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- Ghosts of Atlanta: 1864
- ... 1864 photo (half of a stereograph) by George N. Barnard. Atlanta Intelligencer newspaper office by the railroad depot. Exposure times ... with soldiers atop the boxcars.
where was this in Atlanta? Anyone know where this was in Atlanta? Looking for an approximate ... Posted by Dave - 07/31/2012 - 7:20pm -
!["The War in the West." 1864 photo (half of a stereograph) by George N. Barnard. Atlanta Intelligencer newspaper office by the railroad depot. Exposure times were so long that anyone walking appears only as an ectoplasmic blur. View full size. Note tents in background and troop train with soldiers atop the boxcars.
where was this in Atlanta?Anyone know where this was in Atlanta? Looking for an approximate street address.
Masonic lodgePerhaps the large masonic lodge in the background is still standing ... might be a clue.
Try the main PeachtreeTry the main Peachtree Street / locate the address of the Atlanta terminal at the time / try Five Points area / could it be near Kennesaw? good luck--former Atlanta area resident and interested in knowing as well.
Masonic Lodge (1864) in AtlantaI have been researching, and it appears that the Masonic Lodge, and another building called The Trout House were on Decatur St. in Atlanta.
Click on this link http://memory.loc.gov/service/pnp/cwpb/03300/03304v.jpg (Trout house beside Masonic lodge.)
Here is a site with several images of Georgia during the Civil War...scroll down to 1864, and you will see the listing for this picture.
http://www.cviog.uga.edu/Projects/gainfo/cwphotos.htm
Now I am off to find out if this Masonic Lodge is still standing.
Where was this in Atlanta? (answer)I have been checking around and asking around about where this area in this photo might be, and a new friend on an Atlanta school site gave me this information...
Quote:
"Decatur Street is one of the main 5 roads that leads to Five Points, which basically is the center of downtown Atlanta, and was the center of town at that time. I think, but not sure, based on that picture and some of the other photos of the Union troop encampments, etc, that the Masonic Hall and Trout House were pretty close to what is now 5 Points. Most of that area of Decatur Street now has been renovated over the last 25 years and is where Georgia State University is located. I am fairly certain that neither of these structures is there any longer. When I went to GSU in the 1960's, I travelled almost the length of Decatur Street to get there. I do not recall ever seeing either of them, even back then, at that time, and to date, much of that area was torn down with Urban Renewal funds from the feds. It was mainly run down buildings and older businesses. It is possible that one of those run down buildings may have been one of the structures. However, Decatur Street runs east for a few miles, and they may have been futher east than I think. During the Civil War era, though, most of that area was rural. The actual Battle of Atlanta that is depicted in the Cyclorama painting took place away from the center of town out in the rural area of Decatur St/Road & what is now Dekalb Ave.(same road).
At least this clears up a little bit for us all.
sherri
Underground AtlantaMy guess is that this was taken near the corner of Peachtree SW (then Whitehall) and Wall St. That would put it in what is now Underground Atlanta, I think.
Whitehall StreetWAR-TIME CAMP IN ATLANTA, GEORGIA, IN THE OLD CITY PARK
At the extreme left is the old Trout House, the principal hotel at the time; tracks of three of the chief railroads here crossed Whitehall Street, on which the "Intelligencer" office fronted.
http://docsouth.unc.edu/fpn/gordon/ill5.html
Whitehall & AlabamaMy guess is the corner of Whitehall and Alabama Streets looking northeast. Currently Peachtree Street. Back then Peachtree changed to Whitehall south of Five Point.
Atlanta DepotNoticed that the same photographer walked a block or so to the right after taking this one. Does that help narrow the location down?
Masonic LodgeBy the Masons' own records, the Lodge in the background stood on the corner of Lloyd (now Central Avenue) and Alabama Street, at south angle. So I would guess that if we're one block west it's on what is now Pryor Street or if two blocks Peachtree.
http://maps.google.com/maps?q=Alabama+Street+Atlanta&oe=&ie=UTF8&hl=en&h...
Ref: http://www.ap59.org/html/atlanta_59.html
HandbillIf you look on the corner of the building, you can just make out the word "frolic." Can't quite tell what comes before.
[Cobblers? Gobblers? - Dave]
Atlanta Intelligencer office I have mapped many of Barnard's photographs on this interactive map. This picture is marked as Pushpin 10.
The playbill pasted to the building in the foreground advertises a stage show by Union troops to raise money for Mrs. Rebecca S. Welch, whose husband and son (Confederates) were both killed in Virginia.
The Bottom of the Playbill Reads:
Benefit Night / Maj(?) I. Smith / Leader of the Band / of the 33rd / Mass. / The Laughable Pantomime / The Cobbler’s Frolic / at the Atheneum / tonight / Saturday /Nov. 5th
Location of this buildingThis building was located close to where the Peach Drop tower currently is, at Underground Atlanta. Because of the viaduct that created Underground Atlanta, it would have stood below the current street level. It was on Whitehall Street (now Peachtree).
(The Gallery, Atlanta, Civil War, Geo. Barnard)](https://www.shorpy.com/files/images/03359u.thumbnail.jpg "Ghosts of Atlanta: 1864")
- Atlanta: 1864
- Atlanta, 1864. "Federal Army wagons at railroad depot." And maybe Scarlett ... this is? I'm assuming it's close to contemporary downtown Atlanta (the Underground Atlanta houses the "zero-mile" marker) and it was the center of the railroad ... Posted by Dave - 12/14/2012 - 11:35am -
![Atlanta, 1864. "Federal Army wagons at railroad depot." And maybe Scarlett O'Hara in the distance. Wet plate negative by George N. Barnard. View full size.
PoleWhat's the very tall pole at the back left of the photo? Lightning rod? Flagpole? TV antenna?
[My guess would be signal mast. - Dave]
The Pole AgainLooks like smoke from a chimney and/or a scratch on the negative.
[Nope. We are talking about the articulated mast seen below. - Dave]
Where is this?I wonder where this is? I'm assuming it's close to contemporary downtown Atlanta (the Underground Atlanta houses the "zero-mile" marker) and it was the center of the railroad traffic, at least after the war...
Atlanta Union StationAccording to Rail Georgia that building on the right is Atlanta's first Union Station.
Atlanta's first union station, constructed in 1853, stood in the block now bounded by Central Avenue, Wall Street, Pryor Street, and Alabama Street (next to today's Underground Atlanta). Designed by civil engineer E. A. Vincent, it was initially known as the "passenger depot" but came to be better known as the "car shed."
Wagon DriverThe guy on the wagon in the foreground only seems to be half there. His head is not articulated and the ground behind it is visible. Strange.
[This is how people look when they move during a time exposure. - Dave]
The building behind the mastThe building behind the mast is Atlanta's first Fire Station HQ, located alongside what was then called Broad Street. The lens Barnard used to photograph these scenes greatly flattened the perspective, so that some objects appear closer than they really are.
AtlantaThe street that runs between the building marked as "Concert Hall" and the white stone building is Peachtree Street, so this is that part of town slightly west of what is known as Five Points. The railroad "gulch" in the picture was covered up in the 1920s by a system of viaducts. Directly across from Peachtree Street ran Whitehall Street. There is a very famous Barnard photo showing a building marked "Negro Sales" which was on Whitehall Street, directly across from the signal mast you can see over the building next to the car shed, which was the depot for one of the four rail lines that ran through Atlanta in 1864.
(The Gallery, Atlanta, Civil War, Geo. Barnard, Horses, Railroads)](https://www.shorpy.com/files/images/SHORPY_02233a_0.thumbnail.jpg "Atlanta: 1864")
- Occupied Atlanta: 1864
- 1864. Atlanta, Georgia. "Atlanta railroad depot and yard; Trout House and Masonic Hall in background." ... glass negative. View full size.
"Sherman in Atlanta, September-November 1864. After three and a half months of incessant ... Posted by Dave - 07/22/2012 - 2:45pm -
![1864. Atlanta, Georgia. "Atlanta railroad depot and yard; Trout House and Masonic Hall in background." From a series of photographs, "War in the West," made by George N. Barnard. Wet-plate glass negative. View full size.
"Sherman in Atlanta, September-November 1864. After three and a half months of incessant maneuvering and much hard fighting, General Sherman forced Hood to abandon the munitions center of the Confederacy. Sherman remained there, resting his war-worn men and accumulating supplies, for nearly two and a half months. During the occupation, George N. Barnard, official photographer of the Chief Engineer's Office, made the best documentary record of the war in the West; but much of what he photographed was destroyed in the fire that spread from the military facilities blown up at Sherman's departure on November 15."
GWTWThis photo was obviously taken before Sherman destroyed Atlanta as his troops were leaving town. This photo of the open space in the yards might have been used as the inspiration for the panoramic scene in "Gone With the Wind" showing the multitudes of the dead and dying Confederate troops, no?
[This picture was taken after the Great Fire of September 2, which marked Sherman's arrival in the city. - Dave]
View from the skyHere is a bit of a painting of "Atlanta in 1864" by Wilbur G. Kurtz as reproduced in "Yesterday's Atlanta" by Franklin M. Garrett. Your photo appears to be taken from the City Hall (?) building in the top left. The Trout House can clearly be seen in your photo beyond the station and what the legend of the painting calls the City Park. It also says that the building with the sloping roof to the right of the Trout House is the Masonic Hall.
The photo and painting don't quite match. The photo shows clear ground in the foreground while the painting shows houses. At the right the photo also shows what appears to be a circular building (locomotive roundhouse?). This can also be seen right at the end of the street in a previous post.
This was taken from the right of the painting image looking left with the large Franklin Printing House building clearly visible on the right hand side of the street. The legend of the painting mentions a roundhouse, but doesn't actually seem to show it.
What's there now? I dread to think.
The Great Fire of Sept. 2, 1864This is an excerpt from "Atlanta and Environs," Vol. 1, by native Atlanta historian Franklin Garrett. More here.
By midnight of September 1st most of the troops had left the city. But a few cavalrymen lingered. They had a special assignment. Hood had no idea of leaving behind, in usable condition, ammunition and military stores for the use of his adversary.
Shortly after midnight the citizens who had remained in the city were startled by a series of violent explosions from down the Georgia Railroad opposite Oakland Cemetery and the rolling mill.
Hood's ammunition trains, consisting of seven locomotives and 81 loaded cars, had been set afire to deny them to the Federals. As the flames reached each car, it exploded with a terrific din. Five hours were occupied in this work of demolition, which also included the rolling mill. Flames shot to a tremendous height and the exploding missiles scattered their red-hot fragments right and left. The earth trembled. Nearby houses rocked like cradles, while on every hand was heard the shattering of window glass and the fall of plastering and loose bricks. Hundreds of people flocked to high places and watched with breathless excitement the volcanic scene on the Georgia Railroad.
Fortunately all the citizens in the vicinity of the explosions had been ordered to leave their houses before the work of blowing up the ammunition trains commenced. Every building, for a quarter of a mile around was either torn to pieces or perforated with hundreds of holes by shell fragments. A new day was dawning when the last car let loose, and the last Confederate cavalrymen galloped out McDonough Road (Capitol Avenue) to rejoin Hood's retreating army.
Blow-UpIs it possible to enlarge the sign on the rear of the wagon in the center of the photo? Appears to be in sharp focus, but can't quite make out what it says, might be something interesting!
HotlantaRemember there were two fires in Atlanta -
The Great Fire of Sept 2 - this is the fire in GWTW and was caused when Hood burned up his ammunition trains -
The second fire was when Sherman left to March to the Sea on Nov 15 and the Union Army burned 'anything of value' to the Confederates and, well, things got out of hand -
From Sherman's Memoirs - About 7 a.m. of November 16th we rode out of Atlanta by the Decatur road, filled by the marching troops and wagons of the Fourteenth Corps; and reaching the hill, just outside of the old rebel works, we naturally paused to look back upon the scenes of our past battles. We stood upon the very ground whereon was fought the bloody battle of July 22d, and could see the copse of wood where McPherson fell. Behind us lay Atlanta, smouldering and in ruins, the black smoke rising high in air, and hanging like a pall over the ruined city. Away off in the distance, on the McDonough road, was the rear of Howard's column, the gun-barrels glistening in the sun, the white-topped wagons stretching away to the south; and right before us the Fourteenth Corps, marching steadily and rapidly, with a cheery look and swinging pace, that made light of the thousand miles that lay between us and Richmond. Some band, by accident, struck up the anthem of "John Brown's soul goes marching on;" the men caught up the strain, and never before or since have I heard the chorus of "Glory, glory, hallelujah!" done with more spirit, or in better harmony of time and place.
That ConcertI am currently doing a lot of research on the history of theater in Atlanta. One of my sources states that Sherman attended 17 band concerts in the old Atheneum (noted in the photo) during the Federal occupation. Since the last info appears to be the date of Nov. 8, it seems to be a rough advertisement for one of those concerts. The Atheneum was on the north side of Decatur Street just before the Trout House when traveling east.
(The Gallery, Atlanta, Civil War, Geo. Barnard, Railroads)](https://www.shorpy.com/files/images/03475a.thumbnail.jpg "Occupied Atlanta: 1864")
- Marietta Street: 1864
- 1864. "Atlanta, Georgia. View on Marietta Street." Wet plate negative by George N. ... picture is like a little piece of time saved.
Overhead Atlanta Below is an aerial view of your photo -- the centre of a painting of 1864 Atlanta (presumably from sketches from a balloon) by Wilbur G.Kurtz. It appears ... Posted by Dave - 08/09/2012 - 5:19pm -
![1864. "Atlanta, Georgia. View on Marietta Street." Wet plate negative by George N. Barnard. LOC Civil War glass plate negative collection. View full size.
Purple HazeI wonder if one could buy a guitar at J C Hendrix ?
Wagon GhostAny idea what the white streak is?
[Like you say in the subject line, maybe a covered wagon passing by. - Dave]
What the building saidThe building across the street to the right says Furniture. What does the middle building say at the top? ["Franklin Printing House & Bookbindery" - Dave] Is there any way of telling what block of Marietta Street? And I would assume this picture was prior to the Nov. 11 fire.
November 11 fireThis photo must have been taken fairly close to that date, as the signs in the lower left corner advertise events (pantomimes are mentioned) taking place on November 8 and 10.
ExcitingTo take a peek back into history. I never take the wonder of photography for granted, and each and every picture is like a little piece of time saved.
Overhead AtlantaBelow is an aerial view of your photo -- the centre of a painting of 1864 Atlanta (presumably from sketches from a balloon) by Wilbur G.Kurtz. It appears in "Yesterday's Atlanta" by Franklin M.Garrett. Your photo is taken from right to left across the top of this bit of the painting. The big "car shed" is off to the left of the photo, which also seems to show a locomotive roundhouse at the end of the street, not shown in the photo.
That's not Marietta StreetIt's Alabama Street, facing east from the intersection of Whitehall.
[Any documentation to back this up? - Ken]
Marietta and BroadI've spent hours poring over the 1871 Atlanta city directory, and it's clear to me that this picture was taken from the corner of Marietta and Broad, with the photographer standing, elevated, on the opposite side of Marietta Street (which is not visible), and looking southwest down Broad Street toward Alabama Street. In the directory, you can find the Franklin Press (6 Broad), the S.B. Robson Broom company (Broad Street near Alabama), and the Grant Building (corner Broad and Marietta), which is home to many entities, including W.K. Fox Furniture. By 1871, J.C. Hendrix was an assistant secretary to the Georgia Senate; it appears that by that time, J.C. Hendrix & Co. no longer warranted an entry in the directory.
It's Alabama StreetI have mapped many of Barnard’s photographs on this interactive map. This picture is marked as Pushpin 7.
An earlier comment is correct; this is Alabama Street. Somewhere along the way it got mislabeled – probably due to the RR roundhouse in the background being confused with the larger Western & Atlantic facility in the other direction. Today, the ground level is Underground Atlanta.
(The Gallery, Atlanta, Civil War, Geo. Barnard)](https://www.shorpy.com/files/images/03462a.thumbnail.jpg "Marietta Street: 1864")
- Abraham Lincoln: 1865
- ... Copperheads, bad press, etc.). If Sherman doesn't capture Atlanta in September, does Lincoln lose? If he is voted out after one term, ... Posted by Dave - 08/03/2012 - 6:52pm -
![February 5, 1865. "Abraham Lincoln, seated, holding spectacles and a pencil." Glass transparency; photograph by Alexander Gardner. View full size.
Last Studio PortraitI believe this is the last studio portrait of Lincoln to have survived whole and intact. Another photo was taken after this one, but the glass negative cracked and was discarded.
Late LincolnMan, he doesn't look long for this world. I wonder how long he would have lived if Booth hadn't intervened.
Poor Mr. LincolnHe looks old and haunted. I mean, look at his eyes.
The unidealized LincolnThis detailed photo shows me how idealized the familiar paintings and sculptures of Lincoln are. It's not surprising that his contemporaries regarded him as unattractive.
He wouldn't have been looking to retirement at this time since he had just been re-elected and was yet to even be sworn in for his second term. He was already looking ahead to his plans for Reconstruction.
Amazing shot.What an amazing photo! The Hi-Def version really captures the hard lines from a tough life on President Lincoln's face. Hard to believe he was only 56 years old. Thanks for the great post.
So care wornIn this day and age we idolize Mr. Lincoln for many obvious reasons. Perhaps, in 1865, he was merely a very tired, very care worn man who had somehow held the Union together, ended slavery and survived many tragedies, both personal and professional. It is merciful that he didn't know what was next for him. He was hoping for retirement with Mary.
ProofThis exquisite photo proves that one picture can be worth a thousand words. I can sense Lincoln's personality.
StressA look at recent presidents before and after office is plenty proof of the stress of the job but there is probably no better example than President Lincoln, in my opinion. I appreciate what he did for our country and can only imagine the sleepless nights and internal struggles this man went through. It's evident in his face. He looks exhausted.
Last photosThe cracked Gardner photo of Lincoln is part of the National Portrait Gallery's Mask of Lincoln exhibit.
While the 1865 Gardner images are indeed the last studio portraits, the last photos of Lincoln were taken at the White House by Henry Warren on March 6, 1865.
Haunting PhotoHow I would have liked to talk to this man, if only for five minutes. The wisdom that endures in his speeches, the sadness in his eyes, the love that he must have had for our country. It is all too overwhelming and yet haunting at the same time.
CrookedI'm curious about the crooked tie. Was Lincoln careless? Debonair? Showing his frontier cred? I Googled some contemporaries.
Salmon Chase - more symmetrical.
Frederick Douglass - pretty neat.
Edwinn Stanton...indeterminate.
The Best...This is the best portrait photo you've ever run on this site. Thank you.
Haunted, indeed600,000 dead Americans -- from a nation of around 20 million. Who could bear such a burden?
And a question: Going into the summer of 1864, he was certain that he would lose re-election, and lose big (draft/race riots, Copperheads, bad press, etc.). If Sherman doesn't capture Atlanta in September, does Lincoln lose? If he is voted out after one term, does history view him as the guy who sacrificed half a million men to an abstraction? This is the face of a man who asked himself that question. Amazing photograph; thanks for this.
The Bedhead Is DeadMakeup!
Hint of a smileThat's more of a smile than I'm used to seeing on pictures of Mr. Lincoln. Tired, haunted eyes, yes, but also humor and affability.
UnretouchedI've heard that many times. The eyes are the mirrors of the soul and poor Abe shows the toughness of all the sorrows he endured in the wizened eyes and beaten-down optimism that once may have lived there. He gave his all and yet this original heartbreak kid could not attain peace of any kind. Not to mention that in 1865 real men did not submit to "coifs", makeup, manicures, personal fashion consultants, plasticizing of any kind. He had bigger fish to fry, his life was never a day at the spa. But look at the CHARACTER in the biography written in that face. Tell me that isn't beautiful.
WillieThe war was one thing, but he also never recovered from the loss of his beloved son, Willie, at age 11. He was aging in dog years from both factors.
The real A.L.He's such an interesting looking guy, and you're so used to thinking of him as a picture, it's hard to imagine sometimes this guy actually walking down the street. I can't really think of anyone who looks much like him today.
Abe's HealthI have heard for years that, mainly based on his appearance, Lincoln could have had Marfan's Syndrome and would have surely died from that. Today I ran across a website drzebra.com ("zebra is fake doctor is real"), who has written a book on the subject. He believes that Lincoln was dying from multiple endocrine neoplasia. That diagnosis is based in part on the deaths, before age 20 of three of his sons and a lot of other things. Interesting stuff, but he IS trying to sell books.
What's he holding?Any idea what he's holding? At first, I thought it was a couple of pens in the one hand, but I don't believe there were ink pens back then.
[Read the caption. - Dave]
Good-humored manWhen a woman once accused Lincoln of being two-faced, he replied: "My dear lady, if I were two-faced, would I be wearing this one?"
He was a good man with a sense of humor
Lincoln's watchI wonder if he's wearing the watch that's been in the news lately?
Living and EverywhereFinally, an image of the President that doesn't look as if it was carved out of granite. And now I recognize him - or his many likenesses. They are everywhere - the worn, darkened, gaunt homeless men as portrayed in countless media images are the people today who bear a striking resemblance to President Lincoln. I never saw that until now.
Aging Presidents.This I know from experience - virtually anyone would prematurely age if they have lost their most beloved child. For Lincoln, that was Willie.
If you are an honest parent, you have a favorite. If you are a good one, you will never disclose who it is; each should think they were "it".
The war was too much for Lincoln to bear. Losing Willie was too much for him to bear. Through both he endured. For him to bear it all and still plan on kind and generous terms for the vanquished South was the best measure of his greatness.
The country would have been completely different had he lived. Kennedy too. History was changed, and for the far worse, by the transfer of power to hands not remotely as up to the task.
I'd Imagine SoYes his eyes appear haunted, I'm sure he witnessed some real tragedies in his time. Lincoln made choices that few men have ever had to make, or ever dreamed of having to face. He was, and is a great man.
You are wrong..JULIE ROSS BIRMINGHAM
I really like this picture. This picture reveals to me what I was taught in school. Honest Abe, Abraham Lincoln walking miles for a book. Mind you I was about 7 or 8 years old when I was taught this. I am now 66. My grandmother rented her home to a gentleman named Mr. Bellamy. On one of the stays he told me the President was of all things not the man I had been taught.
He (Mr. Bellamy) did not like him. Mr. Bellamy said his familey had lost all because of Civl War. I was devasted. I think in my child mind I tried to defend the President. I still think about that incident when I see anything to do with Honest Abe. I still think he is a noble man. I know now the cost of the War on both sides. I know if he had not been shot by Booth the South would have had a much different future.
Thanks your patience. I know this was a long diatribe.
Abe's InkerPresident Lincoln wrote with a Parker Fountain Pen. I've seen it.
Parker PenAccording to Wikipedia the Parker Pen Company was founded in 1891, hence Lincoln did not use a Parker Pen.
Only in AmericaThe adulation that Americans show for their presidents is both laughable and very unhealthy.
[In the case of Abraham Lincoln, I'd have to disagree. He was an exceptionally able and intelligent chief executive. - Dave]
How heart-wrenchingthis photo just tears at my heart.
Secular SaintIt is not for nothing that "Lincoln" (as his friends called him) is the secular equivalent of a saint. No irony intended. Lincoln rose from absolutely nothing to the highest power and influence. Yet each year, he became a better person. (Compare and contrast out political hacks of this day.)
Mary A. Livermorewrote of Mr. Lincoln (whom she met personally on a number of occasions in her work with the Sanitary Commission).
No painter has ever put into the sad face of the President any hint of the beauty that could radiate and completely metamorphose his homely features, when his great soul shone out through them. 'No sculptor has ever liberated from the imprisoning marble the face that shone like an angel's when the depths of his large heart were reached. "No artist is successful," said Healy, - one of the most successful painters of portraits, - "who does not bring out on the canvas, or in the marble, the best there is in his subject, the loftiest ideal of Nature when she designed the man." If this be true, then neither painter nor sculptor has ever been successful with Mr. Lincoln's face.
Personally, I see in his face deep compassion and wish I had known him myself.
Colored LincolnColored Linkoln
(The Gallery, Alexander Gardner, D.C., Portraits, Public Figures)](https://www.shorpy.com/files/images/19469a.thumbnail.jpg "Abraham Lincoln: 1865")
- Atlanta Depot: 1864
- 1864. "Atlanta, Georgia, railroad yards." Wet plate collodion glass negative, left ... able to readily reclaim the area. Next day, the mayor of Atlanta and aldermen surrendered the city to the Union, asking for further ... The switches are called stub switches.
(The Gallery, Atlanta, Civil War, Geo. Barnard, Railroads) ... Posted by Dave - 07/22/2012 - 2:44pm -
- Atlanta: 1864
- ... Army soldier at Confederate fortifications outside of Atlanta. Wet collodion glass-plate negative by George N. Barnard. View full ... Sidney Sheldon novel he picked up at the gift shot in the Atlanta airport during a six-hour flight delay. Just a guess.
Denny Gill ... Posted by Dave - 08/24/2011 - 8:42am -
![1864. Union Army soldier at Confederate fortifications outside of Atlanta. Wet collodion glass-plate negative by George N. Barnard. View full size.
1864? Wow. That's 143 years!1864? Wow. That's 143 years! And that photo as good as those from my 3 MP digital camera!
Earliest born person photographed?Any ideas of what would be the oldest pictured person ever? Hmmm, hard to describe -- what I mean is: what is the earliest-born person ever photographed (e.g., a person born 1795, who was 75 years old, photographed in 1870, etc.)
[Probably an oldster photographed in the late 1830s. - Dave]
BookWonder what the book was he was reading.
Book?Probably a Sidney Sheldon novel he picked up at the gift shot in the Atlanta airport during a six-hour flight delay. Just a guess.
Denny Gill
Chugiak, Alaska
BookPerhaps it was the play "Our American Cousin" by Tom Taylor.
Interesting QuestionEarliest born person photographed? Although Daguerre is generally considedred the first to have taken a photograph of a person (see his capture of someone getting their shoes shined), I'll suggest that William Henry Fox Talbot took the first photo of someone clearly recognizable. His 1840 photograph of a coachman may stand as the oldest known photo of a person, and the oldest person (?) photographed.
Denny Gill
Chugiak, Alaska
[The commenter was asking: What person in a photograph has the earliest birth year? Possibly someone born in the 1730s or 1740s. - Dave]
(The Gallery, Atlanta, Civil War, Geo. Barnard)](https://www.shorpy.com/files/images/03403u_0.thumbnail.jpg "Atlanta: 1864")
- Atlanta: 1915
- Atlanta, March 1915. Mrs. Dora Stainers, 562½ Decatur St. 39 years old. Began spinning in an Atlanta mill at 7 years, and is in this mill for 32 years. Only 4 days of ... image below, you can see that her address is part of the Atlanta mass transit system (MARTA) running east-west, elevated at this ... Posted by Dave - 08/24/2011 - 8:41am -
![Atlanta, March 1915. Mrs. Dora Stainers, 562½ Decatur St. 39 years old. Began spinning in an Atlanta mill at 7 years, and is in this mill for 32 years. Only 4 days of schooling in her life. Began at 20 cents a day. The most she ever made was $1.75 a day & now she is earning $1 a day when she works. Her little girl Lillie is the same age she was when she started work, but the mother says, "I ain't goin to put her to work if I can help it. I'm goin' to give her as much education as I can so she can do better than I did." Mrs. Stainers is a woman of exceptional ability considering her training. View full size. Photograph and caption by Lewis Wickes Hine.
562½ Decatur StreetTake a look at this view as it is today!
View Larger Map
Only the RailroadOnly the railroad has remained, it would seem. Thanks for the modern view. Now, does anyone know what became of Lillie?
Dora's ClosetFashions back then changed quickly and dramatically, but not for poor Mrs. Stainers. She is wearing a shirtwaist that looks to be from about 1898, high collar, leg o' mutton sleeves and all.
Old NewbieGreetings all,
Been visiting this site for a few months now and decided it's time to post. I love old pictures and this one explains what a "shirtwaist" is.
You can also tell the age of the photo by the telephone pole crossmembers. They had a lot of them in those days due to each wire only being able to handle a few calls.
FocusThis would be a much more poignant picture if Hinds had gotten the people in focus. Nice to see that even the greats made the same mistakes that we all make sometimes.
[Like calling the photographer Hinds instead of Hine. The print this scan was made from is badly deteriorated. We try to use glass negatives for the Hine photos whenever possible -- they are ultra sharp -- but the original for this image has been lost. - Dave]
DoraThanks to Zach's Google image below, you can see that her address is part of the Atlanta mass transit system (MARTA) running east-west, elevated at this location.
From the camera view left (south) across those railroad tracks is the Fulton Bag & Cotton Mill. Mrs Stainers may have worked there. But in late 1914 to May 1915, a severe labor strike gripped the mill. Management disapproved of the push for unionization by the United Textile Workers, the increase in wages, the 54 hour work week and the effort to reduce child labor. Had she worked there, she would have been on strike in March 1915.
The mill exists today and is renovated loft apartments and condominiums.
For more history and photos on the mill:
http://www.library.gatech.edu/fulton_bag/index.html
(The Gallery, Atlanta, Kids, Lewis Hine)](https://www.shorpy.com/files/images/02988u.thumbnail.jpg "Atlanta: 1915")
- Sherman in Atlanta: 1864
- ... on boxcars at railroad depot next to offices of the Atlanta Intelligencer during the city's occupation by General Sherman. View ... George Barnard. Alternate view here .
(The Gallery, Atlanta, Civil War, Geo. Barnard, Horses) ... Posted by Dave - 07/31/2012 - 7:30pm -
- Atlanta: 1939
- May 1939. "Slums in Negro district. Atlanta, Georgia." Medium format negative by Marion Post Wolcott for the Farm ... right is the Rhodes-Haverty Building (completed in 1929; Atlanta's tallest until 1954). Both are still standing.
The photo was ... 1936 Chevrolet Master 4 door sedan
(The Gallery, Atlanta, Kids, M.P. Wolcott) ... Posted by Dave - 04/11/2019 - 11:41am -
- Lucky Ducks: 1927
- ... 21, 1905), whose family was from Gwinnett County near Atlanta, home to Snellville. Thereafter, Gena was known as Gena or Eugenia D. ... area) at age 56 on Dec. 22, 1961. Gena herself died in Atlanta at age 58 on Nov. 17, 1967. Her son Bo died in Bar Harbor, Maine, at ... Posted by Dave - 06/09/2018 - 4:25pm -
![April 21, 1927. "Do ducks swim? Misses Eugenia Dunbar and Mary Moose." The main focus here is of course the horse trough, once a common item of street furniture in many big cities. National Photo glass negative. View full size.
Ducks in a RowMiss Eugenia sure is lovely, no denying, but Miss Mary looks like a better time on a 1927 Saturday night.
Bathtub GinnyGreat photo. It sums up the dissipation of the 1920s just about as well as can be done.
Absolutely Gorgeous!The girl on the left is STUNNING! Man I'm hooked on this website!
Puts Marilyn to shameI am captivated by Miss Dunbar's feminine charms; her beauty is that of Pallas Athena and Venus together.
The TroughPutting aside the obvious va-va-voom comments for the cutie on the left, I'd like to ask about the trough. (God I must be getting old!) Did someone have to fill these daily? (I'm guessing the Fire Dept.) It looks like there's a compartment on the end, maybe for ice to melt slowly through the day? It's strange to think that may have been someone's job once.
[These were plumbed and self-filling, with what looks like a covered float valve at the far end. - Dave]
Wow!Two beautiful women, especially Miss Dunbar. You mean there are ducks in the picture?
Fun FactDipping a hat in a horse trough is a crime in Mayberry, North Carolina.
Eugenia's PoetryEugenia won a poetry contest in the Washington Post. I can't find any other information about her. The listed home address, at 1755 P NW, was close to Dupont Circle. The curved curbstones in the photo suggest that might be where the photo was taken.
Life's Stage.
(Winner of $1 Prize.)
The dance is on, and the dancers
Drift out in the hall
As leaves are blown by the west wind
In autumn after they fall.
Some look o'erjoyed and carefree
And smile and laugh as they talk
While others look overburdened and careworn
Like a withered rose on the walk.
The music begins and the joyous
Float into the lands of dreams.
And the sad shake their sorrowing heads and say:
"Life is not what it seems."
Why be so withered and careworn,
Thinking only upon your sorrow;
Why not join in life's little play
And think not yet of tomorrow?
So let's help build this wonderful stage,
Let's aid in this great erection,
And let each actor in life's game
Play his part to perfection
Eugenia Dunbar (17)
1755 P street northwest.
Washington Post, Sep 26, 1926
A Great ShotWOW -- Then as now, a photographer will use any pretense to photograph a beautiful woman! Re the horse trough, in the late forties and early fifties there were still horses hauling goods around D.C., and these cast iron troughs were all over the downtown area.
Lor' luv a duck!These are a pair of nice-looking birds!
Where's the SPCA?Ya daft preeverts! Everyone's looking at the girls and not the poor ducks with ropes tied around their necks!
Ms EugeniaNo question here, Eugenia is a timeless knockout.
"Nanny"Sometimes it's hard to get a decent guideline as to how old a person truly is from these older photos, but this one hits just right.
My wife's grandmother, Nanny, is about to turn 100 at the end of March (yes, there will be a big party); my daughter will be turning 18 in June. It just so happens that Miss Mary and Miss Eugenia here would be the same age as Nanny, give or take a few months, having been born in 1909, as these two were. They are at the same age in this photo, roughly, as my daughter.
Those are a couple of cuties, all right, but they both might, like Nanny, have now over 80 descendants.
But as cute as they both were, I bet they had some fun times for the next two and a half years, with no lack of male attention during that era of copious money and speakeasy gin.
Duck on a leashThose are some strict leash laws! I wish Toronto had a law like that. Nothing is worse than trying to walk down a street and having your ankles accosted by ducks amok.
I haven't seen a horse trough in years. The city tore out the last ones back in the early 90s near St. Lawrence Market when the condo dwellers complained about hobos bathing in them.
In love with a ghostMiss Eugenia Dunbar, wow! I think I am in love. Born in the wrong time. Does anyone else have any info on her?
[She rhymed. - Dave]
Big Ol' LoveShe's a spitting image of Jeanne Tripplehorn, or vice versa.
QuackedWhat I see here are four real "flappers." Nice. Thanks.
What time of year is this?I notice the attractive young ladies have coats and it appears the wind is blowing but the two younger girls in the back are wearing sundresses.
The trough reminds me of my paternal grandfather. He drove horse drawn beer wagons for many years because not for tradition; his brother-in-law owned the warehouse and he was a drunken Irishman. My other grandfather was a railroad conductor, luckily I caught the train bug and not the drinking bug.
There is so much to notice about our history in everyday photographs. Thank you for cleaning up and sharing these unique glimpses into history but also allowing us to comment.
If you subtract everything ...from this photo except Miss Eugenia - dressed just as she is - it looks like a photo of a young woman taken only yesterday. I have seen my own 30+ year old daughter-in-law dressed nearly identically, and the hair style is in no way dated. Now that is rare in a photo that is 80 years old.
A new dimensionBeautiful and talented, our Miss Dunbar was. I think it's interesting to see another dimension of someone who was never a celebrity (not that I'm aware of, anyway), but just a regular person. Do you think she imagined that a poem she penned for a newspaper contest to win a dollar would be read 80-odd years later? Not Dickinson, but pretty darn good for a 17-year-old. There's some really good imagery there in the first stanza. It is certainly better than anything I might have composed when I was 17.
Of course, one now wonders what sort of hidden talents did her friend Mary have?
Eugenia and MaryEugenia Dunbar, born April 18, 1909, died September 13, 2000, Pasadena California. Eugenia was living somewhere in Wisconsin during the mid 1930s or early 1940s.
Mary Moose: This might not be her, but it could be. Mary Moose, born April 27, 1909, died sometime in January, 1981 in Tennessee. That Mary fits a lot of the patterns, but she was both born in Tennessee, was again living in Tennessee in the late 1930s-1940s period, and died there.
If that's not our Mary, then I think her name is slightly misspelled, and it's actually Mary MUSE, born November 20, 1908 (in Northern Virginia), died (still in Arlington, Virginia), July 27, 1998. She seems to have lived most of her life in the DC area.
[After these girls got married, which seems likely, they'd have different names. Which is the reason it's hard to dig up reliable information about women when all you have to go on is a maiden name. Dunbar and Moose are mostly likely the married names of Pasadena Eugenia and Tennessee Mary. - Dave]
Eugenia and Mary againDave, I looked them up by their birth names. This was the only Eugenia Dunbar that came up, so I'm pretty confident in that one.
[Where was Eugenia born? - Dave]
Right for meIt looks like I am the only one more smitten by the girl on the right.
A real ringer - MaryIf I didn't know better, I'd swear that Mary Moose above was the woman I dated for nearly 2 years at the beginning of this decade.
Her name was Marie - she was 24 years old when we started dating, 5' 3", about 110 pounds, short light auburn hair, big piercing blue/gray eyes and identical features to Ms. Moose. Shoot, they even dress(ed) the same when stepping out.
What a jaw dropper seeing this picture - Marie passed away from throat cancer at the age of 29 in late 2007.
Just a touchingly timeless image, at least for me. Thanks again for the wonderful work, Dave.
Eugenia DunbarI also found Eugenia Dunbar's Pasadena death record, so I immediately requested the obit from the Pasadena library. They said it takes three weeks. Who knows, maybe she didn't get married, or otherwise kept her maiden name. I am hoping the obit will confirm whether she's the one.
From ducks to flamingos?The Las Vegas Sun and the Las Vegas Review-Journal of April 21, 1999 each had an obit for a Eugenia Dunbar McCall, age 95. Obviously I don't know if she's the same person, but "she was a retired Flamingo Hilton showroom waitress of more than 30 years."
Somehow I can picture this Eugenia ending up at the Flamingo in Las Vegas.
Birds of a FeatherEugenia is too young to have been the Flamingo dancer. If she was 17 in September 1926, she was born in 1908 or 1909. Your showgirl was born in 1904, and I don't believe any showgirl would add five years when telling her age!
Lucky Ducks Take 2I found another photograph of Misses Dunbar and Moose here.
The second picture was taken just before or after the one here on Shorpy; their poses (including those of the ducks) have barely changed. What has changed is that both ladies are looking into camera with rather sultry expressions – oh you kid(s)!
It is interesting that the quality of this second picture is far poorer than Shorpy’s standard (it’s fuzzy with too much contrast) despite the site’s rather pleasing magnifying feature. It just goes to remind me what an outstanding site Shorpy is – cheers Dave!
[That image was made from a print, as opposed to ours, which comes from the original negative. - Dave]
Wow, and double wowI wouldn't mind a date with either one of these beauties, although I'm kind of partial to Eugenia. Pick her up in the old Essex for a malt at the corner drug store, a couple of hours at a dance (maybe the one mentioned in her poem?), and then down to the local motion picture palace to catch the latest Clara Bow movie.
Eugenia DunbarThis is Joe Manning. A few weeks ago, I requested the obituary for a Eugenia Dunbar, who died in Pasadena, CA, and was born in 1909. Bad news. The obit is not available. The only other scrap of info is this: In the 1920 census, there is a Rossie Dunbar, born in 1909 in North Carolina, attending the Industrial Home School in Washington, DC. That's the only Dunbar, born about 1909, in the 1920 DC Census. Anybody got any ideas?
Eugenia graduatesIn the June 23, 1923, Washington Post, Eugenia is listed as graduating from the Peabody-Hilton School to Eastern High.
Photographer?Does anyone know who the photographer was?
[The National Photo Service. - Dave]
Dupont Circle / Leiter MansionThanks to research by Wikipedia user AgnosticPreachersKid, we can confirm the location is definitely the east side of Dupont Circle. The building in the background is the left side of the Leiter mansion, which until 1947 stood at the northeast corner of the circle. It's now the site of the Dupont Plaza Hotel, formerly known as Jurys Washington Hotel. Links: photo of the mansion exterior · blog post about the mansion · blog post about the site · Levi Leiter bio @ Wikipedia.
I suspect the streets have been widened since 1927; Google Street View today seems to show a narrower sidewalk at the location where the ladies would've been positioned:
View Larger Map
The sidewalks on Sheridan Circle, a few blocks away, are twice as wide, and more closely resemble the one in the photo. But there's no denying the photo was taken at Dupont Circle; too many details match up - tree branches, railed fence, fence column, balcony, position of street lamp; the shrubs were missing in 1927, but that's about it.
Olivia Eugenia "Gena" Dunbar Snell (1909-1967)Many thanks to Erin Blakemore, professional genealogist Shanna Jones, and Gena's nephew Edward H. Dunbar, Jr. and his mom for their assistance with this research! I'd love to be able to say "Gena loved to..." but unfortunately, Edward Jr. says the relatives who could've filled in the gaps in her biography and told us more about her life & interests have all died.
Olivia Eugenia "Gena" Dunbar was born in Augusta, Georgia, on March 25, 1909, to William M. Dunbar Jr. and Carrie Eugenia Johnson. Gena was the first of six children (three boys and three girls), none of whom are living now. She turned 18 just one month before the photo was taken. Her youngest sibling, Edward, was about two years old at the time of the photo. He died at age 83 at the end of 2008, a mere two weeks before the photo was posted on Shorpy. Gena's mom, Carrie, was from a well-respected family in Gainesville, Georgia. Carrie's father, Fletcher Marcellus Johnson Sr. (1858-1914), was a judge, and her mother, Elizabeth Eugenia Sullivan (1861-1893), was a college professor. This branch of the Dunbar family was from Richmond County, Georgia (Augusta area), and nearby Barnwell & Edgefield counties, S.C.
In the mid-1920s, Gena's parents had temporarily settled in Washington, D.C., where William was working as a Maxwell House coffee salesman. Gena's nephew, Edward H. Dunbar Jr., says, "I was told that part of his job was the introduction of an 'instant' coffee product ... an endeavor which did not meet with success at that time," but concedes "I don't know about the accuracy of this. My father, who had a genuine interest in family history, also could exercise a rather impish sense of humor from time to time." His mother, though, confirms the story. Instant coffee existed but didn't really catch on until after World War 2.
Gena eventually married William Edward Snell (b. Sept. 21, 1905), whose family was from Gwinnett County near Atlanta, home to Snellville. Thereafter, Gena was known as Gena or Eugenia D. Snell. On May 19, 1932, she gave birth to their only son, William Edward "Bo" Snell, Jr., who eventually graduated from the University of Georgia and became a lawyer.
Gena's mom died at age 69 on June 5, 1955, in Augusta. Gena's husband died in Cobb County (Marietta area) at age 56 on Dec. 22, 1961. Gena herself died in Atlanta at age 58 on Nov. 17, 1967. Her son Bo died in Bar Harbor, Maine, at age 63 on Feb. 26, 1995.
Melancollic StrangerBy lucky I get into this site, found this photo and suddenly I feel rarely sad and ... small (pequeño). I don't know how to explain, I don't even speak english very well. And is just this picture, I was captivated by it, it's so clear, so close. And then I see that date, and is so hard for me to accept that everything is gone, that she is not there, right know, with that smile. I'm not even suppose to be here, doing this, there is so much work to do, however I can't help my self, I needed to write this.
Duck speed on landIt just struck me as funny that these girls have leashes on the ducklings. Back on the farm I would often see our two ducks waddling toward the barn, as I set out to get the cow and take her into the barn to milk her. By the time I was headed back to the house with the milk, or about 20 minutes later, the ducks would have waddled about five yards. Had those ducklings decided to make a run for it, I don't think the girls would have had much trouble catching them!
SHE IS MY TWINOkay, the girl on the left looks just like me, it's crazy!
Quacking another Mystery.The ducks are named "Diddles" (Dunbar) and Tommie (Moose), according to the caption from Acme Newspictures.
(The Gallery, Bizarre, Animals, D.C., Natl Photo, Pretty Girls)](https://www.shorpy.com/files/images/16811u.thumbnail.jpg "Lucky Ducks: 1927")
- Lionel Lines: 1946
- ... in 1974. But wait! There's more! A hobby shop in Atlanta (they are online) has reproduced the paraffin pellets for your 1954 ... Posted by Sparkplug - 12/24/2022 - 3:19pm -
![From circa 1946 comes this 35mm Kodachrome of Jim and Jack Hardman and their Christmas train set in Upper Montclair, New Jersey. View full size.
Olfactory memoryThe smell of ozone still takes me back to Christmastime on the living room floor with our oft-shorting electric train set. Nobody ever thought to get a photo of anyone in the act of playing with it, but at least there's this color shot from December 1954, complete with old sofa cushions for hills.
AccessoriesThere's a plastic tray for a hopper car to dump its load into but I don't see the special magnetic section of track that activates it; on the other hand there's one section that seems to have five rails rather than three, which perhaps is an early version of it.
Those are standard O-27 curves. If you have a whole-room floor layout, you can get O-72 curves, which have double the turn radius.
The three rails fill out voids in the track left by having few ties; American Flyer had the disadvantage that the track looked very empty by contrast.
I can smell the smoke pill from the engineOzone and the smell of the artificial smoke pill is still in my mind's nose from my 1955 Lionel train set.
No Ping-Ponguntil next year!
Without a NetThe ever-useful Ping-Pong table. Its surface served at so many different functions.
"The Blue Haze"My first train was a used Marx set that the older boy across the alley from us was selling for $10 because his family was moving. It was the little black Commodore Vanderbilt streamlined tinplate engine, with three tin freight cars and a caboose, and a set of four little green tinplate passenger coaches. The 027 gauge diamond track layout was mounted on a 4x8 sheet of plywood, and I would run that thing on the floor after school and on weekends until the whole basement was a blue haze. And yes, as others have said, I can still smell the ozone, and I loved it! It was a smell that meant FUN! And that little Marx engine ran like crazy and lasted a long, long time! I'll bet my mom wished it would finally burn up, but it didn't. The little engine wore out the brushes until it wouldn't run anymore!
1946 set 2111WSThis is a 1946 set from Lionel numbered 2111WS. The Baby Ruth boxcar is an extra not included in this set as sold. What is important to Lionel collectors is that the work caboose is a two tone grey that is normally attributed to a different set in 1946, No. 2115WS. The caboose in the near foreground is prewar, which implies that the young engineer in the picture, or his older brothers, had trains from before WWII.
Here is the set, fourth from the top. Click to enlarge.
Hot!I still remember the stench of the transformer. After about a hour of play, it got so hot Mom would be screaming to "turn it off before you set the house on fire!"
My Lionel TrainMy 027 gauge set from 1947 doesn't have the log car but I did have a refrigerated boxcar that unloaded small cubes of merchandise and it used the five parallel tracks to activate the unloading process. This track section is also used to activate the knuckle couplers to disconnect a car.
My locomotive (#2020) appears to be the same as the one here. It is a replica of a Pennsylvania Railroad steam turbine locomotive.
One more trivia item. This locomotive/tender combination is also seen in the TV Series "Young Sheldon" when he is playing with his train in the family garage.
Sales were goodLionel sold thousands of that locomotive, a copy of the Baldwin/Westinghouse Steam Turbine. Baldwin only sold one; it looked like this when it left the shops. BTW this layout is O-Gauge, not 0-27. A circle of track is 31 inches, 0-27 is 27. I'm waiting for someone to do a count of all the Lionel accessories in this photo; there are a lot!
Ah, them was the daysI had that same 2-6-4 engine, the dump car, the crane car, and the work caboose. My dad had a friend who collected Lionel stuff and we made an annual trip to his house across town and always came home with a pair of switches, some track or a couple of cars.
Had a lot of fun with that stuff. Ended up giving it to my nephew.
Thanks for the photo.
Hazy MemoriesI remember the train sets with the smoke tablets, but I also seem to remember having a set that had the smoke caused by drops of 3-in-1 Oil put into the smokestack. Or maybe one of my friends came up with that approach.
Red Baby RuthGrowing up in the 1960s I inherited a Lionel set that my brothers used when they were younger. It also had a Baby Ruth boxcar (my favorite) but it was a dark red color. I can only assume it was of later vintage than these pale orange ones shown.
Wish I knew what happened to that set.
Smokin' the TrainLong ago my iron horse Lionel engine would smoke after you dropped an aspirin down the stack.
The Red Pill We had an American Flyer. They only used two rails, and appeared more realistic than the three-rail Lionel sets.
The smoke generator took a red pill that was filled with some liquid that was squirted down the smokestack. The pill was made of some sort of rubber and had a narrow end that was to be cut off so the liquid could be directed without spilling. It resembled a CO2 cartridge, but was significantly smaller, about an inch long.
Future employers20-plus years later I worked part-time after school and a few summers for these brothers, and their small (about 40 employees) industrial adhesives business in nearby Belleville. It had been a family business for 3 or 4 generations, and they were quite friendly with the employees and generous with the perks.
Neat train setThat family must be fairly well off because that train set cost a tidy little bit. I had a Lionel set in the mid 50s but all it had was a figure eight.
What's that smell?When I was a young boy, my father liked to take us on hours-long Sunday drives. I found these almost unbearable, sandwiched between my two older sisters (yes, I was raised with three mothers) and my mother riding shotgun and trying to keep order in the back seat.
Unbeknownst to me or anyone else, I failed to completely turn off the train transformer before we embarked on our excursion. It was on low, not enough to supply power to move the locomotive, but enough to keep the transformer powered up. We arrived back home and were greeted by the pungent odor of an oily sort.
My father and I hurried to the basement to be almost bowled over by the aroma. Fortunately, there was no damage, only a huge Lionel transformer hot enough to cook an egg.
I no longer have that train set. It was put into storage right after this, because it COULD have caught fire and we would have come home to something I still cannot imagine. To this day when I am finished with a train set, the transformer is unplugged from the wall.
I was an American Flyer kidBut I appreciate and enjoy all toy trains. My dad got me a basic AF set up as a kid. Over the many years I've added quite bit to it, and made a few custom S gauge trains too. Wonderful fun for kids of all ages.
Smoke 'em if ya got 'emAnd now a few words about Lionel "Smoke".
The first version of that turbine had a smoke bulb, and used a pill that worked poorly, and corroded the engine. The bulb would heat up, and melt the pill. It lasted a year, and then was replaced by the smoke pellets.
The pellet was paraffin that went down the stack where it melted on a small heater coil -- wire wrapped around a piece of mica.
I've heard the aspirin trick, but don't think it was as satisfying as the real pellet.
3-in-1 Oil? Yikes, it would work, but it would run thru the engine. (More on that later)
The problem with the postwar Lionel smoking engines is that there was no "off" switch. You had to keep feeding it pellets, or the element would burn out. But if you overfed it, it would stop smoking as well. If you find one today, most times you can get them to smoke by scraping the sides of the stack.
Lionel stopped making the pellets in 1974. But wait! There's more! A hobby shop in Atlanta (they are online) has reproduced the paraffin pellets for your 1954 smoker!
These days Lionel makes smoking engines that have a resistor down the stack and some fiberglass batting and a small well. These engines smoke when a smoke fluid (mineral oil, some of it now scented) is dropped down the stack, AND there is an on-off switch, to preserve that resistor when there is no smoke fluid.
n.b. The postwar pellet smoke units can use the modern fluid, but with no reservoir; use only a few drops or it will run out the bottom.
Now everybody with trains in the attic, basement or under the bed, get them out for Christmas, oil them and run them.
Speaking of SmokeI believe the little log cabin on the lower left may actually be an incense burner. A friend of mine had one. The roof came off and you could put a little cone of incense in and the smoke wafted out the chimney.
Straight outta RockwellNorman of course.
Lotsa memories hereMy father brought home a very similar Lionel train set for Christmas, probably 1946 or 1947. As a youngster I have a lot of great memories helping him set it up every year for the holidays.
My O27 layout has the same 2020 Steam Turbine Locomotive and Tender, Baby Ruth boxcar, Sunoco tank car, gondola, log car that would dump the logs and a red Pennsylvania caboose. My layout has the same trestle, and a yard light tower and a collection of "Plasticville" buildings. I still have it safely stored in my basement. The track is still on the plywood board that my father mounted it on. I set it up several years ago for the memories.
I also noticed that "Young Sheldon" was using "my" locomotive.
No. 1 Christmas memory everWhen I was 4, I woke up on Christmas morning to find a big piece of plywood on sawhorses set up in the living room. It was covered with newspapers. As I watched, the papers started moving and a Lionel train appeared. Over the years, I expanded the layout to 4x12 and, with the help of my dad, attached it to the garage wall where it would fold up when not in use. I finally sold it to help pay for my first car 12 years later.
Inherited CurvesI inherited a 1930s Union Pacific M10000 streamliner which required double-radius o72 curves so always had as a kid a full-room layout for every other Lionel train too. I suppose Lionel figured out that there wasn't as much of a market for the quadruple-sized layout areas required and scaled down quickly.
I never should have opened that presentWhen I was 5, way back in the ancient times of 1970, I got a very special train set for Christmas. It was a replica of the Disney Monorail. Considering that about 10 years ago, I heard that an unopened box set went for $250,000 I'm beginning to think I never should have opened the box. Actually, though, my father had already opened the box and he and my brother set up the train and mounted it on a large piece of plywood. All that's left of it now is the 12v-18v variable power supply. I remember spending hours with that train set. Of course, now I can play with a train set again... virtually. I have software that lets me mimic any train and any location or scenery, but somehow it's not the same thing.
Lionel was the greatest!Best part was I learned basic electrical circuits as a pre-teen. Besides all the fun, it was a learning experience. Not only for me, but also for all my Lionel cousins!
Color CoordinatedThat has to be one of the most complex color coordination scenes I've seen. Even the boys' clothing matches everything else.
I'm sure they had plenty of fun with that amazing train set up.
Still with usFrom what I can tell through Ancestry and general internet snooping, both "boys" are still with us. Jim would have been about 10 here, and Jack would have been about 7.
[It was Jim who posted this photo. Click his username to see his profile. - Dave]
(ShorpyBlog, Member Gallery, Christmas)](https://www.shorpy.com/files/images/christmas_trainset.thumbnail.jpg "Lionel Lines: 1946")
- Downtown Atlanta (Colorized): 1864
- ... original negative of right half .
The title is “Atlanta, Ga. Wagon Train on Marietta Street”; however, this is in error. In ... reinforcements placed over the shell damage in Underground Atlanta. There are still some refinements that I would like to make to this ... Posted by Rob - 08/24/2011 - 8:44am -
- Atlanta Empress: 1941
- April 1941. "Mrs. Lemuel Smith, wife of Farm Security Administration borrower, preparing the afternoon meal on her farm in Carroll County, Georgia." Medium format acetate negative by Jack Delano for the FSA. View full size.
What does she s ... Posted by Dave - 11/07/2018 - 12:39pm -
- Seven Points: 1900
- ... Clinton went to elementary school in Hot Springs!
New Atlanta It's New Atlanta, silly, not Hot Springs. ;-)
Bessie Smith wrote a blues about it. ... Posted by Dave - 08/15/2012 - 3:54pm -
- Atlanta Empress: (Colorized): 1941
- I thought that this displays the photographer's intent when I colorized it. I had to stop when I finished working on the little angel. Original photo .
<3 You're right, it's all this photo needs.I love it..
Danke, Thanks, Merci ... Posted by Baxado - 11/12/2018 - 11:39am -
- Clown Car: 1957
- ... The Shriners' Annual Convention took place in downtown Atlanta's Peachtree Street on August 30, 1957. As a senior at Georgia Tech, I ... Louis Car Company in 1949. Only one specimen was saved. Atlanta did have about 175 Pullmans some dating back to 1944. Atlanta once ... Posted by prrvet - 03/13/2018 - 4:21pm -
![The Shriners' Annual Convention took place in downtown Atlanta's Peachtree Street on August 30, 1957. As a senior at Georgia Tech, I was there to photograph the action. The Loew's Grand Theatre in the background was the location of the premiere of "Gone With the Wind" in 1939. 35mm Kodachrome by William D. Volkmer. View full size.
Buick and NashThe green convertible is a 1956 Buick Special and the black car facing it is a 1949 or 1950 Nash (there were no styling changes from 1949 to 1950)
I Was Not A Teenage WerewolfBut wasn't Michael Landon?
The two for one in that small movie house includes probably one of the best B movies of the era. "Invasion of the saucer-men". I hope they bring tea or coffee with those.
[The “small” Paramount Theatre had seating for 2700. -tterrace]
CorrectionThat restored trolley coach and 139 others like it were built by St. Louis Car Company in 1949. Only one specimen was saved. Atlanta did have about 175 Pullmans some dating back to 1944. Atlanta once boasted the largest trolley coach system in the US, but Chicago had more vehicles, fewer route miles.
Boy howdy, what a photo!I saw Gone With the Wind in a theater in downtown Atlanta in the late 1950s, and I saw How the West Was Won a few years later in the Loew's, I think. We had lunch in that cafeteria, probably.
That Olds (guessing here) is a beauty, and I'm proud to have a '49 Snakehead Tele clone in that Seafoam Green nitro finish.
[Those clowns are in a 1956 Buick Special. -tterrace]
[With Florida plates. - Dave]
Man. Shorpy.com is really on a roll in 2018.
Boy howdy!!!
Edit: Thanks, tterrace and Dave for that great info!!!
If It Still Looked Like That, I'd Still Live ThereThis is the downtown Atlanta of my youth - when the buildings were beautiful, the people well-dressed, and the atmosphere civilized. From left to right, I recognize the Collier Building, where a Rexall was at street level, but the fabled Frances Virginia Tea Room occupied the top floor for many years. Next to it is the Paramount Theatre, demolished not too many years after this photo was taken; its stone was re-used for the facade of a mansion in another town. After that comes Loew's Grand, one of the bigger theatres, originally the De Give Opera House. The electric trolleys in the photo were phased out around 1962. Every building I've mentioned is gone.
Atlanta Theaters I saw "How The West Was Won" at The Martin Cinerama while seated next to Bert Parks of Miss America fame. The Cinerama was located further up Peachtree just South of The Fox theater.
Additionally, I spent my lunch hour standing across the street while Loew's Grand burned to the ground on January 30, 1978. The temps were subfreezing and icicles were everywhere.
I did a little researchand found out that one of these 1949 Pullman-Standard trolley coaches has been restored. If you want to go back in time, you may find it at the Southeastern Railway Museum.
Errare humanum estYes, my bad.
prrvet is absolutely right.
What a double-bill!I'd line up early and pay a premium price to catch I WAS A TEENAGE WEREWOLF and THE INVASION OF THE SAUCER MEN at the Paramount.
sigh...
Elvis played the ParamountGreat pic! in June of '56 Elvis played the Paramount
http://scottymoore.net/paramount.html
Peachtree ParadeOnly two months prior to this parade, Atlanta blues musician Piano Red (Willie Perryman) had released "Peachtree Parade", which had been recorded already in 1955. It's an instrumental, so basically any parade can be projected onto it.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XLzg1H6OxGQ
(ShorpyBlog, Member Gallery)](https://www.shorpy.com/files/images/AtlantaTrans_1755_PeachtreeEllis_08301957WDV_1.thumbnail.jpg "Clown Car: 1957")
- Alt-Atlanta: 1938
- May 1938. "General store and railroad crossing, Atlanta, Ohio." Which way to the ATM? 35mm nitrate negative by Arthur ... '37 Chevy sedan delivery finished life as a hot rod!
Atlanta I think the name is still Atlanta; it's just that it's unincorporated, so Google Maps refers to the ... Posted by Dave - 05/27/2015 - 10:58am -
- Old Dixie Down: 1864
- ... A passel of Yankees in repose. "Federal picket post near Atlanta, Georgia." Wet collodion glass plate negative by George N. Barnard. ... downward.
Stone Mountain Any idea how close to Atlanta? If we're talking CLOSE to Atlanta I know of only one mountain as big ... Posted by Dave - 07/22/2012 - 2:45pm -
![1864. A passel of Yankees in repose. "Federal picket post near Atlanta, Georgia." Wet collodion glass plate negative by George N. Barnard. View full size.
Worn-outI'm always amazed when seeing old photos like this, that the movie companies haven't realized that clothing was stretched, worn, and wrinkled, that hats were soggy felt instead of "crisp clean stetsons," and boots were worn through! In our theater company, we do a "breakdown" on almost all our wardrobe (sometimes with belt sanders), but I don't think even that can match the reality of the era!
YankeesI hate to be one of those grammar people.... but since we are talking about the South ...
The word "Yankees" should always be prefaced with "damn," or similar pejorative.
Stoneman's cavalry, tired from tearing up the tracks?I swear, I don't know which I enjoy more -- the amazing Shorpy photos, or your clever titles for them.
How Many Liveswould have been saved if they only had steel helmets, even like those used in WWII. There were a lot of head injury deaths back then. Makes you wonder why they never thought of a helmet of sorts.
SkinnyThe other thing I always notice is how very lean these men all were. They spent their lives marching; their diet was meager, even on the Union side. The stress level in their lives was tremendous. That's one thing war movies and reenactors never get right. They were scrawny little guys.
FootlooseThe lone shoe tells of the "horrendous loss" war demands.
Missing in ActionWhere's the fellow who is usually shown lying across the bottom of all the other group photos.
Defensive positionIt looks as if these men have built a small defensive position here. It seems to be a low wall built of logs, debris and mud, with the building built into it. The porch has bricks stacked to continue the breast works. If attacked they could shoot from behind a pretty solid wall. This would have been the Civil War equivalent of digging a foxhole.
And another thingNo one ever smiles! I know the exposure times were much longer in those days, and posing was a chore, but everyone looks so solemn all the time. This particular day doesn't look very joyous, but still.
Hold Your RazorsHalf of these boys ain't even of shaving age yet!
Helmets Obsolete in 1860The helmet had been discarded along with chain mail and suits of armor once they were rendered useless by gunpowder and bullets. The tradeoff was increased mobility and a major change of tactics over the centuries.
The American Civil War was largely fought with concepts introduced during the Napoleanic war where massed infantry closed and fired face-to-face at virtually point-blank range, a result of the less powerful, short-range weapons then in use. The musket of the 1860s however had a much higher velocity and longer range, and was a far cry from any squirrel gun, muzzle-loader or shotgun with which recruits might be familiar. As such, the musket "kicked" hard when fired, causing the shooter to pull up involuntarily while the ball was still traveling down the barrel — early on, many Federal troops wore approximately 3" brass or fire gilt buckles over the chest as part of their uniform that proved an excellent aiming point for even the most inexperienced Confederate infantryman — and as the shooter's weapon moved upward a foot or so, the ball would most likely strike the head of his opponent.
Later, the American Civil War introduced the concept of fixed fortifications, including trenches, and re-introduced stalemate/siege warfare. This again changed the role of artillery from largely defensive to offensive. Exploding shells designed to dislodge and eliminate dug-in infantry were a novel idea in the 1860s. By WWI however, they had advanced considerably and were designed to burst in the air over enemy positions, filling the ground below with deadly shrapnel — the early hardened steel helmet with its wide brim was designed to protect the head from this, but offered little protection from bullets, a shortcoming that was realized during WWII when the sides were extended downward.
Stone MountainAny idea how close to Atlanta? If we're talking CLOSE to Atlanta I know of only one mountain as big as what is behind them, and that is Stone Mountain.
Amputee?The soldier leaning against the tree looks as though he lost his right arm.
[Something tells me his limb is behind the tree. - Dave]
Federal Picket PostI suppose picket duty would mean they're guards or sentries.
Picket -- An advance outpost or guard for a large force was called a picket. Ordered to form a scattered line far in advance of the main army's encampment, but within supporting distance, a picket guard was made up of a lieutenant, two sergeants, four corporals, and 40 privates from each regiment. Picket duty constituted the most hazardous work of infantrymen in the field. Being the first to feel any major enemy movement, they were also the first liable to be killed, wounded, or captured. And the most likely targets of snipers. Picket duty, by regulation, was rotated regularly in a regiment.
Stone MountainThat does in fact look like Stone Mountain to me - I can nearly see it from my house. There are some mountains of about the same size in Kennesaw, north of Atlanta, but those are all covered with trees. The mountain in this photo is bare. Can't imagine what else would fit the bill.
PicketersBased on the definition below of the picket unit, we have here, possibly, the Lieutenant, with officer piping on his trousers, center right and facing left holding rifle; two Sergeants, one on the left side leaning against a tree and the other sitting in front of the Lieutenant and facing left; and the four Corporals, with taller hats.
Bringing a knife to a gun fight...On first glance when this photo was first posted I also thought the officer in the center was holding a rifle with the muzzle facing down. Upon closer inspection he actually has his hand on the handle of his saber.
The fence post behind him gives the illusion of the stock of a rifle, especially in the small image size.
Muzzle down would be a weird position while seated, as it could easily contact the dirt and clog the muzzle with the resulting dire consequences the next time it was fired.
A saber, isn't that like bringing a knife to a gun fight in this case.
Knives and gunsThe bayonet was invented because sometimes a knife is just what you need in a gunfight -- particularly with the slow rate of fire on muzzle-loading muskets.
Stone Mountain or Arabia Mountain?It could be Arabia Mountain. It's part of the same rock vein as Stone, but significantly smaller.
EarthworksIt is not a mountain in the background, but rather an earthen fort atop a hill. You can see sandbags along the parapet and also used as cribbing near the shoulder of the man standing to the left.
Although barely discernible in this picture (I have a higher resolution copy), a little ways above the head of the fellow in the center of the shot, are abatis. They form sort of a regular pattern just beneath the horizontal branch on the left of the tree whose top has been knocked off.
Barnard took quite a few pictures of the earthworks that enclosed Atlanta, but never ventured far from the city when photographing that place. Another version of this photo claims it was taken just prior to the Battle of Atlanta (July 22, 1864), however that is highly unlikely. It is hard to imagine Barnard setting up his camera within easy sniper and artillery range of what at the time would have been an enemy-occupied fortification.
Invisible chevrons?Apart from the officer all the enlisted men in this photo appear to be privates. Not a sergeant or corporal in sight.
The ChevronsIn 1864 the war was still raging. Many non-coms and officers did not wear insignia of rank in combat. They would, understandingly, be singled out by snipers.
(The Gallery, Atlanta, Civil War, Geo. Barnard)](https://www.shorpy.com/files/images/03386a.thumbnail.jpg "Old Dixie Down: 1864")
- Lozak for Health: 1921
- ... below. (And how can it be "Bulgarian milk" if it's made in Atlanta? Shut up and drink.)
Vintage Sandwich Recipes ... Posted by Dave - 08/05/2012 - 7:54pm -
![Washington, D.C., circa 1921. "People's Drug, 7th and E streets N.W." Among the nostrums on the shelf at left: "Catnep and Fennel (The Children's Remedy)" and "Dr. Pierce's Smart-Weed (Water Pepper)." National Photo Co. View full size.
Hey, young fella....I'll have one a those "Welch's Hi-Balls".
Go ahead, keep the change.
Listen.... you have any idea where a stranger in town might be able to buy the real thing???
Just say no to 'nipInsert LOLcat here
I'm thirstyI'll take a Welch Hi-Ball please.
Eggs?1) What are the roundish objects in the bowl on the bar at left? I was guessing brown-shelled hard-boiled eggs, but there seem to be white-shelled eggs in a jar behind the barman.
2) What are the white eggs used for?
[1. Limes. 2. Eating. - Dave]
Tomato in the mirrorThe gal seems to have caught the soda jerk's eye!
I'm HungryI'll have an olive and mayo sandwich. What's a Newport? They have strawberry, chocolate and caramel.
O&MOkay, I'm curious: What is the recipe for an Olive Mayonnaise Sandwich? Cut green olives and mayo? This local delicacy has appeared before on Shorpy but has passed from common usage.
Naboth Grape JuiceI see that Naboth Grape Juice was a popular item at the counter. I'll bet it was made here:
More info here.
A Thing of Beauty......is a joy forever. Yeah, there's lots of dust on the ceiling fans, even cobwebs, but the brilliant composition of all shapes and sizes of different forms of crystal containers, mixed tri-colored citrus of oranges, limes and lemons, nut cake, purple grape advertisements, mirrored walls, etched globe lights, cherry smash, strawberry smells, marble, chrome, etched light globes, shiny chrome gadgets, more sparkling glass sundae glasses, just an endless and fascinating display of the way we were. This wonderful picture makes me glad that I am old enough to remember these familiar childhood sights. Even the snake oils are recalled i.e. catnep and fennel (for pregnant women), from our local Rexall since up north we did not have Peoples Drug. I really like this nostalgic flashback.
[Cobwebs? Time to clean your screen. - Dave]
Old labelsNice to notice that the labels on the remedies are redolent of an era earlier than 1921 - that guy with the chinbeard looks like he was from the 1870s or 1880s.
My grandmother (she was a maid) always complained about her employer's love of chicken salad sandwiches. It was WASP soul food!
[Let's not forget their equally zesty offspring, the egg salad sandwich. - Dave]
Interesting PricesI find it interesting that the chicken salad sandwich is 20 cents and the sliced ham sandwich is 10. I would have thought the ham would be more expensive. And what would an olive and mayonnaise sandwich be?
[It would be 10 cents. - Dave]
Olive+MayoI've eaten these all my life (now a fairly long one). It's simply chopped olives mixed with mayo and applied to bread. Magnifique!
Purifies the BowelsWhat is Lozak, you ask? Why, it is "lacto-Bulgarian milk." (It's also 5 cents a glass.) And how is it made? Click below. (And how can it be "Bulgarian milk" if it's made in Atlanta? Shut up and drink.)
Vintage Sandwich RecipesPersonally, I have always been partial to black olive and cream cheese sandwiches. The following list of recipes opens up new possibilities....
Sandwiches of All Kinds
Ham is not the only material for making a good sandwich, as well be seen from this list:
Sardine sandwiches – Take the contents of a half-pound box of sardines, remove bones and skins and chop them fine; add two hard boiled eggs, chopped and seasoned with one-half teaspoon of French mustard and one-half teaspoonful of grated horseradish. Mix this well and spread between thin slices of buttered bread or cold biscuit.
Cottage cheese sandwiches – Chop and mince some sprigs of tender watercress; mix with cottage cheese; season with salt and pepper; spread on buttered bread; cover as usual and cut into two-inch strips.
Cheese sandwiches – Chop eight olives: mix with highly seasoned cottage cheese and spread between buttered slices of bread.
Olive sandwiches – Ten large olives, two heaping teaspoonfuls of mayonnaise and cracker dust. Pour boiling water over the olives; let them stand five minutes, then drain; cover with ice water. When cold and crisp wipe dry, stone and chop fine with a silver knife. Have the mayonnaise very stiff; chop and blend together and spread on thinly sliced unbuttered bread.
Salmagundi sandwiches – Wash, skin and bone one Holland herring and chop very fine; add the chopped breast of a roast fowl, two hard boiled eggs, one-third cupful of chopped ham, one minced anchovy and one small grated onion. Mix together and blend with French dressing. Spread between buttered bread sliced very thin.
Oyster sandwiches – Remove the muscles from a pint of solid raw oysters and chop fine. Add one-fourth of a teaspoonful of salt, one-eighth of teaspoonful of pepper, and a dash of cayenne. Put into a saucepan with two tablespoonfuls of butter and three tablespoons of cracker crumbs. Heat until steaming. Add one-half cupful of thick cream, in which have been beaten two yolks of raw eggs, and stir until the mixture thickens. Remove from the fire, add ten drops of lemon juice and more seasoning, if liked. When cold spread between slices of buttered bread.
Washington Post, Jan 24, 1897
Naboth AgainMmmm - the thought of a grape juice & olive oil tonic certainly sounds very "cleansing."
"There is a deliciousness and health in every bottle of Naboth Grape Juice. It is not only nourishing, but scientists say that it has a great tonic effect. Excellent to take olive oil with. We recommend Naboth because it is pure and unfermented."
Re: Sandwich RecipesThat olive and mayonnaise sandwich recipe -- whoever thought that up was obviously drunk. I mean, no butter? How can you have a sandwich without butter??
Chopped Olive and EggWas I the only kid whose mother made chopped olive and egg sandwiches? Black olives, chopped hard-boiled eggs and mayo. Yum.
Sandwich bookI have a sandwich book from around that era that was my grandfathers. It has literally hundreds of recipes in there. Some of them quite bizarre. I couldn't imagine being able to stock all the ingredients at one time to cover them all.
Light SocketNotice how the blender plugs into what I believe is a (Edison?) light socket. Gotta love the cloth cord.
In Three Generations......We've gone from Lozak to Prozac. Not an improvement, if you ask me!
Buttered SandwichesWhen I was a small child (pre WWII) our mother always made sandwiches with butter: Roast beef and butter, ham and butter, salami and butter, bologna and butter. The cheese and butter wasn't too bad. A favorite of mine was honey and butter. But she had to switch to mayonnaise reluctantly during WWII when butter was rationed, and the margarine of the time (which was white and had to be mixed with a little dye capsule that came in the package) was, as she put it, "wretched." Finally, no more teasing by other kids about my sandwiches.
This is a hold up....To me the most interesting thing is the zig zag cut on the vertical member inside the shelf case on the left. Insert a trapezoidal piece and bingo...adjustable shelves with no hardware.
An East Coast treatI've heard the remarks about butter on sandwiches before, but only from people who hail from Maryland or D.C. All of these people are insistent that a sandwich is not a real sandwich if it doesn't have butter on it (or for Pete's sake, at least margarine). Without the butter, it's just a random food stuck between two slices of bread.
Of course, I live in the South where tea isn't tea if it isn't sweet tea, and it isn't sweet tea if the sugar wasn't brewed in. Funny how certain regions latch onto certain food and drink recipes in a generational way.
Like butterSince everyone else is ordering, I'll have a ham sandwich, a maple nut sundae, a slice of that cake, and a Welch's Hi-ball. I've got 50 cents burning a hole in my change purse. And for the record, my mother put butter on every sandwich she ever made, and she's from Michigan. Maybe mayo used to be an extravagance? With its limited shelf life in homemade form, butter might have been a healthier choice.
You Too?My grandmother put butter on absolutely every piece of bread. I ate peanut butter & jelly & butter sandwiches. Ham & butter etc. I thought I was the only one. I still have a secret taste for butter and jelly sandwiches but butter and lunchmeat is vile.
I'm getting hungryHmmm. I wonder if Shorpy should publish a recipe book, based on contents of photos and comments on the same.
Butter me your parsnipsAll this talk of butter or no butter for sarnies is a mystery to me,
everyone puts butter or marg on here in the uk (well, at least north of watford).
As kids we had a slice of buttered bread with a healthy coating of granulated sugar.
Chewy, crunchy, sweet n greasy. Yum.
Re: Tomato in the mirrorEven seen out of focus, those eyes are a noteworthy distraction. Easy to understand.
Green Olives for Sure!One of my discoveries in high school at a local diner (here in Western NY) was the egg & olive sandwich, made with green olives. Although I don't think it had any butter on it. Is it lunchtime yet?
Some one mentioned the dye packet that used to come with margarine -- I remember my mother telling me when she was a child going to the local dairy & buying that! She later worked at the same dairy in high school, and it's still doing a brisk business today.
Depression era treatsButter is used to keep sandwich fillings from soaking into the bread if it is packed to take to work or school or on a trip. I grant you it also tastes wicked good, but there is a logical reason behind it.
My maternal grandmother taught me the joys of a saltine spread with butter and topped with a little white sugar, similar to what our UK friend mentioned. It was quite a rich treat during the 30's. Dad enjoyed gravy bread. This revolts most people I know, but I indulge in it now and again. Everything in moderation is just fine, people.
Buttered gravy bread, that's the ticket.
More Butter!Buttered white bread with cold, leftover spaghetti and meat sauce.
PricesForty years after this picture in the mid 60's I would get a real milk shake and a grilled cheese sandwich at the Corner Drug for 35 cents. Forty years later I don't think I could get the same deal for 5 bucks.
Egg & OliveThe central NY egg and olive sandwich was made with green olives. I still love that sandwich and, of course, no sandwich could be made without butter.
Salute the HamAfter some of these sandwiches, one might want to reach for those Stuart's Dyspepsia Tablets on the lower left shelf.
Yet More Butter, the condiment of choice!Having grown up in Hudson County, New Joisey, in the 50's, I can tell you it wasn't a sandwich without butter. Except for liverwurst, can't have butter on that.
I still put butter on everything, not margarine, butter.
Real butter.
"I'll have that Taylor Ham, egg and cheese on a round roll with butter, please."
Olive and Eggtterrace, you aren't alone. Maybe it has something to do with both of us being Californians. Olives were and are a mainstay for me too, with HB eggs just making it better. Bet you didn't put butter on the bread either.
Sho-Card LetteringIt wouldn't surprise me at all if those hand-lettered signs were done by a member of the staff. On my first job out of high school 40 years ago, the crusty old bookstore owner did elegant hand-lettering and boy howdy, if he had you do a sign for him, it had to meet that standard. No shortcuts, no crazy, modern styles, just good old classical sho-card lettering. A lost art.
You buttered your bread, now lie in itAs A. Tipster states, it appears that both the use of black olives in olive-and-egg sandwiches and mayo rather than butter as a sandwich lubricant may very well be a geographical pattern. In which case, I'm glad I was a westerner because green olives turn my stomach. I did occasionally encounter buttered sandwiches, either by trading school lunches or perhaps an experiment by my mother, and while I felt it was a violation of the natural order of things, as a big butter fan I was strangely intrigued and secretly enjoyed them.
I got my spy...but is that container in the middle of the counter, marked "Suncrush Orange," really Orange Crush?
I miss MayannaiseEveryone seems to have missed that the sandwich is Olive "Mayannaise," not mayonnaise. Mayannaise was yellow and came with a small packet of white coloring you had to mix in.
Oh, how I miss Mayannaise. It was much better than Miracle Whip which replaced it.
I think.
[As I recall, there was also a little packet containing a grain of salt. - Dave]
Chicken Salad v. HamHam was "a dime a dozen" back then. Pork was the cheapest meat there was. Chicken was expensive. This is why Herbert Hoover talked about a chicken in every pot. Back then it was something special you had for Sunday dinner.
(The Gallery, D.C., Natl Photo, PDS, Stores & Markets)](https://www.shorpy.com/files/images/29969u.thumbnail.jpg "Lozak for Health: 1921")
- Confederate Veterans: 1917
- ... Tour Special brought large delegations from Birmingham and Atlanta.
H.F. Cary, chairman of the transportation committee, said ... who got the youngest bride is James A. Thomas, 63, of Atlanta, Ga. He married Miss Elizabeth Roberts, only 25.
Washington ... 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)](https://www.shorpy.com/files/images/18442u.thumbnail.jpg "Confederate Veterans: 1917")
- Pick a Possum: 1916
- ... or sweet potato in its mouth.
— Mrs. L. S. Brown, Atlanta
Meta Given My cookbook treasure, "Meta Given's Encyclopedia of ... Posted by Dave - 09/11/2011 - 6:39pm -
![New York circa 1916. "Opossums hanging up outside shop." 5x7 glass negative, George Grantham Bain Collection, Library of Congress. View full size.
Seems like rabbits?Under the table 'possums, it looks like there is a pile of rabbits as well. And what is on top of the table? I love this site, my favorite time of the day.
[No one's said anything about the ducks yet. - Dave]
The Possum DealerI guess it's a sign of the times, the man in the bloody butcher's smock is wearing a derby hat, a high starched collar (detachable), a white shirt, a necktie, a suit jacket and shined shoes. All he has to do is ditch the coat and he can be off to lunch with Evelyn Nesbit.
Tastes like...Anyone know what possum tastes like? In one of the fancier restaurants in Florida, I've had gator meat. Alligator meat really does taste like chicken (when grilled and marinated like chicken).
Yumm yummWe got them! Possums! Possums! Get your fresh hot possums!
Hello, Possums!That appears to be Granny Clampett herself hurrying to buy up a few for supper.
But are these . . .free range possums?
Jeb and WillyThere is something about this picture that just makes want to put words into the mouths of the two men with their opossums. I don't know what exactly - something to the effect that they can offer the photographer a good deal on a nice one - skinned out and ready for stew. Just makes me want to write a story....
I always enjoy these little looks back to times gone by - Thanks so much!
Hangin With the PossumsI'm wondering less about the merchandise and more about the location. This is New York, by which they presumably mean New York City. One wouldn't think there'd be enough of a market for possum in the Big Apple that you'd have nine or ten of the critters hanging outside your shop. A sign of the times?
[This is Chinatown. - Dave]
Frontier Fast FoodI'm pretty sure there isn't anything in the world that would induce me to eat an opossum. Why no squirrels, I wonder?
Well dressed, but...The possum dealer is indeed very well dressed under his coat, but look how filthy the gutter is! Must have been hard to keep nice clothes clean, even if you weren't slaughtering vermin all day.
Recipe CornerNo mention of possum in my 1904 White House Cookbook but several rabbit recipes. My grandmother grew up in Texas and has had possum and she said it wasn't worth trying. But for those that care, here is the recipe for Fricassee Rabbit from the 1904 White House cook book.
Clean two young rabbits, cut into joints, and soak in salt and water half an hour. Put into a saucepan with a pint of cold water, a bunch of sweet herbs, an onion finely minced, a pinch of mace, half a nutmeg, a pinch of pepper and a half a pound of salt pork cut in small thin slices. Cover and stew until tender. Take out the rabbits and set in a dish where they will keep warm. Add to the gravy a cup of cream (or milk), two well-beaten eggs, stirred in a little at a time, a tablespoonful of butter, and a thickening made of a tablespoonful of flour and a little milk. Boil up once; remove the saucepan from the fire, squeeze in the juice of a lemon, stirring all the while, and pour over the rabbits. Do not cook the head or neck.
Taste of PossumI've actually had possum - very greasy, dark meat. My dad was quite a hunter when I was a kid, and being a child of the Depression, he wouldn't consider us not eating whatever he brought home - that would be wasteful. However, I'd go out of my way not to eat possum again - yuck! Same goes for raccoon and beaver. Bear, on the other hand, was quite delicious - though I oppose killing them on moral grounds.
Playing PossumHow do we know they weren't just playing dead? And those guys were just the Allen Funts of their day, waiting to see a customer jump out of their shoes when the 'possum suddenly scampers off the counter. Candid Glass Negative Show. We need those little cartoon X's over the eyes maybe.
Where'd they come from?Opossum are able scavengers. I'd imagine at that time they were all over the trash bins and alleyways of NYC. I'll bet armed with a small club or a slingshot one could kill quite a few at night. Probably a sort of cottage industry.
The Dixie CookbookFrom the Dixie Cookbook.
OPOSSUM. — Scald with lye, scrape off hair, and dress whole, leaving on head and tail; rub well with salt and set in a cool place over night; place in a large stone pan with two pints water and three or four slices bacon; when about half baked, fill with a dressing of bread crumbs, seasoned with salt, pepper and onions if liked. After returning to pan place sweet potatoes, pared, around the opossum, bake all a light brown, basting frequently with the gravy. When served place either an apple or sweet potato in its mouth.
— Mrs. L. S. Brown, Atlanta
Meta GivenMy cookbook treasure, "Meta Given's Encyclopedia of Food," has a recipe for roast possum as well. (First printing 1947.) I found it among such culinary delights as turtle soup (and how to dress a turtle), muskrat Maryland, and a complete American Legion raccoon dinner. Courtesy of the Chillicothe, Missouri chapter.
[Meta rules. I have both volumes of Meta Given's "Modern Encyclopedia of Cooking," the 1959 edition. They've been in my family since they were new. A great cookbook! - Dave]
New YorkThis is funny I am in Tennessee and have had dealings with New Yorkers and have been called possum eating hillbilly..
I tried to explain that it was Turkey deer fish squirrel rabbit and other game birds before possum.
But it looks as though it was Sunday dinner in New York.
Possums look differentDunno bought y'all but the only possums I have ever seen are white, no where near that furry, and much much smaller- do they have bigger possums back east?
[Possums are not white. Maybe you're thinking of armadillos. - Dave]
JoyThe old (unexpunged) versions of The Joy of Cooking actually have a brief bit on dressing and preparing Opossum. You have to look under O and not P in the Index. Sadly, my copy is newer and doesn't have this lovely tidbit, so I'll have to rely on someone else.
Like ChickenI actually cooked a possum, in a Dutch oven over (and under) coals, as a part of a historical reenactment of the 1830's in Washington-on-the-Brazos, Texas. It tasted like chicken.
I love these booksI have both the volumes of Meta Given's Modern Encyclopedia of Cooking as well, the fifth printing 1956, I suspect they were a wedding gift as my parents were married in 1956. I love them, they are a treasure of not only unique recipes, but everything else from buying fruits, storing food and entertaining!
Janet
This Opinion From a "Possum Expert"I grew up in rural Alabama and trapped rabbits and possums in what were called "rabbit boxes". Consequently, I have caught many possums. My family would eat the rabbits I caught, but I sold the possums locally to those who did eat them. Generally, the price of a regular size possum was 50¢ and the larger ones would bring 75¢. This was during the 1940's. The animal carcasses in this photo do not appear to be possums to me. Among other things, they are much larger than any I have ever seen.
50 shades of gray?Possums come in all shades of gray, from such a light gray as to appear almost white to such a dark shade that they are nearly black.
(The Gallery, G.G. Bain, NYC, Stores & Markets)](https://www.shorpy.com/files/images/03118u.thumbnail.jpg "Pick a Possum: 1916")
- Love Before Breakfast: 1936
- Houses in Atlanta. March 1936 View full size. Photograph by Walker Evans.
Looks ... how did you get to them? A rear alley?
(The Gallery, Atlanta, Movies, Walker Evans) ... Posted by Dave - 08/20/2012 - 1:06am -
- Provincetown Summer: 1937
- ... in downtown Monterey in the artsy section or underground Atlanta back in the late sixties. Especially with the glasses. The pic took ... Posted by Dave - 08/13/2013 - 3:35pm -
![Summer 1937. "Street scene -- Provincetown, Massachusetts." And a reminder to "Don't write -- Telegraph!" 35mm negative by Edwin Rosskam. View full size.
Quite stylishnothing like pedaling a bicycle while wearing two inch heels.
Itchy nippleMy guess.
[If you look closely, you'll see that both hands are at her sides. And if you don't look closely, this is what you come up with.] - Dave]
Old Cape CodTwenty one years after this picture was snapped, I made my first of many road trips to Provincetown. 1958 was the year Patti Page recorded the title song and it was played constantly everywhere in Provincetown to add musical atmosphere for the tourists. Nothing stays the same and neither did Provincetown, but the fresh lobsters, crusty Portugese breads, artists and artisans of all kinds, lively ambient bars, balmy beaches and friendly people got me hooked on this beautiful town. My last trip there was in 1970 so maybe somebody can locate an updated picture of the current Main St. and post it.
P.S. to Kilroy - Thanks for refreshing my memory. I do remember that their main street was called Commercial St. We used to stay at a B & B type lodging called the Gray Inn that most likely no longer exists, a family-run rooming house sort of arrangement, casual and inexpensive. Wonderful memories.
P.P.S. to JesryPo - I appreciate the photo (the architecture does look original) and its nice to know it is still a quaint and charming town. Many thanks.
StyleFrom her head to toe, the bicycle chick evokes style...boasting the latest in eye wear, jewelry, socks, heels. She may have been heading home from work. And, remember the rear wheel push-down stands? I love this image. Wish I knew what the attention grabber was.
Judging by those socksTwo years later a house from Kansas will fall on her!
At first glanceI thought she had her hand under her shirt, adjusting her bra.
Burchis the maker of that beautiful Art Deco popcorn machine. In 1940 it became Manley Inc. to reflect the new owners name. More here.
Bicycling experienceI remember as a boy, having to tie my pants leg tight so the material wouldn't get tangled in the chain mechanism. I never saw the need to tie BOTH legs, since there is nothing on the other side to get tangled up. And those heels must have made the pedaling difficult. I'd have put those shoes in the bag, and worn appropriate shoes for the trip, then switched to my heels once I reached my destination.
What's this world coming to?A man outside and not wearing a hat!!
There he is againIt seems like the older fellow on the right by the curb (hat, tie blown back) is omnipresent in photos from this era. He certainly did get around!
The Start of the End of the USPSIn the window it says "Don't write, Telegraph."
The sign of things to come.
Armchair quarterbacking the photoI too thought her hand was in the shirt adjusting things...She seems very flexible too. Can someone describe the pants? They look like a pants-skirt???
[Culottes? - tterrace]
Re: OTY - No Main St.There isn't any Main Street in Provincetown if you can believe it. The main thoroughfares through P-Town are Bradford St. (Rte 6A) and Commercial St. I'm guessing this photo was taken on Commercial, but not sure.
Stylin'That girl is years ahead of her time style wise. I love it! That took guts back then.
Free thinkerI'm guessing this woman was what was referred to at that time as a "free thinker." She's very stylish and uninhibited looking.
304 Commercial StreetI can assure you, OTY, much of Provincetown is as it was, at least architecturally. There is no Google Street View for Commercial Street, but I found this picture of 304 Commercial - now a jeweler.
Girl on BicycleHer hand is going straight down her right side, not in her blouse. Love how she looks.
Too bad there isn't even a reflection to help us know what the people are looking at.
I keep coming backIve looked at this photo alot, and I keep thinking how the girl on the bike would fit right in with the students at Appalachian university here in Boone NC. hip, but with a agenda.
Modern girlExcept for the passerbys she looks like she would fit right in, in downtown Monterey in the artsy section or underground Atlanta back in the late sixties. Especially with the glasses. The pic took me right back there.
AkimboThe young lady's pose is a variant of "hands on hips" or "akimbo". The hands are placed so that the fingers are vertical and end up approximately at the waist, instead of on the hips. Thanks to various life experiences I associate it with the Northeastern U.S., with impatience or irritation, and with the sort of woman we describe today as "high maintenance".
I Always telegraphThat's why I'm such a lousy poker player.
"Don't write" would last about five more yearsNo one who lived on the home front during World War II ever wanted to receive a telegram again.
(The Gallery, Bicycles, Edwin Rosskam)](https://www.shorpy.com/files/images/SHORPY_8a15351a.thumbnail.jpg "Provincetown Summer: 1937")
- I Saw What You Did: 1939
- May-June 1939. Atlanta, Georgia. "Woodworking shop at FSA warehouse depot." Acetate negative ... to work, lots of natural light, room to move around and in Atlanta it would still be comfortable in the winter months.
Plywood table ... Two sheets of 3/4 yields an 8x4x3 table.
(The Gallery, Atlanta, M.P. Wolcott) ... Posted by Dave - 09/17/2022 - 1:11pm -
![May-June 1939. Atlanta, Georgia. "Woodworking shop at FSA warehouse depot." Acetate negative by Marion Post Wolcott for the Farm Security Administration. View full size.
Alternate TitleI Dado What You Sawed --
I was hammeredIt's my worst vise.
I needed to drill my way out of this joint and board a plane. But first I tapped my mudder for some scratch. It wasn't easy, she's tough as nails. But I told her I was on the level.
Drill Sergeant"Did you hear about the blind man who picked up a hammer and saw?"
I Wood Do ThatI would be glued to my work everyday. Then I wood go home to my wife Mortice and kiss her and the kids, Dowel, Rod and my little girl Eucalyptus. I Pine for them everyday.
I'm curious ...What do you use a fire ax for in a woodworking shop?
[Fires. - Dave]
I could work thereThis looks like a great space to work, lots of natural light, room to move around and in Atlanta it would still be comfortable in the winter months.
Plywood tableSame pattern I use, made a hundred of them probably. Two sheets of 3/4 yields an 8x4x3 table.
(The Gallery, Atlanta, M.P. Wolcott)](https://www.shorpy.com/files/images/SHORPY-8c10360a.thumbnail.jpg "I Saw What You Did: 1939")
- Celery Cola: 1908
- ... C. Mayfield in the early 1890's and first sold at the Atlanta Cotton States Exposition in 1895 in Hutchinson stoppered bottles. ...
Mayfield was involved with the Wine-Coca Company of Atlanta and Boston in the early 1890's before venturing out solo with Celery ... Posted by Dave - 07/10/2011 - 1:37pm -
![John Howell, an Indianapolis newsboy. Makes 75 cents some days. Begins at 6 A.M., Sundays. Lives at 215 W. Michigan St. August 1908. View full size. Photograph by Lewis Wickes Hine. This is as close to a Hine self-portrait as we've seen. Who can tell us about Celery Cola?
Celery ColaMy guess is that is was similar to Dr. Brown's Cel-Ray, a celery flavored soft drink.
http://www.bevnet.com/reviews/drbrowns/
Celery flavored ?Yuk!
Celery SodaYou can find it in any deli in New York; I believe it's a regional treat. Dr. Brown's is the most famous. Here's the Wikipedia entry on it: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cel-Ray
Celery Colasounds to me like blow cola
i found this little paragraph at: http://www.greenparty.org/coke.html
The birth of Coca-Cola can not be properly understood without knowledge of its broader historical-pharmacological background. With the coming of capitalism, workers were forced into long hours of hard and tedious employment. As a reaction, various stimulants and narcotics began to find a mass market; tobacco, coffee and tea first and then in the 19th century opium, morphine and cocaine. By the 1880s, many cocaine laced soft drinks had become popular, drinks with names such as Celery Cola, Pillsbury Koke, Kola-Ade, Kos-Kola, Cafe-Cola, and Koke. The reason Coca-Cola rose to national and than international prominence out of this ocean of syrupy stimulation may in part have been due to Pemberton's special "secret recipe, but more likely it was superior marketing; a job done by others who followed him.
Another interesting one:
http://www.sodamuseum.bigstep.com/generic.jhtml?pid=10
-cheers
www.donkeyrunner.com/blog
VeggieApparently, like many colas back in the late 1800s, it had cocaine in it. The USDA filed suit against the company because the company did not label that it had both cocaine and caffeine in it.
You can read about the USDA's interesting cocaine crackdown in soda (circa 1910) here - http://www.bottlebooks.com/Cocastory/coca_mariani.htm
Celery Cola Cont'dA couple CC newspaper ads I found from 1926. Click here and here for the full-size versions.
Celery ColaGoogle produced a number of results for " celery cola" "formula" - here are the two most relevant results from the first few pages:
www.southernbottles.com/Pages/Mayfield/Mayfield.html
(lots of info, but no recipe or formula...)
www.sodamuseum.bigstep.com (only a passing reference, in the history of Coca Cola)
There may be more but my library time is up.
Enjoy! :-)
Celery Cola origin...Uh, why not just Google :Celery Cola Bottling Co., Danville, Virginia" and see what comes up? That's what Google is for after all. (You'll find it on the Danville site.) Happy Sunday. E=Mcee-flared...Richard Laurence Baron, www.signalwriter.blogspot.com
[The page you're referring to is about Porter Brewing in Danville, and how it switched from beer to Celery Cola. But it doesn't have anything to say about the origins of Celery Cola. This was just the local bottler for that part of Virginia. - Dave]
Celery ColaI have nothing to add to the above, but notice how similar the branding (font) is to later Cola-Cola.
[True. Although Coca-Cola was earlier, not later. This photo was taken in 1908; Coca-Cola got its start in 1885. - Dave]
Celery ColaCelery Cola was invented by James C. Mayfield in the early 1890's and first sold at the Atlanta Cotton States Exposition in 1895 in Hutchinson stoppered bottles. Mayfield was a partner with Coca-Cola inventor John Pemberton in the 1880's and became president of the Pemberton Medicine Company on the old doctor's death.
Mayfield was involved with the Wine-Coca Company of Atlanta and Boston in the early 1890's before venturing out solo with Celery Cola and Koke. He opened a factory in Birmingham in 1899 and soon had branches at St. Louis, Nashville, Richmond, Denver, Dallas and Los Angeles. Celery Cola was sold across the US, Canada, Mexico, Cuba, and as far away as Australia by 1906. Mexican General Pancho Villa was a fan of the drink bottled by a local franchisee in Vera Cruz.
In 1909 Mayfield formed the Koke Company in Louisiana. By 1911 it was reorganized as the Koke Company of America and Mayfield's Cola was sold extensively under the trade names Koke and Dope. Coca-Cola claimed ownership of both Koke and Dope even though Mayfield owned both registered trademarks. The two rivals wound up in the US Supreme Court in 1920 and Koke was declared an invalid trademark.
Mayfield continued to sell Celery=Cola and Dope and introduced other soft drinks throughout the 1920's.
I am working on a book on Mayfield and his various enterprises and would appreciate any new information.
celerycola@yahoo.com
Very nice siteI am the great-grandson of James I. Thanks for your site. Warmest regards,
James C. Mayfield IV
Celery Cola bottlehello, i cant help you with info about Mr. Mayfield, i was actually hoping you could tell me more about celery-cola bottles, i found one yesterday that says it was bottled in danville, va?.......-brad
Celery ColaI too am a great-grandson of James C. Mayfield. If you would be interested in contacting me for further details my e-mail is jrukenbrod@nc.rr.com.
Rgds, Joe
Koke and DopeNever realized there had been a soda called Dope. When I moved to Tennessee in the 80s, some of the folks there referred to Coke as "dope." The first time the guy at the convenience store asked this kid from Baltimore if he could put my dope in a poke, I was completely confused.
Celery ChampagneI have a copy of a circa 1898 photo of the Dr. Pepper Company in Dallas. The picture shows a wagon in front of the building, both the wagon and the building have advertising on for Dr. Pepper, Zuzu Ginger Ale, and something called Celery Champagne. I googled "Celery Champagne" but there was no match. Could the champagne be similar to Celery Cola, and what is celery cola??
This picture sits above my desk at work, so it catches my eye dozens of time a day. I would greatly appreciate it if someone could satisfy my curiosity on the whole celery champagne/celery cola thing I'd appreciate it.
Celery Cola CapI was reading the various comments regarding Celery Cola when I remembered I had seen a small newsie wearing a cap with the Celery Cola logo. He is first row, second from right, next to that poor cross eyed boy in this photo. Don't some of these pictures just break your heart?
Origins of promotional headgearIt struck me that the most American thing I can think of which nobody ever mentions is the advertising ballcap. This paperboy is a prime example from 1908 and I bet it wasn't new then. You'd think his paper would have outfitted him and his confreres with caps with the paper's name on it, for goodness sake! Celery Cola with a direct ripoff of Coca-Cola font was his lot. In a crowd at going to work or leaving work times, it would seem these diminutive boys would have benefited from having a cap with the paper's name on it. After all, anyone in the police, military or fire services had hats that identified them and had for a good century one way or the other.
I grew up in England before my parents took my family to Canada in the late 1950s as immigrants. I was used in the UK to a cap for my school that had a logo sewn into it. Cricket caps, which were not much different, had similar logos, and had origins going back to the 1700s, so the baseball cap as such wasn't an American invention. But using it purely as an advertising vehicle was. Can't say there was a whole bunch of promotional ballcaps in Canada in 1959, but a decade later it all started in earnest when the super-cheapy adjustable holed headband was invented.
After a visit to the UK in 1993, I sent a big package of different advertising ballcaps to my grandnieces and nephews. This was met with a dull thud of indifference, and the adults gently told me they regarded advertising hats as a bit crass. Five years later, that opinion had changed as times changed over there, and my by now vintage caps were "just the job".
Yes, I searched for the history of promotional headgear, but it seems to be a topic nobody has paid much attention to. Makes you wonder.
(The Gallery, Indianapolis, Kids, Lewis Hine)](https://www.shorpy.com/files/images/03225u.thumbnail.jpg "Celery Cola: 1908")
- Appleton: 1962
- ... right foreground.
Just a guess I'd say early 1960s Atlanta.
Appleton That is Appleton, Wisconsin.
That's cool! ... Posted by Dave - 12/04/2017 - 5:11pm -
![UPDATE: It took only a few minutes for you to pinpoint the location to Appleton, Wisconsin. Well done! This is one of the Janet & Kermy Kodachromes, labeled "Wisconsin plane trip 1962." The slide was processed in October 1962.
A 35mm Kodachrome from the Shorpy archives that I scanned last night. Where are we, and when? See the comments for your answers. View full size.
Why are downtowns desolate nowadays?Comparing the photo from 1962 to Google Street View, it is jarring how desolate the downtown feels. The older photo seemed to pack in SO MANY more stores, so much more texture, and of course, so many more people and cars. Lots of photos on this site, when compared to modern day, feel the same.
I suppose I know some of the answers, but it still jumps out at me.
[Shopping centers, for one. - tterrace]
Iroquois beerSo we're probably somewhere in New York. Buffalo?
[I could really go for a six-pack of Pontiacs right about now. - Dave]
Amarica's Dairyland@bobstothfang- You would be correct. The phrase America's Dairyland has been on all Wisconsin standard automobile plates since 1940.
TuslerI think there was a Tusler Pontiac in Appleton, WI.
1960Newest car in the photo is the 1960 Chevy parked on right foreground.
Just a guessI'd say early 1960s Atlanta.
AppletonThat is Appleton, Wisconsin.
That's cool!No comment in particular other than I love these photos that capture a place in time. Love it.
Appleton, WisconsinAt back, the H.C. Prange Department Store was at 126 West College Avenue Appleton, Wisconsin. It opened in 1946.
View Larger Map
Is this the place?Might this be Appleton, Wisconsin?
Downtown AppletonDowntown Appleton, WI; looking west along College Avenue between Morrison and Oneida.
View Larger Map
Lightning-quickI am impressed! Appleton, Wisconsin, is correct. This is one of the Janet & Kermy Kodachromes, labeled "Wisconsin plane trip 1962." The slide was processed in October 1962.
Appleton200 block of East College, Appleton, Wisconsin
I'll take an educated guessI am betting that we are looking south on the main street in Appleton, WI in the very early '60s.
Based on the following clues --
Tusler Pontiac sign
Tusler Motor Company (Google)
Burton Tusler (Google)
The vintage of the cars
Jimos Hat Cleaners (Google)
"Andy Jimos, who had a hat cleaning business on
the main street for 65 years…from 1927 to 1982"...
The license plates are tough to see, but they might say "America's Dairyland" on the bottom.
[Other clews below. - Dave]
217 east college Appleton WIGreenen dry goods is pretty conclusive. There are a lot of changes but the red brick building with beige points is still there.
But here's the most perplexing question of allWhy does Jimos Hat Cleaners have a Coca-Cola logo on its sign?
Far CarsFrom the left: 1961 Chevy, 1955 Chevy Nomad, yellow 1959 Ford, 1962 Ford, another 1959 Ford, blue 1962 Ford, 1960 Mercury.
AALThe large building on the far right with the "A.A.L" on it is the headquarters of the Aid Association for Lutherans (now Thrivent). I've had a life insurance policy with them since my parents bought it when I was two months old (March 1962).
Dave:aren't clews the lower part of a sail?
[Maybe you need to get out more! - Dave]
Iroquois BeerI spent an hour or more looking for Iroquois Beer but only found Schlitz on top of Dick's Tavern. Where the heck is it? Iroquois beer was brewed in Buffalo & Dunkirk NY and also in Ohio at various times but not in Wisconsin, "diloretta" anything further to add? Thanks for the reason to hunt this pic.
[I think Diloretta was confusing Chief Pontiac with the Iroquois mascot. - Dave]
Desolate DowntownsThis looks to be one of those towns that tried to buck the trend by putting the shopping center/mall downtown. These almost always failed. Nowadays malls are becoming ghost towns, and the new trend is toward "town centers" combining stores, housing and office buildings in order to try to recreate the downtown experience. The circle of life.
Things that pass; things that remainThe things that have passed: Pontiac, Mercury, Oldsmobile, F.W.Woolworth.
The things that have remained (so far): Chevrolet, Ford, Singer, Coca-Cola, Dutch Boy, Smirnoff, Sears (although who would have guessed Sears would be owned by K-Mart?).
Others that have passedTo add to mpcdsp's list, H.C. Prange (department stores) and AAL (Aid Association for Lutherans), the two tall buildings on the right. Both Appleton mainstays were bought out or merged and renamed.
Clue about clewIn Greek Mythology "clew" refers to the ball of thread used by Theseus to find his way out of the labyrinth to escape the Minotaur - becomes clue in American usage.
1957 Olds From IllinoisCheck out the robin's egg blue 1957 Oldsmobile sitting under the MARX clock. He's a visitor from Illinois. I distinctly remember the dark orange plates with white numerals, even though I was 12 years old at the time. Ahhhh, good times. No cell phones, no computers, kids got exercise outdoors playing and we were the most prosperous nation in the world. The only thing we had to worry about was the Russians!
Grandpa following DadA nostalgia trip for me,as my grandfather had a purple '59 Olds and my Dad a red '59 Chevy Bel Air at the time this photo was taken. My brother and I would stand on the floor behind the old man and watch him drive (no car seats, or even seatbelts, then). The cars are all as familiar to me as today's cars, except for that Nomad (good eye, Dave). I don't remember ever seeing one till later when they were big with street rodders and surfers.
Blue carThe blue car under the MARX clock is a '55-'56 Buick, not a '57 Oldsmobile. I owned a '57 Olds back in 1962. They have a 3 piece rear window and oval tailights.
My hometownI lived in Appleton from 1969 to 1995. You can see the AAL building and Zuelke building.
Gibson Motors used to be here on College Avenue also. My father bought his brand new 1974 Chevy Malibu here.
Up the street a little farther was the movie theater where I first saw Star Wars in 1977. I was 9 years old.
When I got my drivers license, in the mid-'80s, I used to "cruise the ave" as they used to say, looking for girls.
What memories. Thank you for the post.
(ShorpyBlog, The Gallery, Cars, Trucks, Buses, Kermy Kodachromes)](https://www.shorpy.com/files/images/Anytown_Appleton.thumbnail.jpg "Appleton: 1962")
- Auction & Negro Sales: 1864
- Whitehall Street, Atlanta, 1864. This photo of a black Union soldier posted at a slave auction house in Atlanta is one of hundreds taken by George N. Barnard during Gen. Sherman's ... to support several such businesses.
(The Gallery, Atlanta, Civil War, Geo. Barnard) ... Posted by Dave - 07/17/2012 - 10:04pm -
- BASE BALL TO-DAY: 1909
- ... 1952, the Milwaukee Braves 1953 to 1965, and finally the Atlanta Braves from 1966 to the present.
Lost Record Building ... Posted by Dave - 08/09/2022 - 10:43pm -
![Philadelphia circa 1909. "Chestnut Street and Post Office." Neighbor to the Philadelphia Record building and its "electric score board" of baseball results. (Set up to show runs and innings in Roman numerals?!) 8x10 inch dry plate glass negative. View full size.
'Base Ball To-day' means it must be July 19, 1909This picture was taken around 9:40 AM on the morning of Monday July 19 1909.
First of all, the time on the clock in the picture shows 9:40, which judging from the brightness of the sky would have to have been in the AM.
Second, all of the final results for July 17 1909 are shown on the score board, meaning it would at least have to be the 18th.
But the Phillies and Pirates had Sunday the 18th off, and did not play each other again until Monday the 19th.
Finally, The sign on the front of the streetcar clearly states "Base Ball To-day," eliminating the 18th as a possibility, since they did not play on the 18th.
Ipso facto it must be about 9:40 AM on July 19 1909. Game day! (Phils lost that one too by a 5-4 score)
[At the very least, you seem to be off by five minutes. — Dave]
Honus Wagner at shortThank you bwayne for the box score link. I thought that might be THE Wagner at SS for the Pirates, and it is. When they voted the first Hall of Fame inductees, he came in second, behind Cobb and ahead of Ruth. Went 0-4 on July 17 though. The game had 7 errors!
Beaten to the Punchbwayne beat me to the answer of July 17, 1909, but here's the box score for that day:
https://www.baseball-almanac.com/box-scores/boxscore.php?boxid=190907170...
Of all the players that played that day, only one, William Joseph "Jap" Barbeau, played for his team only in 1909; he was traded to the Cardinals in August.
ELECTRIC SCORE BOARD.Who can figure out the exact date of the photo from these scores? (Our choice of 1909 as the year here is only a guess.) Click to embiggen.
Nice dig into 1909!July 17, 1909.
One second before the collision ...It would appear that the coatless young fellow running toward the camera near the lower left of the frame is on a collision course with the older fellow striding purposefully leftwards toward the corner of the shot. One wonders if his attorney ever saw a print of this probative photo ...
Rounding IInd & headed IV IIIrdWhile in a full sprint wearing a necktie, this agile office boy is successfully weaving through straw hats and avoided the man on crutches who, apparently is screaming for everyone to keep away. No doubt this go-getting lad is wearing hard sole shoes, which may very well have given him a blister for his effort. When he returns to his employer's office, he will probably be asked what took him so long.
PB & HWhat at first appears to be a spelling error ("Pittsburg") on the baseball scoreboard, in fact, is not. In 1891, the United States Board on Geographic Names officially deleted the "h" from the end of Pittsburgh. The Board officially reinstated the "h" in 1911.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Name_of_Pittsburgh
Busy Street and BaseballA lot to see in this picture. But no automobiles. Almost everyone has a hat on.
Boston had two baseball teams? I had to look it up. While the more famous American League Boston Red Sox have stayed steady, the National League Boston Doves at this time in 1909 had a history of much more name and location changes.
Starting in 1876 to 1882 as the Boston Red Caps, then Beaneaters 1883 to 1906, then Doves 1907 to 1910, then Rustlers in 1911, then Braves 1912-1935, then the Bees 1936 to 1940, then Braves (again) from 1941 to 1952, the Milwaukee Braves 1953 to 1965, and finally the Atlanta Braves from 1966 to the present.
Lost Record Buildinghttp://philaphilia.blogspot.com/2011/08/lost-building-of-week-august-3rd...
Hold on to your hats, ladies!Looks like quite the blustery day, judging from the ladies at the lower right.
Those Extra DigitsThe numbers to the left right of the team names reflect the final scores from the first game of the doubleheaders played that day between Brooklyn and the Cubs in the NL and the Athletics-Browns in the AL.
The day in baseball
The other teamPhiladelphia at the time, of course, had two teams, so one wonders who got possession of the Game Board; did they trade off based on who was home - or even away, as it looks like the Phillies were actually in Pittsburg - or was the "Record" a NL partisan (if so they got the demise they deserved!)
Regardless, 1909 was a big year for baseball in Philly: The A's opened Shibe Park that year, the Major's first "modern" stadium.
Scoreboard QuestionLooking at the scoreboard -- what are the numbers to the left of the first inning scores for the Athletics/St. Louis (0 & 2) and the Brooklyn/Chicago (1 & 0) games? They don't appear to be associated with close games that went into extra innings. I'm sure it must be something obvious but whatever it is I am missing it.
Working from HomeAccording to that box score, the game was umpired single-handedly by Hall-of-Famer Bill Klem.
If that's true, how long has it been since a Major League game was called by only one umpire? I've seen kids' league and high-school contests with one umpire, but not college or pro. In those, the ump positioned himself behind the pitcher's mound. But Wikipedia tells us that Klem worked exclusively behind home plate. If this is true, was he able to decide balls and strikes and all baserunning plays, plus all the business of running the game, from home plate?
But base ball survives to this-dayvjmvjm's comment about the Lost Record Building made me wonder what this stretch of Chestnut Street looks like today. It looks very different. You're at the intersection of S 9th Street, looking west. Chestnut is, and maybe was, a one-way street coming towards you. Today, there are only two buildings on the north side of this block, a US courthouse and a Federal Reserve Bank. Nothing on either side of the street looks familiar until you get to the next intersection, S 10th. There, the white, Second Empire building with the rounded corner is the same as in the 1909 photograph.
Read all about itThe sports page for July 20, 1909 ...
https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn83030214/1909-07-20/ed-1/seq-8...
Jack ChesbroPer the sign, we can see that Jack Chesbro pitched for the New York Highlanders. Chesbro is still the record holder for the most wins in a season (41 in 1904), and the Highlanders -- who officially changed their name to the Yankees in 1913 -- are most famous for having the highest total of World Series victories of any team, at 27 (far ahead of second place St. Louis, who have 11). The Yanks and Cardinals may face each other this October.
(The Gallery, DPC, Philadelphia, Sports, Streetcars)](https://www.shorpy.com/files/images/SHORPY-4a23374a.thumbnail.jpg "BASE BALL TO-DAY: 1909")
- Crescent Limited: 1926
- ... passenger train service between New York, Washington, Atlanta and New Orleans, broke all records for on-time performance in the year ... 365 trips in each direction the Crescent Limited reached Atlanta on time southbound on 360 days, or 98.6 percent, and reached Washington ... Posted by Dave - 07/13/2013 - 9:42pm -
![Alexandria, Virginia, circa 1926. "American Locomotive Co. -- Southern R.R. Crescent Limited 1396." Seen here from the other side, with more info in the comments. National Photo Company Collection glass negative. View full size.
So little stock, so high the rentHow much would the shoes have been to pay the rent? It doesn't look like a high volume place and the selection is very small.
[Probably didn't even make enough to pay for the coal. But at least they could move to a new location easily enough. -tterrace]
OOPs: Intended for the 'Juvenile Footwear'.
Daily CrescentAmtrak still operates the Crescent on a daily basis between New York City and New Orleans. It's even slightly quicker now. When the service was inaugurated in 1926, the journey from Washington to New Orleans required 33 hrs and 55 minutes. Today, thanks to 87 years of innovation and investment, the trip will only take you 26 hrs and 2 minutes!
Washington Post, May 7, 1933.
Crescent Limited Sets Up Records
Running on a faster schedule than in any previous year, the Crescent Limited, ace of the Southern Railway System's passenger train service between New York, Washington, Atlanta and New Orleans, broke all records for on-time performance in the year ended April 25, 1933, the eighth of its operation.
Out of the 365 trips in each direction the Crescent Limited reached Atlanta on time southbound on 360 days, or 98.6 percent, and reached Washington on time northbound on 357 days, or 97.9 percent. This brought the on-time performance for eight years up to 98.3 percent southbound and 96.4 percent northbound. On April 25 the Crescent Limited was placed on a schedule of 15 hours and 5 minutes between Atlanta and Washington, 20 hours and 10 minutes between Atlanta and New Your, and hour having been cut from the running time in each direction between Atlanta and Washington.
The Crescent limited is operated over the Pennsylvania Railroad between New York and Washington, the Southern between Washington and Atlanta, the West Point Route between Atlanta and Montgomery and the Louisville & Nashville between Montgomery and New Orleans.
SmileThat's one happy locomotive.
The "Hudson"The first 4-6-4 in America was built for the New York Central by ALCO and named after the river it ran. It proved it be such a popular configuration between 1920 and 1940 they were in use by 21 American railroads (and many more overseas) -The Canadian Pacific was its second most user. Various railroads built these in their own shops and called them by assorted names, but Hudson prevails. In their day they set two speed records. However, in the '40's the clear superiority of the diesel sent these to the scrap yards. A great steam engine; pulled the 20th Century Limited in its day.
This locomotivewas painted green.
It's beautiful!Most engines, at least this side of the water, were very much 'cleaner' in appearance than the Hudson ... but this engine appears to proclaim to the world that it is a very tough and powerful machine. To my eyes, it looks wonderful ... an amazing array of 'stuff' and 'things' just hung on the outside of the locomotive, all of it going to make this one purposeful-looking machine. And, presumably, maintenance was easier.
As for those punctuality rates; they make UK rates today look pretty poor, despite ultra-modern electric traction, computers, and the like. The people who operated the services all those years ago were evidently made of the 'right stuff'. How things have ... progressed.
PacificThe previous post regarding the "Hudson" class of locomotive on the NYC are effectively correct including the mention of the "20th Century Limited being pulled by the "Hudson" type 4-6-4 locomotive. The locomotive in this image however is a 4-6-2 "Pacific" from the Southern Railway and called a Ps-4. Its sister locomotive No. 1401 sits in the Smithsonian. They were painted a stunning green with gold trim. Some of the most beautiful locomotives on US rails.
Painted Green...I am not sure if the Smithsonian has the locomotive painted correctly but my comment for Shorpy's other side of the locomotive image shows that they have it depicted with green trim and the rest is gray. Here is my comment and my image from the Smithsonian.
Cylinder behind the bell?As handsome a machine as I have seen.
I can identify most of the systems here, but the cross ways cylinder between the bell and the smoke vent has me stumped. A lot of complexity there, it must be a worthwhile bit of steam technology. Who can say what it is?
Elesco FWH/paint scheme.The appliance between the bell and the smokestack is an Elesco feedwater heater. It uses exhaust steam from the loco's cylinders to pre-heat the feedwater going into the boiler. The cylindrical part is the heater bundle, and the feedwater pump is the appliance visible just above the rear coupled wheel.
1401 in the Smithsonian is in the correct paint scheme, which is largely green - inspired by the livery of the Southern Railway in Britain. The grey mentioned is representative of the graphite and oil-based finish typically applied to loco smokeboxes and often fireboxes on US railroads. The smokebox was usually unlagged, and so the external surfaces got quite hot when the engine was in steam. Normal paint would quickly burn off, so graphite used instead.
That cylindrical applianceis a Feedwater Heater. An Elesco Feedwater Heater to be precise. Made by Locomotive Superheater Company (hence the name L-S-CO), it used steam to preheat the water before being injected into the boiler so as to reduce the total energy needed to bring it to a violent boil at 200 psi. There were a number of Feedwater Heater manufacturers, the Elesco and Coffin types being the most easily identified because of their most common location on top of the smokebox between the smokebox front and stack (or smokestack).
Pole pocketWhat is strange to see on a mainline flyer are the pole pockets at the front just above the first wheel. In local service it sometimes was necessary to shove a car on an adjacent track using a long wooden pole socketed into this pocket and into a similar pocket on the car to be shoved. A dangerous practice that could result in serious injury when the pole snapped.
Pilot beam casting with poling pockets.The pilot beams on most modern US locos were a proprietary casting made by Commonwealth Steel, later known as General Steel Castings, of Granite City Illinois. The poling pockets were a standard feature of the casting, and can be seen on most locos, whether they were for passenger, freight or switching service.
Crescent was a class actIn 1977, I made a train trip with 3 children from Benson AZ to Augusta GA. Our "heritage fleet" Amtrak sleeper was dropped in New Orleans to be picked up by the next day's Southern Crescent. The Amtrak car's air conditioning quit and, as the temperature rose, the elderly Southern conductor sent an equally ancient porter to move us to another car. As we stepped into the coolness, I blurted out, "Hey, the air conditioning works." The old black porter put down the bags, turned to me and standing stiffly erect, said, "Suh, this is a Southrun cah. EVERTHING WORKS!"
Formal steam engine portraitsrequired that the side rods be in the "down" position,
witnessed by this photo of 1396.
Take a look at any steam locomotive builders photos; you will see all photos are made with the rods down.
Thanks to those who corrected some who mistakenly referred to this as a "Hudson" 4-6-4 engine type. These beauties were 4-6-2 "Pacific" class locomotives arguably the most ubiquitous steam locomotive type ever to run on the world's railways.
The Canadian Pacific ran both light small pacifics
and heavier more powerful ones until the end of steam.
I would imagine many other roads did too.
(The Gallery, D.C., Natl Photo, Railroads)](https://www.shorpy.com/files/images/SHORPY_32807u.thumbnail.jpg "Crescent Limited: 1926")
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