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Moonlight Tower: 1899
... Some of these towers are said to have made their way to Austin, Texas, where they are the sole remaining examples of their kind. View full ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 10/17/2020 - 10:35am -

Detroit circa 1899. "Majestic Building." And a good view of one of the "moonlight tower" arc lamp standards whose base can be seen in the previous post. Some of these towers are said to have made their way to Austin, Texas, where they are the sole remaining examples of their kind. View full size. Public TransportationIt looks like you don't have to wait long for a streetcar. The lady carries a swordI am intrigued by the statue in the lower right. Does she still stand? And what is her story? All gone...nearly Corner of Woodward and Michigan Avenue. That's the old city hall at the left side of the photo. As in the previous photo of the old post office, nothing in this photo remains today. Well, almost. You can see this cannon at the Dossin Great Lakes Museum on Belle Isle, as it was removed there when the city hall was razed in 1960. Snap, Crackle and Pop!The early carbon arc street lamps were not necessarily as popular an innovation as one might assume. I don't know what Detroit residents thought of theirs, but a similar system was installed in San Diego in 1886, and earned many bitter complaints from the residents. The lamps were too bright for one thing, and people who had grown up with candles and kerosene lantern lights were appalled by the harsh, blue-white arc lights that cast shadows deeper than the noonday sun. The company's solution was to raise the masts to as tall as 125 feet (below, in an 1887 photo), but it scarcely helped. And the heavy carbon rods were exposed to the moist and often foggy night air from the adjacent bay, resulting in an all-night racket of pops and small explosions that kept everyone awake. San Diego's carbon arc lamps lasted only to 1889, when the lighting company failed in a local economic collapse, but their removal was unlamented by the long-suffering residents. Peninsular ElectricThere's another tower at the next intersection. It must have been successful because I can't see any remains of the gaslights that must have preceded it. The Peninsular Electric Light Company was founded in 1891 to run Detroit's street lights. It seems there were 142 of them (but probably not 142 towers). Aglow in AustinI live about two miles from one of the "moon towers" in Austin. It's very high up, and shines brightly every night. Of course, there's lots of other light around, so it's hard to tell just how much it's casting. I've often wondered what it would look like if it were the only light source. Austin memoriesI'd forgotten all about these. I moved to Austin for college 40 years ago and lived near a light tower myself. It wasn't "the only light source," but Austin in those days was a much, much smaller town with far less light pollution than today. The artificial moonlight was noticeable from almost anywhere in town, as I recall. Check the Plaque DaveLooks like they bought them new in Austin. [Hello? The plaque doesn't have a thing to say about new or used. There are, however, plenty of references describing how the city of Austin bought 31 used towers from Detroit in 1894. - Dave] Sword carrying ladyThe lady is on the Soldiers and Sailors Monument, dedicated in 1872 to honor Michigan's Civil War veterans. The monument was moved about 100 feet a few years ago. RE: circaI know the Library of Congress says circa 1880-1899. But I think this might be 1902. Because the sale signs say, "A BUSINESS REVOLUTION Change of Ownership-Management". Which jibes with this, from 1902: Pardridge & Walsh, dry goods merchants, for many years at the corner of Woodward avenue and Congress street, purchased the immense stock and fixtures of C. A. Shafer in the Majestic building for about $140,000, and continued the management of both stores until the end of the year. [Finish reading the signs and you'll see that the photo shows C.A. Shafer moving into the building, not out of it. This negative is listed in the 1899 Detroit Publishing catalog. - Dave] Cadillac SquareIf that's the Soldiers and Sailors Monument in the lower left right (as identified in earlier posts of Cadillac Square), then I'm guessing this photo was taken from the Hotel Pontchartrain. Eight Storeys in the Naked CityFrom Printer's Ink, July 5, 1899: "The finest commercial structure in Michigan is the Majestic Building, Detroit, occupied by the department store of C.A. Shafer ... Mr. Shafer uses eight floors and the basement." In 1901 Shafer was bought out by Pardridge & Blackwell. This photo must date from between 1896, when the building was completed, and 1901, when P & B took over. Also, General William Booth (as advertised on the street banner) did a tour of U.S. cities in 1898. Appearing at the AuditoriumGeneral William Booth wasn't just any Salvation Army speaker, he founded the organization in 1878, after the 13 years that he and his wife Catherine spent leading his East End (London) organization, The Christian Mission, nee The Christian Revival Society, itself formed after his four unhappy years as a Methodist (they wanted him to take a pastorate, he wanted to travel and evangelize). Initially regarded as a crank, by the time of this photo both William Booth and his Salvation Army were highly regarded. I am wondering if The Auditorium refers to the Auditorium of the Detroit Museum of Art, which at the turn of the century was criticized for booking "shallow" speakers, not aligned with the "purposes for which the art museum was organized." (see: "Museum on the Verge," by Jeffrey Apt, Wayne State Press, 2001) 1896-1962The Majestic was Detroit's second skyscraper. Soldiers and Sailors MonumentThe lady in the lower right stands atop the Soldiers and Sailors Monument, which commemorates the civil war. The statue, as mentioned above, was recently moved about 100 feet, to accommodate the re-creation of a park in Campus Martius. Its still there and looks as good as the day she was unveiled. Stop in sometime and have a look. Its at the heart of downtown Detroit. Demolition of City HallThe corner of old Detroit City Hall is seen at the left edge of the photo. In one of the most notorious incidents in the history of Detroit, as preservationists and boosters alike fought to save the old city hall, an injuction was filed to stop the demolition. The contractor snuck a bulldozer into the site at midnight and demolished the portico on the front of the building, compromising the structural integrity of the edifice, and forcing the full demolition. Moonlight Towers in AustinThere are indeed remaining moonlight towers here in Austin. Seventeen of them are still in use, retrofitted with incandescent bulbs in, I think the 1950's. More info here. lick below to enlarge. So little trafficLots of streetcars. Some commercial drays. A handful of private coaches. And many pedestrians. Looks something like Moscow would have until the end of the Soviet Union. Plenty of space on those broad boulevards. Austin TowersSee all 15 Moonlight Towers - http://www.andymattern.com/moonlighttowers/ Majestic DemolitionI was one of the two crane operators that participated in the demolition of the building in 1962. We hoisted a small 10 ton Bantam crane and a small John Deere loader-dozer atop the building and slowly worked our way to the third floor where the building was becoming unstable. We removed the equipment and finished the demolition from the ground. I worked for Arrow Wrecking Co. for nearly 20 years and am now retired to Upper Michigan. The photos of the demolition brought back many fond memories of my old home town. Thanks. I wonderWho can read THIS from the street. Not all goneRDown3657 stated that everything in this photograph is gone. There are at least two buildings on Merchant Row that are still standing. The Vapley Building (look for Vapley Brother Shoes in the photograph) is currently being renovated into loft apartments, and the building immediately south with the arched windows (I do know know of a name for it- it is at 1401 Woodward at the corner of Grand River. There may be others still standing, but those are the only two I can identify with 100% certainty. And, of course, the Soldiers and Sailors statue still remains. (Technology, The Gallery, Detroit Photos, DPC, Streetcars)
Austin Statesman: 1913
October 1913. Austin, Texas. "Sunday morning. Paul Luna, 9-year-old newsie who is up at 4 a.m. ... Mr. Luna captures the spirit and could fill in nicely. Austin Newspaper Like the Moonlight Towers, the Statesman is still Austin's ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 07/17/2012 - 7:55pm -

October 1913. Austin, Texas. "Sunday morning. Paul Luna, 9-year-old newsie who is up at 4 a.m. Sundays." Photo by Lewis Wickes Hine. View full size. Well it's still betterthan working in a Coal Mine, but then, what isn't. The ReplacementIn the event that Shorpy ever retires as the face of this website, I believe young Mr. Luna captures the spirit and could fill in nicely. Austin NewspaperLike the Moonlight Towers, the Statesman is still Austin's daily newspaper, now known as the Austin American-Statesman. Looking at a barefoot kid like thatI wonder how many rusty nails and glass shards had been hiding in those mud roads. Poor kid.Being a barefoot newsie, even in South Texas, had to be tough. Hope he ended up having a good life. (The Gallery, Kids, Lewis Hine)
Up Woodward: 1908
... This feature has been disabled on the surviving towers in Austin. Softly glowing celltowers That would be kind of cool -- big ol' ... transplanted towers In a March 1964 visit to Austin, Texas, when I first saw some of these Moonlight Towers that had been ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/08/2012 - 7:37pm -

Detroit circa 1908. "Up Woodward Avenue from Grand Circus Park." A record number of "moonlight tower" arc lamp standards on view here. 8x10 inch dry plate glass negative, Detroit Publishing Company. View full size. Moonlight TowersAnd all this time I've considered cell phone towers a major symbol of our modern crassness, as another reason to long for a return to the Edwardian Era of enlightened tastes! Perhaps we're not so bad after all. Where's a DeLorean when you need one! I wish someone would hurry up and invent a time machine so I can go back and live here. Living in the Detroit area today, and having spent a lot of time in this particular area represented in this photograph, I would give anything to be back "there" today, instead of what we have now. Even if it meant I had to shovel coal, or clean up after horses. View Larger Map Who needs a nifty ESPN smart phone app?When you can get the latest baseball scores posted on the roof of a building! Smokestacks and SpiresIndustry and faith--a winning combination in my book! Also, I wonder who won the Detroit/Chicago game. It got cut off in the fifth inning. Let There Be Light!How many moonlight towers does everyone count? I can see maybe twelve, thirteen or fourteen. If we could enlarge it even further ... Scoreboard!I noticed that just past the first church on the left there's a partial view of a baseball scoreboard showing the Tigers and the White Stockings. That's how folks got the score back then. They were wired from the stadium to various points and posted so fans could keep up in near real-time conditions. Some of these places also served simple food and beer and were generally an all-male gathering spot. High anxietyWho's gonna be the one to go up there and change a lightbulb? [Note that the lights are on pulleys and can be lowered to the ground. - Dave] High (and low) WiresHow are all these tower guy-wires anchored? Two look like they are converging in the small park on the right but I can't follow them to the end. Were they fastened to something right on the ground or perhaps out of reach on a pole? I believe this is 1907In the 1907 World Series, Game 5, the Chicago Cubs scored a run in each inning of the first and second as shown on the outdoor baseball scoreboard in this shot. It didn't match any scores from the 1908 series. Baseball gameWith the trees still bare this is early in the baseball season (April or May). If back then they used the convention of away team on top and home team on the bottom like now then this puts the picture at April 14th (season opener) or April 16th. on 4/14/1908 Sox 15 Tigers 8. on 4/16/1908 Tigers 4 Sox 2. Unfortunately box scores are hard to find earlier than about 1918. [This photo was made in the fall, not the spring. - Dave] And in TimeThis Woodward Avenue, in about 55 years, would become famous for the fact that many Auto manufacturers would come out and compare models by running out Woodward. And that the tradition still lives on. Not that they were "racing," ahem, Officer, cough. The lights and the pulleysThe pulleys are for raising and lowering the work platform, visible near the bottom of the tower. This feature has been disabled on the surviving towers in Austin. Softly glowing celltowersThat would be kind of cool -- big ol' twisty CFL bulbs dotting the modern landscape. Austin transplanted towersIn a March 1964 visit to Austin, Texas, when I first saw some of these Moonlight Towers that had been transplanted there I first thought that they were for some type of microwave relay system. They are plotted on a USGS quadrangle map (1954) of the area and supposedly when viewed from above once made the outline of a five-pointed star. 1907 perhaps? Tigers vs. CubsI think the baseball game might not be the Detroit Tigers vs. Chicago White Sox, but rather the Tigers and Chicago Cubs. The Tigers and Cubs played each other in the World Series in consecutive years in 1907 and 1908. I think this might be Game 5 of the 1907 World Series. World Series Game 5 Played on Saturday, October 12, 1907 (D) at Bennett Park CHI N 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 - 2 7 1 DET A 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 - 0 7 2 The convention of listing the home team on the bottom has not always been consistent, and perhaps DETROIT was always listed on top in Detroit. www.retrosheet.org has box scores going back to 1871. To be sure, I'd have to rule out all the regular season games between the White Sox and Tigers, which I have not done... Off seasonI suppose the picture could have been anytime after October 12, 1907 as that was the last game of the World Series, and therefore the season. I suppose they could have left it up for a while without another game necessitating the change. Time frameNot only do the long shadows indicate a late afternoon time for the picture, the fact that there aren't any people on the balcony where the box score is displayed makes it likely that the picture was taken sometime after the end of the game (and definitely after the fifth inning). Baseball Almanac says that the game lasted 1:42 (hah!) but doesn't say when it began. Look at the mastLook at how the base of the moonlight tower in the foreground is anchored to the ground. It tapers to one ordinary steel pole! The structure has guy wire anchors to support it, but it still it doesn't look very sturdy. I wonder if they had difficulty finding enough maintenance people crazy enough to climb these things. It is interesting to note that thousands of similar structures would be used in the radio era, in the years to come. Game 5First, I think the trees are too bare for October 12. Second, the teams are listed the wrong way -- the Tigers were at home for Game 5, 1908. Moonlight towers: steampunk for real!I would love to see how well those things really worked. A lovely September afternoon!Tuesday, Sep 8 L DET 2 CHW 5 Wednesday, Sep 9 W DET 7 CHW 6 Thursday, Sep 10 W DET 6 CHW 5 Friday, Sep 11 L DET 2 CHW 4 Saturday, Sep 12 L DET 1 CHW 2 So tallThe towers seem so tall compared to our average street lights today. Yet, these are undoubtedly the precursors to the tall, multi-fixture light towers around today's modern expressway interchanges. Today's lights also lower to the ground with pulleys. I wonder how far those old tall towers would throw the light, and how bright they would be compared to today? Towers and TigersDetroit had more of these moonlight lighting towers than any city in the world - well over 100 at their peak - before they were all taken out in the 1910s in favor of modern street level electric lighting. A few of these Detroit towers were purchased and moved and some are still in use in Austin, Texas. More here on the evolution of this form of public lighting. As for the baseball score on the roof on the right, I think it may be from one of the final games of the razor-close 1908 American League pennant race. The Tigers traveled to Chicago for the final series of the season, a 3 game set starting on October 4th, with a 1.5 game lead over Cleveland and a 2.5 game lead over Chicago. Detroit lost the first two games of the series to the White Sox, and I think the scoreboard shown here may be from one of those 2 games, so probably Oct. 4th or 5th 1908. This set up a climactic final game for the championship. The Tigers won that game 7-0 and claimed their second consecutive American League pennant by a game over Chicago and a half-game over Cleveland. The AL race, however, was somewhat overshadowed by the National League race, which also came down to a final game, between the New York Giants and Chicago Cubs, necessitated by the infamous "Merkle's Boner" play. The Cubs won, and went on to defeat Detroit 4 games to 1 in the World Series. Austin TowersThe former Detroit towers here in Austin are still used a lighting as well as historical markers. The one in Zilker Park is turned into our "Xmas tree" each year. Austin moonlight towersIn the early days when Austin's moonlight towers had carbon-arc lamps, one city employee had the full-time occupation of driving around in a buggy to each tower once a day, hoisting himself up by the internal lift rigging, and adjusting the carbon sticks to their proper gap for making an electrical arc. I suppose all these towers worked that way In the Day. Three ChurchesThe three large churches visible on the righthand side of the picture along Woodward Avenue are, from front to back: first, the Central United Methodist at 23 E. Adams at Woodward, and built in 1866 (still extant); second, St. John's Episcopal at 2326 Woodward at Fisher Freeway, and built in 1859 (still extant); and third, Woodward Avenue Baptist at 2464 Woodward, and built in 1886 (demolished). Backward TimeI agree with you. My Grandfathers' house where I lived for a number of years is now part of the baseball park (122 E. Vernor Hwy). I attended the Boy Scouts at Central Methodist Church. My Mom and Dad worked at the Hotel Statler. I also went to the Franklin Elementary School and Cass Technical High School. We have a lot in common and your Google Earth is something for me to view. (The Gallery, Detroit Photos, DPC, Streetcars)
Field of Mars: 1890
... and it's a lot cleaner than the street in this photo. Austin Towers This very tower could now be residing in Austin, TX, as 31 ... in use and listed as historical sites by the State of Texas. re: The writing on the well The visible side says FOR THE PEOPLE ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 07/26/2012 - 4:55pm -

Circa 1890s. "Campus Martius, Detroit." Down the street, a "moonlight tower" arc-lamp stanchion. Detroit Publishing Co. glass negative. View full size. Oh, boy!This is so beautiful. What a glimpse at the past! Dave, I'm from Brazil, and I'm a huge fan of your site. Thank you so much for sharing this amazing pictures! Best regards! EmissionsIf you want to know what it smelled like to live in those times, just visit Mackinac Island. Horses are the main transport there, and you begin to get a whiff of it a mile offshore, and it's a lot cleaner than the street in this photo. Austin TowersThis very tower could now be residing in Austin, TX, as 31 used towers were purchased and relocated there in 1894-95. 17 are now still in use and listed as historical sites by the State of Texas. re: The writing on the wellThe visible side says FOR THE PEOPLE FROM. The four sides say: TESTAMENTARY GIFT FOR THE PEOPLE FROM JOHN JUDSON BAGLEY A.D. MDCCCLXXXVII The writing on the wellWhat does is say on the steeple above the well in the front of the picture? Something about fortune? Or is it some latin phrase I can't decipher? Also, there is some really beautiful architecture in this picture. Sort of looks like a Sunday to me, with everyone dressed up in their best clothes. TowerI wonder what that tower on the left side of the street with the guy wires is for? Surely this was some time before any wireless transmissions were practical on such a scale. [It is, as noted in the caption, a carbon-arc lamp. - Dave] EmissionsThe sheer quantity of horse urine and manure is striking. Street HeatStreet car #497 looks like it has a chimney for a stove on the roof. #288 doesn't seem to have a chimney. Were some of these cars heated? [They both have the same chimney. - Dave] Progress schmogressIt's the loss of wonderfully articulated buildings like the old City Hall that make progress a dirty word. Grand details wherever you look. Campus MartiusThe Bagley fountain in the foreground is the only existing work of H.H. Richardson in Michigan. Richardson also built an armory in Detroit, but it is long gone. Today the fountain sits in a different location in Cadillac Square. All the buildings in this photo have been demolished except for the Fort Street Presbyterian Church (spire just left of the lighting tower) The Hammond building is the large structure to the left. It was one of Detroit's first skyscrapers. The Second Empire building on the right is the old city hall. it was demolished c. 1960 to build a underground parking garage. in the last 5 years a modern office building has been built on the site. Before the automobile ruledIt's interesting to see all the various offices for different types of transportation in Detroit...except for cars. Less than halfway through the decade, Henry Ford's quadricycle would emerge from his humble backyard workshop to change all that. Brand new building and new age lightingAccording to the information on the front of the building, it was completed in 1889. Brand new! In keeping with new innovations, the "moonlight tower" was evidently quite the fad for a while. I had never heard of such a thing, but see the attached clip. I'm surprised that everybody didn't go blind from staring at the devices! Department of SanitationNo wonder people thought that cars (when they came along) were "clean"! I'm not a youngster, to say the least. My father, who grew up in NYC, told me how awful the cities were in the summer. Horse waste was only part of the problem but a big one. The "better neighborhoods" always got cleaned up but the poorer sections were last on the street cleaner's list. Manure would dry up an blow around onto people, into houses and onto laundry. No wonder anyone who could afford it left the city in the summer months. Moonlight TowersAustin, Texas, went in with the moonlight tower fad and originally installed them in 1895. Growing up there, I was always told that we put them up because it was the rage in Paris. Then everyone tore theirs down, but we kept them. One of them, in Zilker Park, gets strung up like a Christmas tree every year. http://www.aroundaustin.com/2004/03/austin_moonligh.html Bagley Memorial FountainDetroit's first public drinking fountain was built in 1887 with money from the estate of John Judson Bagley. Recently refurbished and moved to Cadillac Square. Bagley was a New York tobacconist who came to Detroit in 1846. He helped organize the Michigan Mutual Life Insurance Co. and the Republican Party, and served as Michigan's governor from 1872 to 1876. The four sides say: TESTAMENTARY GIFT FOR THE PEOPLE FROM JOHN JUDSON BAGLEY A.D. MDCCCLXXXVII AstonishedThank you Dave for that wonderful picture! Never knew anything about light masts like this one! It's definitely absolutely new experience to me! I personally was confused as I thought it looks like cell phone base station. Live long - study forever! Thank you once more! (The Gallery, Detroit Photos, DPC, Horses, Streetcars)
Detroit: 1897
... Detroit Publishing Co. View full size. Not in Austin The ones in Austin were built in Indiana. [They may have been ... exactly like one of the "moonlight towers" of Austin, Texas -- and according to Wikipedia, they were purchased used from Detroit in ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/20/2012 - 10:22am -

Circa 1897. "Post Office, Detroit." Sign on utility pole: "Please do not spit on the sidewalk." 8x10 glass negative, Detroit Publishing Co. View full size. Not in AustinThe ones in Austin were built in Indiana. [They may have been manufactured in Indiana, but, as noted below, they were purchased used by Austin from Detroit. - Dave] 1892From the woman's attire in the right background, (white blouse, dark skirt--not quite in an "A" line, probably a boater hat), I guess that this was taken in 1892. If she is not quite in fashion, then 1893. Moon tower!That looks exactly like one of the "moonlight towers" of Austin, Texas -- and according to Wikipedia, they were purchased used from Detroit in 1894. I wonder if that's one of the ones residing in Austin now. Fort and ShelbyThe old post office in Detroit was on the northeast corner of West Fort and Shelby. Nothing in this photo remains today. Alright, alright, alright ..."Party at the Moon Tower." Sidewalk Sign EnvyI would like to time travel and swipe some of the polite requests to refrain from spitting on the sidewalk, and bring them to current day Boston to be posted. The sidewalks are covered with spit and gum, and there is nothing quite like walking behind a spitter. That is particularly true on a windy day. Back to the photo, the post office is magnificent! I wonder if it had spittoons inside. A short tripSeems ironic that there should need to be a letterbox across the street from the world's largest post office. High SteppingWhat's with the man high stepping in the street, a block back? [He's getting on a bicycle. - Dave] Smooth pavementI can't help feeling a bit of envy by looking at that smooth pavement on the street. Notable that this was taken at a time when the automobile was still considered a fad, a mere toy for the idle wealthy, and was not still being used as a regular means of transportation. Federal BuildingThere's quite a history of this place, as well as more photos, over at: www.buildingsofdetroit.com/places/post M.O.S.W.Looks like John Cleese doing his Silly Walk in front of the library. It is quite odd to find nothing at all remaining from this wide swath. Many buildings from this era are still in place - any drive through Detroit shows that. Then & NowHey guys, I couldn't resist this one, I just went out on the bike to get an "after" photograph of this view. Enjoy! http://www.flickr.com/photos/gsgeorge/3935273602/ (The Gallery, Detroit Photos, DPC)
Washington Park: 1907
... The view today Fountain is gone. Now appearing in Austin Some of the Moonlight Towers wound up being sold to Austin, Texas, where they're still working today . Truth In Advertising? ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 02/06/2012 - 9:29am -

Detroit circa 1907. "Washington Boulevard Park." Adjacent to the Hotel Cadillac, at right, and the site of the ice fountain seen here in several wintertime views. Rising at center is the base of an arc-lamp standard, part of the city's "moonlight tower" municipal lighting system. 8x10 inch glass negative. View full size. The view todayFountain is gone. Now appearing in AustinSome of the Moonlight Towers wound up being sold to Austin, Texas, where they're still working today. Truth In Advertising? I have a real but conquerable fear of dentists but no way would I believe a trip to a dentist would equal a trip to Utopia. Plus I'm almost sure that below Utopia that is not an ad for Crook Detective Agency but I do like the idea of the name. (The Gallery, Detroit Photos, DPC)
War of the Worlds: 1905
... visible in the photograph. Moonlight towers in Texas There are more than a dozen survivors in Austin , where they are local landmarks. Some sources claim they were ... Lady in White Please, no snarky comments, but I have a ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/14/2012 - 3:34pm -

Detroit circa 1905. "The Campus Martius." This middle section of a three-part panorama features City Hall and one of Detroit's celebrated arc-lamp standards, or "moonlight towers" -- appropriately reminiscent of Wells and Verne in a plaza named after Mars. Detroit Publishing Company glass negative. View full size. Thanks for your SupportAt first, I thought the triangular arc lamp base was sitting on the ground. The shadow reveals that it is perched on that single pole at the street corner. Hats and HighballsImmediately behind the Detroit Public Works Department's exercise of infrastructure improvement was John J. Gorman's hat store. As the roof sign shows, "that's all" was the motto of the Whiskey produced by Baltimore's Wilson Distilling Co. before and (for a short time after) Prohibition. Seagram's bought it out, closed the plant and moved what was left to Louisville. How Many Martians Does It Take?This has to be the place were the "light bulb" jokes started. Now I want a highballI want one of those Wilson High Balls, with perhaps a San Telno cigar. Burned OutGuess it's a good thing we don't have moonlight towers now. The "kids today" would probably climb them and spray paint them. Also, there would be those insisting "these things cause cancer." False MoonlightIt would be great to see one of these in action (in a photo) at night time. I had never heard of them until now, except for use in modern movies. It's time....Time for a Wilson High Ball. That's All. LinesAnd so became the wired aged. Wires everywhere. You never knew so many lines in the sky until you got that new camera and went outside to capture a scene, without the wires. And so it begins…In an era of fine architectural detail and flowing lines of sight, the encroachment of the bland stark vision of industrial need and simplicity continues its blight on the aerial view now known only to the farmers, mountaineers, astronomers, and those who would strive to leave society and culture behind. First the telegraph, then telephone, then electricity took to the skies in coincidental trade for the odor of animal leavings in our cities and towns. I have all my life cursed the pole and line, and welcomed those forward thinking communities that had the foresight to legislate the burial of all utilities. Perhaps someday, when in a much improved economy, and with less desire to spend on wars and trips to the moon, an investment can be made in finally putting to ground that which hangs outside our windows, standing between us and the clear blue skies with fluffy white clouds which lend our minds to daydream. As an addendum, many millions of man-hours spent in Photoshop would be averted to more useful agendas, such as staring at the clouds and stars. [Or you could just move to a better neighborhood. - Dave] More TowersI see a second one way off in the distance at the right edge of the picture, and possibly a THIRD one way off beyond that! A neat history of the "moonlight towers"Is here. What time is it, really?I notice the two clocks appear to read about 4 minutes different, even though they are within sight of each other. How DID they change the light bulbs?Reading the "moonlight towers" link reveals how labor intensive early city lighting schemes were. Imagine lighting and extinguishing gas lamps on every corner! It was regarded as a triumph when carbon-arc rods were developed that lasted all night. Daily servicing of a limited number of tall towers was relatively manageable - but how did they ascend to the top? Surely not via the alternating rods forming a rudimentary ladder. Close scrutiny of the link images reveals a "man basket" that hoisted a worker inside the tower, using the pulleys visible in the photograph. Moonlight towers in TexasThere are more than a dozen survivors in Austin, where they are local landmarks. Some sources claim they were purchased used from Detroit. Regarding towersI find it interesting that people a century ago were so accepting of the wires and towers that brought them modern conveniences. Today we don't need towers for lighting -- but we do need them for our radios, TVs and cellphones so I find it paradoxical that so many people today oppose every new tower application. Yet they are typically the first to complain when their radio, TV or cellphone can't get an adequate signal. Early Detroit IronIs there at least one and possibly three early automobiles parked along the right curb? Texas TowersRichard Linklater used them famously in "Dazed and Confused." http://www.dailytexanonline.com/2.8461/moonlight-towers-guide-austin-thr... Lady in WhitePlease, no snarky comments, but I have a question. There is a woman on the extreme right side of the photo, about 1/3 the way up the page (approaching the curb). She's dressed all in white, and she seems to be the only figure dressed in light-colored clothing as far as I can see. Is this "normal but rare" for the time, or is there some other explanation? [White dresses not particularly unusual for the era. Many more can be seen on these pages. - Dave] (The Gallery, Detroit Photos, DPC, Streetcars)
3rd Int'l Pageant of Pulchritude
... and Ninth Annual Bathing Girl Revue, June 1928. Galveston, Texas. View full size. Proto Emo Girl I think I'm in love with the ... styles of the times. Many men of the day would see Miss Austin as being horribly sickly, but today she would have the attributes of a ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 09/07/2011 - 5:40pm -

Third International Pageant of Pulchritude and Ninth Annual Bathing Girl Revue, June 1928. Galveston, Texas. View full size. Proto Emo GirlI think I'm in love with the clad-in-black Miss New Jersey. Meanwhile Miss Nebraska is expressing the love whose name cannot be spoken for Miss Wisconsin. Congratulations to Miss St.Congratulations to Miss St. Louis, 42nd runner-up. Mrs?Shouldn't that be "Mr. France". Oofah! HuhI like how we range from Miss Biloxi to Miss England. I'm surprised we didn't have Miss 22nd Street and Miss Asia, too. By the way, I know standards of beauty have changed, and the women in pageants today are not necessarily more or less attractive, but Miss St. Louis was a beast. I'm sorry, there had to be some corruption in that contest. Miss St. LouisBut look at her body. It's all about the body. NiceMiss Mississippi is fine... Hm.Objectifying women across the centuries! Coincidence??Miss France and her predecessor. Different hats, but that nose ... eerie, huh? Miss St. LouisWhat's the problem with her? Look at her smile... Miss MilwaukeeAll the way ! A beauty any man could fall in love with. Funny that......I was thinking the same about that bloke dressed up as Miss St Louis... SeawallSo they stuck the out-of-town contestants on the beach for the group photo, while the oglers watch from the seawall? Those Galvestonians learned something from that hurricane! Fun, Best Legs, Shock JockMiss California gets my vote, she's looks like alot of fun! Miss Utah has the best legs, and Miss St. Louis is Howard Stern in a bathing suit. PoPI swear Miss Greater New York is winking. Fabulous. Roaring 20's!See the trends move fast near the end of the decade. Some areas chose slimmer gals that appear to better fit the Flapper styles of the times. Many men of the day would see Miss Austin as being horribly sickly, but today she would have the attributes of a runway model! And yes, Miss CA is absolutely adorable, and the St. Louis pageant must have had very few contestants. Miss OhioI think Miss Ohio cornered the Amish vote. Miss Utah is one cute little Mormon pixie, working her flirt something fierce- that girl you could paste into a modern photo and nobody would think twice about it. It's funny how wildly different they all look- a modern contest the girls would all look more or less the same. This photo is a crazy assortment of beauties & cuties, geek girls, dorks, farm girls, prom queens, and linebackers. Awesome! Lots of Fine Choices in Girls Here ...Take a close look at Miss Pennsylvania. She's showing off some ummmmm talents. Not too shabby. And she is the only one with those. But it seems she and Miss Ohio are wanting to trip the light fantastic. So she's likely spoken for, unless a threesome would work. I have to agree, Miss California looks like a good candidate. Also check Miss Colorado, pretty cute looking although zero to concave up topside. But clearly this whole contest is rigged, considering Miss St. Louis and Miss France. Holy cow! Either one would be worth chewing your arm off if you woke up next to them with it stuck underneath. They must have done multiple special couch sessions with a bag over their head and paid a bunch of cash just to get into this line up. What on Miss Spain's forehead? Is that the reset button? 1st Prize to Miss BiloxiShe's quite alluring, but does need to work on her posture. Honorable mentions to Miss San Antonio (very cute), Miss Belgium (best smile), and Miss NY State (quite sexy even by 2009 standards). And I agree, Nebraska's totally putting the moves on Wisconsin. But so would I. Pennsylvania and Ohio must be roommates. Yeah, that's it. Roommates. BZZZT! and the correct answer is...Miss Chicago. hubba... First Runner-UpRaymonde Allain, Miss France 1927, became an actress -- the Internet Movie Database lists her as appearing in 10 films and (in 1974) a television show. She also wrote a book in 1933, "Histoire vraie d'un prix de beaute?" ("True story of a price for beauty"). She married the pianist and composer Alec Siniavine, who composed a love song for her during the Nazi occupation, "Attends moi mon amour." Siniavine also played in a quartet with Django Reinhardt in 1934. [Miss Allain to the New York Times in 1928: "It is certainly great to be beautiful." - Dave] "Galveston Bathing Beauties"The event lasted from 1920 to 1931, when the Morality Police had it shut down for showing too much leg. Miss Chicago took 1st in 1928 and Miss France took 2nd which obviously means ... Miss Missouri was ROBBED!!! Come on, Miss Missouri had the whole package yet she didn't even finish in the top 10?!! Results 1 UNITED STATES - Ella Van Hueson (Miss Chicago) 2 FRANCE - Raymonde Allain 3 ITALY - Livia Marracci 4 COLORADO - Mildred Ellene Golden 5 WEST VIRGINIA - Audrey Reilley 6 CANADA - Irene Hill 7 LUXEMBOURG - Anna Friedrich 8 OHIO - Mary Horlocker 9 SAN ANTONIO (TX) - Anna Debrow 10 TULSA (OK) - Helen Paris Contestants Foreign BELGIUM - Anne Koyaert CANADA - Irene Hill CUBA - Nila Garrido ENGLAND - Nonni Shields FRANCE - Raymonde Allain GERMANY - Hella Hoffman ITALY - Livia Marracci LUXEMBOURG - Anna Friedrich MEXICO - Maria Teresa de Landa SPAIN - Agueda Adorna USA states or regions CALIFORNIA - Geraldine Grimsley COLORADO - Mildred Golden CONNECTICUT - Mary Deano INDIANA - Betty Dumpres IOWA - Ethel Mae Frette KENTUCKY - Vergie H. Hendricks LOUISIANA - Evelyn Smith MINNESOTA - Delores Davitt MISSISSIPPI - Louise Fayard MISSOURI - Margaret Woods NEBRASKA - Bernice Graf NEW JERSEY - Elizabeth K. Smith NEW YORK STATE - Winnifred Watson OHIO - Mary Horlocker PENNSYLVANIA - Anna Dubin UTAH - Eldora Pence WEST VIRGINIA - Audrey Reilley WISCONSIN - Betty Porter USA cities AUSTIN (TX) - Irene Wilson BILOXI (MS) - Fleeta Doyle CHICAGO (IL) - Ella Van Hueson DALLAS (TX) - Hazel Peck FORT WORTH (TX) - Cleo Belle Marshall GREATER NEW YORK (NY) - Isabel Waldner HOUSTON (TX) - Katherine Miller LITTLE ROCK (AR) - Frances McCroskey MILWAUKEE (WI) NEW ORLEANS (LA) - Georgia Payne OKLAHOMA CITY (OK) - Mary Kate Drew SAN ANTONIO (TX) - Anna Debrow ST. LOUIS (MO) - Eunice Gerling TULSA (OK) - Helen Paris http://www.pageantopolis.com/international/universe_1920.htm Now you've got some names to go with the faces. [What was at stake was no less than the title of Miss Universe. Controversy erupted when Miss France, Raymonde Allain, came in second to an American girl. - Dave] Pageant of Pulchritude 2009Seems like the pageant once again is on, after 77 years absence. Found this http://www.houstonpress.com/slideshow/view/13011295 Butter faceis what we would call Miss St. Louis nowadays. Miss Puffsylvania gets my trophy! (The Gallery, Pretty Girls, Swimming)
Inter-City Beauties: 1927
... road is good for you, too. Peace. dancestoblue Austin Texas Annotate on Flickr? Anyone find this on Flickr with notes on ... 
 
Posted by Ken - 02/20/2014 - 5:04pm -

Contestants at Atlantic City Pageant. View full size. Forgive me...I hope this isn't an average sampling of women in 1927. Some of them are pretty, of course, but others... man... How did they win? (For instance, look at the girl four down from the man in the center. Is that a drag queen?) Pay attentionAnd why is the woman to his left looking in a different direction than everyone else? Compare and contrast1927, 2006. Bitter pageant rivalry caught on film . . .Take a look at the woman directly behind the gentleman in the middle. She's about to sink a knife into the back of Miss Wichita. timI think I've seen this image before on the american memory project. Is this where you are getting your images? What about 8th down?The woman 8th to the right of the man looks more drag queen-ish than the 4th... but the REAL question here is what's the deal with the woman dressed like an American Indian? Was she part of the presentation, or was she a contestant who thought that get-up would give her the edge? At least . . .. . . they're not all anorexic appearing and their smiles seem genuine. They look real! Thanks, Shorpy, for sharing! most beautiful of them all...is the one in full formal native american dress... anyone able to link more about her? FascinatingI think it's a picture that brings out the feelings of the era. Not a blonde among them ...Interesting how much darker their hair was than your typical beauty queen of today. Drew BarrymoreLook at the woman 4th to the left of the guy in the middle. Either Drew Barrymore has a time machine, or that's her grandmother. ACTUALLY, POSSIBLY SEVERAL BLONDESWhile it appears there are no blondes, there were in fact several. This is owing to the likelyhood that the photo was taken on orthochromatic film, not panchromatic film. Panchromatic film was invented in Dec 1912 and did not take over popular photography as THE choice until the 1960's. Orthochromatic film stock—the only kind previously available—had good reproduction at the higher frequency (blue) end of the colour spectrum, low response to yellow and green and complete insensitivity to reds. Therefore yellows are represented as a dark grey. Beauty StandardsBeauty standards change from time to time. beauty standardsHey! There are some real hotties in that bunch. Re: Not a blonde among them ...More importantly, not a breast augmentation for any of them. And no capped teeth. Just as God made 'em. You'll never see a talent show like that any more. OopsI meant to the left as you're looking at him; actually to his right. PrincessLook at her banner, I think it says Princess American What are you fools talkingWhat are you fools talking about? I read the comments before I clicked through to the full size pic, expecting it to be shocking. There are some hotties in there, and most of them have a really attractive cute look. Yeah, there are a few mingers too (I'm looking at you, Miss Biloxi), but what do you expect in a competition where they throw Miss Biloxi up against Miss California and Miss New England? The winnerThe winner was Miss Illinois. Sort of a demure, cute look. Can you find her in the picture? In reply to Tipster No. 2"(I'm looking at you, Miss Biloxi), but what do you expect in a competition where they throw Miss Biloxi up against Miss California and Miss New England?" There are so many beautiful women in the South. Hush yo mouth! Let's see your picture! Old photos make me sortof sadOld photos make me sortof sad, and I get all philosophical and thoughtful and whatnot: Every one of these women have been dead for many, many years, the guys overcome with need for them are also gone, but that need lives on, or something. They sure are beautiful. Like the above comment, it's nice that there are no augmentations or nose jobs or whatever, just pretty women, their smiles glowing, life stretching out in front of them like a road without end. I hope that the road was good for them, and I hope your road is good for you, too. Peace. dancestoblue Austin Texas Annotate on Flickr?Anyone find this on Flickr with notes on each contestant where they are from? uhhyea except i'm sure most of them are still alive 1930 wasn't very long ago der. wellexcept that 1927 was 80 years ago and most of them may have been about 20 years old which would put them all at about 100 now. So probably not most of them are alive. nopeyes most of them are still living but in the other life. i agree with will said Don't be ridiculous!These women put most of the hussies to-day to shame! :) Are you my mother?I was born in Atlantic City 12 years after this picture was taken, so conceivably one of these could be my lost mother. Limited samplingTo be a beauty in 1927 meant being white. Anyone with one drop of (Arrgh! Gasp! Retch!) African blood need not apply. PageantI was watching the Miss Black America Pageant and I didnt find any blue eyes. I guess Germans need not apply. Interesting comment...Chances are at least one of the Miss Black America contestants has a bit of German heritage in her. Not enough, maybe for blue eyes, but probably. But your comment is interesting because these smiling young women competed in a system that informally screened blacks, Asians and others from competition. The informal understanding was later codified under the pageant's Rule Seven, which stated: "contestants must be of good health and of the white race." People with backgrounds other than strictly European began competing eventually. But the Miss Black America pageant was created in the 1960s, after years of informal exclusion, by those of African heritage seeking their own recognition. That they had to do so outside of the pageant was unfortunate. If you want to read more, PBS has material up on their website from their show about Miss A here. Not Miss AmericaThe photo is of the Miss Atlantic City pageant, not the Miss America pageant. Similar to the 1926 Inter-Cities Competition pic...I see a similarity to the previous year's picture with that year's contestants. Notice in the upper right-hand corner, Miss Yonkers wears rolled-up white stockings just like knee-socks...how cute and a little sexy. In the '26 photo, two contestants stood in that same corner and, lo and behold, they were the only ones in rolled up stockings. Unfortunately, that picture was obscure to the tags they wore in the front that you could not see where they were from...what a shame! But I love it!!! What an era in history!!! Did our grandmothers have fun or what? Miss Yonkers 1927Miss Yonkers was 16 at the time. All contestants were required to wear stockings, something she was unaware of, and she didn't bring any. She borrowed the knee highs because to pose with bare legs was not allowed and considered scandalous. How do I know? She was my Mom. SHe passed away in 1999. I have a whole album of photos from the event. Her 1st cousin, running as Miss Westchester County, won the bathing suit competition in 1941 and was 3rd runner up. 1941 was the first year that the competition was called the Miss America Pageant. Up until then it was called the Atlantic City Pageant. It started in 1926, I believe, as a way to extend the summer season in Atlantic City. (Atlantic City, Pretty Girls)
Aqua and Orange: 1967
Poolside at a Howard Johnson's Motor Lodge in Austin, Texas, 1967. 35mm Kodachrome transparency by Hugh Mason Ayer. View full size. ... 
 
Posted by davisayer - 09/08/2008 - 12:40am -

Poolside at a Howard Johnson's Motor Lodge in Austin, Texas, 1967. 35mm Kodachrome transparency by Hugh Mason Ayer. View full size. Possibly still aroundI believe this is still around -- but the Vintage HoJoness has been remodeled away. If you check Expedia.com and Hotels.com there's some photos, and there's hojoplazaaustin.com Greetings from HoJo'sI collect tacky motel postcards from the 1950s and '60s, and this reminds me of one. The fine action shot of the diver and the gloriously saturated colors put it far above most postcards, though. This is a beautiful image. Out of the WaterAs a former lifeguard, I cringe at this picture. She is just begging for a head/spine injury. If you are of a certain age,If you are of a certain age, those colors and roof design are permanently impressed in your memory. Gallery matesNo doubt about it, this ranks right up there with End of the Road: 1964 for sheer Kodachomeosity. Awesome backflipI can smell the chlorine... BeautifulBeautiful photo--the colors are so vibrant. I see three things you don't see at today's motel pools; slide, diving board and an ashtray! What a fantastic reminder of my own childhood vacation days. Marco.....Polo.....FISH OUT OF WATER!!! HoJo Fried Clam DiggerJust looking at this picture makes the mouth water for some of those great HoJo fried claims. When the last Howard Johnson's closed here in San Diego, it was a sad day for the loss of that one great vacation treat. Like the shot of the gravel truck in the background, sitting and plotting to crack any and all windshields trailing it. Orange and WhiteTheir color scheme made a nice match for the University of Texas school colors there (what with many of the Austin street signs also that way - white on orange). I lived in Austin while attending UT 1966-69. GollyI've lived in Austin for 8 years now...I had no idea we had a Howard Johnson's. Wow!Wow, what a backflip! Slides and diving boardsThis was obviously taken during the era when if you did something idiotic it was YOUR fault...not the fault of the hotel for providing entertainment and counting on you to use it responsibly. That part of the "good old days" I do miss... HoJoHojoboy is right...I am just as old (young?) as he is and when we were little, HoJos were a welcome sight. My brother and I would beg to stay at them because we knew they had the best pools. That is, unless we were camping--then we'd beg for the KOA. A quick scan of the horizon as we drove into any given town let us know if we were going to stay there or keep on driving. Howard Johnson's are still around, but they went all "continental." It's a shame. Thanks again for the memory jog, what a treat. Doesn't seem that long ago that...Hotels looked like this. There was a huge Hojo in Knoxville, TN where I grew up. I'm not exactly old either. As in 31 years old. When we were kids, my Mom would take us down to the Hojo in the summer. For a couple of bucks, they would let you swim in their massive indoor pool- complete with an island, a slide in the middle, and a hot tub. I also recall playing Pac-Man on one of those table consoles with the glass tops. There as also a Tiki bar. The Hojo shut down years ago. Half the hotel including the pool and the orange check-in office was torn down. A developer looks to have tried making the remaining hotel into condos. Motels today are sterile places. I tend to try and stay at old ones if possible. AmericanaMattie, if you love collecting this stuff, this is the best site I've ever been to for all things "Roadside Americana": http://www.lileks.com/motels/index.html Lileks has the best mixture of reverence and humor for the America we all grew up with. Be sure you tour the Institute of Official Cheer! Fried Clam StripsThe origin of HoJo's Tendersweet Fried Clams... HoJo KvilleI remember the HoJo in Knoxville that an earlier poster wrote about. That indoor pool with the island was the bomb-diggity. We used to stop there on our way from Florida to Ohio (and back). I spent lots of time in that pool until it was time for supper or sleep. Great memories! Ice CreamHoJo's ice cream was the best! "A certain age"To heck with all this pussy-footing around how old we are. Sheesh! I'm 48 hotel/motel years old. When I was growing up (come summertime) there was nothing more my Dad wanted to do than Sparkle-Wash our red '65 Chevy Impala wagon (no AC) and head out onto the road. This photo made me do a memory mindflip back to when three kids, Mom and a springer spaniel (along with a Triple-A Triptik) trusted Dad in his wanderlust. We HAD to like like HoJo's because Dad HAD to have every serving of tendersweet fried clams he could digest. Yes, ashtrays were everywhere! You could smoke in a doctor's office. I see a lot of old movies where Doc is lighting up his own fave-filtered brand. Thanks for listening. AustiniteI have lived in Austin most of my life (48). I believe this HJ is at 183 & I-35, NW corner. There was likely one in South Austin as well, but I can't recall where it was. But I know there was one here as mentioned. That was pretty much the North edge of town back then. I love this site, even though it has minimal Texas stuff, I love historical record photography. Bless you for this tremendous preservation record you have created. (ShorpyBlog, Member Gallery, Travel & Vacation)
I'm De Whole Show: 1913
Waco, Texas. November 1913. Isaac Boyett: "I'm de whole show." The twelve-year-old ... manager and messenger of the Club Messenger Service, 402 Austin Street. The photo shows him in the heart of the Red Light district where ... Assuming my liver is up to it. Messenger Boy in Waco, Texas This is Joe Manning, of the Lewis Hine Project. I interviewed one of ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/13/2013 - 3:26pm -

Waco, Texas. November 1913. Isaac Boyett: "I'm de whole show." The twelve-year-old proprietor, manager and messenger of the Club Messenger Service, 402 Austin Street. The photo shows him in the heart of the Red Light district where he was delivering messages as he does several times a day. Said he knows the houses and some of the inmates. Has been doing this for one year, working until 9:30 P.M. Saturdays. Not so late on other nights. Makes from six to ten dollars a week. View full size. Photograph by Lewis Wickes Hine. (Shorpynote: Isaac was born March 20, 1901, and died in May 1966 in Waco.) IsaacGood to know that lamp was non-explosive ... I love the look on this boy's face, and his world-weary eyes. Not too bad - butI would bet that this kid gave the money to his mom, who probably had 6 or 7 kids to feed. Not too badEight dollars per week in 1913 is the equivalent of about $160 today. About $8500 per year. Not bad for a 12-year-old. Bike LightProbably not many bicycles today have kerosene lanterns on the handlebars. Fascinating. Re: Bike LightAre you sure of it being a kerosene lamp? Looks like a carbide light like miners used to me. Re: Re: Bike LightIt looks like one of the kerosene lamps below. Esp. the "Jim Dandy." Bicycle LampsPeter Card has a richly detailed web site on early bicycle lamps. See the page, especially, on oil (kerosene) lamps, which I think is the type Master Boyett is sporting on his handlebars in this Hines photo. Agree: this young lad does have world-weary, seen-it-all eyes. Denny Gill Chugiak, Alaska [That really is a great Web site. Thanks for the link! - Dave] 1913 = today?Ok, how does a 1913 photo demonstrate child abuse "today"? As far as child labor goes, I'd say riding a bicycle around and delivering six messages a day is WAY better than some of the coal mining and factory situations we've seen here. And I bet half the reason he's grimacing is that he's facing into the sun. TragicThis photo illustrates the failure of capitailism and the abuse of children that continues today in the USA. This child should be at home, playing and enjoying childhood while he can. [Dumb comment of the day (so far). - Dave] Ah, yes...The "good" old days. As bad as some things are now, at least we have very few 12 year olds spending all their time running messages for ladies of loose morals to their johns. Reply to LC2You're right...now 12 year olds deliver crack cocaine instead of messages. I'm going to start playing aI'm going to start playing a Shorpy drinking game and down a shot any time somebody grumbles about "kids today." Assuming my liver is up to it. Messenger Boy in Waco, TexasThis is Joe Manning, of the Lewis Hine Project. I interviewed one of Isaac's daughters. I now have his interesting, but brief story on my website. http://morningsonmaplestreet.com/2015/01/01/isaac-boyett/ (The Gallery, Bicycles, Kids, Lewis Hine)
Karl the Karrot: 1955
... live kid shows must have been a national staple. In Texas, we had Mr. Peppermint in Fort Worth, Uncle Jay and his sidekick Packer Jack, an old prospector, in Austin and Cap'n Jack (I think) in San Antonio. Even tiny KCEN in Temple had ... 
 
Posted by tterrace - 09/22/2011 - 4:52pm -

This button was a promotional piece about 1-3/4" in diameter, given out by shoe stores on the purchase of a pair of Keds, one of the sponsors of the daily kids' show "Fireman Frank" broadcast by KRON-TV in San Francisco during the mid-50s. Fireman Frank was George Lemont, a hip SF deejay who stepped into the role after the original Fireman, a roly-poly avuncular gent more in the style of a kids' TV host, dropped dead. Lemont's humor appealed as much to adults as well as kids; you could hear the studio crew guffawing off-camera at things that went over our heads. Between cartoons, Lemont brought out his cast of puppets, including robot Dynamo Dudley, the beret-wearing, bop-talking Scat the Cat and best of all, Karl the Karrot. Karl, as you can see, was a sort of proto-beatnik, literally a carrot with a pair of shades. His dialog consisted entirely of "blubble-lubble-lubble" while he thrashed about, chlorophyl topknot flailing. At home, we were all in convulsions on the floor. Original Fireman FrankI remember watching the jolly chubby Fireman Frank. One day he was gone. I wondered what happen to him. Does anyone know his name? Fireman Frank FanThis is cool. I loved afternoons and Saturdays with Fireman Frank on the tube. It killed me how Fireman Frank broke himself up waving around a limp Karl the Karrot - where Karl would stare out blankly, bobbling up and down as Frank tried to contain his hysterics below while snorting in a vain attempt to conceal his own amusement. Fireman FrankHey, my cousin, best friend and I were on that show. We just loved it. When he interviewed the peanut galery (that was on Firman Frank I think) He asked my cousin, who had swiped her mom's hat to wear there, to show her profile so that the audience could see her hat. She of course did not know what that meant, so she took it off and gave it to him. It was funny to me because when she got home she got into trouble for taking the hat. I of course was happy she had gotten scolded as she was a very pretty girl and was always the center of attention. I was just a messy little tomboy that just went along for the ride. Thanks for the memories. Local live kid showsmust have been a national staple. In Texas, we had Mr. Peppermint in Fort Worth, Uncle Jay and his sidekick Packer Jack, an old prospector, in Austin and Cap'n Jack (I think) in San Antonio. Even tiny KCEN in Temple had their own guy, who could draw a picture from a kid's scrawl. We went for my brother's birthday, ca. 1959/1960. Local Kids ShowsThe Lincoln, Nebraska area had Sheriff Bill and Silent Orv (who was silent because they'd have to pay him more if he spoke). Later on, I learned television directing on the last live "Romper Room" in the country - never knew what might happen with a roomful of pre-schoolers on live TV. Fireman Frank FanTo add to the Fireman Frank archive: Dynamo Dudley's mother (or mother-in-law) was a can of nails that would be grabbed and rattled whenever it seemed necessary. Yahoo! At Last...he's alive!!!I have vivid memories of Karl the Karrot...one of my all time favorite TV characters. I have been asking people "Do you ever remember watching a show in the 50's with Karl the Karrot who just bobbled his head around and went...blblblblblblblbl blblblblb blblbl?" No one remembered and I was beginning to think I'd made it up! Thank you for bringing Karl (and that cool button) back to me...I shall forward this page to the zillion people who thought I was just having another acid flash!! Holy Karrot juice!Never thought I'd find a person who had seen that show. I remember the carrot losing his "vigor" over the week and being pretty limp on Friday to be revitalized on Monday. I have the button also. (After 50-some years) Fireman FrankI was on Fireman Frank with the greatest young comedienne of her time, Westlake Stephie, age 7. It was a fun show. Fireman Frank againWatched it everyday it with on. The thing I remember most was, Fireman Frank said "we don't like Lima beans," and I still don't like them. Rhode Island RedI, too, loved Fireman Frank. Wasn't Rhode Island Red one of his characters, too? The limp Karl the Karrot, wobbling around by Friday afternoon, was something we all looked forward to. Thanks for bringing back these wonderful memories. Too bad there aren't any witty kids' shows today. And I think the Peanut Gallery was Howdy Doody (with Buffalo Bob Smith) and not part of Fireman Frank. Karlotta Karrot During those years of childhood in San Francisco there were truly great kids' shows. Fireman Frank was without question the best. I remember Karl's girlfriend Karlotta, who spoke in the same type of oogle pattern that Karl used. By the way does anybody remember during Christmas time when Happy Holly of the Whitehouse department store called Santa? Love Karl the KarrotKids' shows in the '50s were great. I loved Fireman Frank and Karl the Karrot. My absolute favorite though was the Banana Man on Captain Kangaroo! Banana ManI never saw Karl the Karrot (we had The Old Rebel and Cowboy Fred and Captain Five at various times), but The Banana Man was my absolute, all-time favorite too. If you never saw his act, it's hard to imagine what it was like. Here is a website, somewhat disorganized, with a lot of info: http://facweb.furman.edu/~rbryson/BananaMan/index.html The "Sam Levine" and "History" links are the best, but it's all interesting (to absolute fans anyway). Py-O-My was the sponsorI remember having to put up with Frank while babysitting my little sister after school before the folks got home (I was a teenager then) and the sponsor for a while was Py-O-My (kind of like Betty Crocker) dessert and pudding mix. Rumor was that the original Fireman Frank partook too much of Py-O-My and dropped dead of blocked arteries. I remember a couple of guys in our neighborhood and I set up a FF-like puppet show one summer to earn money to buy Superman and other comics by charging a nickel to the little kids who wanted to watch. One guy's older sister made a "Scat the Cat"-type sock puppet while I had fun cutting and pasting pieces of cardboard together to make a Dynamo Dudley. I remember one kid's mom getting upset because he has swiped the only two carrots in the house to make Karl (In those days two carrots went into the stew). We made enough to make our local grocer happy to sell those horrible old comic books. Fond RekollektionsI remember the Karl the Karrot episode where he had a fight with Rocky Mashed Potato. I loved Scat the Cat,with his band-aid on one of his cheeks. Rhode Island Red the giant rooster puppet, with a wing that would pop up like it was pointing while he said, "He went thataway!" then break into a silly laugh while his head went up & down. Wish someone can find the name of the original Fireman Frank...just for memories and recognition for him. Fireman Frank ShowThat was a great show; a classic 50's kids show. Can't forget Skipper Sedley who became "Sir Sedley" for whatever reason. Also "Mayor Art"; "Bozo The Clown"; "Captain Satellite" and on a national level, "Howdy Doody" and "The Micky Mouse Club" These were all basically afternoon and Saturday shows. The essential 50's morning children's show was of course, "Captain Kangaroo" with the classic serial Cartoon "Tom Terrific".. Frank and Karl! Oh yeah!Great memories. Loved Fireman Frank and Karl too. I remember Karl getting more wilted every day. And I do remember Happy Holly at Xmas time. This is the first time I have heard anyone else mention Happy. Those were great days for kids' shows. I had the TV pretty much to myself as my parents and older sisters had not acquired the habit of watching very much. I have been trying to find video snips of some of those old shows but they are rare. Loved Fireman Frank!Fireman Frank used to show "The Little Rascals" as well as cartoons. Plus he demonstrated how to make chocolate milk with Bosco. His puppets were hilarious. Scat the Cat had been in fights and had a rough voice. I think robot Dynamo Dudley talked in gibberish like Karl the Karrot. I had a Dynamo Dudley Club Card at one time. The funniest puppet was Rhode Island Red, the rooster. My mother would come into the room and laugh. I would love to see photos or kinescopes of that show. Where is this stuff? THE DAY KARL "DIED" !The "Fireman Frank Show" with Lemont was the best kids program ever and Karl The Karrot was special. Karl was a real carrot and noticably "age" or wilt every day due to the hot studio lights. I clearly remember Karl breaking off in Lemont's hand during their dialogue and Lemont saying something like: "Ah kids; Karl is hurt but will be back like new soon. And of course Karl returned as a fresh new carrot for the next show. I'll never forget the shock of Karl's "accident" and "relief" at seeing him back better than ever for the next show! My kids thought I was making this story up when shared during their youth. Thanks for the super comments. Fireman FrankSeveral commenters have asked about the first Fireman Frank, the one who George Lemont took over from. I just came across a post on a forum from someone who remembers, and the guy's name was apparently Frank Smith. So now we also know where the Frank came from. Fireman Frank 1955-57Coming to the SF Bay Area and getting our first TV in April 1955 I only recall the latter (thin) Fireman Frank (with his weekday nightly KRON show after the early evening news and a longer one on Saturday afternoons with a drawing contest that I submitted to a few times). Captain Fortune had an early Sat morn one on KPIX, with the stock intro showing a bunch of kids running up to a large Victorian-looking house on a hill. One of CF's standard features was to have one of the guests make some scrawl on a large drawing pad and then ask him to turn it into a specific item. KPIX also had a late afternoon (pre-news) Deputy Dave featuring, of course, western films (vs cartoons). It seemed like that they all had Bosco as a sponsor (using a milk carton that had its brand obscured). He once had a contest for an (outboard) power boat - awarded for the best name for it. An acquaintance of my father won with "DD5" for Deputy Dave (Channel) 5! The arrival of the Mickey Mouse Club on ABC (KGO) in October 1955 provided some stiff competition for some of these locally-originated afternoon kid shows. The San Antonio show mentioned earlier was Captain Gus on KENS in the afternoons http://www.dmd52.net/blast.html feauring mostly Popeye and Three Stooges fare, at least during the few seasons of its 2-decade + run that it had my attention. Before Fireman FrankGeorge Lemont was to kids as Don Sherwood was to the adults. I remember his predecessor, Frank Smith, but George had a show before Fireman Frank. He was called Uncle George and would draw caricatures and cartoon pictures. He used clever cross-hatch shading on his drawings and would call them "the downtown treatment." I loved his puppets, but he reached a new height with the introduction of Karl the Karrot! Great days of kids' TV back then: Kris Kuts (the felt shapes), Deputy Dave Allen, Captain Fortune (Who's that knocking on my barrel?), Mayor Art, Crusader Rabbit (voice done by a lady from Petaluma, I'm told)and Captain Satellite (I remember seeing his first telecast on that NEW channel, KTVU). Del Courtney and Tony Petucci (Ralph Manza), Sandy (The moon belongs to everyone, the best things in life are free) Spellman, Fran O'Brien, Sherwood's minions, Bobby Troop, George Cerutti, Julie London, and Ronnie Schell. Great times. Rad CarrotThat is a mighty rad carrot with a hairy nose and wild hair. No wonder why he had some major kid appeal. The 50's Bay Area Christmas While reminiscing about Fireman Frank and Captain Fortune, each Christmas, I always recall with grand fondness those early television trips to the North Pole escorted by the magic elf, Happy Hollie. "Happy Hollie calling Santa Claus at the North Pole... come in, Santa!" I believe it was brought to you by either "The White House", or "City of Paris". You could always be assured there'd be one commercial by "Mission Pac"... fruit packages for mail delivery to east coast friends. "No gift so bright, so gay, so right, send a Mission Pac on its way" Fireman FrankI'm so happy to learn there are others that have fond memories of Fireman Frank / Uncle George! Remember how he'd have the puppets refer to him as "skinny-in-the pit"? I would crack up when he'd tell the kids to be sure to send in for his one-way yoyo while just dropping a stringless yoyo. The lady who voiced Crusader RabbitHer name was Lucille Bliss, and she also did Smurfette. But legendary to me is the fact she waited tables on the side, and a deejay from KSAN recognized her voice, and asked her to come into the station and record the doomsday alerts. "This is a test - this is only a test. In the event of an actual alert, " etc. In the voice of Crusader Rabbit! This included (I assume) the real kiss your butt goodbye warning, in the event of nuclear war! Man- would I love to hear a copy of this. Jay Ward with Art Alexander created the Rabbit here in Berkeley, eventually moving to LA for production. You can read all about it in The Moose That Roared, by Keith Scott. (ShorpyBlog, Member Gallery, Curiosities, tterrapix)
Standard of the World: 1960
... and brakes fixed for me, and set off driving from East Texas to Austin. About 100 miles into his trip something went wrong with the brakes ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 11/09/2020 - 9:19am -

Warren, Michigan, sometime in 1959. "Nineteen-Sixty Cadillac 6339 four-window Sedan de Ville at the GM Technical Center." This was a General Motors body style popularly known as the "flat top." Color transparency from the GM photographic archive. View full size. Such a great driverMy Pop had one or two of these along with a '66 too. I got to drive one. Luxury at its best back then. I was in total awe when he told me about the "Guide-Matic Autronic Eye Automatic Headlight Dimmer" on the dash! You can see it in the photo. These cars were Solid As Sears! Hot CarThis photo made me weep. in the late 1980s my grandmother gave me this exact car - though pearl white with light blue interior, one bought new in 1960 and sat with less that 30K miles in a barn since the early '70s. My dad cleaned it up, had a tune-up and new tires and brakes fixed for me, and set off driving from East Texas to Austin. About 100 miles into his trip something went wrong with the brakes — he noticed the drag and figured it was bad gas or something. The friction of the pads heated up the rear wheels and by the time he noticed smoke he barely had time to pull to the side of the road before the rear end was engulfed in flames. The beautiful Caddy burned to a crisp beside the road. I sometimes wonder how my life would have been different had I cruised Austin in that land yacht instead of my third-hand Buick. *sniff The End ResultThere were, however, parking consquences. Junk in the TrunkThat has some insane trunk space! Like piloting a bargeAbout 50 years ago, I learned to drive in a Peugeot 504, but several times I got to drive a 1960 Sedan de Ville. As the title says, I felt like I was piloting a barge. Or driving a living room. Sorry, I'm searching for just the right analogy. Flatland carImagine Karl Malden and Michael Douglas driving that car on The Streets of San Franciso in a hot pursuit. Or Dan Aykroyd and Tom Hanks in P.A.G.A.N. gear. Second-Hand MemoriesMy father's boss bought a new Cadillac every other year & sold the last to Dad's coworker. Lionel's wife always got the "new" one. She & Mom were good friends, so we kids spent a lot of time in Ann's Cadillacs out shopping & hitting the drive-in. The '60, like this one, but in metallic lilac, was memorable for the roominess in the back seat for 5 kids. (That was before seatbelts were required in back. My '65 Sedan DeVille that I've had for 48 years didn't have rear seatbelts either.) Garage Stretcher Required?My memories of 1940/1950 houses seem to remember garages that were not very big. This Sedan de Ville looks to be a bit long to fit in those small garages. Maybe a bit in the width dimension too. The image in the earlier post "The End Result" in this thread from tterrace seems to validate this thought. One that got awayIn 1983 I went to see a 1959 flat top, to possibly buy it. It was light gray with a white roof. The seller was asking $750 and I talked him down to $650, but ultimately I got into an argument about the car with my parents and meanwhile it got sold out from under me. It needed some work, but it ran well and all the power windows worked. I was so bummed. I always preferred 1959 over '60, though both are really cool to me. But then I've always loved Cadillacs. This is a great picture. Environment FriendlyThere's room on top for solar panels. That panoramic view!Must have made navigating that barge easy in tight spaces. Rollover protection, not so much. Long Story ShortFor some, if you hadn't stretched your garage prior to getting this land yacht then attempting to squeeze it in would "stretch" it for you. My grandfather had his garage stretched by adding a half-height shed extension. Only the hood of the car would fit into it. The house, and I presume garage, were built in the 1920s. I remember my grandmother's 1957 Coupe de Ville in that garage and later I had to park her 1962 model for her. It was a squeeze both getting the car in and then getting out of the car. Comparison1960 Sedan De Ville 225” Long 80” Wide No Height Wheelbase 130” 4,703 lbs 2019 Yukon XL 224” Long 80.5” Wide 74.4” High Wheelbase 130” 7,500 lbs Looming LargeA barge indeed, or like someone put wheels on the front porch and drove it away. And this type of ride also depends on a lot of wide open suburban spaces. As one of the Top Gear hosts said of an enormous luxury car, "In London, it's like trying to park the moon." Forget the garageI need a bigger monitor. When the image is full sized, I can't see more than two-thirds of the car. How many gallons per mile?Thank goodness gas was probably going for about 25 cents a gallon, if not less. This 3.5 ton behemoth probably had a motor big enough to power an ocean liner. I love the long lines and the tail lights embedded in the fins and in the bumper along with the wrap-around back windshield. Beautiful car! [The car weighed 4,705 pounds. 3½ tons would be 7,000 pounds! - Dave] An investmentIn 1960 there was a "data book" for dealers. It contained exhaustive details on how to order hundreds of combinations of models and options, as well as detailed technical info that included what types of metals were used for piston rings and crankshafts. A 1960 Cadillac Eldorado Brougham had an MSRP of $13,075 or just under $115,000 in 2020 dollars. Only a few more than 100 were made. [101, to be exact. - Dave] Comparison CorrectionThe comparison between the 1960 Sedan DeVille and the 2019 Yukon XL is interesting, but slightly misleading. The weight listed for the Yukon (7,500 lbs.) is the gross weight. In other words, its the maximum weight of the vehicle fully loaded with passengers, gear, etc. The curb weight of the Yukon is actually just under 6,000 lbs. Still formidable, and still a lot more than the Caddy. Fuel consumptionmpg (U.S.): extra-urban: 10.1-12.2 city: 5.6-6.7 highway: 8.9-10.7 average: 8.5 simulation based on the European type of traffic From https://www.automobile-catalog.com/comparison.php This website offers the ability to compare two or more cars from pretty much anywhere in the world. GaragesMy grandfather had the same experience when he bought a 1958 DeSoto Firedome, drove it home, and tried to get it into his 1930 garage. The car was like a wedge, with the fins giving it greater width at the back. I had accompanied him, and got out of the car first, because you couldn't get out on the passenger side in the garage due to an inconvenient staircase. He then drove it carefully into the garage, only to get it stuck with about a foot of car left outside. He then very gingerly backed it out, without visible damage. The next time I went to their house, he had cut two little wedges out of the door frame. If you aimed the car just right, it would go in without getting stuck. (Kodachromes, Cars, Trucks, Buses, Detroit Photos)
Grandpa Fred: 1958
... The middle class British family car was this an Austin A35 Impressive! That is quite a vehicle. I read up a little ... (11 Yrs Old),who migrated there from the big blue sky's of Texas, it was not a nice place to grow up. The smog was so bad (I lived in the ... 
 
Posted by Radio Free Babylon - 05/13/2012 - 4:16pm -

Chula Vista, California, 1958. Grandpa Fred in his MGA on Madrona Street. Photo by my father, home on leave after his second year at West Point. View full size. MeanwhileThe middle class British family car was this an Austin A35 Impressive! That is quite a vehicle. I read up a little on it and was surprised to find out that it was actually raced in Nascar in the early sixties. Street view today..Appears Grandpa Fred lived at 231 Madrona. Street is not as nice today as back in '58. View Larger Map Gotta love Gramps!I bet he must have been 50 or so. Got his jaunty little sports car. For sure,not an old guy on the porch in his rocking chair. Just from the picture,I bet he was a fun loving guy who enjoyed life. Is there any cahnce he is still alive? The Usual CadetCadets at the military academies seem to always buy sports cars. Someone put a nice gash in his front fender. At least he is having fun. MGs"MGs.. Turning drivers into mechanics for half a century!" I had a college friend who drove a yellow one, his dad had a black one. I'd bet that the two cars were both up and running at the same time maybe three months in the years I knew them. They were cool cars when they were fixed though. Gramps' well-used MGAShows signs of daily-driverness. As opposed to garage-queenliness, with that crease down the side and the overflow of grease from the front wheel bearings. The MGA was a decent car, actually outran some contemporary Porsches in Sports Car Club of America races at Palm Springs, as documented in the magazines of the time. I have attached a photo of one racing at Willow Springs "vintage" races in 2004. My brother had one which he crashed into a boulder at the side of a highway near Big Bear Lake, California. I worked in Chula Vista for quite a few years. I probably jogged or walked down that street at lunch breaks in the 1970s and 1980s, although I don't recognize the houses. That MG is one of those real MODERN ones.Here I am fussin' with an MG-TD that same year. Then came the TF and then the ultra swoopy high-powered (72 horsepower!) model sported above by David Wilkie's Grandpa. When Truman Capote's book "In Cold Blood" was made into the film with Robert Blake, I always thought the guy helping me put the top up - or was it going down - looked like Blake. Or the other way around. Man About TownGrandpa looks to be quite the bon vivant! The Lucas motto: "Get home before dark." The reason for the joyous countenance is because he expects to be home before dark. The Lucas headlamps had three settings: dim, flicker and off. Had a 69 Triumph TR6 motorcycle with Lucas electrics. We had a serious love hate relationship, but when she was running right it sounded like the Boston Symphony. The MGs were all a joy to drive, and notwithstanding the remark above, gramps bears witness to that proposition. Regrettably, I never owned one. The spoke wheels are quite handsome. Looks like he left the 54 Plymouth and 1951 98 for the youngsters. Really?I could be a grandpa by now, but that grandpa looks nowhere near 50. Mid 40s at best. Ground view todayIn 1958 I was living with my folks about a mile northwest of this block, and, strange to say, as I write this, I'm in the process of slowly moving back in again to that same house. With that classy MG, you grandfather looks like he was probably a customer at my folks' steak and seafood house, one of only three or four "nice" places in town back then. In 1958 Chula Vista was at the top of its boom years, with the Navy and huge Cold War aerospace payrolls keeping everything pretty prosperous, expanding rapidly and definitely optimistic (Rohr Aircraft Corporation's 28,000 workers on three shifts, producing fuselages and missile parts). But CV's economic Big Chill set in pretty early, although it took decades for it to really show. By 1963, three-fourths of the Rohr payroll had moved permanently to Marietta, Georgia, never to be successfully replaced. That being said, Madrona Street doesn't really look all that bad today, although fewer residents are as "yard-proud" as they once were. And, Chula Vista has annexed so much formerly unincorporated land to the south and east that it's now the second largest city in San Diego County, with 56 square miles of mostly newer neighborhoods. MGA, MGB, Triumph, Morgan etc. Were/are British "sports" cars popular in the USA - they never struck me as ideal transport - your bum's too near the road! Perhaps more of a bird-puller? Jos. LucasSince we started Lucas jokes: Did you hear that Joseph Lucas got "Honors" from the Queen? He is now know as the Lord of Darkness! Why do the British drink warm beer? Lucas makes the refrigerators as well! Running great 55 years later.I still own the used 1957 MGA my parents bought my sister back in 1962. It was later abandoned by her, and left in the bushes gathering dust and mice. I always asked my parents not to sell the car, I was interested in getting it running myself. So, at 14 years old, I read the Chilton's manual and went to work. Lo and behold, late one night my mother hears the sound of the engine running once more. Even at that age,I was allowed to drive it around the back roads of the county as my reward, and have owned it ever since. I rebuilt the engine myself at 18, and can say that if you tune them correctly, they are as reliable as any vehicle of that vintage. At 19, I rebuilt the engine and painted the car. A few years later, she was put into the parents garage with the promise to drive her every couple of weeks or so. Weeks turned into months. Months turned into years. After sitting well over twenty years, I promised I would get her running again before the end of the millennium, which I did. The sound and smells that car produced as she warmed her heart after all those years brought the memories streaming back. Much like this photo did as well. Thanks Shorpy. On the popularity of British sports carsHaving owned/put up with a few British sports cars back in the late 1950s to mid 1960s, I can say that we bought them not to troll for la femme but to drive the darn things. This is not to deny the attention they gathered from la femme, especially the E-Type Jaguar. Here's my Jag (in Altoona, Pa.) plus one of my Healey 3000s (Wildwood, N.J.) and the TR-3 Triumph I raced (Thompson Raceway, Connecticut). I had other sporty cars but only a total of four Brit cars (replaced one Healey with another one). Yes, we had The Fun, we really did. (Cue Jim Croce's "Time in a Bottle".) Sigh. Lend-Lease: the SequelBritish sports cars were definitely popular in the USA, especially in the 1950s and '60s. When I was in college in the latter decade, I drove a 1956 Austin-Healey 100-4, a corporate sibling of the MGA featured here, which it resembled in basic profile. My Healey had been well-used long before I got it, and often enjoyed a symbiotic relationship with my father, an experienced auto mechanic, but ran well enough most of the time that there was nothing like it -- having my bum tooling along a few inches off the road made the exhaust coming out of the tailpipe right behind me sound that much sweeter. And of course my Healey was a "bird-puller" -- I had that in mind from the first moment I spied it on the used-car lot, and I must say it worked, too. Thanks for these top-down memories. Dad...My dad had at various times in the early 60's, an Austin Healey, a Triumph TR3, and something I think he called a 'Bug-Eyed Sprite'. He loved those cars but they were headaches for him as well. I remember he told me that one time a wheel actually fell off the Healey while he was driving down the road. My wife's uncle had an infatuation with TR7's and possessed 5 or 6 of them at the time of his death. No Chance.He would be way over a hundred if he was still alive. I lived in Southern California, from 1956 to 1959, near Pasadena in a little town called Duarte. For a young lad (11 Yrs Old),who migrated there from the big blue sky's of Texas, it was not a nice place to grow up. The smog was so bad (I lived in the foothills of the San Gabriel mountains), you were lucky to see them on a Sunday. I was definetily glad to leave. Know why the British didn't make computers?They couldn't figure out how to make them leak oil. The first car I owned was a 1967 Triumph Spitfire. I couldn't keep the rear tail light lenses on the car, everytime someone would walk around the back, they would naturally grab ahold of the tail light lens and it would break off. In 1970 the lens cost $11.00 and was a special order item in Springfield MO I wonder if your family knew mineMy mother graduated from Chula Vista High in 1958 and lived on 1st near Shasta St in Chula Vista. I wonder if anyone in your family knew her. Linda Lane is named after her. It's great to see a picture of what the area looked like then. My mother said she remembered in the late 40s that there were still lots of lemon groves and there was a guy who delivered produce with a donkey cart. (ShorpyBlog, Member Gallery)
Coming Through: 1905
... vice versa? Yes, trains in the middle of town In Austin, Texas, where I live, I can remember the Southern Pacific running trains down ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/14/2012 - 2:10pm -

Syracuse, N.Y., circa 1905. "Empire State Express (New York Central Railroad) coming thru Washington Street." Detroit Publishing Company. View full size. Romanticized View of the Syracuse TrainA slightly different postcard view. ChuggingThis is wild. It's one thing to see a big train going through a town on a regular, graded right of way, but this is reminiscent of the Coors Beer commercial. Hell's Kitchen on horsebackTrains ran up 10th Avenue in Manhattan up to at least the 1930s, with men on horseback leading the way. Good Grief!A steam train going through the middle of the city? Oh, I see, there's a man waving a flag, it's safe then. Syracuse City HallHas its own post right here. Urban locomotiveA familiar sight in Syracuse until 1936. The trains were limited to 15 mph through the city. I'll just bet... the engineer is texting. CinematicAm I the first person to see this and think of the dream sequence in "Inception"? Magritte, for me"Time Transfixed." Take the I TrainWhat a beautiful shot, everything spic and span, even flowers. The engine is a nearly new New York Central "I" Class Atlantic type, built by Schenectady, which had only just become the American Locomotive Works. Spit and polish, as it ought to be. Track questionThis brings up something I've always wondered about -- are trolley tracks the same gauge as railroad tracks? Can a train run on trolley tracks and vice versa? Yes, trains in the middle of townIn Austin, Texas, where I live, I can remember the Southern Pacific running trains down Fourth Street and stopping all traffic on Congress Avenue (the six-lane main street, running south from the capitol) while the cars passed, as late as the middle 1970s. And it was an un-signaled grade crossing, too! Regarding track gauge: The majority of modern-day trolley systems do conform to railroad standard gauge (4 feet 8½ inches, or 1.435 meters), but this is by no means universal. Gauges ranging from three-foot narrow gauge to broad gauges wider than five feet are still in use. Incroyable!!!Tres belle photo. Jamais vu ca. En France, meme au debut des chemins de fer, il y avait des barrieres pour securiser les voies. Trolley WireAnyone care to comment on why the overhead trolley wire has a net over a portion of its length? Always a disappointmentSometimes, if I'm particularly moved by a historic landscape, I will try to find the same location on Google Maps. As usual, I am dismayed by how much of this particular landscape has changed. Apparently, only the large Romanesque building remains, although there are many other fine historic buildings down the road. View Larger Map (The Gallery, DPC, Railroads, Syracuse)
Waco Red Light: 1913
... to the Susquehanna Hat Company, Frank3 wondered if Waco, Texas, in 1913 "had their own repair crew in case one of those things came ... miles north to Dallas and Fort Worth, or 90 miles south to Austin. More interesting is that Waco, home of Baylor University (Southern ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 09/08/2011 - 5:28pm -

A long shot of 12-year-old Isaac Boyett in the Red Light District of Waco. View full size. Scanned from glass-plate negative. Photograph by Lewis Wickes Hine. Wires, wires everywhereLook at all those wires strung up! I wonder if Waco at the time had their own repair crew in case one of those things came crashing down, or would they have had to get service from a neighboring town. An interesting list would be to compare types of professions from 1900 to 2000 and see what has disappeared or been created in that time. Telephone workers, still here (although much more advanced). "How do I get to the Susquehanna Hat Company?" Wires, wires everywhereWhile seeking directions to the Susquehanna Hat Company, Frank3 wondered if Waco, Texas, in 1913 "had their own repair crew in case one of those things came crashing down, or would they have had to get service from a neighboring town." According to the Handbook of Texas Online, in 1900 Waco was the sixth largest city in Texas (and probably fifth a year later due to the devastation of the state's then-largest city, Galveston, in a hurricane). Further, "By 1914 Waco had grown to about 35,000 residents and was becoming an important center of the state's insurance industry." Sounds like Waco was plenty large enough to have repairmen living there. And a century ago the neighboring towns were small farming villages, unless you went 90 miles north to Dallas and Fort Worth, or 90 miles south to Austin. More interesting is that Waco, home of Baylor University (Southern Baptist) and prior home of Texas Christian University, even had a red light district. That changed during The Great War when 35,000 troops were stationed at newly established Camp MacArthur. According to the above cited Handbook, "Encouraged by the United States Army's attempts to eliminate temptations for the soldiers, the city's ministers and others waged an anti-prostitution campaign in 1917, and the "Reservation" was shut down. Isaac Boyett would have been 16 by that time, and perhaps out of a job. Perhaps he joined the war effort against the Bosch? In the house on the right isIn the house on the right is the shadow of a woman looking out onto the street. Watching the man, who's watching the boy, who's watching the man... (The Gallery, Kids, Lewis Hine)
The Heart of Detroit: 1907
... instead of multiple smaller lights closer to the ground. Austin, Texas is the only city that still has these in operation, although they have ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/29/2012 - 10:13am -

Detroit circa 1907. "The Campus Martius." Landmarks include the Detroit Opera House, Soldiers' and Sailors' Monument, Cadillac Square, Wayne County Building, Hotel Pontchartrain. Panorama of three 8x10 glass negatives. View full size. A calamity?Something big must be going on behind the Pontchartrain! A fire engine speeding left to right and dozens of men appear to be running toward the same destination. Or is it happy hour at the establishment proclaiming Kentucky Whiskey available here? Even the group of folks standing at the corner of the Hotel have their attention turned in that direction! So much going on here! High speed photographyNo Shorpy spirits, except the sprinters already mentioned. Concerning those lights, how much illumination did they actually cast? Is a radio towerin the center of the picture? It appears to be a large tower. [It's a street light. -Dave] Horse SenseThe Motor City with more horses than motors! In back, the classic sign of economic progress -- smokin' chimneys. Rajah CoffeeCan Starbucks be far behind? SeedyJust sayin' Moonlight TowerI believe that the structure in the center foreground of the photo is a moonlight tower. It was an early form of street lighting where there would be one tall tower with bright, probably carbon-arc, lights instead of multiple smaller lights closer to the ground. Austin, Texas is the only city that still has these in operation, although they have been updated to use a modern light source. [A Shorpy favorite, seen in many of our Detroit photos, for example, here, here and here.] re: SeedyThe Ferry Seed Warehouse seen in the background is at the western end of what is now Greektown. It's now an office building. Women downtownI have noticed over and over on Shorpy that almost every city street scene in the northern states features women bustling about, presumably doing their shopping, having lunch with their friends, walking with their daughters, etc. In the photos of southern cities, you almost never see women on the streets. Nearly every southern city street scene comprises pretty much entirely men. Why is this? Heat? No place for "a lady" to be seen? Has anyone else noticed this? "Man of the Hour," againAlso playing on Shorpy at https://www.shorpy.com/node/11486 The NYT called it a "Virile Melodrama," and said: "A youthful Mayor who cannot be bribed or intimidated, a financier who wants to get control of a street railway franchise in perpetuity, and a pair of political bosses, who are at odds with each other and who are fighting to gain supremacy in their organization -- these are the chief characters in George Broadhurst's play "The Man of the Hour."" D.M. Ferry and U of Michigan sportsDexter M. Ferry, the man behind the seed company in this picture, donated the land in south Ann Arbor on which today's U of M athletic venues stand. One of which, the outdoor track and field venue, is named Ferry Field. Before today's Michigan Stadium, Ferry Field was the home of the football Wolverines, and the iron gate with the "FERRY FIELD" name remains in place on south State Street. True CrimeAnother fantastic pic of the Campus Martius area, giving the rare view up Monroe Street where Gies's European Hotel operated (the attached building to the left of the Hotel Fowler, center of pic). In 1894, the infamous H. H. Holmes lodged Mrs. Pitezel there for a few days, the poor woman never knowing her daughters Alice and Nellie were but five blocks away. (Panoramas, Detroit Photos, DPC, Streetcars)
Flat Broke: 1936
August 1936. Family between Dallas and Austin, Texas. The people have left their home and connections in South Texas, and hope ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 10/05/2012 - 6:19am -

August 1936. Family between Dallas and Austin, Texas. The people have left their home and connections in South Texas, and hope to reach the Arkansas Delta for work in the cotton fields. Penniless people. No food and three gallons of gas in the tank. The father is trying to repair a tire. Three children. Father says, "It's tough but life's tough anyway you take it." View full size. Photo by Dorothea Lange. Then and NowIt's from the toughness of these hardy folks that America is what it is. I think we have become very soft. I love this blog. And to think it was a mere 71 years ago. There were no auto clubs orThere were no auto clubs or anyone to call these folks were on their own. [Actually this was the heyday of the auto club. Triple A started in 1902. - Dave] "I'm a girl!"The girl on the left is a dead ringer for Tatum O'Neal in "Paper Moon." C'mon Dave with threeC'mon Dave with three gallons of gas left at 25 cents per gallon do you think these folks had money for an auto club? Grapes of WrathThis is so Grapes of Wrath. This is the closest I've seen to Steinbeck's description of the Joads' car. Yikes!Is the baby playing with a shotgun shell? (The Gallery, Dorothea Lange, Great Depression, On the Road)
Chronic Pianos: 1908
... up a great area at night. Some still exist to this day in Austin Texas. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moonlight_towers_(Austin,_Texas) Another Piano Store! Detroit Music Co. Pianos to go along ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/03/2021 - 2:00pm -

Detroit circa 1908. "Woodward Avenue and Central Methodist Episcopal Church." 8x10 inch dry plate glass negative, Detroit Publishing Company. View full size. Disneyesque main streetJUST the time that Disneyland wanted to emulate. Fortunately I have avoided all things Disney since 1960. The Two AbideThere may now be skyscrapers to the left and a baseball stadium to the right, but the two churches remain. The church in the distance is St. John's Episcopal Church. The nearer church is now Central United Methodist Church. It has an interesting history - for instance, the congregation's outrage at a hanging outside the church in the 1830s led to banning capital punishment in Michigan. In between the churches, the piano and chronic buildings were replaced by buildings that were in turn replaced by Comerica Park, home of the Detroit Tigers. Electric CarsI'm thinking the car visible on the far right is electric. 1908 was the year the Model T came out. Before that watershed moment electric cars seemed prevalent. I've also seen photos of some old electric cars where the rear wheels seem smaller than the front wheels. Just a guess. The tower just to the left of the church in the distance may be a moon tower. In other words, an arc light that would light up a great area at night. Some still exist to this day in Austin Texas. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moonlight_towers_(Austin,_Texas) Another Piano Store!Detroit Music Co. Pianos to go along with all the other piano stores on Woodward Ave. in the 1910 & 1912 photos. 10x8 You're killing meAnother stunning photo captured on 10x8 glass negative. The detail, tonal range and depth never ceases to amaze. It reinforces that this moment in time look, and of course, was, a totally different world. (The Gallery, Cars, Trucks, Buses, Detroit Photos, DPC, Kids, Streetcars)
Our Town: 1905
... with voice so throaty sweet. She was a lass from Austin, Texas, but to me she seemed to belong to some other world altogether." ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/13/2012 - 6:10pm -

Circa 1905. "Seventh Street at Cedar, St. Paul, Minnesota." 8x10 inch dry plate glass negative, Detroit Publishing Company. View full size. All Over the MapOn this St. Paul street we have The California Wine House, The Baltimore Lunch Room and the Pittsburgh Hotel. California WineWow. A California Wine House in 1905. Napa Valley, I'm sure -- my mother was born in St. Helena and my grandmother was the cook in the St. Helena High School at this time. Other commenters have noted the near-absence of women in some pictures of this era. Another thing that strikes me in these pictures is the almost total absence of people smoking in public. This, of course, changed after the increase in tobacco usage after WWI. Keep it up; these pictures put flesh on the bones of history. Vanishing PointI haz it. Lunch RoomThe "Lunch Room" shown here is the first I have seen of this term since my father-in-law died. The detail in these photos is absolutely great. I can study then for hours and still not see it all. Keep up the great work. AhemI believe it's just as possible that Sonoma wines were represented in the shop, as that's where the California wine industry started. Just sayin. Rip Van WinkleThis photo has a giant Rip Van Winkle sign and the next one is of an actor whose most famous role was Rip Van Winkle. Intentional Shorpy shenanigans or pure happenstance? [Shorpy is all about thematic unity. - Dave] ClocksI love the clocks that look like giant pocket watches. They aren't synchronized but pretty close! [Those are painted signs. Right twice a day! - Dave] Plenty of GalsThere seems to be a good representation of the fairer sex in this photo. I count at least 22. Given that relatively few women worked (outside the home) at this time, that's a good number. Miss Percy HaswellWhat role could she have been playing in "Rip Van Winkle"? Certainly not the lead! She was described by one contemporaneous writer as "so blonde, so blue-eyed, with voice so throaty sweet. She was a lass from Austin, Texas, but to me she seemed to belong to some other world altogether." Looking west on 7thThe building on the left, Stein and Co., would be replaced in the 1950s by a new W.T. Grant store. Farther down the street, on the right, is the Emporium department store. It would later relocate down the street, on the left, to occupy an entire block between Robert and Jackson streets. (The Gallery, DPC, Minneapolis-St. Paul, Stores & Markets, Streetcars)
Woodward in Winter: 1910
... photo. Yep, I recognize that tower. The city of Austin, Texas, received 31 of these from Detroit in 1894, in trade for railroad track ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/02/2012 - 5:24pm -

Detroit, Michigan, circa 1910. "Woodward Avenue in winter attire." Rising in front of the church is one of the city's arc-lamp "moonlight towers." View full size. What is the tower?I noticed a radio looking tower in the background, but there looks like something unique at the top. Does anyone know what the tower is all about? [As noted in the photo caption, it's an arc lamp. - Dave] Back of the trolleyBitter cold and men standing on the rear boarding platform. The trolley is headed for the ladies who will ride inside. Deja Vu all over againThere is a movement afoot in Detroit to reintroduce a trolley back onto Woodward Avenue. Of Little UseWoodward Avenue was America's first paved road, as you can't see in this vintage photo. Yep, I recognize that tower.The city of Austin, Texas, received 31 of these from Detroit in 1894, in trade for railroad track used to build our ill-fated Granite Dam, which was to provide power for the lights, among other things. The dam was destroyed in a flood a few years later. How long did Detroit hang on to the ones they had left? Woodward near East MontcalmJust a few miles North West from the shot in this thread View Larger Map Organ CrawlThe church in the background is St. John's Episcopal. The pointy turreted church is no longer there (like so many of Detroit's old churches gone or abandoned). St. John's, however, it flourishing. I visited on an "organ crawl" organized by the conference of music directors for the Unitarian Universalists, visiting church organs all over Detroit. SpottingThe first church on the left was the Woodard Avenue Baptist, at Woodward and Winder. It was demolished in 1990. I've lived in these condos for 10 years. View Larger Map (The Gallery, Detroit Photos, DPC, Streetcars)
Start Your Engines: 1903
... to the buildings around it. Is that #6? In 1896, Austin, Texas bought 31 of the Detroit moonlight towers. 17 are still standing, ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 09/08/2014 - 12:27pm -

Detroit circa 1903. "Wayne County Building, looking east across Detroit River from Majestic Building." Opposite the Detroit Carriage Goods factory at right we find a sign advertising the business of William E. Metzger, pioneering dealer in Automobiles. Also: a "moonlight tower." 8x10 glass negative. View full size. Very Tall TowerThis shot gives us a good look at one of the moonlight towers and its proportions compared to the buildings around it. Is that #6?In 1896, Austin, Texas bought 31 of the Detroit moonlight towers. 17 are still standing, including one a block from my home (listed as Tower No. 6 on Wikipedia). Just this morning I chatted with a neighbor snapping photos of the pair of redtail hawks who overlook their domain from the top. The steamerLooks like it could be Columbia, launched by Detroit Ship Building in Wyandotte in 1902. Along with Ste. Clair (Toledo, 1910), she carried Detroiters to and from Bob-Lo Island amusement park near Amherstburg, Ontario, until 1991. Wonderful memories. I believe that both vessels are still around, in the hands of foundations dedicated to their restoration. Hey, I know that building!The white building upper left is The Palms apartment building. Gorgeous building inside in the early 1990's. I have always been so intrigued by it. Bob-Lo boats were so cool. Beautiful woodwork. A very soot-y city back then. Thanks for this photo. ColumbiaBoth ships have been laid up for years rotting away. Columbia was shrink-wrapped for a time, but now its all tattered and ignored. There has not been any activity or talk of restoration for years now. Belle IsleOut in the river, behind City Hall, you can see Belle Isle in the mist. Being that Bob-Lo is in the opposite direction downriver and the Bob-Lo boat docks are south of the area in this picture, I think the steamer you're seeing is one of the Belle Isle ferries and not the Columbia; there would be no reason for her to be so far upriver. I think many years after this photo, the Columbia and her sister would do moonlight cruises that would take them upriver, but only in the moonlight and years after this. Steamerbobzyerunkl, I thought the exact same thing when I saw that ship on the river. I have many happy memories of riding on the Columbia and the Ste. Claire while on my way to fun and sun on Bob-Lo Island. As for the Wayne County Building, in July 2014, the Wayne County Commission approved the sale of the building along with a county-owned parking lot at 400 E. Fort Street to a New York investment group for $13.4 million. The building is expected to be renovated for single tenant occupancy. Here is a more recent shot of the Wayne County Building: The PalmsThanks to kstan for identifying The Palms, an outstanding engineering achievement in its day. I was once told that it was the world's first air conditioned apartment building, but I cannot confirm this. Peche Island + ColumbiaThere was a reason for the Columbia to sail that far up the river. Peche Island. The island was at this time owned by the Detroit, Belle Isle & Windsor Ferry Co, which also owned Boblo island. I the attached picture from the Detroit publishing company, you can see the same boat docked at Peche Island. Palms restoredThe Palms apartments, brand new in this photo, were recently restored. Other buildings that I recognize as still standing are SS. Peter and Paul church and rectory, and the little triangular building next to the courthouse. SS Columbia finally leaves DetroitI was wrong in a previous post. They just towed the Columbia out of Detroit Tuesday September 16th. Looks like it is going to be restored and moved to the Hudson Valley. (The Gallery, Detroit Photos, DPC, Streetcars)
Tough Enough: 1936
August 1936. "Family between Dallas and Austin. The people have left their home and connections in South Texas, and hope to reach the Arkansas Delta for work in the cotton fields. ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 10/05/2012 - 6:22am -

August 1936. "Family between Dallas and Austin. The people have left their home and connections in South Texas, and hope to reach the Arkansas Delta for work in the cotton fields. Penniless people. No food and three gallons of gas in the tank. The father is trying to repair a tire. Three children. Father says, 'It's tough but life's tough anyway you take it.'" Medium-format nitrate negative by Dorothea Lange for the Resettlement Administration. View full size. DeterminationMy heart breaks to see such young people in trouble. The mother looks like a child herself. Her husband sounds like a strong man, not giving up but looking for work. I truly hope they found their way and lived a happy life. 'It's tough but life's tough anyway you take itTough folks doing the things they have to do without complaint. These are our collective forefathers and they mirror those from previous times. They make me proud to be an American. Artistic sensibilityThe juxtaposition of this photograph with "Pineapples on Parade" (https://www.shorpy.com/node/13835) is brilliant. face to faceLook close and you'll see that the oldest daughter is mirroring her mother's stern expression, giving it back in double measure. The mother's stockings are torn, but she's determined to get a little more use out of them? Who knows when or how she'll ever get another pair? (The Gallery, Dorothea Lange, Great Depression, Kids)
Coop de Ville: 1939
November 1939. "Old mansion in Comanche, Texas." Our second look at the pigeon roost otherwise known as Oakland Heights, ... stood on the western half of the block bounded by North Austin Street, West Neely Avenue, North Houston Street, and West Walcott ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 06/04/2018 - 11:22am -

November 1939. "Old mansion in Comanche, Texas." Our second look at the pigeon roost otherwise known as Oakland Heights, last seen here. Photo by Russell Lee for the Farm Security Administration. View full size. Yuck!The open window of that turret room probably has resulted in a massive pigeon-dropping mess. Bird houseHas anyone cracked that house is for the birds? But seriously, it's a fascinating house and I would like to know more about it -- when was it built and where can it be found on Google Maps? Comanche is a very small town but I can't find it. [Possibly because it no longer exists. - Dave] You can't get there from hereYou can't find this house because it was torn down in the 1950s. Oakland Heights stood on the western half of the block bounded by North Austin Street, West Neely Avenue, North Houston Street, and West Walcott Avenue. The modern-day address would be 107 West Walcott. It was built shortly after 1887 by Dexter Walcott, for whom the street was named. Unfortunately, he didn't get to enjoy it much; he died suddenly and his widow had to superintend completion. Much of the foundation is still there. If you look at the street view on Googlemaps, you can make out what I believe to be the right side foundation still there including the stairway going up on the side of the gazebo looking porch. Fascinating. (Thank you Marchbanks for the address info). Its replacementIs somewhat impressive in its own right. I looked on Google Maps and found the lot as described by Marchbanks. The sign out front says it's 105 West Walcott, and it's a shingle-sided, split level ranch, T-shaped in plan view. On the east side of the lot is what appears to be stonework from Oakland Heights' original foundation walls, backfilled with dirt and covered with grass, creating a terraced yard. Yeah, I'd live there. Has a Mr. Hitchcock lived nearby?I can see where some ideas came from. (The Gallery, Russell Lee)
Louisiana Noir: 1932
... is an orange filter on the uplighting, the University of Texas Main Building (better known at The Tower). Both buildings date from the ... polygon with many more faces than the square-shaped one in Austin so the drama of having to make the 90-degree turns at the corners on the ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 02/10/2014 - 4:05pm -

September 1932. "Louisiana State Capitol at Baton Rouge. Tower lights at night. Gov. O.K. Allen. Weiss, Dreyfous & Seiferth, client." Where Huey Long was assassinated. Large-format negative by Gottscho-Schleisner. View full size. Period typicalThat looks very much like the Los Angeles City Hall. Or, particularly if there is an orange filter on the uplighting, the University of Texas Main Building (better known at The Tower). Both buildings date from the period of 1928-1934, although the UT Tower wasn't completed until 1937. Well, Martha, it's either the State Capitolor the Woolworth Building. Tower EnvyThe story goes that Huey Long liked the form of the Nebraska State Capitol (then under construction) but made sure his was going to be taller, which is why the one in Lincoln is the second tallest state capitol building. Every Building a PalaceThis is the kind of photo we Art Deco/Moderne fans live for -- an exceptionally beautiful twilight image, much enhanced by the framing provided by the shrubbery and the reflections in the water. UT TowerThe 1975 movie "The Deadly Tower" with Kurt Russell as Charles Whitman used this for UT Tower. The top portion of this is a polygon with many more faces than the square-shaped one in Austin so the drama of having to make the 90-degree turns at the corners on the deck as they approached Whitman is a bit muted. (The Gallery, Gottscho-Schleisner)
Sunday Best
... older brothers and me about 1964, off to Sunday school in Austin, Texas. Can anyone identify cars in fore and background? And if memory serves me ... 
 
Posted by texasborn - 08/03/2012 - 7:33pm -

My older brothers and me about 1964, off to Sunday school in Austin, Texas. Can anyone identify cars in fore and background? And if memory serves me I do believe those are all clip on ties. And being the youngest, there was no guessing as to what I would be wearing to church in the coming years. View full size. The Family Car'63-64 Dodge Dart; that's a Chevy pickup in the background. It is in fact a 1963 DodgeIt is in fact a 1963 Dodge Dart -- the trim discerns it from a '64 model. Such cuties!Of course, that wee fellow is now the handsomest neighbor one could ever have! (ShorpyBlog, Member Gallery)
Cross Country Moto Win: 1983
... Raced an 82 IT175 3 hour hare scrambles in July 1983 in Austin, Texas. It doesn't look like it, but I was about dead after that race. The last ... 
 
Posted by Zone47 - 05/22/2015 - 7:04pm -

Raced an 82 IT175 3 hour hare scrambles in July 1983 in Austin, Texas. It doesn't look like it, but I was about dead after that race. The last hour was just hanging on and trying to not crash. My arms were like rubber. It was 101 degrees. View full size. (ShorpyBlog, Member Gallery)
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