image next to the tree. Until the 1920s, Moxie was the largest selling soft drink. From what I understand, small quantities of Moxie Soda are still being produced today. Pittsburg vs. PittsburghGreat series of photos, captainslack. It is interesting to see that the entrance to Luna Park left the "h" off of Pittsburgh. I wonder if the h-less spelling was common back then or just a Luna Park issue. ====================================== Pittsburgh is one of the few American "-burg" cities whose name is spelled with an h at the end. From Wikipedia: On December 23, 1891, a recommendation by the United States Board on Geographic Names to standardize place names was signed into law. The law officially changed the spelling of the city name to Pittsburg, and publications would use this spelling for the next 20 years. However, the change was very unpopular in the city. Responding to mounting pressure, the United States Geographic Board reversed the decision on July 19, 1911, and the Pittsburgh spelling was restored. It is also believed that Pittsburgh's large German population during this era aided in the famous "H" controversy by not using the "H" in the city's name, since most German cities ending with "burg" have no following H. The confusion and controversy surrounding the aborted spelling change means that both the Pittsburgh and the Pittsburg spelling were commonly encountered around the turn of the 20th century, and continued uses of Pittsburg still occur to this day. Good luck, Fischer!I tried Moxie only once, in the Summer of 1961, at a golf course, and spit a lot of it out. Hey Dev, funny that you mentioned....... Moxie because I just recently ordered some online and can't wait to try it. A few of the things from way back when are still around, it seems. Yet another great pic here by the way! Luna Park PittsburghThere are more pictures of Luna Park & a brief history here. Top HatThis makes me think of the "Venice" set from the movie Top Hat, which looked nothing like Venice at all. Maybe art director Van Nest Polglese visited this park at some point before 1935. St. Paul'sThat's St. Paul Cathedral on Fifth between Craig and Dithridge. MoxieMoxie is indeed still being produced and can be purchased online. Be warned, however -- to the modern palate, it tastes like carbonated cough syrup. This is no coincidence, as Moxie contained gentian root and was originally produced as a nerve tonic. As competing tonics and cough syrups were brought to market, they copied the taste of Moxie, then the market leader. As the taste of Moxie disappeared from popular memory after WWII, the distinctive flavor is now associated only with cough syrups, and any modern drinker is likely to describe Moxie as resembling a carbonated version thereof. Personally, I prefer sarsaparilla. Re: MoxieI've never had the pleasure of tasting the stuff, but it sounds like a natural mixed drink ingredient for the Jagermeister crowd. Pittsburgh with an HThe lowdown on the history of the spelling of Pittsburgh: http://www.pittsburgh.net/about_pittsburgh_h.cfm Go Steelers! KennywoodI'm surprised that no one has said this yet but: The popular Pittsburgh amusement park, Kennywood, has a section in the park named "Lost Kennywood" that actually is modeled after Luna. Lost KennywoodI'm pretty sure "Lost Kennywood" spells "Pittsburg" without the "h" on some signage somewhere. (The Gallery, DPC, Pittsburgh, Sports)
Nantasket Beach: 1905
... Beach was the home of Paragon Park , one of the amusement parks established by the streetcar companies in this era to get ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/14/2012 - 12:31pm -

Massachusetts circa 1905. "Surf bathers, Nantasket Beach." Note the tall ships on the horizon. 8x10 inch glass negative, Detroit Publishing Co. View full size. Can I, Mom?Every beach scene from this era that I've seen on this site quickly becomes my favorite. I love that kid in the middle standing with his hands on his hips, as if semi-patiently waiting for the adults to stop talking so he can ask for something. Permission? Money? It's a very accessible and timeless pose. Love this photo! Oh, DaveThis is Shorpy -- no need to tell people to look for details. There's at least an even money chance that someone will weigh in within the next 9 minutes with a learned disquisition on the schooner and its variants. Classy beach clothes!I'm always amazed at how immaculately everyone is dressed in these historical photos. It really makes one think it was an unfortunate day the day they invented the T-shirt and cutoff jeans. Paragon ParkNantasket Beach was the home of Paragon Park, one of the amusement parks established by the streetcar companies in this era to get people to ride all the way to the end of the line. You can see the roller coaster in the background. (Fun fact: roller coasters evolved from the same technology used for the streetcars!) Paragon Park is almost completely gone now, except for the carousel, which still operates. Nantasket is now lined by a seawall which has replaced all these houses. It makes the beach incredibly narrow at high tide. PurposeI don't quite get the purpose of going to the beach if all you plan to do is sit in the sand and sweat. Obviously neither swimming nor sun tans had been invented yet. I love this photo. It truly is a masterpiece and just a snapshot of life at the same time. Each group by themselves is interesting. The sailing ship in the distance, and the gaggle of young ladies just arriving to take their place in the sand. The clothing is amazing. So civilized. For whatever reason, this could be my all time favorite image seen on Shorpy. What a great era. Red, White and PeelingThey may all be wearing hats and covered up with lots of clothes, but I don't think suntan lotion was invented yet. I'd wager there were a fair amount of sunburned faces after a day at the beach. I have photos of my grandmother, mother and aunt all wearing pristine white zinc oxide on their noses in 1938 during at a day at Golden Gate Park. Did they have something like that in use for preventing sunburns in 1905? Of course, wearing a layer of thick white paste on your face kind of cuts into the fun as it makes you look like a clown. We used to tease our red-headed cousin mercilessly when he wore it as recently as the 1960s. He had GREAT self-esteem, though and logically informed us that it was HIS idea, not his Mom's and it was better than having a bright red nose later. Apres Midi sur la Grande PlageSo many smiles! Why wear all those clothes at the beach?Because you have to wear all those clothes anyway - why not wear them where the sea breeze can cool you? There's nothing more revivifying then sitting on one of the beaches fronting Massachusetts Bay, smelling the salt air, listening to the sussuration of the waves, and feeling that water-cooled air blowing over your skin. It sure beats sitting in one of those hot-box triple deckers in Dorchester or Boston and feeling the sweat pooling in the small of your back, listening to your children bicker and whine. To know that such relief was only a trolley ride away must have been immensely tempting, even to the heavily petticoated. My grandmother could easily have been that little toddler in the photo. Her family loved day trips to the beach; it was part of the charm of living in Beantown. The photo looks almost as delightful as her reminiscences made it sound. Searching the horizonFar right on the horizon there is a four-mast schooner. It was considered a big ship if there were more than three. Six was the most masts built and that was so rare that usually there was just one around at any given time. I have to say that the little I know about old sailing ships is what I have read since seeing this pic on Shorpy. That water is c-c-c-coldCoppertone suntan lotion dates back to 1944. But I don't think these people are sweating. I think it is a rather chilly day, which often happens at the beach. Beach life as it should beNo tiny bathing suits you have to continually hold your stomach muscles in with, no speedos, no worries about guns and weapons at the beach. Just a fun-filled, safe day!! (so it seemed!!). Great picture! Looks very relaxing! I'll be there soonI'll be heading there on Monday with my family. Temps are supposed to be in the 90s, I definitely won't be wearing a three-piece suit. (The Gallery, DPC, Swimming)
All Aboard: 1905
... For many decades these engines could be found working at amusement parks, zoos, city parks and fairs across the United States. ... but found their greatest sales for use as a novelty and amusement item. All in all, Cagney built about 1300 locomotives in many ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/14/2012 - 10:48am -

New York circa 1905. "The miniature railway, Coney Island." 8x10 inch dry plate glass negative, Detroit Publishing Company. View full size. EvidentlyThere was a certain amount of turnover in the engineer department. What's it sayOn the front of the locomotive? ["THE MINIATURE RAILWAY CO. - 407 BROADWAY, NEW YORK, U.S.A. - 1904" - Dave] Cagney BrothersThe Cagney Brothers' "Miniature Railway Company" began building steam locomotives in 1894. Its popular 15-inch gauge 4-4-0 was a crude replica of New York Central No. 999. For many decades these engines could be found working at amusement parks, zoos, city parks and fairs across the United States. Remarkably, they were actively marketed for practical uses such as mine service, but found their greatest sales for use as a novelty and amusement item. All in all, Cagney built about 1300 locomotives in many different sizes and gauges before it went out of business in 1948. http://www.steamlocomotive.info/F122002.cfm Comic ReliefBuster Brown takes a day off from his newspaper job. Daddy yawnAs a father, I can identify with the gentleman in the boater, who is apparently in mid-yawn, waiting with his young charge for the next go-around. Cagney BrothersThey had addresses at 301, 407 and finally 74 Broadway. Their home was in Jersey City and eventually all company offices were relocated to NJ. This locomotive is a 15 inch gauge Class D Heavy design developed prior to the 1904 St Louis Worlds Fair. Note the two broken studs, top and LH - probably the nuts were overtightened when the smoke box cover was removed for tube cleaning. The locomotives were manufactured in Niagara Falls by the McGarigle Machine Company and later in Jersey City The columnAnd what is this column with steering wheel? Can anyone shed some light? Admit 1The column is a ticket collecting station. The wheel turned a rotary comb device that prevented tickets being removed and reused. (The Gallery, Coney Island, DPC, Railroads)
The Funnies: 1922
... sack. MOM!!! You TOLD us we were going to Glen Echo amusement park! Who knew? I almost did a Givney flip take when I saw ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 07/24/2012 - 7:09pm -

"John M. Bear Jr., 11/26/22." Twenty-one little kids. All wearing hats decorated with characters from the funny papers. At Johnny's 11th birthday party. And they're mortified, every last one. (Thought you'd all slip under the radar, did you? That this embarrassing little artifact would just go on collecting dust at the bottom of a box somewhere? Well. Guess what. Not only did they invent radar, they invented computers and scanners and the Internet. Bwahaha. View full size!) See You in the Funny Papers!They're all adorable. Check out the vampette in the Jerry hat playing peekaboo with her ostrich feather fan. Standing left is Jeff who is thinking, "This is nowhere near as much fun as The Mark of Zorro." Kids Love Boob!toonopedia has the scoop on most of these characters. Boob McNutt started as a series of one-shot gags, which usually ended with Boob being tortured to death for his innocently destructive ways, but before long, week-to-week continuity was added. In 1922, he met the love of his life, Pearl, and the focus shifted to his quest to win her hand in marriage. The task was accomplished in 1926, but they were soon divorced. They went through a few more cycles of courtship, marriage and divorce. Funny Cartoons...I'm not sure you could have a character today called "Boob McNutt"... Great shot... Sheesh.Never has fun looked so enforced. Attn. Internet: Please pick up your shipment of WINHo. Lee. Mo. Ley. What an amazing picture. Although I do have to wonder how much counseling the kid with the "Boob McNutt" hat had to undergo later in life. Gloomy GusFabulous picture! Check out Gloomy Gus there in the middle. Her little moniker suits her just fine, don't you think? Next to her is "Boob McNutt." *snicker snicker* And the row of preteen girls in the back. Oh, can't you just feel the awkward?! I'm guessing the adult responsible for this is standing to the right of the kids. Many of them are looking that way with looks on their faces ranging from disbelief to possible hatred. But mostly disbelief. Now Stop It, All Of You!My guesses on why the long faces include the probability that they've just been threatened with bodily harm into keeping still for the photo and that maybe none of them got the character they wanted on their hat. Another reason to look so glumCheck out the water on under the porch railing. If you had to be outside on a cold November day in the rain taking a picture I don't think you would be very happy either. Thanks, Mom.Thanks a LOT. One is Having a Little FunThe "S'matter Pop" girl has actually been caught having a small amount of...."fun". The "Jeff" lad is a perfect portrait of misery, however. This is the saddest "party" I've ever seen. FrighteningI'm not talking about how these kids look. It is absolutely frightening how many of these comic strip characters I can identify without resorting to Wikipedia! By the way, Maw Katz is short for Maw Katzenjammer from "The Katzenjammer Kids." As for Ham Gravy, he was the boyfriend of a girl named Olive Oyl before the arrival of a mono-ocular spinach chomping sailor called Popeye, in the strip "Thimble Theater." With one or two exceptions that I can't track down, these are all King Features strips. [Someone misspelled Joneses. And I think it should be "Keeping." - Dave] Let the good times roll!I hate to say it, but these look like the photos we just got back from one of our scarce family reunions. Most of the people had no idea who the others were, had little in common, were dressed in uncomfortable Sunday clothes and had the body language of pulling away from the people next to them and folding their arms across their waist. Creating a posed memory photo of united hilarity when none existed is not easy (and of course there was no liquor since we could not tempt the recovering alcoholics), but I digress. I'm guessing that either the party was extremely dull, the hostess was too strict or uptight, there was not enough food or the guest of honor did not like his gifts and threw a tantrum. Anyway, it brings to me reveries of gatherings in my own experience wherein the chemistry was just not right and, like "MacArthur Park", someone left the cake out in the rain. I love this telling picture of the party with no joy. It happens. Par-tayWow. It looks like they all just lost ice-cream privileges. Buck up, kids! This is the best time of your lives! "Good Old Days" my thick, woolen suit! ...as worn by poor, sad, finger-clasping "Jeff" at far left. "Betty" beside him, however, is kind of an insouciant charmer with a bended knee and a knowing grin. All that formalwear for kids, and then these craptastic hats! Jim said it best: "Ho. Lee. Mo. Ley." Craptastic HatsI feel kinda sorry for the person who spent so much time on those hats! I am sure they expected a better reaction! Clearly a talented artist, it looks like they took the time to personalize each hat, as well. Each cartoon character seems to be giving an individual message to the child that wears the hat. The easiest to read is the "Mutt" hat. It says "Hello Hector, by heck". The first two boys seated seem to be named Phillip and Nathanial. Hard to read anything else but, that was a nice touch, although totally lost on this glum bunch. Gloomy Gus seems to fit her hat very well, and the serious bags under her eyes make me think she might be getting sick. Gee, I hope it isn't tuberculosis! That would make this birthday disaster even more tragic! - Kathleen [Birthday boy John is Hairbreadth Harry. Eleven years old! His friends are Hector, Ralph, Francis and Eugene. - Dave] Awesome!How did you do that? I was far off on the names, but at least they were personalized! Although they look as if they were done with markers, these great close-ups show that they were most likely done with pastel pencils. I am thinking now that the parents of John might have actually commissioned a sketch artist to do these hats. They look as if they have the effortless, clean lines that come with a lot of practice. And each is a perfect copy of the characters they are drawing. I love the details here. Beautiful lace work on the little girl's dress behind Francis. Hairbreadth Harry looks like quite the dandy! He is one I don't recognize, I am going to have to look him up. Wow, that expression on Eugene looks familiar. It is the same dull look my grandson gives me when I am lecturing him! That is one bored kid. Kathleen Mom is so proud!Methinks that a party hostess/mother had what she thought was a spanking idea of making hats for all the kids to wear with their "favorite" cartoon characters on them. She is no doubt pleased with herself and the drawings, hence she made the kids pose so she could capture the moment forever. To share and share and share. Note all the water and mud on the porch, and the carpet the front row kids are sitting on. The second row kids are in chairs. Setting up this picture took a bit of work, that's why I think it is a self-pleased mother. [Martha Stewart's grandma, maybe. - Dave] NSFW!Sadly, I couldn't click through to the comments for this picture at work. The filter claimed the action was blocked because of "porn." Not a problem I usually have with Shorpy. Thanks a lot, Boob McNutt. Hairbreadth HarryIn the modern age of the 1920s, old-time melodramas, with their mustache-twirling, top-hatted villains kidnapping innocent gals and subjecting them to unspeakable perils, and the early silent film versions of same, were considered old-hat and ripe for ridicule. Think of the swinging, mod 60s being sent up by Austin Powers today. That was the shtick of the comic strip, as well as a series of short film comedies made by the Weiss Brothers in the late 20s. A number of those have recently been issued on DVD, transferred from the original negatives. Many feature breakneck car chases through the streets of Los Angeles and vicinity. In a way, they're like Shorpy in motion: high-quality, moving images of everyday street scenes in a time gone by - cars, roadways, shopping and residential districts the way they used to be. During one chase sequence you can plainly see the famous HOLLYWOOD sign arrayed across a hillside, except it's the original: HOLLYWOODLAND. Huck Finn?Look at those freckles, and the mischief on her face. Huck Finn she is, no doubt. Lonely Hats Club BandI thought I had seen every detail in this photograph by now, and then I noticed it! A lonely hat, perfectly flat, perched on the porch railing, waiting for that one kid whose mom wouldn't let him come at the last minute! Probably an early 20th century victim of "groundation"!- Kathleen As Dr. Johnson said"Nothing is more hopeless than a scheme for merriment." Where are they now?I'll bet when Polly grew up she was amazing in the sack. MOM!!!You TOLD us we were going to Glen Echo amusement park! Who knew?I almost did a Givney flip take when I saw young Katie Holmes standing there wearing the Ham Gravy hat. Who could've guessed that she, of all people, would master time travel? Katie Can Travel Through Time......because that Scientology stuff is really amazing. Really. Textbook CaseThis should be in Webster's or on Wikipedia next to the definition for "mortification." Great idea for 6 year olds.... Baer, not Bear?From 1917 to 1921, Congressman - and populist political cartoonist - John Miller Baer resided in Washington while representing North Dakota's First Congressional District. After his Congressional service ended, he remained in Washington, continuing to draw cartoons for labor publications. The 1940 census reflects that his household included a 28-year-old son named John M. Baer Jr., who by then was working as an architect with the U.S. Army. John Jr. would have been eleven years old in November 1922. (The Gallery, Kids, Natl Photo)
Good Popcorn: 1942
... Children are transported to Columbia Gardens, an outdoor amusement resort, every Thursday during the summer by city buses." ... children wearing crisp, summery white clothes to a dusty amusement park in August. Popcorn with sweet cream butter Well after ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 12/12/2012 - 6:09pm -

August 1942. "Butte, Montana. Children are transported to Columbia Gardens, an outdoor amusement resort, every Thursday during the summer by city buses." Medium-format nitrate negative by Russell Lee. View full size. Better than goodThe boys on the right with the bad haircuts seem to be investigating what's for sale in the next booth. According to its sign, it's better than Good, it's Fine! That buckle can't be worn anywhere else but on the back of his dungarees, because it's not on a separate belt, but on a denim cinch that's sewn on as part of the jeans. Chino BucklesWhen I was in high school in the 50's, the chino buckle served a purpose for guys. If it was unbuckled, you were available for dating the ladies. Buckled, you were going steady with someone. Letter Until You Run Out of RoomGot enough adjectives on that butter, have ya'? Butter adjectivesActually, "sweet cream" is a term of art in butter making. It indicates that the butter was made from uncultured cream as opposed to cultured cream. The latter is a generally richer flavor and predominantly European, though available in the more civilized parts of the US. Women in pantsInterestingly two of the women in the picture seem to be wearing pants. That must have been something of a novelty. [Definitely not in the rural West. - tterrace] Brave parents!Trusting the two very dapper children wearing crisp, summery white clothes to a dusty amusement park in August. Popcorn with sweet cream butterWell after reading JWP's interesting explanation about the butter, I could murder a few bags of that popcorn! Yum! Don't you just know that it had to be absolutely delicious? Those Back-Belted PantsThat late 50's/early 60's style for trousers (can't remember buckles on jeans) were called "Ivy League" style. Ivy League caps (think sports car drivers' caps) had little "belts" on the back too. These are also associated in my mind with "Dobie Gillis" three-quarter length shirt sleeves from the same general era. [I had a pair of pants like that in high school, 1960-4. I was never quite sure if I looked cool or silly. - tterrace] Fashion PoliceThese belts on the back of the pants were popular when I was in grade school in the middle to late 50s. However the nuns weren't too crazy about them because they would scratch the wood on the back of the desk chairs. Bucking the trendNot everyone in the picture was getting popcorn; the small boy on the left appears to have an ice cream on a stick. Tonsorial ArtsThe two boys on the far right seem to be victims of the same barber, probably a close relative. A Real CinchThe kid on the far right shows an early sense of style, wearing dungarees (my wife hates it when I use that dated word) with a buckle in the back. I had always thought this was a fashion statement from the late '50s when it became the in fashion for me and most others to wear chinos with that same useless buckle. Along with the obligatory madras shirt, of course. The kid in the middleLooks like he is wearing his Keds. Butter, Womens Pants, Madras and bucklesYes indeed, cultured butter is the best. I make my own from time to time adding cultures to "sweet cream" for a far more flavorful product. Re the panted females: I have a picture of my aunt wearing pants in 1943- the year of her death at age 18. She did not live out West but in southern Illinois. The back-buckled jeans was a surprise to me as well; I thought this was a late '50's thing when I was in grade school, along with madras shirts. Forgot how fashionable we all were back then. A final comment: I was the victim of a tonsorial artist who was a close relative until we got in an argument about her lack of skill. She quit right in the middle of a contested haircut and told me I could just go to the barbershop - and pay for it out of my pitiful allowance. I was broke but happier after that. We are now speaking again, but she still bosses me around. Mom, cut me some slack - I'm 64 Columbia Gardens historyColumbia Gardens was a fantastic place in its day. My mother and her first husband used to go dancing there before the war. I remember riding the roller coaster during high school. An article from The Montana Standard is quoted here. (The Gallery, Kids, Russell Lee)
Queen and Commoner: 1906
... was another excursion boat making trips to Coney Island amusement park. Re: Folding Stacks Perhaps there were no "low bridges" ... between the Cincinnati Riverfront and the Coney Island amusement park that remains today upstream on the Ohio River in the city's ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 07/29/2012 - 2:43pm -

The Ohio River circa 1906. "Coney Island Co. sidewheeler Island Queen at Cincinnati." Let her not blind us to the more modest charms of the Guiding Star. 8x10 inch glass negative, Detroit Publishing Company. View full size. Riggers and allPoor forlorn rowboats! There, I mentioned them so they wouldn't be left out too. House on the HillAcross the river, on the middle right is a fantastic gothic mansion on top of the hill. Anyone know what that is? I hope it still exists. The Ohio and the Licking This photo was made near the present day Great American Ballpark from the Ohio side looking south over the river toward Kentucky. The river in the background going under the bridge is the Licking, which runs between Covington and Newport. Women and Children FirstEven if we assume there are two more lifeboats on the starboard side, they're gonna fill up fast. "Guiding Star""Come over and visit us anytime in our humble boat. Please be careful when walking the plank." Folding StacksI wonder how long and how many crew it took to lower/raise those stacks to get under a low bridge. [I doubt if there were any "low bridges" across the Ohio. - Dave] too few life boats!And I thought that the Titanic didn't have enough life boats! Low clearanceThere may not have been low bridges, but there were low hanging wires. The Island Queen hit one that knocked down her stacks in 1914. The Guiding Star is most likely a wharf boat for a steamer of the same name. Guiding Star was another excursion boat making trips to Coney Island amusement park. Re: Folding StacksPerhaps there were no "low bridges" across the Ohio River but there were certainly times of high water. A prior Shorpy post: Steam Under the Bridge: 1906, shows the sidewheeler City of Cincinnati having to fold its stacks in order to pass under a Cincinnati bridge during a period of high water. The Island Queen appears to have similar hinges and rigging to enable lowering its stacks. Church SteepleThe church to the left of the bridge is the Salem Methodist Church. It had the highest steeple in Newport, KY. The Church is still standing and is known as The Stained Glass Theater and is used for community theater productions. However, the steeple was demolished by a tornado in 1986. View Larger Map Gaurd dog!Watch out for the little doggy when approaching the Guiding Star. House on the HillThe "House on the Hill" is actually two houses. The front one is the Graziani House. http://www.nkyviews.com/kenton/kenton1941.htm Its still there but with the fourth/fifth story tower visible in the photo has been removed. View Larger Map The one in the back is the Shinkle Mansion, on the other side of Second St. from the Graziani. http://www.nkyviews.com/kenton/kenton666.htm It was later donated to the Salvation Army for use as a hospital, and was demolished in 1920; replaced by a newer hospital building. http://www.nkyviews.com/kenton/pdf/bricking_shinkle.pdf A regal beauty indeedWow! What a mighty Queen! And moving at a fair clip, judging by the wake, and the spray at the bow. I always find it disturbing, though, when a ship's flags, and smoke, are blowing in the direction of travel, as they are here. More on stack heightsAlthough clearance under the later Cincinnati bridges at normal Ohio River water levels may not have been a problem, quite a brouhaha developed further upstream over clearance issues in 1847. The town of Wheeling Virginia (it didn't end up being in West Virginia until the 1863 split) built a suspension bridge to carry the National/Cumberland Road across the Ohio that impeded the passage of taller boats to further upstream ports like Pittsburgh under some river conditions. Hinged stacks could address the issue, but the steamboat operators (who favored high stacks for their boiler draft efficiency and ash/cinder/smoke dispersion benefits) didn't think they should have to bear extra equipment/crew/maintenance costs so bridge developers could save money by skimping on clearance height. Add in the desire of the community to avoid the negative infrastructure/condemnation process impact of higher and necessarily longer approach ramps through already developed areas and you had the makings of a lawsuit. The steamboat operators were apparently able to convince the state of Pennsylvania that their having to fold their stacks would somehow limit the growth and economic viability of Pittsburgh, so the state championed the case against the bridge that was 50 miles downriver in another state. None other than E. M. Stanton (namesake of a certain serial Shorpy poster) represented the state of Pennsylvania in a landmark lawsuit against the Wheeling and Belmont Bridge Company, but even in losing produced a still important interpretation of the Commerce Clause of the U.S Constitution and clearly demonstrated the need for something like the Interstate Commerce Act, which Congress got around to enacting a quarter of a century later. Someone even wrote a book on the case. At one point, even Mother Nature appeared to weigh into the battle, and on the side of Pittsburgh by taking out the six year old bridge with a storm in 1854. It was rebuilt and survives to this day through laudable preservation efforts. Dave's crafted photo of the Island Queen is one of the clearest I've see in terms of stack hinge and folding mechanism detail. Bridges and MansionsRiverboat interests were so strong in Cincinnati that all the bridges were built high enough so the smokestacks wouldn't need to be lowered, at least until certain high water or flood stages anyway. The Island Queen was used to take patrons between the Cincinnati Riverfront and the Coney Island amusement park that remains today upstream on the Ohio River in the city's California neighborhood. In 1905 the 12 year old steamboat "Saint Joseph" from Mississippi was refitted and renamed the "Island Queen" that we see here. It was destroyed by fire in 1922. There's dozens of great photos of the old gal and her successors at: http://wiki.cincinnatilibrary.org/index.php/Island_Queen It didn't end wellMy boyfriend's great grandfather, Fred Dickow, was the chief engineer on the Island Queen when it blew up while in port in Pittsburgh, PA. It's said that he lit a welding torch to repair a loose stanchion near some oil tanks causing a spark to ignite an explosion. He was a veteran engineer who had worked for the company for 30 years. http://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1144&dat=19470911&id=sFsbAAAAIBAJ&... MemoriesGrowing up in the Cincinnati area in the late 30s and 40s, I rode the Island Queen to Coney Island Park many times. I had no idea that there was more than one Island Queen, but it appears that they all seem to have been side wheelers, not the more common stern wheelers. In my case, I was much more excited about riding the "Queen" than attending Coney Island. I remember watching the Island Queen approaching the Cincinnati public landing, coming downstream from Coney. I think the steam calliope could be heard all over town! The side wheels would slowly stop, then reverse until she had stopped some what below the landing, then one side wheel would slowly reverse direction and she would slowly turn in place 180 degrees. Then she would move ahead and slowly maneuver to the landing. Beautiful! Once on board I would go to the lower deck to watch the fascinating machinery. There was a huge (at least it seemed huge to me) wood walking beam on each side that connected the engines to the paddle wheels, and they were painted white, trimmed in red, polished, adorned with several large red stars. If I remember correctly, there was an annual race against the Delta Queen. It was very sad to hear of her demise in Pittsburgh. (The Gallery, Boats & Bridges, Cincinnati Photos, DPC)
He's Got A Ticket To Ride
... since my father took this picture of me at Riverview Beach Amusement Park, then a popular spot on the Delaware River in southern New ... things have changed since August 1948, but I still enjoy amusement rides. View full size. Uninsured Driver When I was four or ... 
 
Posted by billyboy - 08/31/2008 - 10:55pm -

Sixty years have gone by since my father took this picture of me at Riverview Beach Amusement Park, then a popular spot on the Delaware River in southern New Jersey. A lot of things have changed since August 1948, but I still enjoy amusement rides. View full size. Uninsured DriverWhen I was four or five I rode a carnival ride very much like this one, and the spoke attached to my car worked itself loose. I was rear-ended before being lifted out by the frantic ride operator. This was before we became such a litigious society. I thought it was exciting. Keeps Going, Going Going...Here is a shot of two of my grandsons taken by me on the Boardwalk in Ocean City, New Jersey of a seemingly similar ride of similar vintage. In the amusement park industry rides get sold and resold, plus moved around, over the decades. (ShorpyBlog, Member Gallery)
Macys Herald Square: 1908
... get a dozen Dying Pigs for $1.35. Can you imagine the amusement and delight caused by a dozen Dying Pigs slowly deflating on the ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 07/18/2012 - 6:58pm -

New York circa 1908. "R.H. Macy & Co., Herald Square." Broadway at 34th Street, with a glimpse of the Sixth Avenue elevated tracks. Other Shorpy landmarks include Lucio's Pearls and a couple of the electric hansom cabs seen in a previous post. 8x10 inch glass negative, Detroit Publishing. View full size. That Corner BuildingWhen Macy's acquired the land for this store, the owners of the corner building held out, so the emporium was built around it. The same thing happened uptown almost 30 years later when the huge RCA building was erected on land that included the NE corner of 6th Avenue and 48th Street. The old building at that corner still stands, and for years was the site of Hurley's popular bar and restaurant. OiiinnnnkkkkkkYou could get a dozen Dying Pigs for $1.35. Can you imagine the amusement and delight caused by a dozen Dying Pigs slowly deflating on the floor? Rolls RazorMy dad had one of these which fascinated me as a kid watching him work the machine. In a beautifully made shiny metal case was the strop on the bottom and the machine would flip the blade at the end of each stroke for the return pull. He was very proud of this device. Only one headI'm fascinated by looking at old street scenes. All of those people going about their important rounds, long forgotten now. The street is torn up on the left, and one set of tracks is blocked for a time. The hot summer sun has caused some ladies to carry their parasols, and a thoughtful hansom cabbie has covered his horse to keep the sun and, maybe, the relentless flies away. Also, HATS. I can spot only one human being without a hat, the fellow at the lower left, near the Shorpy logo; a counterculture type, no doubt. Rolls Auto strop razorI have a Rolls razor which is operated in the way described by Walt. This was only four years after the invention of the double edged safety razor. The Rolls razor shaves quite well too. CorneredThe tale of the Macy's holdout. An eventWhat on Earth has happened here? The total collapse - of what? [It's dirt and pavement from the crew digging up the street. As Con Ed used to say, "Dig We Must." - Dave] Three Twins"Three Twins," a musical, played at the Herald Square Theatre from Jun 15, 1908 to Mar 20, 1909. What a beautiful day. The clock on building says a little before noon. Wish I could time travel back there for one day! I see a circa 1908 Buick in front of Macy's. This is the second '08 Buick I've seen in a post. Have to look out for more of these. Rowland vs. Fred.You have to wonder what was the best and final offer from R.H. Macy to Fred K. Fox for the corner plot before he broke ground on his store with the chunk taken out of it. Hair Dressing ParlorsThe sign is a typical NYC advertisement, still in use today. It looks like Haynob's Hair Dressing Parlors, which provided services like: Marcel waving (popular female hairstyle of the teens & 20's), false hair, Chiropody (foot care). [The name is HAVNOR'S (55 West 33rd Street; Henry J. Havnor, proprietor). - Dave] Head warmerThanks for the close up of our placard bearer, now I can ambulate down to the Hair Dressing Parlour and get me a Marcel Waving False Hair rug to keep my bean covered. Matched PairDoes any Shorpyite know the manufacturer of the two strange vehicles at the kerb by streetcar 678? They would be no fun in at all in a decent snow storm! [As noted in the caption, they are electric hansom cabs. - Dave] Auto StroppingI'd love to know the technology behind the "Auto Strop Safety Razor." How does it strop itself? By having you replace the blade? Picketer Wish I could read that sign the guy on the corner is carrying. An advertisement or some kind of protest slogan? Picture-in-picture.To the left of the entrance to Murray's Restaurant, there's another photographer working with his tripod in the street. It would be fun to find that photo somewhere in the archive! Defy DetectionI love that Lucio's Rubies, Diamonds and Pearls "Defy Detection." [So small, they're practically invisible! - Dave] Lucio's Pearls, only $3.49 post-paid!Ad in Popular Mechanics, 1921: [Pearls, schmearls. I want a Dying Pig! - Dave] The Auto Strop RazorThe Auto Strop uses a single edged blade that is kept sharp by inserting a thin leather strop into the head of the razor. One end of the strop is anchored to something solid and the other end is held taut in one hand. With the other hand the razor is slid along the length of the strop. The razor has a mechanism that flops the blade each time it changes direction. A few back and forth passes along the strop keeps a keen edge on the blade. (The Gallery, DPC, NYC, Stores & Markets, Streetcars)
Tobogganists: 1903
... I worked on what was called, by then, BobLo Island Amusement Park in Ontario (opposite Amherstburg, in the Detroit River) from ... here call it Boblo Island. It has had quite a past as amusement park, abandoned island and housing development. Have your ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 09/13/2011 - 6:27pm -

Bois Blanc Island, Michigan, circa 1903. "Water toboggan, Bois Blanc Park." 8x10 inch dry plate glass negative, Detroit Publishing Company. View full size. Frozen Fun!After seeing all the "ghosts" on the street-scene shots, I'm always amazed that these early large-plate cameras could stop action when they wanted to. The shutter speed looks to be at least 1/125 second if not faster. A notable variety of bathing costumes from regular clothing to (gasp) a shirtless lad by the pier. What is the little "doghouse" on the pier for, what does the sign say, and who hands out the toboggans? [The sign says Do Not Dive Off the Dock. And Shirtless Lad is wearing a shirt. - Dave] Hey SisI have a dream -- bathing suits. Looks Like FunLooks like the world was a lot of fun before the lawyers took over. Talk about the Good Old DaysThat looks like a LOT of fun, and I'm sure they didn't need to sign a release in case of injury. Shakin' rideI'm sure the slats help to get the sled down the track but what a rough ride that must be, especially if the weight on the sled is toward the front! Boblo IslandI worked on what was called, by then, BobLo Island Amusement Park in Ontario (opposite Amherstburg, in the Detroit River) from 1951 to '56. This is the first I learned of the toboggan. The park is no more. The "Columbia" and the "St. Clair" were the steamers from Detroit and Wyandotte. DivingIf you wanted to dive, the sign says, you must swim or pull yourself out to the diving platform via the handy rope where the water is deep enough. That slide looks like lots of fun. Even has a slight roller coaster element in the wave form of the slide. Are those gals renting their clothesline to dry your clothes? ColloquialismThe locals here call it Boblo Island. It has had quite a past as amusement park, abandoned island and housing development. Have your passport ready. For the sake of accuracy, Bois Blanc Island, in the Detroit River, is on the Canadian side of the boundary. [As noted above, there's more than one Bois Blanc Island. This one is in Mackinac County, Michigan. - Dave] A Tale of Two BoblosThis particular Bois Blanc Island is next to Bois Blanc Township in Mackinac County, Michigan. The Canadian island of the same name is part of Ontario. See the rollers?If you squint closely (in the high resolution version) at the slats on the slide, you will see rollers embedded between them. These would have enhanced the speed of the toboggan, and smoothed the ride. (Another water toboggan like this was at Whitmore Lake, Michigan -- near Ann Arbor.) (The Gallery, DPC, Kids, Swimming)
Gettysburg: 1913
... their heads was great fun in those days. Just as in your amusement park photos where the people thought that getting violently thrown ... Today the lawsuits would bankrupt the scouts and the amusement parks. Such is progress. These scouts are a clean-cut group and ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 07/12/2014 - 2:32pm -

Boy Scouts at Gettysburg circa 1913 performing the time-honored camp ritual of water bucket to the head. View full size. George Grantham Bain Collection. Waterboarding?I think the Boyscouts were founded in 1910, and they obviously thought getting buckets of water poured on their heads was great fun in those days. Just as in your amusement park photos where the people thought that getting violently thrown off a circular, moving floor and getting knocked down on their behinds was great sport, as was getting spun around in a vertical swirling vortex and landing on your knees was hilarious to them. Must not have been too much "out of bounds" behavior in those days which might explain why slapstick humor, i.e. Chaplin, Buster Keaton, Laurel and Hardy and others were considered hysterically funny. Today the lawsuits would bankrupt the scouts and the amusement parks. Such is progress. These scouts are a clean-cut group and they still are today. Nice photo. Boys to MenIt makes me smile to think back to when a boy was expected to give and take roughhousing - the normal preparation for being a man. It explains a great deal about (some of) the young men today who complain about the smallest of things... Youth ProtectionIt looks like everybody's having fun doesn't it? However, the picture doesn't show the face of the boy being picked on. Nor does it show what will be left inside of him when it's done. Whoever thinks that this is just good clean fun and bemoans the abolition of hazing should watch the Youth Protection videos again. If Youth Protection (the practice and reasons for it) still hasn't sunk in, then it's probably time to hang up your "Smokey Bear" hat. [Boo-hooey. - Dave] Times have changedBoo-hooeys aside, Dave, remember that it used to be considered good sport to smack one's wife around (you know the origin of the phrase "rule of thumb" don't you?) or get drunk and fight at bars, or lynch Negroes, or kill cows at abbatoirs with sledgehammer blows to the head. U.S. soldiers had been prosecuted in the early 1900s for giving the "Spanish water cure" (waterboarding) Huk rebels in the Phillipines. Makes me wonder whether [snip] [Oh brother. - Dave] Boy Scouts at GettysburgThe Boy Scouts were at Gettysburg acting as aides to the Civil War veterans. Great-Uncle was one of those Scouts. He said he'd never seen so many old men missing arms and legs. Remembering that was why he decided not to volunteer for combat when the U.S. got into the Great War a few years later. (The Gallery, Boy Scouts, Camping, G.G. Bain, Sports)
Texas Flood: 1904
... at the Johnstown Flood pavilion in an earlier, different amusement park -- a kind of smug dismissal. Then I realized it was just an ... especially when you realize it was built as a temporary amusement showcase. And by the way, what's written on the telescope stand? ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/21/2012 - 5:55pm -

New York circa 1904. "Galveston Flood, Coney Island." The main attraction here was a cyclorama depicting the deadly hurricane that struck Texas in 1900. 8x10 inch dry plate glass negative, Detroit Publishing Company. View full size. Natural curiosityMy first reaction to the Galveston exhibit was the same as I had earlier at the Johnstown Flood pavilion in an earlier, different amusement park -- a kind of smug dismissal. Then I realized it was just an effective way of satisfying a very natural inclination to witness huge events. No Discovery Channel then but the need to know and "witness" was there. Electric Vehicle CompanyThose are buses made by the Electric Vehicle Company of Hartford, Connecticut. The advertisement below is from the February 1, 1906 issue of "The Motor Way." Here is an early version of one style of the company's cabs from the 1902 book "Self-Propelled Vehicles" by James E. Homans. Starting in 1896 in Philadelphia as the Electric Carriage and Wagon Company, EVC was credited for establishing the mechanized cab service in New York. The firm moved to Elizabethport, New Jersey, in 1898 when it acquired Morris & Salom, makers of the Electrobat (1898 examples below). In 1899 Electric Vehicle moved to Hartford after acquiring the Columbia Automobile Company and its factory from Pope Manufacturing. Columbia made a full line of vehicles including hansom cabs as seen here. Unable to keep up with the demand for electric vehicles (some sources claim that in 1899 fully 90 percent of the taxis in New York City were electric), in 1900 it also acquired the Riker Electric Vehicle Co. of Elizabethport. Riker built hansom cabs, along with vans, hotel buses, trucks and and regular taxis (below, from "Self-Propelled Vehicles") that looked very similar to the early ones by Electric Vehicle. The company was controlled by the Widener-Elkins-Whitney syndicate that either bought up companies like Columbia and Riker, or allied themselves with many other electric power oriented companies, such as the Electric Storage Battery Company (Exide), or simply created new companies such as Electric Boat. It even managed to get control of the Selden Patent. The firm also created taxi companies in some 11 cities, including New York, where it would sell itself the electric taxis and the batteries that went in them. In fact, by 1899 it had the state rights to all of New York. Its taxi business did not collapse when "three hundred of its cabs burned in a garage fire," as claimed in the 2007 book "Taxi!" by Graham Hodges. Its taxi subsidiary, The New York Electric Vehicle Transportation Company (which included the Fifth Avenue Coach Co.), had five such garages and many, many more cars (and still managed to save around 250 cars from the fire), and in fact continued in business until 1936. Nor were the cars as clumsy and ponderous as described by Hodges. Rather than wait for an eight hour recharge as claimed in the book, Electric Vehicle devised a battery pack that could be swapped out in 20 minutes, and the vehicle sent back into revenue service. It also invented a fast charger that could recharge a number of battery packs at the same time. Much to its dismay, one had just been installed in the garage that burned. As far as speed went, well, this is from the May 21, 1899 issue of The New York Times: The vignette below is from an 1899 New York Electric Vehicle Transportation Co. stock certificate, and shows two types of cabs made by Electric Vehicle. However, because the syndicate itself was falling apart, some of its holdings suffered. Electric Vehicle Company folded, although the manufacture of some of its products continued under the Columbia name along with Columbia's vehicles (gas and electric). Columbia was sold in 1910 to the United States Motor Company, and ceased production when that corporation collapsed in 1913. Over the years the other companies either folded or were sold off. Many still exist today, such as Exide battery and the submarine builder Electric Boat (now a division of General Dynamics). Fancy FloodI am amazed at the detailed and complex architecture of such a building, especially when you realize it was built as a temporary amusement showcase. And by the way, what's written on the telescope stand? [LOOK VENUS FREE. Astronomical educational something. - Dave] Pardon Me - "Is this the building where they show the Galveston Flood?" EIGHT signs! Come one, Come allSee how 8000+ of your fellow countrymen met their maker a few short years ago! And grab a soda on your way out. Correct WeightI wonder how much they deducted from a woman's weight for all the clothes they wore at the time. Bright LightThis is an excellent view of an arc light, and shows the mechanism to lower the fixture to service the carbon rods. The wires for the electrical supply are intentionally slack to allow the light to be lowered by the rope that runs through pulleys to the base of the light standard. Could you direct me to the Galveston Flood?More signs, Harry. I told you, we need more signs! "Cyclorama"I was trying to determine what the attraction was -- a movie? Stuff they found washed up on shore? A play based on the flood? Then I did what many die-hard Shorpy fans do ... last. I read the caption and googled the keyword! Motorized StagesI find those motorized stages (don't know what else to call them) very interesting. Anyone have an idea of what they are? Looks like they might be electric. Virtual realityWell, I suppose, if you regret missing out on the thrill of boarding the last train out of town, which was swept off the causeway and into the bay by the storm surge, or, being conscripted to load the dead onto a barge for burial at sea, this might be the next best thing. The perfect show for all those people who like to rubberneck accidents on the freeway, making me late for work. Thanks a lot! Motorized stagecoachesThe two vehicles one with steeplechase park on its side seem to be possibly the ancestor of our modern cars, they appear to be converted carriages missing the team and traces that would have gone with them. Under the drivers seat is possible engine with louvers. If anyone knows what they are please post it. [Those are, as Dennis M surmises, electric coaches. - Dave] (The Gallery, Cars, Trucks, Buses, Coney Island, DPC)
Sliders: 1910
... full size. According to SOAPHS (Southwest Ohio Amusement Park Historical Society) "The park was located at Spring Grove ... distinctive characteristic is its large number of these amusement features, and the completeness and up-to-date manner in which they ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/09/2012 - 6:18pm -

Cincinnati circa 1910. "Chester Park -- toboggan slide on the lake." 8x10 inch dry plate glass negative, Detroit Publishing Company. View full size. According to SOAPHS(Southwest Ohio Amusement Park Historical Society) "The park was located at Spring Grove Avenue and Platt Avenue in Cincinnati's Winton Place area and was developed by George Stone in 1875." http://www.soaphs.com/chesterpark/index.htm "Today, the site is the home of the Cincinnati Water Works. Ironically, the park was forced to close due to an unpaid water bill." A very nice photo album of the park can be found here: http://chesterpark2.shutterfly.com/ Where the Guys AreLooks like everyone is having a good time but I see no girls like me. When I was a kid I would rather have been sliding than sitting in a rowboat trying to keep my long skirt and frilly high-neck blouse dry. Once a tomboy, always a tomboy. But apparently not in this time and place. The finished productFrom the album listed in one of the previous posts. Acme of EnjoymentOther postcards identify the monument to the right as "The Statue of Liberty." I wonder how slimy and slippery the planks of that submerged pedestrian bridge were by late summer. The boys stepping out at the left end seem a bit unsure of their footing. The Cincinnati Industrial Magazine, June, 1910. Chester Park's distinctive characteristic is its large number of these amusement features, and the completeness and up-to-date manner in which they are presented. It is safe to say that there are more ways in which to enjoy one's self at Chester Park than in any park in the country, and all of them are innocent and harmless and such as to appeal to a fun loving public. You are not supposed to be serious when you go to Chester Park. You wear your broadest smile and your most comfortable clothes, and even the latter you exchange for a bathing suit if so inclined to indulge in that acme of enjoyment, the bathing beach. TobogganDoes anyone else think that toboggan slide looks like the most fun ever? I would love to give that thing a whirl! Squirt PistolsThe lads at the foot of the slide look like they could have come directly out of any given British punk band of the 1976-78 era. Anarchy in the sluiceway! Same as it ever wasJust as when I was that age fifty or so years later, if someone's kid brother or the peewee of the group wanted to join in the fun, he always ended up with much of the heaving and hauling. Look at the little guy at the top of the up ramp. An Accident Waiting To HappenThe wet balance beams are waiting for someone to slip and fall onto the neighboring beam. Fingers and toes are waiting to be rip off in the rollers of the slide. Not to mention there is no adult supervision at the slide or a life guard stand to be seen. (The Gallery, Cincinnati Photos, DPC, Swimming)
Japanese Rolling Balls: 1910
... at Chicago's Columbian Exhibition of 1893. It was the amusement area of that world's fair, and today it's a park. Coney Island of ... the Cincinnati Pops. It's a pleasant old fashioned family amusement park. Bright Lights What a unique row of light poles on the ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 07/29/2012 - 2:43pm -

Cincinnati, Ohio, circa 1910. "Coney Island -- the midway." 8x10 inch dry plate glass negative, Detroit Publishing Company. View full size. InterestingI wonder if anyone has a clue about how many places were called "Coney Island" back in the day? If many, were they part of a larger enterprise. Delightful ladies, in their glorious hats, planning the day's activities over at the right side. Maybe a little earlier?From the clothes, etc., and comparing it to other images I've seen here at Shorpy, I'm wondering whether this image is from a little earlier than 1915, say maybe 1906 or so. Just a thought. [There were no 46-star flags until 1908. - Dave] Skee BallAn early version of the popular arcade game? ChapeauxI love the hats on the ladies to the right. Two Borrowed Terms"Coney Island" from New York, and "midway" from the Midway Plaisance at Chicago's Columbian Exhibition of 1893. It was the amusement area of that world's fair, and today it's a park. Coney Island of the WestThe Cincinnati Coney Island was originally an apple orchard until the farmer realized that he could make more money renting out the property for events. He built some facilities and called the place Ohio Grove. He sold the property in 1886 and the new owners renamed it "Ohio Grove, The Coney Island of the West." The next year they dropped the "Ohio Grove" and it became Coney Island. The park is still in existence although it was closed between 1971 and 1973 following the construction of King's Island. Part of the park was donated for the construction of the Riverbend Center Amphitheater, the home of the Cincinnati Pops. It's a pleasant old fashioned family amusement park. Bright LightsWhat a unique row of light poles on the left. I've never seen anything like them. (The Gallery, Cincinnati Photos, DPC)
The Wolverine: 1922
... part in the Tarzan serial, and his antics created much amusement. Elmo! Where else but in America could a guy named Elmo ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/18/2012 - 5:52pm -

Washington, D.C., circa 1922. "Leader Theater, front." Sidney Lust's movie house on Ninth Street N.W. National Photo Company glass negative. View full size. Into the MixWow. Interesting mix of dancehall cafe, Greek restaurant, vaudeville/burlesque house and cinema. Even in black-and-white, certainly more colorful than the mall multiplex. Breathtaking ArchitecturePlease tell me this magnificent building is still standing. Built in 1910, it could be . . .please! The gigantic statuary flanking the marquee---dwarfed by the HUGE roofline finial statues---is simply stunning. All the buildings along this block have unique architecture with intricate detail. Was this an "entertainment block"? I see a cafe/dance hall, burlesque house, the Leader theater, and a Greek restaurant. I wager to say even the "Washington Shoe Shine and Hat Cleaning Parlor" was probably an entertaining place to visit! The Tarzan die cut advertising tucked around the marquee would be worth a small fortune on today's antique market! The Port ArthurStarting from the left... Washington Post, Oct 20, 1914 Fight in Chinese Cafe Three Men Arrested Following Row in Port Arthur Restaurant The moving-picture district on Ninth, between E and F streets northwest, was thrown into a state of excitement last night just as the shows were discharging their crowds by a fight in the Port Arthur Chinese restaurant, in which three young men are alleged to have attempted to smash everything in the shape of furnishings and the head of every Chinese employee in the place. The trouble attracted a crowd that blockaded the street from curb to curb. Cries and curses and the breaking of glass and tableware added to the situation. Policeman Miller alone grappled with the fighters and emerged from the place brining three of the principles with him. They were taken to the first precinct. Morris Sing, proprieteor of the restaurant, told the police that the party came into his place and ordered food. Then for some reason unknown one of the men picked up the dishes, smashed them, and then started a general assault principally against the Chinese employes of the place. Several of the Chinese waiters were injured, but refused hospital treatment. A one-sex audienceAll boys, I notice. Apparently girls stayed home on Saturday afternoons. All in knickers, scratchy woolen stockings and high leather shoes. And every single one of them wearing a cap except the half-dozen or so who are holding them in their hands. Helen Gibson in "The Wolverine." Not much information, I'm afraid. Elmo Lincoln in "The Adventures of Tarzan." (Lots.) The WolverineI had no idea Hugh Jackman was so old! "The Wolverine"Plot Synopsis by Hans J. Wollstein Based on a novel by the prolific B.M. Bower (pseudonym for novelist Bertha "Muzzy" Sinclair), The Wolverine starred former serial queen and stunt-woman Helen Gibson as a rancher who stands up for an employee (Jack Connolly) unjustly accused of cattle rustling. Ward Warren (Connolly) had come West after serving a prison sentence for a crime he didn't commit. History repeats itself for Ward when a couple of bandits he had chased off the land, accuses him of being a rustler himself. The former common-law wife of Hoot Gibson, Gibson (née Rose Wenger) had gained stardom replacing Helen Holmes in the long-running The Hazards of Helen. By no means a traditional screen beauty -- but spirited -- Gibson's starring career was brief, and she returned to stunt-doubling in talkies. http://www.allmovie.com/work/wolverine-117381 Around the World in a BlockThe architectural walking tour here is pretty wild. There's the Belle Epoque excesses of the Gayety and Leader theaters, crowned by their zinc copies of sculptures from the Petit Palais at the Exposition Universelle in Paris. Then there's the Gothic church facade of the Port Arthur Restaurant. And then there's the Acropolis (Greek) restaurant housed behind a Chinese balcony, left over from the Port Arthur's old location on the other side of the Gayety (the stairwell entrance to the "gothic" Port Arthur at 515-17 has a matching Chinese carved wood awning). But just when I was getting an urge for some nice spanakopita, I noticed that the Acropolis seems to have been replaced by the all-American Rowland's Buffet. Cable cars?Is that a cable slot between the streetcar tracks? [It's access to the underground electrical supply that powered Washington's streetcars. - Dave] "Fastest Northwestern Picture Ever Screened"What the heck does that mean? ["The Wolverine" was a train. Which is shown in the sign. - Dave] Coming AttractionView Larger Map The location today. The J. Edgar Hoover Building is right behind you. The GayetyThis is right around the corner from the original 9:30 Club. I remember parking across the street from the Gayety in the early 80's. Creepy place, they showed "adult" movies. Lots of drug addicts and perverts. Wilbur Mills and the GayetyThe Gayety lasted into the 1970s. That's where House Ways and Means Chairman Wilbur Mills first met "Argentine Firecracker" Fanne Fox, who later jumped from his car into the Tidal Basin and sank Mill's career. Gorgeous photograph!And also a revelation for me. Was The Port Arthur a Chinese food chain? There was also one by that name in downtown Providence. I don't know when it opened there, but I do know that it lasted well into the 1940's and was - according to my Dad - the hottest place to go to on a Saturday night in the late 30's and early 40's. Drinking, dancing to a band and exotic, for its time, Chinese food. My Aunt Mary and another female relative sang there, as well. What an eye-opener! And what a thrill this photo is to drink in! I'd throw down my nickel to see that movie in a second - if only for the pleasure of getting to see what the inside of the theater looked like! This is one of the very best postings this year. [Below: The Port Arthur Chinese restaurant in New York. Click to enlarge. - Dave] Helen GibsonThat picture is awesome. Thanks for sharing it. I have been researching Helen Gibson for many years and have many of her personal ephemera pieces. Including her copy of the Wolverine lobby card with the image enlarged as a poster on the left of the entrance. Thanks for your site, I always see something exciting. Newsboy MatineeGiven all the young boys and the fact that that whatever is going on here it merited a photograph, I am guessing this is another gathering of newsboys for a Saturday matinee. Shorpy viewers have previously seen a similar event in this 1925 photo of the Leader Theater. Alas, no sign of Bo-Bo, "the monkey with the human brain," in the photo. Washington Post, Feb 12, 1922 Carriers' Theater Party Many Post newsboys yesterday had the time of their lives at the showings of the latest installment of the Adventures of Tarzan at Sidney B. Lust's Leader and Truxton theaters as the guests of Mr. Lust and the circulation department of the Post. The boys found the day an even greater event than they had expected, for in the morning at their homes, each had received letters from W.C. Shelton, circulation manager of The Post, thanking them for their efforts delivering The Post on time during the storm and enclosing $1 as a bonus. Mr. Lust, who was host to a number of the carriers yesterday, will entertain as many more today, for tickets good for either day were sent out. As a special inducement to efficient service, the boys who rank among the best carriers in the city will receive free movie tickets for the next 15 weeks. The boys had been particularly interested in the Tarzan film, which features Elmo Lincoln. Bo-Bo, the monkey with the human brain, was on hand to meet the boys when they reached the Theater, and on leaving every boy was given a bag of peanuts. Bo-Bo plays an important part in the Tarzan serial, and his antics created much amusement. Elmo!Where else but in America could a guy named Elmo with a 52-inch chest become a movie star? In addition to his rightful claim to fame as the first film Tarzan (in 1918), Elmo Lincoln was also in the silent classics "Birth of a Nation," "Intolerance" and "That Fatal Glass of Beer." He came back in the late 1930s in bit roles in talkies, including "The Hunchback of Notre Dame." "The Adventures of Tarzan" was Lincoln's third and final foray in the role of the vine-swinger, which was probably just as well, as he was afraid of heights. Released as a 15-part serial, it was one of the smash hits of the year, taking in more than Valentino's "The Sheik." Sugar Plums at the GayetyWhen this photo was taken, burlesque had not yet begun its long slide from musical comedies and revues into adults-only sleaze. The Washington Gayety was one in a large chain of theaters, with shows rotating among them on a circuit, as in vaudeville. Gayety shows featured such stars as Al Jolson, Fanny Brice, Sophie Tucker and Will Rogers. Harry Coleman, starring in the Washington Gayety's "Sugar Plums," was a comedian who began receiving favorable reviews around 1915, and appeared in a few silent films as early as 1910 (his last film credit is as a bit player in the dance hall scenes in Chaplin's "The Gold Rush"). On Nov. 8, 1918, the Toronto World ran a notice for the Toronto Gayety's new show "The Roseland Girls," beginning with this lead: "The Roseland Girls" is a show that may always be relied upon to furnish the sort of entertainment that the patrons of the Gayety Theatre will like and will be enjoyed by all classes of theatregoers. The company is headed by Harry Coleman, Bert Lahr, Kitty Mitchell" [and others]. Absolutely wonderful. What a civilization we once had! The adult on the far right appears to be halting traffic with his blurry arms so as to give the photog a clear view of the newsboys. Elmo of the ApesElmo Lincoln was in the first Tarzan feature, "Tarzan of the Apes," which was filmed in Morgan City, La. (I suppose if you took the Southern Pacific east out of LA that would be the first quasi-jungle swamp you would come to.) Morgan City is a real pit, an oilfield blue collar town with not much going for it. In 1986 I was staying overnight there and read in some chamber of commerce brochure an invitation to come back in 1988, for the 70th anniversary of the release of the film and Morgan City's Tarzan fest. Two years later the Wall St. Journal had an article in its humorous-story corner about how in the midst of all the planning the Edgar Rice Burroughs estate prevented Morgan City from going forward with the festival. The poor town was stuck with all of the preliminary costs of their big event in the city's history. What a shame. Good thing there was a captionI couldn't see the name of the theatre anywhere on it. I suppose it could be covered by a banner for the movie. You'd never see a business today allowing its identity to be obscured. Elmo Is My HomeboyElmo Lincoln is the only movie star from my hometown of Rochester, Indiana! That's all I've got to say. Some 4-digit population towns can't claim ANY movie stars. What is next door?Does anyone read Greek? I wonder what the upstairs of the building on the theater's left houses? [The name is there in both Greek and English: Acropolis Cafe. - Dave] Dressed to the NinesI can't imagine a group of that many boys wearing ties to a movie today. (The Gallery, D.C., Movies, Natl Photo)
Streetcar to the Sky: 1913
... to the passengers- I'm told this is available today at amusement parks where the water toboggan plummets near the finish and most ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/07/2012 - 1:37pm -

Mount Lowe, California, circa 1913. "Electric car at Ye Alpine Tavern, Mount Lowe Railway." This Swiss-style chalet in the San Gabriel Mountains was the upper terminus (elev. 5,000 feet) of an 1890s scenic and incline railway that started in Altadena, with streetcar connections all the way to the main terminal at the Pacific Electric Building in Los Angeles. The railway and associated resorts, including the 70-room Echo Mountain House, were gradually obliterated by fire and flood until, by 1940, nothing was left. Detroit Publishing Co. View full size. Can't be all that greatThis young lady doesn't seem too thrilled by the experience. And what's the streak in the background? Gauze curtains, smoke? A ghost? [It's a flutterby. - Dave] Mount Lowe videoI first became interested in researching Mount Lowe after discovering a photo, of a lady standing near some oak trees, labeled "On Mt. Lowe" in my late Aunt Mary's album. (This is the same Aunt Mary featured in my brother tterrace's photos.) There were cousins in Los Angeles, and Aunt Mary apparently went by train to visit them often. It would have been in this era. Anyway, my searches have found many links to info about the mountain and the railway. Here is a video from an old film clip. Shows amazing history.Although obvious, it seems incredible to see the flag only having 48 stars! Very interesting. Born Too LateHardly a soul can still be alive who rode the Mount Lowe Railway, especially in its golden age. It must have been a magical trip. The links tell the main story; other sites show open cars stopping to let riders admire the fields of poppies adorning the open plains in the spring. California mountains in the summer can be somewhat parched, but still refreshing compared to the warm stagnant air of the basin. The Tavern evidently preserved as many oaks as possible, with their small crackly leaves and hard acorns. Regrettably the enterprise never really covered its costs and succumbed to a series of disasters before I was born. It was a rather long trip, taking several hours each way. I, like many, regret the passing of the trolley cars, but old timetables show that it took well over two hours even to run the 50-some miles from central LA to Huntington Beach, and the tracks could never achieve the coverage of even a mediocre bus service. My StarsIt all depends on your perspective. With my little hand over my heart, I pledged allegiance to a 48-star flag on many a morning in grade school. I'm not used to the newfangled 50-star flag yet. Stars and StripesI also remember saluting the 48 star flag. Lets not get too upset about this, had this picture been taken 2 years earlier, in 1911, we would have seen a 46 star flag and 4 years before that, in 1907, old glory showed 45. I was always a good history student but grammar and punctuation were a problem, mainly because of run-on sentences. "Sunrise"Funny this is posted today! I happened to catch part of a silent movie recently on TCM called "Sunrise" and wanted to see the rest of the film. I got it from Netflix and watched it yesterday. There is a scene where Janet Gaynor is running from George O'Brien and hops something that looks just like this going through the woods and up into the mountain. I'll bet it was this trolley line. Oh, and I would highly recommend the movie - it was great and I usually don't like silent movies. Very Peaceful.Oh, I would love to have been there. Just looking at pic relaxes me. A boring place perhapsbut I bet the ride getting there would have been a blast! I thought of "Sunrise" as wellGenerally in Silent Film circles known as one of the best silent films ever made. When I saw this picture I immediately thought of that movie. I thought at the time it was unusual to have a trolley in the woods like that. Understanding the budget of a 1927 movie, I figured they would not have built that trolley and track just for the film. Just wondering if it really was the same trolley from the movie. Does the right of way still exist?Just wondering. Sort of reminds me of the trolley to Glen Echo Park in Maryland, although more dramatic. Trolleys are making a comeback. That's nice, but they are pretty useless. Mount Lowe rail trailFor hikers: http://www.mtlowe.net/MtLoweTrail.htm I camped thereAs a Boy Scout growing up in nearby La Canada Flintridge, we used to hike to the top of Mount Lowe and camp at the ruins of the old hotel. The view of Los Angeles at night was spectacular! When a fire damaged the trail to the top, my Eagle Scout project involved rebuilding the upper portion. We lugged a wheelbarrow and all the tools up to the top to complete the job. Fond memories! Thanks. The Great Circular BridgePlease post some views from the "high" side, a favorite of the postcard makers- lots of air below the car. Another favorite was taken from the opposite side of the canyon at the bottom of the incline, plus apparently group shots were taken of each incline carload an sold s souvenirs to the passengers- I'm told this is available today at amusement parks where the water toboggan plummets near the finish and most passengers are screaming. [and apparently young jaded women lift their shirts] Civil War aeronautThaddeus Lowe, who incorporated the railway and is the mountain's namesake, had been a balloonist during the Civil War as an observer for the Union. His daughter, whose name I'd have to look up, lived into the latter part of the 20th century. She was an accomplished aviator and is recorded in recent history in "The Right Stuff" as proprietor of the Happy Bottom Riding Club, the bar that stood near the end of the original runways at Muroc/Edwards AFB. Then she was known by her married name Pancho Barnes, and it may have been one of her rental horses that broke Chuck Yeager's rib the evening before he flew the X1 to Mach 1. SunriseBrookeDisAstor mentioned the movie Sunrise. I own the DVD of Sunrise, which is a remarkable film and I remember the scene where Janet Gaynor takes the trolley running through the woods to go into the city. According to IMDB, the film was shot at three outside locations: the Columbia River in Oregon, Big Bear and Lake Arrowhead, both near San Bernardino. But of those two locations, only Lake Arrowhead had a Pacific Electric line nearby. So not the Mount Lowe Line, but somewhere similar. Raise a glass to Mount LoweThere's some Mount Lowe Railway memorabilia at a little bar in Altadena called the Rancho, on Lake Avenue. Bare Naked BulbLove the light bulb in the trees, so simple yet so definitive. A campground nowDid an overnighter there with the Boy Scouts recently. The old right of way makes for an easy grade. I tried to replicate the location of the historical photo. Mine is the blue tent. Dandy http://dan-d-sparks.blogspot.com Great hikeI grew up in Sierra Madre in the 1950s early '60s. The roadbed of the railway was one of my favorite hikes, even found some spikes on occasion. The river rock foundations were still there at the hotel; a great place to camp for the night and a rad view. I still fantasize of time traveling back and taking the rail trip to Mount Lowe. Present Day FunicularsIt's a shame this streetcar line is long gone, but there are still some very spectacular funicular style rail trips available. I would be very remiss if I didn't mention the Lookout Mountain Incline in my old home town of Chattanooga. (The Gallery, DPC, Railroads, Streetcars)
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