MAY CONTAIN NUTS
HOME

Search Shorpy

SEARCH TIP: Click the tags above a photo to find more of same:
Mandatory field.

Search results -- 30 results per page


Speedway Racers: 1925
... every bike is single-speed and none had brakes. Track Bikes Track bikes are pretty much the same today. No brakes, one gear, and no freewheel so ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/13/2013 - 3:26pm -

July 18, 1925. Prince George's County, Maryland. "Bicycle races at Laurel Speedway." National Photo Company Collection glass negative. View full size.
So,I'm guessing the fourth fella from the left is either
A) not a touchy feely kinda guy
B) itchy to get the race started and stop this photo nonsense
C) disturbed that he forgot his cycling shorts
Sans SpandexAh, the days before obnoxious kits (and helmets).
Old SchoolAs far as I can tell every bike is single-speed and none had brakes.
Track BikesTrack bikes are pretty much the same today. No brakes, one gear, and no freewheel so no coasting. You just apply back pressure to slow down. At least two of these have brake levers, though. You wouldn't see any brakes at a track race  today. Looks like a wood track, too. Watch out for slivers!
4th from the leftThat old guy (he's gotta be at least 30!) is going to get dusted by these kids!
He apparently thought he was going golfing judging by his pants.
FixiesTrack racers are still usually fixed-gear brakeless speedsters today.  But these guys haven't dreamt of the solid wheels and carbon fiber you see now.
Track BikesThese bikes are a bit strange in one respect:  they are classic track bikes  (single gear -- you brake by trying to stop peddling) with touring type front forks.  Current "racing" bikes have nearly straight front forks.
Rat trapsLooks like they are using "rat trap" pedals.  I still use this style pedal on my mountain bike.  Most riders use a clipless pedal today with matched biking shoes.
Board racing was awful!One spill and the board track turned you into a porcupine.
Board tracksBaltimore-Washington Speedway was a 1.125 mile wooden oval with 48-degree banked corners, and was built by Jack Prince, an Englishman who basically was the father of board track construction in the U.S. He was an ex-bike racer. It was operational between 11 June 1925 and 25 September 1926, so these guys raced (on a Saturday) just five weeks after it opened. All of the board tracks' primary users were race cars, not bikes, although Prince based his design on bike racing's wooden velodromes.    
From my article "Racing on Wood":
"With boards stacked on edge, 16 to 20 feet long or so, two inches by up to eight inches wide, 24 tracks were built in the U.S., all but two of them ovals, with banking in some cases as much as 50 degrees.  Today's Daytona has 31-degree banking, Talladega has 33, Bristol 36, California Speedway and Pocono 14, and Indy might as well be a giant cafeteria tray with its relatively flat nine degrees.  For promotional purposes it was not unknown for owners to claim higher banking for their new track than for the last one built, so precise measurement could be snookered occasionally."
AND:
"The 'boards' didn't last long.  Their champion proponent, builder Prince, died in 1927. The 1929 stock market crash was no help. The tracks' average life was four seasons.  Altoona, which ran from 1923 into 1931, had the longest career.  Not much was known about preserving wood outdoors without creosote (too slippery) to provide stable, even surfaces able to withstand the pounding of race cars capable of covering 220 feet a second."  
Faster guys on the insideThese fine racers are obviously arranged by speed, with the guys near the outside lane looking like they're just there for kicks. 
I also notice that the tires look like 27 x 1-1/4 size, which is 32mm, compared to the modern 23mm tires. Just one of the many things that have changed in bike racing.  
Dusie on the boardsThe racecar is a 1925 Duesenberg Eight Speedway Car, driven at the time by Peter De Paolo. The car apparently sold for 330,000 dollars at the Monterey Sports and Classic Car Auction in 2007. The guy so comfortably ensconced on the front is undoubtedly waiting for the real racing action to commence. 
Captain Pedantic hereThe city of Laurel is in fact in Prince Georges County (which technically should be spelled without the apostrophe, since it was spelled that way in the original charter almost 400 years ago).  However, the old (long-gone) speedway was just about an ant's tiptoe over the line into Anne Arundel County.
(The Gallery, Bicycles, D.C., Sports)

Tykes n Bikes: 1910
... one of "The Little Rascals" (Our Gang) comedies. Two Bikes, Three Kids Enough to guarantee a major disagreement if my personal ... the Rascals would despise, until they got to ride their bikes. Spanish Moss The plant dripping from the live oak (Quercus ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/13/2013 - 3:27pm -

Continuing our Sunshine State sojourn circa 1910: "Entrance to Riverside Park, Jacksonville, Florida." Detail of 8x10 inch glass negative. View full size.
The Little RascalsThis looks like a scene straight out of one of "The Little Rascals" (Our Gang) comedies.
Two Bikes, Three KidsEnough to guarantee a major disagreement if my personal history is any indication. 
What Kind of Tree?What a charming photo. Like an illustration out of a Storybook and the drooping trees are very beautiful! Never having been in Florida, other than changing planes, I wonder, what kind of tree is that directly over the children?
[It's an oak. - Dave]
Way too cleanThese kids are far to clean and well dressed to be Little Rascals.
These are the rich kids the Rascals would despise, until they got to ride their bikes.
Spanish MossThe plant dripping from the live oak (Quercus virginiana) is Spanish Moss (Tillandsia usneoides). It grows throughout the Americas, wherever heat and humidity are adequate for its survival. It's a bromeliad, related to the pineapple.
Fall down go boomLive oaks differ from the oaks you have in the north. One thing about them, they need regular care by a knowledgeable arborist. They will rot from the inside out. Every time we have a strong thunder storm they have a house with a live oak in it  on TV. As big as they are they make a real impression on a house. I have two on my property, and have them checked every year.
ShoesWhat's with the shoes, did they only sell one style? I guess this would help when it was hand-me-down time. You wouldn't have to worry if it was a boy or girl getting the shoes.
Beware the Spanish MossMany an ill-informed hunter or camper in Florida has resorted to Spanish Moss for certain sanitary uses. Softer than Charmin. Some time later they are introduced to the Florida redbug (family Trombiculidae) in their nether regions. The misery of the itching is equalled by the embarrassment of compulsive scratching and looking like a real pervert.
http://pelotes.jea.com/AnimalFact/Arthropod/redbug.htm
(The Gallery, Bicycles, DPC, Florida, Jacksonville, Kids)

Municipal Castle: 1906
... Detroit Publishing Company. View full size. Free Bikes I love how they could just leave their bikes by the side of the street without a second thought about the possibility ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 07/30/2012 - 4:33pm -

Birmingham, Alabama, circa 1906. "Jefferson County Court House." 8x10 inch dry plate glass negative, Detroit Publishing Company. View full size.
Free BikesI love how they could just leave their bikes by the side of the street without a second thought about the possibility of them being stolen.
ShadowlandsI love all the shadows in this picture. The trees, the horses, the man walking across the street. Cool.
Not only Bikescould be left alone, but horses and buggies too - and no parking meters.
Still thereWell the church is, anyway. The Cathedral of St. Paul was completed in 1893 at a cost of approximately $90,000.
The courthouse was completed in 1887 on the northeast corner of 3rd Avenue N and 21st Street N (now Richard Arrington Jr. Blvd. N). This building replaced a smaller two-story brick version built on the same site in 1875. The 1887 courthouse served the county's needs until 1931 when the present courthouse was completed just up 21st Street between 7th and 8th Avenues N.
View Larger Map
Definitely not ADA compliantThose stupendous curbs come up nearly to the hubs of the bikes.  That should be around a foot in height.
The JailhouseAnd right behind the Castle is what appears to be the Birmingham jail with its high wall.
"SLOW"I guess that was for the streetcars.
Let sleeping dogs lie.Right on the courthouse lawn.
Let us call it "mud"They should pull those wagons with Utilitors. They they wouldn't have all that "mud" in the street. (I for one am grateful for the development of the internal combustion engine).
Awnings and decorative sculptureI am fascinated by the awnings that scrunch up like a woman's bonnet, as well as by the odd little owlet-looking critter sculptures, who crouch under a scroll. I could stand all day on that lawn just looking at its intricate features (and pet a dog while doing so).
Sloppy wiring Has anyone noticed that one of the wires on the pole in the lower left foreground has slipped off the insulator and is laying lying on the crossarm?  Something I've noticed in vintage Shorpy photos is how incredibly sloppy utility wiring practices were in those days. It's common to see things that would never be permitted today.  
The SLOW sign for streetcarsIt is most interesting to me, as my grandfather was a streetcar conductor in Birmingham at the time of the photo, and pictures I have seen of the streetcars at that time showed a lot of unpaved streets there.
(The Gallery, Birmingham, DPC)

Dirt Track Daredevils: 1912
... negative. View full size. When Men Were Men and Bikes Were Worried Early dirt racing bikes were primitive even for the time, according to my late father who raced a ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 01/09/2015 - 12:59pm -

        Motorcycle racing 103 years ago at the old Benning horse track in Washington.
May 30, 1912. "National Capital Motorcycle Club -- Decoration Day motor races at Benning track." National Photo Company glass negative. View full size.
When Men Were Men and Bikes Were WorriedEarly dirt racing bikes were primitive even for the time, according to my late father who raced a few: most notably, they had no brakes -- an ignition cut-off served to slow down a little, often with a string connecting the cut-off to the rider in case he fell off, as a kind of "dead man" switch.
Most also had but one gear and they were push-started with the aid of whatever crew the rider could muster, thereby saving the weight of a recoil starter.  And on short tracks, typical of county fairs, the most valuable driving technique involved the infamous "pendulum skid," with riders taking the curves much as automobile drifters do today (but with two wheels fewer, to add to the excitement).
Bikes in the BloodMy grandfather was a bike racer. He rode in what we called a "motorcycle scramble" on a dirt track very similar to this one.
I remember watching him work on his bike when I was very young (50-plus years ago now).
Although I never was allowed to go watch him, I was told he was quite good.
Life goes onSix weeks after the sinking of the Titanic.
Better not to askHow those fence rails ended up in the grass.
Ah, flattrack motorcycle racingFull speed ahead, and no brakes on those bikes. What could go wrong?
Want to see this type of racing soon?This type of racing is still going on. Google "AMA flat track racing" to find where and when you can see it. You can also view it on the YouTube. It's one of the few forms of motorcycle racing where the winner isn't always predictable. The bikes race on 1/2 to 1 mile ovals, there's only a rear brake and it's use is only to slow in case of a downed rider or at the end of the race. Straightaway speeds of 120 mph are common, and they slide around the corners at 100+. 
(The Gallery, D.C., Motorcycles, Natl Photo, Sports)

Bike Shop: 1912
... River Avenue. A hipster's dream What beautiful bikes. As a cyclist, I would love to have one of them. Just like today's hipster bikes No brakes - no coaster brakes, no hand brakes. All the with-it ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/13/2013 - 4:13pm -

Detroit, Michigan, circa 1912. "Metzger bicycle shop. Detroit City Gas Co." This photo of a cycle (and phonograph) shop was taken to show off the gaslight fixtures. 8x10 glass negative, Detroit Publishing Company. View full size.
MotorcyclesI see four motorcycles on the left.  An Excelsior Autocycle (Ignaz Schwinn was behind Excelsior motorcycles).  Behind the Excelsior is a "camelback" Indian of about 1909 vintage, I think.  Then another Indian and perhaps another Excelsior. In today's market those old motorcycles would extremely valuable and sought after by collectors.  I think music, bicycles, and motorcycles would still make for a fun shop today. 
RiddleWhat do gramophones and bicycles have in common? No, seriously, I want to know.
[Horns. - Dave]
Flash!Is that the reflection of the magnesium flash going off behind the men?
[It is! - Dave]
Huber & MetzgerBill Metzger started the first retail automobile store in Detroit in the old Biddle house. He became the first independent auto dealer in Detroit and probably the US. Below, the Huber & Metzger bike shop at 13 Grand River Avenue.
A hipster's dreamWhat beautiful bikes.  As a cyclist, I would love to have one of them.  
Just like today's hipster bikesNo brakes - no coaster brakes, no hand brakes. 
All the with-it college kids are riding fixed gear bikes with no brakes these days. 
Safety third!
FixiesAs far as I can see, none of the bicycles on offer have any brakes whatsoever. Such carefree times.
Well that's puzzlingI don't see any light fixtures that look like gas burners. I'm not aware of any glass bell shades pointing down that were ever used on gas lights. I'm pretty sure I can see bulb sockets on the perimeter lights, although I can't quite make them out. The fixtures in the center of the room have pull-chain switches on them. 
[Each gas chandelier has a pair of pulls to regulate flow. Below is another example from Detroit City Gas Co.  - Dave]
An Odd MixThe left side of the shop has a good selection of Victor Talking Machines. The right wall has shelves of Edison cylinders . I think I see a Columbia at the back of the shop. And all those bicycles! What a combination.
Mail CallI'd say those envelopes,  in the showcases behind the Victrolas, hold recordings by John McCormick, Enrico Caruso, Rosemary Clooney and Elvis.
Early ironSome of those "bikes" are motorcycles.
Not all are bicyclesI spot at least two Indian and two Excelsior Auto Cycles on the left row and can't quite identify what is in back behind the two men sitting though I suspect another Excelsior.
All NaturalNot  single black tire in the shop. Everything is natural rubber.
The sound of bikesI find it quite amusing that the two leading bicycle store chains in Israel, where I live, are called Matzman and Mintz. Something with the "TZ" sound drags people to deal with two wheeled vehicles, apparently!
The 8-track of 1912Those shelved items on the right are music cylinders. Music discs were a growing market in 1912 but looks as if this shop's owner had a lot of inventory to move before he could think about selling discs. (Judging by their loose-looking packaging, I don't think the items in some sort of vertical envelopes on the shelves on the left are discs, although if they are, they're way outnumbered by the cylinders.) Some of the songs of the day: "She Pushed Me Into the Parlour," "Daddy Has a Sweetheart (And Mother Is Her Name)," "Ragtime Cowboy Joe," "When Irish Eyes Are Smiling," "The Sweetheart of Sigma Chi" and Irving Berlin's "Keep Away From the Fellow Who Owns an Automobile."         
Used MotorcyclesIt seems that these fellows dealt in used equipment as well, Indian Motorcycles produced the last Camelback gas tank single cylinder machine in 1908 (according to my father, who's the curator of a very large motorcycle museum). The Metzger Bicycle Concern would have a heart attack if they knew what that "old" Indian single was worth today.
[This picture could just as well be from 1908. - Dave]
Metzger Got AroundBill Metzger was also behind the Metz car, which has previously been a Shorpy subject.  I learned that from a friend who I had sent this photo to.
Gas and ElectricThe center fixtures are gas, but the perimeter fixtures are electric. Best of both worlds when electric lighting was not necessarily bright or reliable.
Obsolete Stock The items on the left-hand shelf are most likely Victor records. Victor & Edison allowed their dealers to carry both lines, until Edison introduced a disc machine & Victor ordered its dealers to drop Edison. 
 All of the cylinders appear to be 2 minute records, although Edison introduced the 4 minute "Amberol" cylinder in 1908.  Both were about to be discontinued in late 1912, along with open horn machines.  The celluloid "Blue Amberol" record and a new line of Amberola (inside horn) cabinet machines were introduced in the Fall of 1912. Dealers were then allowed to discount the 'wax' cylinders, to clear their stocks. 
 By this time, Edison's consultants said people were "Victrola crazy", while Edison's cylinder business fell disastrously & Columbia quit cylinders altogether. 
Bicycles & gramophonesIt's what they don't have in common that matters. Bicycles sell well in warmer months when people are outdoors. Gramophones sell well in colder months when people are indoors. I believe this is Metzger's shop at 351 Woodward and not the one he shared with Huber.
http://www.m-bike.org/blog/2010/12/11/metzger-bicycle-shop-in-1912/
(The Gallery, Bicycles, Detroit Photos, DPC, Motorcycles, Stores & Markets)

Parting Glances: 1920
... from his ghost position to where he is now. Boys and bikes You can tell by his blurry foot that the driver is kickstarting his ... riders. The low price ($150) was cheaper than comparative bikes offered by other manufacturers. The A2 was replaced in 1925 by the 350cc ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/13/2023 - 3:25pm -

Washington, D.C., circa 1920. "729 12th St., Washington Times." Various shades of Twelfth Street. 8x6 inch glass negative, National Photo Company Collection. View full size.
Wall BetweenI would hazard a guess that there is a wall between the woman and young boy.  If you follow the line between "painted" and "unpainted" you will see that the width between the windows is farther apart.  Also the chimney above, and the two stores below suggest some sort of support wall that would have to go all the way up.
MessengersBicycles, a motorcycle and a messenger office. Pure chance, or a cunning business plan?
Cleveland MotorcycleThat's a production motorcycle from the Cleveland Motorcycle Co.
Questions indeedIs that young blurry boy only wearing one roller skate?  Is the other young child telling the headless phantom motorcycle rider to shush?  
Must say I love the "lace" and tassels on the Shade shop. 
Possible SlumlordAndrew Murray the builder doesn't take very good care of his property.
Window on my WorldBuster Brown in the window above the deli seems to be looking at the motorcycle. Wondering if he is related to the woman in the window next to him, or if there is a wall between them and they are in different apartments. 
So many questions, so little timeAre the shutters seen on some of the buildings actually used?  Or are they just decorative as are modern shutters are?
Why don't the brick stone buildings have shutters?
Is that some sort of prototype motorcycle?
Are the people in the windows family members of the proprietors of the businesses below?
Is the boy in front of the messenger service an employee?
BTW, I just love photos like this; an honest and unfettered look into a past long gone.
Ahead of the timesLike the bike propped against the building. Owner has his bars flipped and his seat laid back -- cutting edge!
Tri-LevelWhat a mesmerizing photo; one can conjure up at least three scenarios that fit what we see here.  The pride of the gentleman inside the Builder's office watching his son leave; the parting of two friends (or lovers); is the rider embarking on a grand adventure; who is the rider, really? The more you look the deeper the stories become. Olde photos are magic.
Ghost RiderTenants checking out the ghost on the motorcyle seems to be the most likely scenario.
The Phantom PhootSo what's that disembodied upside-down foot above the third floor windows of #731?
Taken for a ride in another senseI suspect that the owner of 729 hired the same Washington housepainter that I did.
Bicycle BrakesThe bike leaning against the Murray/McGregor office shows no evidence of brakes, coaster or hand. When did bicycles begin to have braking systems (other than putting your feet down)?....some Shorpyite out there knows.....
King Cola, the Royal DrinkNot much you can find about this brand, except that it was sued to death by the Coca-Cola Company for its use of the word "cola." How did Pepsi ever survive the same predicament?
[The defendant's sin was not the use of the word "cola" but rather its Spencerian-script logo (below), which was a frank imitation of the Coca-Cola trademark. Coca-Cola's legal blitzkrieg also took aim at Koke, Cold-Cola, Koca-Nola and Ko-Kola. - Dave]
Dividing lineI love that only half of the building has been freshly painted. The other half - the builder's half does not instill confidence in his work. 
Looks like the kid on one roller skate leaped from his ghost position to where he is now. 
Boys and bikesYou can tell by his blurry foot that the driver is kickstarting his bike.  This is an activity that always attracts kids.  There's something irresistible about the roar of the engine.  The little boy standing behind the bike is thinking, "Someday I'm gonna get me one of those..."  I've seen this happen a million times.
My Side versus Your SideIt is pretty clear that the owners of 729 and 731 have a different philosophy of exterior maintenance. What a geometrically precise paint line between them.
One SkateI bet the other roller skate is on the ghost of a kid spinning just on front of the steps. The rider is a blur because he's trying to kick start the bike. Upstairs grumpy, and the two men are much more interested in the photographer.
These are really neat old photos, I'm glad I found the web site.
Honesty of Purpose

Washington Post, April 8, 1911.

Special Notices



Announcement.

The family of the late John McGregor, builder, of 729 Twelfth street northwest, desire to inform the public that the business will be carried on by his successor, Mr. Andrew Murray, who has been with Mr. McGregor for the past thirteen years. They trust that the same patronage extended to the late Mr. McGregror will continue to be shown to Mr. Murray. In reference to the above, I hope, by strict attention to business and the same honesty of purpose that characterized Mr. McGregror's work, to merit the confidence and patronage of his friends and the public generally. Respectfully,

Andrew Murray,
729 Twelfth street northwest.
Shannon & LuchsHoly cow! The Shannon & Luchs For Sale sign on 731 caught my eye. They were the dominant real estate company in Fairfax County, Virginia, when I was growing up there in the 1980s and '90s. I still remember their radio jingle: "It takes more than luck / it takes Shannon & Luchs." I had no idea they had this long a history. They seem to have been acquired by Polinger in 1993, but I know they were still going by the S&L name at least until the late '90s.
Cleveland motorcycleThe motorcycle in the photo is a Cleveland A2, which was manufactured by the Cleveland Motorcycle Manufacturing Company, located in the Ohio city of the same name between 1915 and 1925. The A2 was powered by a 220cc two-stroke engine mounted transversely in the frame, with a worm drive to power the countershaft sprocket for final chain drive. The shaft exited the two-speed gearbox and extended past the rear downtube to drive the the magneto, hung just forward of the rear wheel.
In 1920 the A2 grew larger, adding footboards, incorporated fuel/oil tank and wider fenders. The weight increased in 1921 with a larger fuel/oil tank and seat and a battery. To offset the additional weight, engine capacity was increased to 270cc. In 1923 a sportier model was offered - the Model E, which featured a battery and electric lights.
Although the Cleveland looked flimsy compared to the big V-twins offered by other US manufacturers, their light weight (68 kg) and moderate power (3.5 bhp and 30 mph top speed) combined for easy riding. The main market of the A2 were students, women and businesses who employed couriers and light delivery riders. The low price ($150) was cheaper than comparative bikes offered by other manufacturers. The A2 was replaced in 1925 by the 350cc Model F.
(The Gallery, Bicycles, D.C., Motorcycles, Natl Photo, Stores & Markets)

Our Lady of Lourdes: 1914
... Avenue, and the bicycle store there where we rented bikes on Saturday afternoons. Going to confession every Saturday down in the ... He needed someone to identify the kids who rented there (bikes rented for 20 cents an hour -- and that's the truth). We started a Junior ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 12/13/2022 - 12:33pm -

        A newly restored version of a Shorpy favorite that has collected three pages of comments since it was first posted in 2007 --
The caption for this one just says "Post Office." Thanks to our commenters we now know that the building with the statue is the Our Lady of Lourdes School at 468 W. 143rd Street in New York circa 1914. 8x10 glass negative, Bain News Service. View full size | The school in 2007.
Post office?Looks like a Catholic school, actually. This is just a wild-a**ed guess, but St. Jean Baptiste on East 75th? This would coincide with the warehouse cart on the left (sort of).
Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic SchoolThis is Our Lady of Lourdes School in New York City on 143rd Street between Amsterdam Avenue and Convent Avenue.  The school was built in 1913 in Washington Heights, an exclusively white, upper middle-class neighborhood.  It was built and equipped at a total cost of one hundred and forty thousand dollars.  
Besides classrooms for five hundred pupils, the building contained an auditorium with a stage lavishly equipped for theatrical productions, a gymnasium, a roof-top playground, an assembly room for parish organizations, rooms for classes in cooking and sewing, and offices for the school officials.
The associated church (Our Lady of Lourdes) is located directly behind the school on the next block, 142nd Street.
Yes...Which is the Post Office?  The large building in the center must be a Catholic School, what with a saint on the roof and all.
As for the location, I have no clue.  
Post OfficeWhich building is the Post Office?
post officeBuilding with street level entrance and flags would be my likely guess.
Today...Google Street View. It's always interesting to see NYC in the early years, and how it's changed.
Our Lady of LourdesI attended this school for eight years in the 1950s. The lower grades entered by one door and the higher grades used the other. City College frat houses faced the school. Recess was on the street out front. We didn't have any cooking or sewing classes, no classrooms equipped for that. There wasn't any  gym. We weren't allowed to go up on the roof and there wasn't an assembly room. We did have a annual spring play using the stage and we had a Christmas concert. There was a way into the church from the back of the school. The nuns that taught there were called Society of the Holy Child. Father Kline was one of the priests and Mother Mary Edward taught there. A good school, good memories.
Johnny PumpThat fire hydrant probably was installed in the late 1880s. Was born and bred in NYC and traversed all five boroughs  many many times, but NEVER laid eyes on a johnny pump like that. Every boy who ever grew up in "The City" is instinctively  drawn to hop over as many hydrants as possible. However that one is a KILLER.  
Our Lady of LourdesI attended OLL from 1933 to 1941. The lower grades kindergarten to fourth were taught by the Ursuline Order of Sisters. The upper grades fifth to eighth were taught by the Sisters of the Holy Child. The school was funded and guided by the priests of the adjoining OLL Church.
We were there to learn,to pray: no play, no library, no lunch room, no outside activities. It was not an easy life for children of poor families during this Great Depression Era. I often cried and asked God to help me through the day, the year. I know I received a very good education but not a happy one. There were nuns I would have died for, however there were many that should not have been allowed to teach children.
The Church and school were founded by Monsignor Thomas McMann. There is  a bust of the good priest near the entrance to the upper church.
In the 1930s we were allowed on the roof for various activities.
The term  "very stern " comes to mind.
The statue is Our Lady of Lourdes, similar to the statue in the grotto in the lower church on 142nd Street. It was removed a few years ago as it decayed and was ready to fall off the roof.
Convent AvenueThis photo faces east, and the townhouses in the background are along the east side of Convent Avenue. All of them still stand, most are in superb condition. This is the finest real estate in Harlem; a house across the street sold for $3.89 million about 18 months ago. Here is a listing for a house a few doors down from the ones seen here: http://tinyurl.com/2396kb
Note the terraces on two of the buildings -- those are stunning and almost never seen in New York.
Does anyone remember anDoes anyone remember an Irish nun by the name of Sister Gerard?  She was one of the Ursula ? nuns at the Our Lady of Lourdes in Manhatten.  She emigrated about 1910, so am not sure anyone would remember her...
Is there a cemetery associated with Our Lady of Lourdes?
Upper and Lower ChurchCan you tell me if the Upper and Grotto Church still exists and do they have mass on Saturdays and Sundays?  I lived 2 streets away a long time ago and would like to see the old neighborshood.  I have never forgotten the Grotto.  It's so unique.  Would like to share it with my spouse.
Or maybe I can speak with someone in the convent.  Are the nuns still there?
Thank you.
Diana Gosciniak
Our Lady of LourdesI also went there in the 1950's. The nuns were very dedicated to teaching. Our religion was the major reason they and all of us were there. The grotto was under the main stairs and confession was held downstairs at 4 pm on Saturday. The children's Mass was at 9 am on Sunday, a High Mass in Latin. The doors of the main church came from old St. Patrick's downtown in Little Italy.
The sisters made sure that the majority of 8th grade students got into Catholic high school. A lot of the girls went to Cathedral H.S. and the boys went to Cardinal Hayes.
The church was around the corner with a connection to the back of the school. The convent was right next door to the church and the rectory was across the street.
Once in a while we were invited to go to the convent on a Saturday to see the nuns. The neighborhood was pretty good, all kind of stores that tolerated all of us kids.
It was nice going there for eight years. Fond memories.
O.L.L. Upper and lower churchYes, the upper church is still active with most Masses in Spanish. The lower church {the Grotto) is not used.  However the statue of the Blessed Mother is still on view. The sisters left about 10 years ago. I visited the school and was told the Church no longer had any say in its operation. When did you attend? I was there from 1933 to 1940.
J Woods
Theatrical productions?Oh, how I wish I had your recall. However, I did attend O.L.L. from 1933 through 1940. Yes, the stage was used - but with limited equipment. I never saw or played on a rooftop playground. There was no gymnasium. The seats in the auditorium were moved to the side for military drilling by boys from grades 5 to 8 once a week. The girls exercised in a nearby room. The children in the lower grades had no physical training. I don't remember an assembly room for any parish organizations. Family members were not encouraged to come to the school except on Graduation Day or if the student had a serious problem that required a meeting with the principal and/or a parish priest. I must say we all received a very good education and were farther ahead in our studies than the Public School  kids.
Yours truly and in friendship,
Jackie Woods
OLL NeighborhoodI lived on Amsterdam Ave for 16 years. Where did you live? When did you attend OLL School? The few friends I had from the old days have passed on. I answered your other message; The Nuns left about 15 years ago. You need to have someone open the lower church to visit there. The Blessed Mother's Statue is still located in the Grotto but masses are no longer read there.
Regards and in friendship.
Jackie Woods
Our Lady of Lourdes, 2008I had a chance to stop by West 143rd street and take a snapshot today. The cornerstone is dated 1912. As you can see, every building shown in the "1914" photograph is extant and all are in excellent condition. There is even a fire hydrant in the same location as the fire hydrant shown in the photo. As for changes — there are trees on the block now, and the cornice has been removed from Our Lady of Lourdes, as has the statue of the saint. And, of course, as with all modern photos taken in New York, it is full of automobiles.

(Click to enlarge)
The reddish sign on the left side of the street, behind the motorcycle, identifies this block as part of the Hamilton Heights Historical District (Hamilton Grange is only a few blocks away). Today was garbage day, so a distracting pile of trash sits in the foreground, sorry about that.
Our Lady of LourdesCentral Harlem, did you attend Our Lady of Lourdes? If so what years?
Thanks for the picture
Jackie Woods
Our Lady of LourdesI attended an Episcopalian school. I contributed that photo because of my joy in Harlem history, not any tie to this school in particular.
Last weekend, I found a photograph of this block dating to 1908! All the buildings looked the same except for OLL, which was then an empty lot. Perhaps Team Shorpy can enlighten me -- would it be compliant with copyright law for me to scan and post it?
[Is there a copyright notice on it? If it was copyrighted before 1923, the copyright has expired. - Dave]
Our Lady of LourdesThank you for your latest information, Central Harlem. Where was your school located? Did you live nearby? I'm 80 years old going on 81 and all I have are my memories (mostly fond). And my memory is outstanding. I was hoping to hear from anyone who attended OLL with me.
By the way, the folks on Amsterdam Avenue always envied the folks on Convent Avenue, always a beautiful clean street. (Today we would say "upscale.") Three of my children were born in The Lutheran Hospital of Manhattan on 144th off Convent. I had moved to upper Washington Heights by then but my doctor was still working out of there.
Thank you and in friendship,
Jackie Woods
Our Lady of Lourdes, 1909I had a chance to scan the old photo I found of this block. It dates to 1909, not 1908 as I had first said. Every building seen in this photo remains, though some of the lots on the right-hand side of 143rd street were empty in 1909, including the lot that would house Our Lady of Lourdes three years later.

Anticipating the interest of Shorpy's crew of automotive experts, I provide a closeup of that car on Amsterdam Avenue, below.

Also, a note to Jackie Woods: we're of different generations. It is good to exchange notes here, but I'm sure we've never met.
Our Lady of Lourdes SchoolWhat wonderful memories of days past. I attended OLL from 1943 and graduated in 1951. One of five brothers to do so.  You may have known my older brothers, Larry, Dick or Bill.  We lived in that apartment building at the end of the street on the OLL side. That was the location of Alexander Hamilton's house, Hamilton Grange.  When it was built, it forced the move to its present location behind the church. It will be moved again to the SE corner of Convent and 141st Street.  You also mentioned Lutheran Hospital. It wasn't so great for our family.  My brother Dick was taken there after being hit by a car. While recovering, he contracted rheumatic fever in the hospital and later died at New York Hospital. We also lived at 310 Convent Avenue because my mother's family, the Healys, lived on 141st Street. If you have any other questions, ask away. I'm still in contact with several classmates and between us, we should be able to answer.
"Thanks for the Memories"
Bob Phillips 
OLL graduatesHi, Yes, I do remember a Phillips family. The boys or boy were in a higher grade with one of my brothers. As you can see, I had already left OLL when you started there. I am pleased you have good memories of your early years. Unfortunately, mine are mixed. An incident: a bunch of us, about 12 years old at the time, were fooling around and one of the boys fell out of a tree and broke his arm. We carried him to Lutheran Hospital They wouldn't let us in the front door. Told us to take him to Knickerbocker Hospital near 131st Street, and so we did. Today, I ask why no first aid was administered or an ambulance called. However, I have nothing but good words about the hospital in later years. I was sorry to hear about brother RIP
Regards and in friendship,
Jackie Woods
PS My oldest sister, Ellen, class of 1936 Won scholorship to Holy Child Academy
My older brother William (Billy), Class of 1937, won a scholarship to Regis High.
MemoriesI graduated from OLL in 1973 and it is so wonderful to see a website with the School and the information that it offers.  I too wondered about the Masses in the lower church.  The grotto was always so beautiful and special. I have lived in Florida since 1986 and hope to make a trip to NYC just to visit the old school.  Thanks again for bringing a smile to my face today. God bless.
OLL MemoriesHi. I attended OLL from grades K to 5. I have the most beautiful memories of my childhood there. I loved the nuns. I can't believe how time has gone so fast. If anyone remembers me or remembers Sister Mary Owen or Ms. Valentine or the gym instructor George Izquierdo. I am talking about late 1960's, early 70's. Please contact me. Are the sisters still there? I went to visit Sister Mary Owen a couple of years ago. She wasn't wearing her habit any more. Those were good old days. I was so mischievous, always getting into trouble. Oh my God. I had the best early education there, never will I forget. I love history and I love these pictures that were posted up above, everything looks the same. Thanks! My family still lives up in Washington Heights.
Our Lady of Lourdes School and ChurchAnd a HI to you,
The good sisters left about ten years ago.
You can reach the school online, it has a Web site.
The school is no longer under the supervision of the Church.
If you look over the rest of this page you will see that I have answered a number of postings that may be of interest to you.
"Memories are made of this."
In friendship,
Jackie Woods
OLL AlumniHello OLL'ers
Head over to the OLL website www.ourladyoflourdesschool.net
There's an alumni page where you can send your information and be put on the mailing list.  
OLLCould not connect with your e-mail: kbarkley@ourladyoflourdesschool.net
Would you please check it.
When did you attend OLL?
I gave my information previously on bottom of page.
Look forward to hearing from you.
In friendship,
Jackie woods
To Jackie WoodsI knew Dennis before the war, and graduated OLL in 1937. My sister Marie graduated in 1936 and received a scholarship to Holy Name. Finding your web site after all these years is a small miracle. I'm sorry to say Marie, such a special person, passed away in 1977. Andrew, a 1943 or 44 graduate, died in 2000. I did not marry till 1985, had a daughter in 86. My wife Alice and I celebrated our daughter Colleen's wedding Nov. 24, 2007. I hope this proves I was not as bad as the sisters believed. They wanted so to see me go that they created the first coed class and skipped me from 6th to 8th grade. Yes we marched on the roof, auditorium, basement and in far away competition. I believe we had a West Point officer, but not certain. I just hope that life was as rewarding to all OLL graduates as I. God bless.
John Orlando
Wideawake80@verizon.net
OLL, late 1950s and early 60sDon't know how I found this website, but so glad that I did. I graduated OLL in June 1961. The nuns are my most vivid memories of the school. The spring and Christmas plays that were held each year. Recess outside during lunchtime. Walking to school each day and spending the few pennies we had to buy candy at the store on Amsterdam Avenue, and the bicycle store there where we rented bikes on Saturday afternoons. Going to confession every Saturday down in the grotto. Checking the Legion of Decency list for movie listings. Learning to sing the Mass in Latin for every Sunday High Mass and, most important, the foundation the nuns gave us for our religion that is still strong to this day. A few years ago, we drove from Jersey up to the old place and convent still looked pretty good. Can someone please explain about not being under the archdiocese any longer. Thanks again.
Lutheran HospitalI found this link when looking for the Lutheran Hospital. Very interesting information.
I am researching my family history and found out this hospital is where my great grandfather passed away. Thinking that there may be additional information on the records,  I searched for the hospital but have not been able to find any recent reference to it. Has the Hospital been closed?  Can anybody give me some background information?  I will certainly appreciate it,
Anne
[You might try the Archives search box on the New York Times Web site. Lutheran Hospital of Manhattan, at 343 Convent Avenue, merged with Norwegian Lutheran Deaconess Hospital in 1956 to form Our Saviour's Lutheran Hospital at the Norwegian Hospital facility on 46th Street and Fourth Avenue in Brooklyn. It's now called Lutheran Medical Center. - Dave]
Lutheran HospitalHello Anne,
Yes, I know Lutheran Hospital. My three oldest boys were born there: 1951: 1952: 1954. My brother-in-law's father died there c. 1937. When I last passed by the neighborhood, three years ago, I saw that the hospital had been converted to an assisted living facility.
The neighborhood is looking great - real upscale. The brownstones that one could buy in the 1930s for a song are now selling for well over a million dollars. In the 1930s they were empty, thanks to the banks that foreclosed during the Depression. As kids we ran through them and at one time had a clubhouse inside one.
In friendship,
Jackie Woods
Lutheran HospitalThanks you both, Dave and Jackie, for your responses.
I will follow the advice and hope to be able to pass soon by the neighborhood.
Anne
OLL MemoriesHi Henry,
I too remember Sister Mary Owen, my brother David Mora had her and she was really strict.  We keep in touch with George Izquierdo and he is doing great.  Sister Rosemarie passed away.  I try to stay in touch with O.L.L.  It was really a happy time in my childhood and the happy memories will always be a part of my life.
Maxine Mora
Lutheran Hospital of ManhattanLooking for pictures of the Hospital.  I was born in 1940 in the facility and would like to see what it looked like in that era--anyone have a picture?
Dad Was an AlumnusHello Jackie,
I am curious to see if you know my father, Frank Corrigan, who was born in 1926, which would make him 82 this August. I think he was in the Class of 1941.
I am also curious to see if you have any contact or info on Alfred Pereira or his sister Clara Pereira Mercado. Any help would be appreciated.
Stephen Corrigan
Please email me when you get a chance, stephenjcorrigan@aol.com.
Frank CorriganYes, I knew Frank Corrigan, Class of 1940, not 1941, he was closer to my brother Dennis than me, I was a year younger. Didn't Frank have a  younger very pretty sister? I last saw Frank c. 1968 in the upper Washington Heights area where many of the families from OLL had moved to from the 140th streets.
I knew Pancho Pereira (the name Alfred does not ring a bell) and Clara, his younger sister. His little brother  JoJo was killed in Korea. Pancho had a birthmark: strands of very white hair in the front of his head of very black hair. They were wonderful good people.
Pancho was good friends with Jackie Koster, whose sister Barbara married Burl Ives in Hollywood and lived happily everafter.
In friendship,
Ed and Jackie Woods
eandjwoods50@yahoo.com
Vacant Houses in Hamilton HeightsI thought we were the only ones that got into those empty houses. Afternoons we'd go in through a back window to study and do our homework. We didn't break anything, and at our age we always wondered why the houses were vacant. The Depression angle we didn't figure out until later. Tom Calumet and Frank Howe went with me. I understand Frank has died and Tom Calumet left NYC around 1945 to go out west with his parents.
I graduated from OLL in 1941, and now live in Hopkins, MN
OLL MemoriesI graduated in 1960.  There were about 10 of us cousins who graduated between 1955 and 1960.  I remember Father Cline, Fr. Malloy, Monsignor Hart, Mother Bonaventure, Mother Dominica and others. Does anyone remember the day the frat boys across the street pushed the dummy out the window during our recess? I can almost taste the corn muffins and egg creams at the soda fountain around the corner on Amsterdam Avenue while "Barbara Ann" played on the jukebox. 
OLL PhotoI have a great a picture of my Confirmation Day. I'm in full OLL uniform dated c. May 1935. How can I send it to the OLL  Shorpy site?
Yours truly,
Ed Woods
[Click the links under "Become a member, contribute photos." - Dave]
Frat boys 0, Mother Mary Edward 10I sure do remember that day. Mother Mary Edward
marched over and blasted them. Also the candy store around the corner used to sell two-cent pumpkin seeds out of a little red box.
Does anyone remember the rumor going around that the
Grotto Chapel was haunted? I remember walking home with "Little Star" playing on the transistor radio.
The OLL GrottoI remember serving at what was called the Workmen's Mass in the Grotto in the 1930s - 6 o'clock in the morning! I know the Grotto is not used any more (I visited there in December 2007). As to the candy store on the corner of 143rd and Amsterdam, it was a very busy place: candy, pen nibs (no fountain pens), book covers etc. One day the owner came to school and told Sister Casmere, the principal, that we were disorderly and she must tell the students to behave when shopping in his store. Her solution was to tell the entire student body that they were not allowed to shop there. In a day or so, the man was back begging forgiveness and asked to plaese allow the children to return to his store. The kids were his main business.
HelloHi Maxine
How are you? Thank you for responding to me. It was very nice to hear from you. Sorry to hear about Sister Rosemary, but I don't remember her was she the pricipal of the school. I do remember Mr. Izquierdo he was the gym instructor with another man don't recall his name I believe he became principal of the school later on. Oh! now I remember his name was Mr. White I believe. God trying to recall, it is getting a little difficult now a days but I like it. It brings me back in time. How time have changed it was so innocent back than not like now. Looking back in time, makes me feel like I grew up to fast. How is Mr. Izquierdo doing? How can I contact him? Please let me know. My e-mail address is Je_Ocejo@yahoo.com. I remember he got married back than to a girl name Rocio, I don't know if they are still together but that lady was my father's friend daughter. Who else do you remember. Please get back to me with pictures. I have pictures too. Let me know how can I e-mail them to you. Would you believe that we are talking about almost atleast 35 years ago but I don't forget. God Bless you. Henry
OLLBob,
Any recollections of my father, Frank  Corrigan, Class of 1940? Maybe not yourself but some of your older brothers.
Steve Corrigan
More OLL MemoriesI graduated in 1937 and was probably a fellow graduate of a brother. I had skipped 7th grade and so did not get to know classmates well. It is possible that the Waters family lived across the alley on the second floor of the building on 142nd Street. We lived on the top floor of the next building on Hamilton Place. In the same building lived Buddy Sweeney and Sal Guizzardi, also a tall blond kid who graduated with me. I believe your mother and my mom,  Agnes Orlando, were friends. I believe your mother visited mine in 1952-3 in our new home in Bergenfield, N.J. I remember a sister who must have graduated with me or my sister Marie Orlando in 1936. My brother Andrew graduated 1947. My mother, brother and sister have passed away. I remember Poncho, the Kosta family, the Madigans, Woodses, Rendeans, Glyforces, McCarvils, Walshes, Philipses, Flynns, Duggans, Hooks, Rodriquezes, Craigs, Hugheses, Conways etc. I am sure we had many things in common being OLL graduates at a very special interval of time. I wish you well in your very beautiful state which I have passed through on three occasions. Best wishes and fond memories.
John and Alice Orlando
OLLLot older than you. Attended OLL from late 1930s to early 40s. Baptized, first Holy Communion and Confirmation (Cardinal Spellman). Lived at 145 and the Drive. Remember principal when I was there, Mother Mary Margaret. First grade teacher was Mother Mary Andrews. Remember playing on roof and being shocked by Mother Mary Andrews jumping rope.  Believe there was a Father Dolan around that that time. Only went to through the 3rd grade there and then moved to 75th St and the Blessed Sacrament -- a whole different world, and not as kind or caring.
Memories of OldHi Henry. You may not remember me but I also taught gym with George and sometimes Ms. Ortiz. George is with the Department of Education on the East Side. I work for the Bloomberg Administration. Sister Mary Owen has moved to Rye and of course all the nuns are now gone. I left in 1996 but I still miss all of the good times shared during my years there.
Memories Are GoodHello, You taught me gym and we also had alot of good times with the High School Club on Friday nights. I have most painful memories of O.L.L the day Msgr. Cahill passed away. I never knew how much a heart could have so much pain and yet go on.  My dad died on 4-29-96, Max Mora and I felt the same pain all over again. Do you know where Mother John Fisher has gone ... her name had changed to Sister Maryanne.  I would love to hear from you.
Maxine Mora
Hi HenryMy email address is mmorafredericks@aol.com. I have yours and I am so happy to be in contact with you I graduated in 1973. I went to Cathedral High School.  Later moved to Florida.  My brothers and sisters are still in NY and I miss so much of it.  I look forward to catching up with you.  I will write soon.  God Bless.
Maxine
Fellow ClassmateHi Tony,
It has been more than 48 years since I last saw you - at our graduation from OLL in 1960.  Let me know what you have been up to in the past half century.  My e-mail address is kmckenna@clarku.edu.
Kevin
LTNSMr. White! Not sure if you still come to this site, but on the off chance that you still visit i thought i would write. It's been so long since I've seen or heard from you, not since "Len Fong" closed. For all others that may still come by this site, I graduated in 1983 (possibly 82). Would love to hear from a blast from the past. Please email me at kellyw88@gmail.com
John McKennaHi Kevin,
Any chance you are related to the McKenna family? John McKenna, Class of 1941
Your name sure rings a bell, however there must be 20 years difference between us.
Have a healthy and happy 2009
In friendship,
Ed Woods
John McKennaHi Ed,
I'm afraid that I'm not related to John McKenna.  My brothers, Donald and Desmond, graduated from Our Lady of Lourdes in the fifties.  I wasn't aware of another McKenna family in the parish when I was at OLL.
Happy and healthy 2009 to you as well, Ed.
Cheers,
Kevin
McKenna FamilyThe John McKenna family I knew lived on the northeast corner of Hamilton Place and 141st street. I had other friends and schoolmates in that building. Thinking back, you probably had to be an Irish Catholic to live there. Whatever, I think you had to be an Irish Catholic to attend OLL. I never knew any others at that time, the 1930s. Most fathers worked for the subway and trolley systems or at the milk delivery companies along 125th Street near the river.
Those were the days, my friend. Innocence prevailed!
In friendship,
Ed and Jackie Woods
The Mc KennasJim McKenna and his younger brother Tommy lived in that house above Grizzardi's grocery. Tom hung around with Marty the Hanger Phipher and the Warriors. Billy Vahey and his brother Eddie who retired as a Lieutenant in the NYPD lived there also. Their mother was still there in the early 80s.
You probably knew the Schadack family, who I believe owned Schrafft's or Donald York. I think the building was 644 West 145 St. It was the first apartment house in the city to have a self-service elevator.
When we lived there the neighborhood was known as Washington Heights. For some reason it's now referred to as Hamilton Heights. A couple of great web sites -- Forgotten NY and Bridge and Tunnel Club. You can spend hours & hours on Rockaway Beach alone. Lots of good memories!
How about the movie theaters -- the Delmar, the RKO Hamilton, the Dorset, the Loews Rio, the Loews 175 (now the Rev. Ikes Church) and all the theaters along 180th Street?
Hamilton HeightsNorm,
Many thanks for your fine memories of our old neighborhood but there are a few minor corrections I have to make.  The first is the name Shadack family.  I believe the correct spelling is Shattuck and his address was 676 Riverside Drive on the corner of 145th Street.  We lived there and my brother Bill was classmates with Gene Shattuck.  No relation to the Schrafft's empire. 
Secondly, Hamilton Heights was always known as such.  Outsiders didn't know where that was so we usually said Washington Heights for simplicity.  Washington Heights doesn't really start until 157th Street and is separated from Hamilton Heights by the Audubon plot.
The Old NeighborhoodAlex Hamilton lived nearby. There was a very pleasant young man (OLL Class of 1941) named Eugene Shattuck who lived near 145th Street and Riverside Drive. His father was a professor at Manhattan College and his family owned the Schrafft's Restaurants.
I fondly recall Eugene having the wonderful hourglass-shaped bottles of hard Schrafft's candy brought to school and distributing one bottle to each of his classmates at Christmas time.
Needless to say, the poor Amsterdam Avenue kids were in awe of one who could afford to do such a good deed. You mention the Warriors, I knew the (Gang) but not any of the names mentioned here on Shorpy.
In friendship,
Ed and Jackie Woods
P.S. My in-laws the Boyd family lived at 676 Riverside Drive. Les Sr. had a  radio repair shop on 145th and Broadway.
676 Riverside DriveI lived at 676 as well.  The family's name was Shattuck. In my day, many, many years ago, the elevator had an operator. A sweet man in full uniform.  There was a doorman as well. Saw the building years later and was appalled at the change. Then went up to OLL and hardly recognized it.  It was the best school I ever went to. Thank you for reminding me of the fun. And yes, of the education I got there. By the way, 676 on the Drive was called the Deerfield.
OLL StudentsI am researching my family history and I came upon this great site.  In 1930 my grandparents Michael and Marie Murphy were living at 1744 Amsterdam Avenue and later in the 1930s at 115 Hamilton Place. All of the Murphy children attended Our Lady of Lourdes School. They were:
Maurice (born 1916)
Rita (born 1917/  my Mother)
John (born 1918)
Theresa (born 1920)
Vincent (born 1922)
Veronica (born 1925)
My mom had such fond memories of her time spent there.
Rita Harmon Bianchetto
Hi Neighbor!!Hi Rita,
I'm a former resident of 676 Riverside.  My family lived there from 1940 to 1960 in apartment 4A.  Bobby Foy lived next door to us.  I think you may have left just after we arrived since I remember the elevator operator.  The change to automatic was somtime during or just after WWII.
I remember they put up this 10 foot wall with a door to limit access to the building.  Fat lot of good that did us as my mother was robbed in broad daylight in the service chamber of our apartment in 1960.  That's when my Dad had us pack up and leave for a secure location in the Bronx.
Anyway, the apartment was great.  We had a balcony looking over 145th Street and the river.  My brothers were Larry Jr., Bill and Nick.  Bill was a good friend to Gene Shattuck and went to Xavier with him.  Nick and I also went there.  Larry had a scholarship to All Hallows.
Judy, can you tell me your last name and if you knew me.
Hope to hear from you.
Bob Phillips  at   bobbyphilly@msn.com 
Your DadSorry Steve, I graduated in 1947 and my three brothers have died.  But the name Corrigan does ring a bell.  Probably from my brother Larry who knew just about everyone in OLL.
Sorry I couldn't help out but it was great hearing from you.
Bob Phillips
Andrew.Yes, I remember your brother Andrew.  We were in the same class and we used to kid him about his name - Andrew Orlando and how tall he was.  What's he doing these days?
Bob Phillips
Those were the days, my friendsHello Rita,
I remember the name Murphy but not the faces. We lived a block south of you at 1704 Amsterdam. My sister Ellen, Class of  1936, and brother Bill, Class of 1937, would have known your family.
We had many friends  on Hamilton Place, the Koster family for one: Anita, Class of 1936, her younger sister Barbara married Burl Ives, and her other sister Mary Lou married Eddie Byrne (1710 Amsterdam). Ed's sister married Chump Greeny -- killed at Anzio Beach. He must have lived near your family.
My brother in law Les Boyd lived in the Deerfield and had an electric appliance store on the corner of 145th and B'way and a sporting goods store on the next block next to the Chinese restaurant.
In friendship,
Ed and Jackie Woods
Hello RitaHello Rita,
I attended St. Catherine's Academy on 151st between B'way and Amsterdam (It cost my dear old dad $10 a month for what was considered a private school.) I graduated in 1943 in a class of only four girls. I then went to  the Sacred Heart of Mary Academy in Inwood (I had to climb the long steps up from B'way every day for four years -- Class of 1947.
Most of my relatives went to OLL as did my husband of 59 years, Ed Woods. We are still alive, kicking and fighting and making up every day.
In my Class of 1943, one of the girls was Ann Murphy -- any relation? Also a Virginia O'Malley and my best friend, June McAvoy, who keeps in touch with me. June's grandfather was Judge McAvoy, who had died by that time.
I loved when my folks took me to McGuire's Bar and Restaurant on B'way and 155th. Oh that Roast Lamb (Irish style) on a Sunday or a holiday. The girls used to go to Nuestra Senora de Esperanza (Our Lady of Hope) next to the museum complex. We were told not to go there for confession, but the Spanish priests were limited in English.
Thinking back we had but little to confess at that time.
Eddie and I had an apartment on 150th near the Drive for a few years until 1956, then it was off to Long Island to raise our six children.
In friendship and love hearing from you,
Ed and Jackie Woods
The MurphysHi Ed and Jackie,
Thanks so very much for your reply.  I wish my mom was still with us but she died in 1998, the last of the Murphy kids.
My grandfather Mike Murphy worked for the Post Office (a mail carrier working out of the General P.O. at 33rd and 8th).  My grandmother Marie Murphy died in 1939 while living at Hamilton Place. Uncle Maurice went to Regis H.S. for several years before leaving to attend All Hallows; John and Vincent then attended All Hallows; my mom, Rita, attended Cathedral; Veronica, I believe, attended St. Vincent, and Theresa died at age 25 in 1944 (not sure of her high school). Mom worked at Woolworth's on 145th Street and Broadway, and after high school at New York Telephone, retiring about 1980. She got married in 1943 and moved to 152nd Street, and we attended St. Catherine of Genoa on W. 153rd.  I graduated in 1958. So I know the neighborhood.
Peace, Rita
Hi Ed and JackieSo Jackie you are a St. Kate's gal like me! My tuition was a dollar a month, so your education was really a private school. You have listed the Academy at 151st Street but I think that it was on 152nd between Broadway and Amsterdam Avenue. I took my high school entrance exam at SHM so I am sort of familiar with the school -- fireworks were going off during our exam. The end result was I did fine and attended Blessed Sacrament on West 70th, Class of 1962.
I last saw the "girls" at a reunion in 2002. My Spanish teacher just celebrated her 70th anniversary as a nun with the Sisters of Charity.
I am not familiar with any of the girls names that you mentioned,including Ann Murphy. I do know McQuire's, where I had my first Shirley Temple, Mass at Our Lady of Esperanza, Trinity Cemetery & loved visiting the museums.
Do either of you recall Eugenio Pacelli, before he became Pope Pius XII visiting at OLL ?
Please tell me about your days on 150th Street near the Drive since I may have been the little skinny blond kid you both passed on the street.
Peace,
Rita in Northern New Jersy
West 150th NYCHello Rita,
Yes, we lived at 615 W. 150th from 1950 to 1956. Four of my children were born there (three at Lutheran Hospital and one at Jewish Memorial). We had many friends from school and the neighborhood living nearby.
However, by 1956 it was time to move on; many changes in the neighborhood. One of my nearby friends was Juanita Poitier; Sidney was just getting started with his acting career. A real nice couple.
Was Father Tracy (Pastor) still there when you attended school? How about Father Brady? He was always telling stories during Mass about his sea time with the Navy. Eddie remembers going to the Woolworths lunch counter (145th and B'way) in the early 1940s just to have an excuse to talk with the girls. He knew many of them from school and the neighborhood.
In friendship,
Jackie
West 152ndHi Jackie and Ed,
I lived at 620 West 152nd Street, just a stone's throw from you folks. My sister was born at Jewish Memorial Hospital in March 1952 -- Dr. Sandler from Broadway 150/151st St. delivered.  Those were the days of Dave's deli on the corner of 151st & Broadway famous for pastrami on rye and a cold beer for the dads, Rafferty's Bar and Grill on the other side of B'way, Harry's or Pierre's homemade candy and ice cream parlor, Cora's beauty salon where my Nana would get a cold wave and blue tint. And not to be forgotten, Snow & Youman's drug store on B'Way and 151st. I recall the name Fr. Brady but it was Pastor Kane and Fr. Tracy (and his Irish Setter, Rusty) that I recall. I just sent a photo of Fr. Tracy to my classmates.
Rita
Japanese BazaarWho remembers the Japanese-American bazaar in the brownstones across from the OLL lower grades school during the war? They had the blue star & the gold star pennants hanging in the windows. They also had a store on Amsterdam Avenue near 144th Street and when they sold coffee the lines would go all around the block.
How about the punchball games out side the school, or stoop ball? Anyone remember playing basketball and using the bottom rung on the fire escape ladder as a basket? The nearest basketball court was at 148th Street by the river. If you wanted to "take out" a ball from the park, you would leave a shirt as a deposit. I remember shoveling snow off the court in order to play.
Unfortunately those days were the last time the country was almost 100% together. Twenty years from now, these will be the "good old days."
Your brother AndrewI palled around with Andy & another kid named Eddie McGlynn. As a matter of fact I have a picture of Andy, Buddy Ayres & me at Rye Beach. Buddy went to Bishop Dubois with us. He was from Vinegar Hill. You didn't mention the Wittlingers. They lived on the first floor in your building. Brendan lives in Virginia. I'm still in touch with him, Matty Waters and Les Scantleberry. Pancho Pereria made a career of the Navy. He died several years ago. JoeJoe, one of my closest friends, was killed in Korea.
Dave's DeliI haven't had a good hot corned beef sandwich since I last had  one at Dave's. His son Milton was running the store in the 1950s after Dave retired to Florida. Dave's used to have a window in the summer that sold potato knishes (5 cents, with mustard) and of course kosher hot dogs.
I heard a Clement Moore fan club still meets every Christmas Eve next to Trinity Church Cemetery and recites "The Night Before Christmas."
I was born in 1928 at 853 Riverside Drive. When 90 Riverside was built in 1941 and blocked the view of the Hudson, we moved there.
Warm regards,
Jackie and Ed
The old neighborhoodThe Wittlingers (the twins were the same age as my two younger brothers, also twins), Matty Waters, Les Scantleberry, JoJo: All those names I remember, especially Pancho and his family. For the life of me, I cannot understand why your name doesn't ring a bell. You mentioned the Warriors. Did you know Tommy or Willie Taylor, the Conroys, Drago, Jackie Hughes, etc. What years did you attend OLL?
I looked up some old friends on the Internet over the past few years -- said hello and then goodbye when their families called to give me the news: Vinny McCarville, Bruce Boyd, Phil Marshall, Eddie O'Brien -- all gone to their maker. They were spread out all over the country. It was satisfying, however, just to say hello. I met Vinny in New Orleans and we had a beer for the first time in many years. We had gone to sea together during WWII and had a lot of memories.
You must forgive my spelling etc. My eyesight is on its way out (along with everything else). I will be 82 in a few months but active and still traveling. I have been to six of the seven continents and my wish is to have breakfast at the South Pole.
In friendship,
Ed and Jackie Woods
ToppersWas Dave's on B'Way near 140th Street? I sold the Sunday News there for 25 cents during the news strike. It was normally a nickel. We had to go down to the News Building to buy them. Overhead!
Who remembers the Sugar Bowl on the corner of 143rd and Broadway? A great hangout for different age groups. How about Toppers Ice Cream parlor on B'Way between 139 & 140th?
In the 1940s and early '50s you could go to the Audubon Theater at 168th and B'Way on Sunday for 77 Cents and see three features, 23 cartoons, newsreels and an eight-act stage show with such luminaries as Billy Halop of the Dead End Kids or Lash LaRue or Ferdinand the Bull. Top shelf. They must get at lest a buck fifty for admission today!
Tea and Nut StoreHi Norm,
My mom (Rita Murphy) mentioned there was an Asian family owned Tea and Nut shop in OLL Parish when she was a child (born 1917).  She said her brothers, Maurice and John Murphy, would sometimes play with the owners' son. I am wondering if this could be the same shop.
Rita
ToppersDave's was on the southwest corner of Broadway and 151st Street, a short trip from my home on 152nd near Riverside Drive. I do recall the Sugar Bowl and maybe was in it once or twice but never hung out there. Topper's is a name I never heard before, as far as ice cream parlors go. Thanks so much for mentioning the name and location. Perhaps before my time (1945 baby) or too far from my home. Many people have mentioned the Audubon Theater to me (165-166th Street) but I have no memory of it at all.  I do recall the San Juan Theater that took over the space of the old Audubon.
I love hearing about Mom's (Rita Murphy's) old neighborhood.
Thanks for sharing.
Rita
Your Name?No, Dave's Deli was on 151st and Broadway. Yes, Toppers & the Sugar Bowl were popular hangouts, however the Piedmont, the Staghorn and the Chesterfield were more popular later on. I have pictures of the great snowfall of December 27, 1947 taken in front of the above mentioned restaurants with a bunch of the guys posing in the cold. 
The Audubon Theater became better known when Malcom X was murdered in its ballroom. I saw Milton Berle there in the early 1940s. Actually, the Bluebird and the Washington were also popular as they only cost 10 cents (no heat or air conditioning). Memories, memories, dreams of long ago.
Ed and Jackie Woods
The OLL ChoirI sang in the OLL choir for about 5 or 6 years and hated it.T he only advantage was that we skipped the last class for practice. The downside was that after attending 9 o'clock Mass we had to sing at the 11 o'clock High Mass, which interfered with our Sunday football game. I played with the Junior Cadets. We had a very good team coached by Joe Romo, who went on to be the trainer for the Oakland A's for many years. I saw him at Yankee Stadium whenever the team played the Yankees at home. Joe died several years ago.
Mr. Skyler, the choirmaster, wore a wig that could easily be mistaken for road kill. I used to wonder if he was committing a sin by wearing something on his head in church. After all it was no different then wearing a hat during Mass.
Mrs. Daly was a very lovely lady who played the organ and gave piano lessons. She lived down the street from us on 142nd between Broadway and Hamilton Place and had something like 10 kids. My sister Maureen was friends with Theresa and Billie. John was I believe the youngest son. Maureen graduated from Notre Dame de Lourdes on Convent Avenue.
My sister Frances was close friends with Helen and Rita Nerney, who lived across the street. Fran died in 2002.
ToppersI lived at 635 Riverside Drive. I  recall Toppers being near the corner of 141st, next to a Jewish deli. In the summer my dad took my brother Tom and me for ice cream there every evening. Happy memories!
Bishop DuboisI graduated 1953 from Bishop Dubois. I believe your brother Ernie was in my class at OLL. I hope he is doing well. Give him my regards.
Bill Healy
Names from the Old NeighborhoodBrendan & Bernie turned 76 on February 2. Don't ask how I remember things like this. I forgot what I had for breakfast this morning. I'll be 76 August 11, weather permitting.
Everyone seems to forget Pinky (Michael) Pereria. You are closer to my late brother Jim's age. Jim hung out with Jimmy and John Bartlett, Donald LaGuardia, Tommy & Willie Taylor (born on the same day a year apart -- Irish twins). Again I don't know why I remember these things.
Eddie O'Brien used to go by the name Drawde Neirbo, his name spelled backwards. He was a close friend of Big Jack Hughes. I recall a group of you guys joining the Merchant Marine during the war. The Dragos lived on 141st Street between Hamilton Place and Amsterdam Avenue. The youngest (Joseph?) was in my class.
A couple of years ago I went down to the old neighborhood with my sons. Surprisingly, it looks great. Lots of renovations going on.
My beautiful wife June is a BIC (Bronx Irish Catholic) from the South Bronx. It's not as great a neighborhood as it used to be, but lots of great people came out of there. I took her away from there, married her 50 plus years ago and got her a decent dental plan and raised five kids in New Jersey.
I graduated in 1948. It should have been 1947 but Mother Mary Inez red-shirted me in the 6th grade.
Will stay in touch.
Norm Brown
Norm Brown??Norm, I graduated in 1947 from OLL. I knew a kid (Norman Brown) who lived on 141st between Hamilton and Broadway. I think he had a younger brother. He went to OLL with me, but he did not graduate from OLL. Eddie McGlynn was in my class, and the Wittlingers. I lived at 510 W 140th. Are you that Norman?
Bill H.
The Summer of '66Hi Jackie and Ed,
I never had one of Dave or Milton's corned beef sandwiches but I can say that the pastrami on rye was a thing that dreams are made of. I recall the knishes out the window in the summer and the hot dogs. Thanks so much for taking me back in time. Milton would take the pastrami out of that silver steamer box sharpening his knife, and the rest was heaven on rye. Milton was still behind the counter in the summer of 1966 but after that I can't say. 
I am sure that "The Night Before Christmas" is still recited next to Clement Moore's grave, in Trinity Cemetery.  In my day the Girl Scout Troop that met at the Church of the Intercession would participate in the recitation of the Moore piece.
I know that 853 Riverside Drive is on the Upper Drive, since I sat on "The Wall" on summer evenings as a teenager.  You said you moved in 1941 to 90 RSD -- did you mean 90 or 890?  I am not familiar with the numbering of the "lower" drive where the red house sits (so it was called).
I am off in search of a good sandwich.
Peace,
Rita
Stagershorn  & ChesterfieldMalcom X was shot in the Audubon Ballroom at the back of the theater, which later became the Teatro San Juan. I saw Abbott and Costello there en Espanol. At 7 years old I was run over by a truck at 142 Street and Broadway, right outside the Staghorn, I managed to live!
I would hang from the window outside the Chesterfield, watching football games on TV with Bobby Heller and Herby Gil and Buddy McCarthy.
That was a hell of a snowstorm in '47. Remember digging tunnels through the snowbanks? You forgot to mention Larry's, just next to the Sugar Bowl. I would watch "Victory at Sea" there.
A couple of years ago I took a walk through the OLL neighborhood and realized that when you are a kid everything you see is at eye level and taken for granted, but as you look up and around from a mature aspect it becomes a whole different world. It is really a beautiful area.
90 Riverside Drive WestHi Rita. I'm positive 853 was on the Lower Drive. When the new building went up next to it around 1941, the address was 90 Riverside Drive West. However, it caused so much confusion with 90 Riverside Drive (downtown) that the address was changed to 159-32 Riverside. The plot originally hosted a small golf course.
I also went to the Church of the Intercession with the Girl Scouts. Small world. And the wall -- on a hot summer night, standing room only.
Jackie
West 140th NYCThe kids I hung around with were in the OLL classes of 1940 and 1941. I had a weekend job in 1941 with Ike's Bike Rental on 141st. He needed someone to identify the kids who rented there (bikes rented for 20 cents an hour -- and that's the truth). We started a Junior Air Raid Wardens group and had a store next to Ike's. Collected paper etc, for the war effort.
And you are correct, within three years, when we turned 16, McCarvill, O'Brien, Drago and I joined the merchant marine.
Did you know the Kieley family -- lived at 1628 Amsterdam before moving to the lower Bronx: Pauline, Rita, Josephine, Peggy and the two boys Nicky and Jimmy. I loved going to their upstairs apartment for tea, especially when Mrs Kiely made Irish Soda Bread. My wife (then girlfriend) Jackie sponsored Jim Kieley when he became a citizen around 1948. He was from County Waterford, the same as her family. We celebrated our 59th anniversary last week.
Regards,
Eddie Woods
My Brother JimYou probably knew my brother Jim Brown. He too was born in 1928. He died three years ago today. He graduated from Cardinal Hayes, spent a couple of years in the Army and graduated from Fordham University. Jim lived in Wycoff, N.J. He was very successful in business.
Amsterdam AvenueThe Denning family (10 kids) lived on Amsterdam Avenue between 141st and 142nd. Hughie had polio and wrote away to FDR for an autograph during the war. As it turned out he was the last person to get one. He was in an iron lung at the time. It was a big deal. Lots of press. One of the boys, Peter Schaefer Denning, was born on the back of a beer truck on the way to the hospital. Hence the name.
The Connolly brothers, Eamon and Timmy, lived in the same building. Everyone in the family had red hair. Not unlike Bobby Foy's family. If I recall properly, the father looked like Arthur Godfrey, his mom like Lucille Ball, Bobby like Red Skelton, and they had a red cat plus an Irish setter.
It took a lot of guts for a group of 16-year-old kids to join the merchant marine. A belated thanks for your service.
My wife makes great Irish soda bread. Is there any other kind? You can give ten women the same ingredients for soda bread and you'll get ten different tasting breads. All great! Especially with a cup of Lynches Irish tea. The season is almost upon us once again.
The only Kiely (different spelling) I knew was my NYPD partner Timmy, who was from the South Bronx, Hunts Point. Tim grew up with Colin Powell. Having worked in the South Bronx for 25 years and marrying June Margaret O'Brien, one of six girls from there, I pretty much connect with the people of SOBRO, as the area is now known. Sooner or later everything gets yuppified.
How about this web site? Something else!
Take care,
Norm
Mea CulpaHi Jackie,
Of course you know 853 RSD is on the Lower Drive but Google Maps does not.  "Looks like 800 Block of Upper Drive is even numbers and 800 Block on Lower Drive is odd numbers."  I did not locate 159-32 but I did find a 159-34 and 159-00, seems to be the last structure (red brick) on the Lower Drive area that we are speaking of, now a co-op but the year of construction is not listed.
I have very fond memories of the folks I spent time with on "our" wall.  
Peace,
Rita
Yes, it's Kiely I was in error. For whatever resaon, The Dublin House on 79th off the NE corner of Broadway became a meeting place for many of the kids from the OLL area up until the early 1970s: Eamon Connolly,  Tommy Taylor etc. I worked with Tom for a short time before be went on the force and then as a T Man. I have not heard from him  in too many years. One of great fellows from the old neighborhood. 
In friendship,
Ed Woods
My e-mail: eandjwoods50@Yahoo.com
P.S. The Kiely family moved to Crimmons Ave in the Bronx
 West 159th Street NYCDear Rita,
I do enjoy rehashing the old neighborhood and the wonderful memories we can recall. Yes, it is the last buillding on the street and I lived there until 1950, when I married Ed. My uncle George lived there until c. 1981 in a rent controlled apartment, and yes, it did become a co-op.
When first opened, the building had four entrances. Later, in the 1980s, it was down to one main entrance on the via-dock for safety reasons. I loved our apartment there, which had a beautiful view of the Hudson and the George Washington Bridge.
My friend June, nee McAvoy, lived at 3750 B'way. We were together in school for 12 years at St. Catherine's and Sacred Heart. June lives in Maryland.
By the way,  my e-mail is eandjwoods50@yahoo.com
Jackie Woods
The Red HouseDear Jackie & Ed,
How lucky you were to have lived in the Red House, especially with the views of the bridge and the river. Growing up I never knew anyone who lived there, so never saw the interior, I'm sure it was lovely. I heard that David Dinkins lived there at some point before he became mayor. Many of my classmates lived in 790 Riverside Drive and I was always so impressed that their apartments had two doors. Our apartment was on the fourth floor of a walkup and across the street from a garage. Funny how I was not really impressed by a doorman but by the two doors.
I seem to remember a gas station near your friend June's  house...other side of Broadway from the museum, now college. One of my St. Catherine's classmates, last I heard, he was teaching at the college.
Was Rexall Drug on the corner of 157th, with the newsstand outside the door, when you lived in the Red House? In my home we seemed to have all of the city newspapers -- morning, afternoon and evening, some selling for 4 cents. To this day I read two papers every day and still long to go out Saturday night to pick up the Sunday paper.
Thanks for the email.
Peace,
Rita
Class of 1959I attended O.L.L. from 5th to 8th grade. My 5th grade teacher was Mother Mary Edward, what a wonderful woman, 6th was Mother Mary St. Hugh, 7th Mother Mary Edward and 8th Mother Mary Bernadette.  Graduated in 1959. Classes were mxed -- black, white and Latino. Memories are mostly good ones -- Father Kline, Father Malloy, Father Hart. The religious experience most memorable, especially during Lent, novenas on Wednesday afternoon and Stations on Friday after school.
Liggets / RexallHello Rita,
I loved the lunch/soda  counter at Liggetts/Rexalls. for whatever reason, my family used the pharmacy across the street, on the east side of B'way, to have prescriptions filled.
The family that owned and operated the newsstand helped us lease our first apartment at 600 W. 157th. Apartments were in short supply in 1950. We lived in the unit formerly rented by the Singer Midgets next to Peaches Browning of Daddy Browning fame. Of course they were long gone when we lived there. My father was very active in the Tioga Democratic Club with the Simonetti family. 
Do you remember Warner's Cafeteria between 157 & 158th? We visited St. Catherine's Church Christmas week 2007 with our niece who wanted to see where she was baptized in 1953. She is on Mayor Bloomberg's staff.
Warm regards,
Jackie Woods
eandjwoods50@yahoo.com
Oh, as the poet said, "To return to yesteryear and our salad days." 
My brother ErnieBilly, Ernie and I went to Bishop Dubois. Ernie for two years and I for three. We both were bounced in 1951 and transferred to Don Bosco Prep in Ramsey, N.J. We went there on a Schrafft's scholarship. Our mom waited on tables at Schrafft's in order to send us there. In those days it was pretty much a blue collar school. It wasn't that far removed from being a reform school. VERY STRICT. Today it's much more hoity toity. I'm still in close touch with my old classmates, most of whom have been successful in life.
Ernie was a great basketball player, the first to score over 50 points in a game in Bergen County (three times), breaking Sherman White's record. White was an All American but messed up his career in the 1950-51 college season. Ernie went to Fordham on an athletic scholarship.
Ernie died in 2002. He was a very special guy, extremely generous and giving. We miss him a lot. He lived a couple of blocks away from me as did most of my siblings. Sad to say, the circle grows smaller.
1959 OLL gradsAre you out there, does any one remember or know of any of the following graduates of O.L.L. -- Starr Martin, Carol Long or her sisters, Carlotta and Tony, Josephine Velez, Melvina (Kinky) Boyd, Chicky Aponte. I went of to Cathedral and the others to various Catholic high schools and lost touch. After finding this site, many memories have come back. Would like to know how old friends are doing. 
600 W. 157thHi Jackie,
You lived around the corner from the post office. I remember going there once to get a money order and losing Mom's gray umbrella. Your building was by the Grinnell, where a friend's father was the superintendent during the 60s.
Liggett/Rexall -- we went to Snow & Youman's for drugs but to Rexall for film, flashbulbs and of course the soda fountain. The last time I was there was April 1965, just before my son was born. I do not recall a Warner's Cafeteria but do remember the famous, and oh so good, Imperial Deli, Lambos Flower Shop, Commander Bar & Grill, Full Moon & McGuire's.
I visited St. Catherine's about 1994 and it was like being in a time warp, except for the piano near the altar. The church was just as I remembered when I got married in 1964, only smaller. The school is now public. I am in touch with some of my friends from the Class of 1958. It was nice that your niece was able to visit the church where she was baptized.
I never heard of the Tioga Democratic Club or the Simonetti family (the only Simonettis I know are the family whose niece and son are engaged).
Jackie, was the pharmacy on the east side of B'way United or perhaps that was a sign for United Cigar?
So nice this walk down memory lane.
Best to your Eddie.
Peace,
Rita
Memories: dreams of long agoHi Rita,
My close friend June's, nee McAvoy, family lived in the Grinnell for many years. Her grandfather was Judge McAvoy. Eddie claims to have an exceptionally good memory but he says he needs to yield to you. You do have a most wonderful recall. However, he is more familiar with the OLL school and church neighborhood.
My brother-in-law (much older than Eddie and me) was in the vending machine business: Ace Distributing -- jukeboxes, cigarette machines etc. Eddie worked for him for  a few years when we first married and the company had locations in almost every store in the neighborhood (including the Commander). That is a dead business today. How about Pigeon Park? You couldn't sit there.
Warm regards, Jackie Woods
GrinnellHi Jackie,
Do you recall a Doctor James Farley living in the Grinnell?  Doctor Farley must have taken care of half of Washington Heights over a period of many years (had an office on 178 St. between Broadway and Ft. Washington Ave.).
Ah, Pigeon Park...I remember it well and always tried to circumvent it!
All the best.
Rita
I remember it wellHi Rita,
Our family physician was Dr. VanWorth, as an adult I visited Dr. Liebling, who had an office c. 156th. He later moved down to 72nd Street. A wonderful caring man (who made house calls). My son Ed Jr. was 58 years old this week, I have a picture of him when he was 1 sitting  on a pony taken on the corner of 155th and B'way. John Orlando's brother married a St Catherine's girl. I don't know her age.
Ain't we got fun?
Jackie Woods
Current resident of the neighborhood (Grinnell)I'd like to invite you to visit www.audubonparkny.com, which is a virtual walking tour of the neighorhood you're discussing.  You can "take the walking tour" online or go to the Sitemap/ Index of Images to read about specific buildings and see pictures from many eras.
I'm happy to post any pictures (and credit the owners) of the neighborhood that you'd like to share - focusing on the Audubon Park area (155th to 158th, Broadway to the river).
www.audubonparkny.com
Walking TourThanks so very much for posting the site for the Audubon Park area...I had a delightful walking tour.
Down Memory Lane at OLLWhat happened, did we all run out of memories?
Who remembers the stickball field comprised of Hamilton Place from 140 to 141st Street. A ball hit over the small roof on 141st was a double and over the roof at 95 Hamilton Place was a homer. After the war the street was so crowded with cars that the games were moved to Convent Avenue in front of CCNY. There was some heavy money bet on these games.
Walking TourThanks, Rita, I'm glad you enjoyed the walk!  Please come back and visit the site again.  I post a Newsletter on the homepage (www.AudubonParkNY.com ) each month highlighting new pages, information, and research, as well as updates on the Historic District project.
Matthew
The Prairie StateDoes anyone have memories of the Prairie State? It was a WWI battleship moored in the Hudson River at about 135 Street and I believe used for Naval Reserve training. As kids we snuck on board and played basketball on it. The deck (court) had a bow on it which is partially responsible for the replacement parts in my ankle today.
How about the "Dust Bowl" at 148 Street next to the river where we played football and baseball? Today it's state of the art, at least compared to what we played on. Now there is grass on the field. Progress!
Under the Via DockFar from being a battleship, the Prairie State (also called the Illinois) was an old transport. However, as youngsters we would have been impressed by its size.
Pancho and another neighborhood boy whose name I can't recall trained there before being sent to England as frogmen in preparation for the D-Day landing. It was decided that those boys with big chests (big lungs) could do the job best. I can recall Pancho telling me after the war that he had only a few days of Boot Camp.
Sports -- we used the oval near City College. Stick ball -- 144th between Amsterdam and B'way. A ball hit to any roof was an out, never a homer. Spaldines was Spaldings were costly in the 1930s. One had to learn to hit as far up the street as possible, over the sewers. That is why  the good hitters (one strike only) were called three-sewer hitters.
The Prairie State was docked under the Via Dock c. 130th St. Like you, we visited it often. Nearby were the meatpacking/butcher plants. During the 1930s there were two "Hoovervilles" (hobo camps) under the dock. The overhead gave the men some some protection from the elements. I had an uncle who took me fishing off the piers. I felt sorry for the "lost souls." Then one day they were all gone. Hosed away! I used to wonder where  they went.
In friendship
Ed Woods
eandjwoods50@yahoo.com
PanchoAs you recall, Pancho was short, about 5'8" and maybe 200 lbs. and a very good athlete -- basketball, baseball and could hold his own on a basketball court. I remember speaking to him about the UDT (Underwater Demolition Teams,the precursor to the Navy Seals) and asking him if they were relegated to swimming all the time. He told me they spent most of the time running, running, running to build endurance.
As I remember, the Oval was near Convent Avenue. We never used the term two sewers in stickball. That was a Bronx expression. We bought our pink "Spaldeens" at Rutenbergs candy store on Amsterdam Avenue between 140 and 141 Streets for a nickel. He also sold kids twofers, two for a penny loosies, and Bugle Tobacco so you could roll your own or purchase a corncob pipe to puff away. Loosies were two cigarettes for a penny. I understand due to the cost of smokes they are doing that again.
We played "swift pitching" in the park at Hamilton Place between 140 and 141 streets. It was comprised of drawing a box (a strike zone) on the  the handball court wall and throwing balls and strikes as hard as you could. I'm a little younger then you but I remember the Swift Meat Plant down by the river and the time John Garfield filmed a scene from a movie, Force of Evil, running down the steps  toward the river. Somehow he ended up at the red lighthouse under the GW Bridge and discovered his brother's body, played by Thomas Gomez, in the river.  As kids during the war we would fish and crag off the docks  right near the old Two Six Precinct. I'll never forget the time my younger brother came home with a catfish and an eel and damn near burned the house down trying to cook them.
Boy, life was a lot simpler then. Even with a world war raging.
Amsterdam AveRutenbergs, address 1628 Amsterdam, I lived in the upstairs bldg for five years. The Rutenbergs lived in an apt in the back of their store. Tommy Smith worked their paper route for many years. Tommy lived in 1626 next to McCarvill. The Conroys (Johnny the Bull) lived in 1630. Eddie O'Brien lived in 1634 over the Rothschild Deli where we could buy Old Dutch beer for 14 cents  a quart plus a 5 cent deposit. "It's for my father." The playground around the corner was busy at night after it closed  for the day.
My recall of  loosies is six for five cents in a small paper bag with six wooden matches. 
You refer to the station house as the "Two Six Precinct."
Something tells me you were "on the job." A good family friend, Frank Lynch, became the Captain at 152nd and Amsterdam (The Three Two)?
Your e-mail?
In friendship,
Ed Woods
Three Oh PrecinctYes I worked in the South Bronx for 25 years which included 10 years at the Yankee Stadium,ten of the best years of my life. A ring side seat at the world. We played many games there-- Shae, West Point, etc. -- and traveled to Venezuela with the New York Press team. I worked out with players on the DL. Thurman Munson was a good friend as was Catfish Hunter. Lou Pinella and Graig Nettles. 
We guarded Pope Paul and Pope John Paul II. John Paul II gave off an aura that was indescribable. I was very close to him on three occasions and he made you weak in the knees and start to shake. Believe me it wasn't his celebrity status. Some of the people I knew were Cary Grant who used to look for me when he came to many games. Someday I'll tell you how he saved my marriage. A funny story! Jimmy Cagney came to a few games. Boy was that sad to see Rocky Sullivan, every Irish American kid's hero, all crippled up with arthritis.
I finished up in the Bronx Detective Task Force and never looked back. It was a great career if you rolled with the punches.
The six for five must have been filter tips.I forgot about the wooden matches. Do you remember the Hooten Bars they sold? One by two inch chocolate candy stuck on wax paper. Nobody seems to remember them. Rutenberg had the greatest malteds. They kept the milk frozen. God! Were they good!
The Three Oh Precinct was at 152 Street & Amsterdam Avenue across from St. Catherines Grammar School where I went to kindergarten for a day. Later it became Bishop Dubois H.S., which I attended for three years before getting bounced along with my younger brother.
There was a kid by the name of Neally Riorden who may have lived in your building and a kid by the name of Brian Neeson Hannon who died around 1945. I remember going to his wake on Vinegar Hill. Next we should take a trip down Vinegar Hill.
My e mail is fuzz408@optonline.net
God bless & HAPPY EASTER
Rutenberg'sRutenberg's had the greatest milkshakes mainly because they kept the milk semi frozen. They also had Hooten bars, sheets of one by two inch chocolate that sold for a penny each. I've never met anyone from a different neighborhood who heard of them.
Yes, I was on the job for 25 years in the South Bronx. Check your personal e mail. The Three Oh was at 152 Street and Amsterdam Avenue. It's now a landmark. The new precinct is on 151st Street of Amsterdam.
How about Wings Cigarettes with the photos of WW II planes? 
The Shamrock Bar was on the corner of 140th Street and Amsterdam. On weekends guys would pick up containers of beer and carry them over to Convent Avenue for refreshments during the stickball games.
Take care,
Norm
PanchoLooking for any info on Pancho Periera. He is my godfather and was best friends with my dad, Frank Corrigan. 
OLLumnaI went graduated from OLL in 1950. I came across this great site and I am wondering if anyone graduated the same year. I have been trying to get in contact with my fellow classmates and this looked like a great opportunity!
The Old ShamrockI visted the 140th Street area a few years ago and took a few pictures. The Shamrock is gone with the wind -- history.
I showed a picture of the building (1626 Amsterdam) to Vinnie McCarvill, who had lived there, when I met him for  a beer in New Orleans a few years ago, and he almost wept. Some great memories of our Salad Days came to mind. 
"Oh the nights at the playground on Hamilton Place." It's the place  where we came of age.
In friendship,
Eddie and Jackie
ParishesOne thing folks from New Orleans and New York City have in common is that you identified your neighborhood by the parish in which you lived.
Agnes GerrityMy mother, Agnes Gerrity, born 1916, and her brothers Thomas and Richard (born c. 1914 and 1920) attended Our Lady of Lourdes until high school. All three have passed away but I'd love to hear if anyone happens to remember them.  Like your mother, my mom loved that school and spoke of it often. 
Anne Collins
OLL Confirmation Day 1935I thought  former students would enjoy seeing the uniform we wore in Our Lady of Lourdes School Primary Dept (1st to 4th Grade) during the 1930s.

KnickersIt was humiliating having to wear knickers. Remember pulling them down to your ankles and thinking "maybe people will think they are pegged pants"? Boy did we ever fool the public! And how about the high starched collars -- I don't think they could have even gotten Freddie Barthomew to wear them. Didn't we replace them with waterboarding?
However Ed, they look great on you. Do you still wear them?
Old OLL picsDoes any one have some old OLL class photos or just some neighborhood pictures to post here in the comments? I'm sure a lot of Shorpy addicts would appreciate them.
OLLi go to school at lourdes now im in the 8th grade and i think its really cool to see people talk about the memories they had about my school before i was even born and i would love to see some kind of picture of the inside of the school like a class picture so i can see what it used to look like
[Just wait'll you get to Capitalization and Punctuation. - Dave]
Class of 1964I too went to OLL from '57-'64. My parents and I moved to 3495 Broadway at 143rd St. in 1956. I started in the 4th grade with Mother Mary William. The school in those days was no longer a military academy. We wore navy blue uniforms, white shirts and the school tie and the girls wore navy blue jumpers with a white blouse and blue tie. It was very interesting reading about all the students who came before me and where they lived. I always was so curious to find out how this old neighborhood looked like years before we moved in. As you all know, the area changed at some point racially, although when I was at OLL the school was still predominantly white with a handful of Black children. I will always have wonderful memories of my time at OLL. My parents moved out of the area in 1969 and I since been back once to recapture some old memories of my childhood.
NostalgiaThe picture that follows is the 1937 graduation class with the girls omitted. Monsignor McMahon built church and school(1901-1913); after 15 years as Curator at St Patrick's Cathedral, constructed 7 years earlier. See church of Our Lady of Lourdes for construction details. At the time of graduation, Fr's Mahoney, Dillon and Brennan resided across from the Church. The Poor Clares home was to right of the church, and secondary had Society of the Holy Name Jesus sisters. School and Church gave us faith and hope and discipline. Our world was the depression years followed by the wars. Our class of 1937 was just in time. The handsome lad below the sergeant stripes is the brother of contributor Ed Woods.Ed,and brothers Bill and Dennis served with distinction. Andy Saraga bottom right was a highly decorated Marines  The others served as well. I hope Our Lady of Lourdes provides the inspiration our families sought for us. 
Nostalgia 1937The 1937 graduation photo is great. It's with both sadness and pride to think that most of these wonderful kids would be defending our country in a very short time in different uniforms.Believe it or not this military training was useful. How about more pictures like this and some candid neighborhood shots.
OLL in the NYThttp://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/16/nyregion/16priest.htm
So interesting: A more recent residentJust want to say that I've read every entry on this post. It is so interesting to read the memories shared by those that lived way before you in the same neighborhood. My mother and I live on 135th Street near Riverside between 66th and 77th, then moved to 138th between Hamilton and Amsterdam. I went to PS 161 and graduated from CCNY. I also have fond memories of my childhood. I used to play basketball in an after school center at Our Lady of Lourdes as a young kid, visited the area a couple of years ago and brought back great pics.
Cheers to all
Mauricio
The Grinnell: Celebrating Its Centennial Those of you who remember The Grinnell (800 Riverside Drive) may be interested to know that the residents have just begun celebrating the building's centennial.  We're having a year of events,so this is a great year to visit!  
Check the website: http://www.thegrinnellat100.com/ for photos, historical news articles, and residents' memories (and contribute your own).
Click the calendar tab for a listing of the events between now and July 2011.
Matthew
Why Grinnel!The hundredth anniversary of a building? Forgotten is the fact that it's also the anniversary of the site building, and all the memories fast fading. I think Ed Woods of all the graduates, always hit the mark. Several others struggled to add something. If someone remembers the names of the sisters and preferably anecdotes please don't deny this information from this site. I personally remember sister Rose from 4th grade 1934. I believe Mother Michael provided my brother Andy's Confirmation name. Others with better memories speak up. Also it wasn't only our generation that owes  recognition for all given freely. 
Christmas at Our Lady of LourdesAt Midnight Mass on Christmas Eve, the statues in the creche would be replaced by live students. The scene would be repeated the following day at the 9 o'clock Children's Mass and the 11 o'clock High Mass.
A live baby would be borrowed to lie in the manger. The girl who posed as the Blessed Mother and the boy who posed as Joseph were the envy of the entire student body.
"Oh to return to yesteryear."
Happy New YearThank you SHORPY for bringing back to us so many wonderful memories. It has been said pictures are worth a thousand words. Shorpy's pictures, however, are worth so much more -- just can't put a number on them. Thank you and a Happy New Year to the Shorpy Staff.
Ed and Jackie Woods
[And thank you, Ed and Jackie, for inspiring the hundreds of interesting comments in this thread. - Dave]
The OLL neighborhoodIt's nice reading and re-reading your stories about OLL, Hamiliton Place,and seeing the names listed.
Many years ago, in my past, I visited the old neighborhood only to find it somewhat depressing, old and in poor shape. One time in particular I had parked my new "rental car" near West 144th street, and was showing my young children some of the places I lived on Amsterdam Ave, Hamilton Place ( 95 and 115 buildings) when two older African Americans came up to us, and said you'd be better not park here." It wasn't said as a threat, but more it's unsafe here, now that the area has changed. I had told them that I used to live here many years ago.
I am glad to hear from Norm, that the area has rebounded, and in looking at the prices of the real estate I wish we had stayed here.
Keep up the good work.
Matt Waters mattminn@aol.com
Hi Anon Tipster 1959.  I used to date Carlotta Long & visited her lovely home many times.  147 off Convent as I recall. I often wonder in my old age (69) whatever happened to her & how her life turned out. I did graduate from Dubois in 1960, so I'm very familiar w/the sights & places referenced here. So glad I found this site. 
Tis That Time of YearThank you SHORPY for another year of nostalgic pictures and comments. Brought to us in Black and White and Living Color.
Such fond memories of long ago, especially the itchy bathing suits. In the 1920s and up to the early 1940s, when on or near the beach and boardwalk, boys had to wear the coarse wooolen suits with the tops on at all times.
Merry Christmas and a Happy and Healthy New York to Dave and staff.
Ed and Jackie Woods
Our Yearly PlaysI graduated in 1960 after 8 memorable years. I remember our yearly plays in the auditorium and all the hard work and practice we put into it. Father Hart was our pastor and I remember our farewell speech to him. My best friend was Lydia Marin and I remember Maria Santory, Joyce Brown, Maria Matos, Alma Mora, Maureen Quirk.  If any of you from this class are around, give a shout.
Jackie Erick
Class of 1964Class of 1964 where are you guys? Write something here you remember. Do you remember me?
OLL Class of 1957Here's the names of the boys' teachers from 1949 to 1957. I think I have then all correct.
Grade 1, 1949-1950:	Mother Mary Theodosia
Grade 2, 1950-1951:	Sister Mary Macrina
Grade 3, 1951-1952:	Mother Mary Eulalia
Grade 4, 1952-1953:	Mother Mary Declan
Grade 5, 1953-1954:	Mother Mary Edwards
Grade 6, 1954-1955:	Mother Maria Del Amor
Grade 7, 1955-1956:	Mother Mary Euphrates
Grade 8, 1956-1957:	Mother Mary Rosario
Eighteen nuns lived in the convent adjacent to the church on 142nd Street: eight boys' teachers, eight girls' teachers, the school principal, known as the Reverend Mother, and the housekeeper.
Six priests and the pastor lived in the rectory on the south side of 142nd Street.
OLL was also known as Old Ladies' Laundry.
I've written down the names of almost all the boys who, at one point or another, were part of the class of 1957. Only 27 graduated in 1957. Many were expelled in 1956 as part of a crackdown on gang membership. Mother Mary Rosario was brought in to preside over a difficult situation, but after the expulsions her job turned out to be not that complicated.
I'll post the list of names another time.
Our Lady of Lourdes Alumni ReunionHello out there.
I am a current parent at Our Lady of Lourdes.  As we enter a new decade, OLL would would like to start planning a few reunions.  I am looking for some potential organizers to help us reach out and plan events in the new year.  Please reach out if you are interested in planning or connect dots.
There are many new happenings at the school.  We will be launching a new website by the end of the month with an alumni portion.  
Thank you!
Vanessa
vdecarbo@ollnyc.org
Class of 1971Hi! I graduated in 1971 and our teacher was Sister Patricia. I remember Marlene Taylor, Karen, Miriam, Dina, Elsie, Maria and Robin, Carla, Margaret and Giselle. Our class was an all girl class. I also remember Sister Rebecca, Sister Theresa, Sister Rosemarie (our history teacher). I continued to Cathedral High School but I miss all my dear classmates. Is there anyone out there who enters this site? My email is n.krelios@yahoo.com  I would love to hear from someone. Marlene Taylor became a doctor (wonderful!!!).
Shorpy Hall of FameIf there were a Shorpy Hall of Fame, this photo would definitely have to be in the inaugural class.  I've enjoyed going through the many comments for this photo going back to 2007 even though I have absolutely no connection to the school other than being Catholic.  What is equally as awesome is that a look at the location today via Google Maps indicates that, other than a few trees, fire hydrants, automobiles and removal of the statue, everything is basically the same today. 
Double DutchKllroy is correct about not much having changed, but it looks like even the foreground fire hydrant is in the same place (but a newer model).
It looks like the circa 1914 photographer was set-up on the northeast corner of Amsterdam Avenue and 143rd Street. The Google Maps photo was taken travelling northbound on Amsterdam Avenue. So basically both photos are shot from almost the same location; it is interesting how the vintage image makes 143rd Street appear much shorter than in the Google image. I guess it's the result of different formats and lenses.
By the way, the buildings at the far end of the T-intersection, on Convent Avenue (mostly blocked by the trees in the Google image), reflect NYC's Dutch heritage [ETA:] as does "Amsterdam" Avenue.

(The Gallery, Education, Schools, G.G. Bain, Kids, NYC)

Rambler Biclorama: 1902
... allows it to be steered from the rear seat. Rambler bikes and cars These Rambler bikes came from the Gormully and Jeffery Mfg. Co. of Chicago. By the time the ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/13/2013 - 3:31pm -

Auckland, New Zealand, 1902. "Dexter & Crozier, cycle importers, Victoria Street East." Glass negative by James Hutchings Kinnear. View full size.
Dexter & CrozierFrom The Cyclopedia of New Zealand:
The business premises contain a large show-room, with offices at the front, and behind there is a large repairing shop, with lathes, a forge, and brazing and enamelling plant.
Demolished?There appears to be nothing left of the buildings shown. I went to Victoria Street East yesterday and carefully looked for remnants, but saw none. I suspect the cycle shop and the buildings on each side were demolished long ago, the site now being occupied by the Lister Building.
SignedThe signpainters: Bollard & Froude.
[Also Tudehope & Robertson. - Dave]
A touch of homeA sad looking houseplant on a windowsill of the Board & Residence hotel.
Rambler rumbleBicycling dandies versus piano-playing toughs. Play it cool boy, real cool.
Backseat driverTwo tandems and the one on the right seems to have an arrangement that allows it to be steered from the rear seat.
Rambler bikes and cars These Rambler bikes came from the Gormully and Jeffery Mfg. Co. of Chicago. By the time the instant image was snapped, Thomas Jeffery was in his 5th year of producing automobiles. In 1901 he introduced the Model A Rambler, a name that would much later be tied to Nash products. The G and J (Gormully and Jeffery) Tire Co. sponsored two races at the Indianapolis Speedway prior to the first 500 in 1911.     
... on a bicycle built for two, or maybe three?interesting, the first bike has the more modern low set handlebars one associates with racing bikes. I can't help but feel sorry for the person sitting in the second seat if the first has some digestive problems.
The second bike however has the step-through frame more commonly associated with ladies' bikes in the first position, with the step-over bar for a gentleman in the second position. Both are equipped with the "sit up and beg" style handlebars. I'm trying to decide if there is a saddle or at least a seatpad on the crossbar in the second position - perhaps for a child?
The Coffee RoomYeah right, like anyone will ever make money just selling cups of  Coffee.
The Tandem on the RightThe tandem on the right appears to be steerable from the stoker position, but I'm having trouble understanding the geometry.  I've never seen such a configuration. Can anyone help a brother out with an explanation?
Courting Tandem!The tandem to the right has a curious frame: a few more tubes than usual; step-through frame in front; parts going from the fork to the rear rider!  An initial google search for 'tandem stoker steering' yielded the term 'courting tandem'. Search that for description, photos and antique bikes for sale. Is that a leather chainguard at the front chainwheel?
Chainwheel of the left, uphill tandem is interesting: a very large tooth pitch. Chain looks pretty normal, though. One tooth per three links?
A franchise?At about this time there was apparently another "Biclorama" located in San Francisco. It was billed as "Thos. H.B. Varney's Rambler Biclorama: The Largest and Most Complete Bicycle Establishment in the World."  Specifics are scarce, but some material is available from Google in printed form only.
Never locate a bicycle shop on a hill.  The considerable extra energy required to pedal up hill can be too much of a reality check for a newbie cyclist.
Blind BustThe head to the left of the piano sign is very interesting with the eyes covered with a wrapping, odd indeed.
HillyBill T. said: "Never locate a bicycle shop on a hill."
You don't know Auckland! It's hilly almost everywhere in the CBD, except for Fort Street, Customs Street, and Quay Street, which are all built on land reclaimed from the harbour.
Opposite ends of the tandem spectrumThese bikes represent the two extremes of turn-of-the century tandems.  The bike on the right would have been most at home pootling down a garden path, while the one on the left was built for the velodrome.
fastRfastR is quite right that the bike on the right with the leather chainguard is a rear-steered courting tandem.  This was probably the most common tandem configuration in the 1890s.
While the bike on the right is built for leisure, the one on the left is a speed machine that concedes little to comfort, especially for the stoker.  While tandems were raced on the track in their own right, they were more often used as pace bikes.  In certain types of trials, tandems, triplets and even quads and quints "towed" bikes up to speed in their slipstream before the final laps.
The "skip-link" chainring on the track bike was not uncommon on racing bikes into the 1940s.  Alternating short and long links allows the use of stronger, higher profile teeth on the chainring than is possible with a standard chain, which in turns means fewer broken teeth for both bike and rider.
Rambler logosIt's interesting to see how many ways the Rambler logo is interpreted in that single scene. Brand identities were much more flexible back then. I spotted yet another Rambler logo in a Stockholm bike shop a few years ago.
(The Gallery, Bicycles, New Zealand)

Century Road Club: 1913
... View full size. Fixies? It appears that the bikes they were planning to ride were fixed-gear bikes with no brakes. I shudder to think what these guys went through crossing ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/13/2013 - 3:25pm -

May 3, 1913. "Fred J. Scherer and Walter Wiley at the start of New York to San Francisco bicycle race." Bain News Service glass negative. View full size.
Fixies?It appears that the bikes they were planning to ride were fixed-gear bikes with no brakes.  I shudder to think what these guys went through crossing the Continental Divide.  
Odometers?There appear to be little Veeder-Root type counters mounted on the front forks of each bicycle.  Or is this some other accessory?
The amazing thing about this image is.Bicycles haven't changed much in all these years. 
Those OdometersBetabox, I actually had one of those odometers a couple of bikes ago. There was a little peg that attached to one of the spokes, and it hit a star wheel on the little meter. I still remember the little ping it made every time the peg came around. Worked pretty well, as I recall. 
Now I use a $5.00 GPS app on my iPhone that gives me a Google map of my route, speed, distance, altitude, pace, and even calories burned, and it keeps track of every ride I took for over a year. Even lets me listen to iTunes music while I ride. Absolutely amazing for $5.00. We've come a long way, baby.
But still, that little counter gizmo lasted 100 years, and I'll bet it's still being sold. Now that's pretty cool.
Carbide bicycle lanternsThere are a ton of these available at various on-line antique auction sites. The ones shown here resemble the "Old Sol" model by Hawthorne of Bridgeport Connecticut. There are jeweled facets on either side of the lamp that serve as running lights, green on the right and red on the left (with Red Port Wine being the aide-memoire).
Century Road Club AssociationI don't know whether these two made it to Frisco, but their organization was founded in 1898 and is still going strong.
Wool Was the Old Spandex        Bicycle enthusiasts, dressing like dorks for nearly 100 years!
Long Ride!I hope you have a photo of them at the finish line!
Very bold.Considering that the first cross country automobile trip, and the hardships they endured, took place in 1907 it was still a bold move, even in 1913, to make the attempt on a bicycle. 
Track BikesIn today's terms these are track bikes:  fixed gear: NO freewheeling rear gear/hub assembly.  Difficult to ride because the only way you can stop is to pedal slower and slower -- bit tough on the down hills in hilly terrain. 
Of note:  I could find nothing on this "race" via the search engines.  Given the nature of the bikes, I doubt they make it very far without major crashes.
In memory of carbide lanternsBack in my pre-teen youth in Altoona, Pa., my Dad and I used to go raccoon hunting, which is done at night with dogs (technical term "coon hounds"). For light we used carbide lanterns that were designed to be mounted on coal miners' helmets, and an Internet search yields many sites explaining how they work.
Hunting was fun and all that, but carbide offered an extra benefit to anyone wanting to blow a can apart (technical term "teen vandals"). We'd drop a handful of carbide in a can that had a metal lid, such as an empty paint can, punch a hole in the lid, introduce saliva to the carbide (technical term "spitting"), wait for calcium hydroxide gas to build up while covering the hole, then touch a match to the hole and BLAMMO.
Coaster brakes?I don't know when the Coaster Brake was invented but I think I see the little brake anchor lever that clamps to the frame on the one bike.
It was never much fun as a kid when that lever came loose and you hit the brakes.
Not FixiesFrom what I can tell, these are single speed bikes with a coaster brake, not a fixed gear. If you look at the left chainstay, it looks as if there is a coaster brake bracket coming from the rear hub. Also the rear hub looks to be rather large which would indicate it housing all the elements of a cb. I could be wrong, kind of hard to be 100% sure from the photo.
Those carbide lampsWhen I was a kid, we had a "carbide cannon" as a toy.
It was a poorly cast piece that looked like a WWI cannon. You put carbide in it, and it had a sparker like an old zippo lighter to ignite the gas.
It was about a 5 on a 10 point fun-o-meter. Fun for about half an hour.
How about those toe clips.If you look closely at the pedals, you will note the toe clips.  I did some 100 miles per day bike trips in my salad days and toe clips made it a lot easier by locking your bike shoes to the pedals.  It was a relief not to have to concentrate on keeping your shoes centered on the pedals.  In addition you could "pull up" on one pedal while "pushing down" on the other. 
The carbide bike lamp is a Model S Solar manufactured by the Badger Brass Mfg. Co. of Kenosha, WI.  It was patented in the US in 1896. My lamp (see pic) is not as shiny.  The water tank and filler hole with vent plug is located in the back. The carbide pellets went in the cup on the bottom.  The "key" on the side adjusted the water dripping on the carbide.  Water plus carbide generates acetylene gas which burns with a hot white flame.  The front of the lamp has a glass cover which swings open to light the acetylene.  The flat cap on the light is the "smokestack" for the burnt gas to escape.
The Eternal BicycleToe clips, coaster brakes, drop handlebars, handlebar wrap, panniers (sort of).... You need to change very few things to arrive at a modern bicycle.  
"Brought to you by..."... Fisk Tire (if the flag on the boys' bikes was indeed a sponsor).  Fisk made bicycle and automobile tires at the time, and their logo was the little yawning boy in pajamas with a bicycle tire slung over his right shoulder.
"Trust the Truss"Based on the badge and the frame design of the bicycle on the left, it's an Iver Johnson Truss-bridge bicycle. Yes, this is the same Iver Johnson that made fire arms.  They built this style frame from 1900 to 1939. 
The bicycle on the left does, in fact, have a coaster brake.  The coaster brake was invented in the late 1890s and were quite common by 1910.  The large chrome ball on the handlebars are bicycle bells.  Also note the sprocket driven odometers on the front hubs of both bikes.  
I have a feeling this event, sponsored by Fisk Tires, was not so much a race as it was a reliability run.  What better way to promote your tires.  The fact that no information can be found about this event makes me believe it was a failure, and so was not reported.
Vanishing PointOn April 27, 1913 Fred J. Scherer, Walter Wiley, George McAdams, and Ernest Higgins were among more than 300 cyclists who took part in the 16th Annual Spring Century Run from Columbus Circle in Manhattan to Hicksville, Long Island and back.  The race, sponsored by the Century Road Club [bicycle] Association, was a warm up for the 48-day Transcontinental Handicap Team Race that was started a week later.
Scherer and Wiley represented the Caribou Club, while McAdams and Higgins rode for the Century Road Club.  Scherer and Wiley received a twenty-four hour head start, leaving from City Hall at Broadway & Murray Street on the 3rd of May 3 at 1:00 p.m.  They pedaled up Broadway (mostly) accompanied seventy-five other cyclists and autos stuffed with officials who were shouting last minute details and instructions.  The autos dropped out at Yonkers, while the other cyclists kept up the escort as far as Tarrytown.
The first night's stop would be in Poughkeepsie, with other overnight stays in Schenectady, Utica, Auburn, Batavia, Buffalo, Erie, Cleveland, Norwalk, and Toledo, Ohio—where they hoped to arrive on the 13th.  The itinerary had them arriving in Chicago on the 16th and Omaha on the 22nd.  They figured to arrive at their final destination—San Francisco—on June 20, whereupon they would present a message from Mayor Gaynor of New York to Mayor Rolph of San Francisco.  They also carried messages from East Coast bicycle organizations to their West Coast counterparts.  They estimated making an average of seventy miles a day and took no money, as "all expenses must be met by the sale of post cards and money actually earned in other ways while enroute."
McAdams and Higgins left twenty-four hours later from the same place and followed the same route and timetable, although they bragged that they would overtake Scherer and Wiley in a few days, and reach San Francisco first.  There was supposed to be another team from Denver that would be riding a tandem bike, but no one really believed that they would show up.  They didn't.
A couple of newspapers in Indiana got the news feed wrong, and printed that Scherer and Wiley were riding motorcycles from New York to San Francisco.  One newspaper that apparently got it right was the Chicago Daily News, whose photographer took the picture below (Library of Congress collection):

It seems that the first pair of cyclists made it to Chicago looking none the worse for wear, but the exact date is unknown at this time.  The Cedar Rapids Evening Gazette noted on May 10 that the cyclists were due through that town on May 18 and 19, and the local cyclists were "preparing to give them a rousing reception."
I don't know if they ever got their rousing reception—at this point I can't find anything about them past Chicago.  I'll keep looking, but if someone has any idea whether or not they made it to San Francisco, please share with the rest of us.
Coaster brakes vs. coastingYes, as douglas fir mentioned, the diameter of the rear hub looks quite adequate for containing a coaster brake mechanism.  Early fixed gear bikes would have a rear hub with a narrow barrel.  But fixed gear bikes were of course the first style of bicycle and during the 1890s they were used for long (even round the world) tours.  On leisurely rides and for more gentle descents, early fixed gear bikes were sometimes fitted with foot rests added to the sides of the front fork.
This illustration gives a good idea how these front "pegs" were used; of course, you'd better be familiar with the road if allowing yourself a long coast - since you'd eventually need to regain control of the still rapidly rotating pedals, and pedals with toe clips would likely be out of the question.
Sturmey Archer 3 speedThe bike on the left has a sturmey archer 3 speed rear hub.
(The Gallery, Bicycles, G.G. Bain, NYC)

Boys on Bikes, Cont'd.
Dallas, October 1913. "Messenger boy in the heart of the Reservation (Red Light). Prostitutes run back and forth. Business beginning at mid-day. I saw messenger boys and delivery boys for drug stores from 15 years upward. Some still younger told m ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/13/2013 - 3:31pm -

Dallas, October 1913. "Messenger boy in the heart of the Reservation (Red Light). Prostitutes run back and forth. Business beginning at mid-day. I saw messenger boys and delivery boys for drug stores from 15 years upward. Some still younger told me that they go there. This was in spite of a strong agitation being waged to close up the resorts." Photo and caption by Lewis Wickes Hine. View full size.
Barefoot?Is that woman barefoot and possibly in her robe?  That would be unheard of in that era!
[Looks like slippers to me. Perhaps she's one of those infamous Ladies of the Afternoon. - Dave]

Tra-la-laAs my grandmother used to tell me, "Stay away from the Camp Post Gate on payday, as that is where the tra-la-la girls hang out."
(Bicycles, Kids, Lewis Hine)

George and Don Cormany on Bikes: 1954
George and Donald Cormany on bikes; my mother photographed us at our house on 87th Street in Los Angeles way ... 
 
Posted by gcormany - 04/20/2013 - 2:05pm -

George and Donald Cormany on bikes; my mother photographed us at our house on 87th Street in Los Angeles way back in 1954. She had a Kodak Brownie camera. View full size.
(ShorpyBlog, Member Gallery)

Belle Isle Bikes: 1899
Detroit circa 1899. "Forest Drive, Belle Isle Park." 8x10 inch dry plate glass negative, Detroit Photographic Company. View full size. (The Gallery, Bicycles, Detroit Photos, DPC) ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 09/26/2017 - 10:47am -

Detroit circa 1899. "Forest Drive, Belle Isle Park." 8x10 inch dry plate glass negative, Detroit Photographic Company. View full size.
(The Gallery, Bicycles, Detroit Photos, DPC)

Daytona Beach: 1904
... Publishing Company. View full size. Fenderless bikes I notice that the lady with the stylish sunglasses appears to have the ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/13/2013 - 3:27pm -

Florida circa 1904. "Daytona Beach at Seabreeze." A setting conducive to various forms of sedate locomotion. Detroit Publishing Company. View full size.
Fenderless bikesI notice that the lady with the stylish sunglasses appears to have the only bicycle with a fender - and only on the rear at that.
Well, MarionDo you think this suit is too thick to wear to the beach?
Who's behind those Foster Grants?Very stylish sunglasses on the woman at lower left.  What a great scene!
I see fast peopleThat little girl running full tilt at the far left might have known what others were starting to discover: how good this hard sand beach would be for speed.
YikesWhat is that 2 foot tall headless creature in the very center of the photo?
[A tot in a bonnet. - Dave]
Scandalous! Must be spring break, when all the riffraff shows up.  There's a woman out there with no hat on. Disgraceful public display. 
Troublous TableauMaybe it's my emergency responder training, but I don't like the looks of the scene in that carriage at left. Everyone is focusing their attention on the slumped over woman at the end of the bench, while the man across from her appears to be holding her hand. 
A case of the vapors? Or the combined effects of a warm day and a too-tight corset?
Or maybe she's merely holding a fascinating seashell in her lap and everyone else is looking on in awe?
If I were a lifeguard I'd be grabbing my First Aid kit and heading for the coach to check it out.
[I think they're reading. - Dave]
Not even one fat guy in a speedoI don't get it.
Sedate?Those are two-horsepower wheels, bud.
You can see for milesYou can understand why this beach, until the late 1950s, was used for many automotive racing events!  The first NASCAR events, when it was still real, used the beach for  part of the track.  Neat stuff. 
72 years laterI was engaging in Spring Break debauchery right there!
Still there... sort of.
Points of InterestThere are all kinds of things going on in this photo.  
- A little boy on the far right appears to be wearing long-johns.  
- The woman on the far right of the full carriage from the Clarendon Inn has some sort of problem (possible fainting?) and everyone else in the carriage seems concerned about her.  
- I was astonished to see a practical woman actually carrying what appears to be a rolled up spread of some kind.
- As previously mentioned, a woman is wearing sunglasses; it hadn't occurred to me until now that I don't recall ever seeing a woman (or a man, for that matter) on the beach in these vintage photos who was wearing sunglasses.  
- There's a man who looks like he's walking a dog that has apparently been completely buried in the sand, because there's no dog attached.  
Is the woman somewhat past the Clarendon carriage taking a photo?  
There's what appears to be a boy at the waterline being helped up who might have fallen into the water.  A lot of people are watching whatever is happening there.  
A woman with a white hat, white blouse, dark skirt and an hourglass figure looks (from the back) like she could be Mae West.  
There are a couple of horses hooked up to a small carriage near the right.  One of them appears to be talking to the other one.  I'm thinking it's saying something like:  "So I sez to her, I sez 'You're a real NAG, ya know that?'"  
Oil and waterWhere beach driving began and still (sadly) continues.
Cool ShadesI didn't know sunglasses existed then but the lady in the foreground with the bicycle certainly proves they did.
Vroooooom!Imagine how they would've reacted to a Land Speed Record machine hurtling towards them!
SeabreezeI cannot get enough of these seaside photos. More please!
Surf, sand and ...I can see several "byproducts" of animal traction carriages there. No wonder most people there are wearing shoes on the beach!
There could have been tracks!Alexander Winton sped down Ormond Beach in the "Bullet No 2" at more than 68 miles per hour in 1903. Today this car is in the Smithsonian Institution.

Sunglass BrandFoster Grant was founded in 1919 thereabouts, what Sunglass companies are older that that?
[The brand would be no brand. You could have gotten tinted lenses from just about any optician. - Dave]
Boogety .. boogety .. boogetyLet's go racing, boys!
Overdressed for the beach??A century later, the beach scene above seems very strange and odd. The majority of the people appear to be dressed up for the opera, rather than the beach. The influence of the puritanical Victorian Age is still apparent. it seems. From the 1920's on, formality on the whole, including on the beach, would start to wane. To the point where today, it seems everyone is an exhibitionist and or/ a slob. 
Sunglassesgo way back before the turn of the century. George Washington had a tortoiseshell pair with green lenses that are on display (and for sale) at Mount Vernon.
[A distinction can probably be drawn between tinted lenses, which have been around as long as eyeglasses have, and "sunglasses," which are more of a mass-market retail phenomenon. - Dave]
Hats, haze, horizonThose umbrellas and hats make striking silhouettes. Reminds me of this beach scene by Degas. 
Daytona HeatActually I find it interesting that there aren't more women and men passed out with what they are wearing.  This looks to be summer in Daytona in bright sun on the beach so even on a cooler fall or spring day the temp would be around high 80s to low 90s?  Combine that with a tight corset and a long heavy dress, and ...
[This wasn't summer. Florida was a winter resort. - Dave]
The clothingThe comment about being dressed for the opera is on the right track, maybe by today's standards, but in 1904, no self-respecting woman would wear a skirt and frilly white blouse to the opera;  that was considered casual wear.  She would have worn an evening gown.  The men would not wear a business suit, they would have worn a Tux, tails, or, at least, a frock coat, not a suit coat like we see in the photo.
Smart MoveMost of my Spring Break in Daytona Beach - back in 1978 - was spent recovering from the severe sunburn I received while biking on a borrowed bicycle all day.  If I had been dressed as these beautiful riders are - the trip would have been much more enjoyable but alas, a little more lonely!
(The Gallery, Bicycles, DPC, Florida, Horses, Swimming)

Ninth Street: 1915
... back the horse could be problematic. Fixed gear bikes Notice that none of the bikes left leaning against the curb have locks. Imagine trying that today. ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 07/17/2012 - 10:18pm -

Washington, D.C., 1915. "Street scene, Ninth Street N.W." Among the merchants represented here is department-store magnate Julius Lansburgh. View full size.
Devil in the detailsAnother great Shorpy photo, teeming with robust urbanites, no doubt in early spring. Look at those women. New York's Fifth Avenue had nothing on them! This photo depicts the plethora of transportation modes available in cities in those days. We need to take a cue for our own times, though bringing back the horse could be problematic.
Fixed gear bikesNotice that none of the bikes left leaning against the curb have locks. Imagine trying that today.
AdvertisingI love the painted-on-brick ads. You only see faded ones nowadays - I wonder why they went out of fashion? Maybe they needed touching up too often.
I'm intrigued by the "Backward Season" sign at the importers' on the far left. Was Backward Season a widely-used term for something, or just their own little promotion name à la "Dollar Days?"
["Backward season" was, to judge from the clothing ads in the Washington Post archives, a term used in retailing to describe unseasonable weather in both spring and fall. It was certainly the occasion for a lot of sales. Its last use came in 1955. - Dave]
The CarIt would be interesting to know the make and year of the car on the left of the photo...it appears to be a right-hand drive. I've done some superficial Google images research and can't identify it. Early American cars were produced in RHD. Ford switched to left hand drive production in 1906 and Cadillac in 1916.  What a great image....thanks Shorpy!!
Horse anchorWhat is that cone-like thing on the ground with a rope or something leading up to the horse.  Is that some sort of anchor to make the horse stay put while the driver's inside? Kind of like the anchor of a boat? If not, the question still stands. What is that thing?
I actually think...This is Ninth Street NW looking north.  Just beyond the Lansburgh that's the old Riggs Bank building at the southwest corner of Ninth & F.
[You are correct! I have changed the caption accordingly. - Dave]
Wow, what detail!Horse drawn (no overhead wires) trolley tracks. [The trolleys were electric. See above. - Dave]
Packages at far right perhaps reels of film?  (in front of Washington Film Exchange).  1915 was the year of "Birth of a Nation" so who knows?
Sign for Smyrna rugs is seen 7 years in advance of the burning and slaughter of many citizens of Smyrna, now known as Izmir.  
One of the best.
Horse TetherThat "anchor thing" on a leather strap was a steel weight to temporarily tether the horse, used on milk and bread wagons as well.
Hitching weightThe triangular thing on the ground under the horse is probably a hitching weight, somewhat like this. Just heavy enough that the horse thinks it's tied up, but light enough to transport.
Not horse drawn street carsThe street cars in downtown D.C. ran from an underground feed (see the slit midway between the rails).  As you moved away from the downtown area they raised the trolley pole and switched to the overhead wires.  
Washington Trolleyswere electric by 1915. What looks like a third rail on the tracks is a slot, in which the power line was buried.  The trolley cars had a pickup on a "plow" that projected down into the slot and made contact.  That system stayed in use until trolley service was discontinued in the early 1960s.
Actually trolley power came from underneathTexcritic, the tracks aren't for horsecars. The Washington system was a cable car system with a continuously moving cable underground which each car would engage in order to move. See the "center rail" between the tracks? The gap in that center rail allowed the cars to grab the cable and move.
[Not quite. The streetcars here were electric. Although there was a traction line in Georgetown. - Dave]
Ninth St NWDave, I think this is 400 block of Ninth Street NW looking north.  A few of the businesses I have verified are:

Dean Hats, 422 9th St - Benjamin D. Dean, proprietor
Howard A French, 424 9th St - Indian Motorcycles
Christiani Drug Store, 426 9th St 
Friedlander Bros, 428 9th St  - Men's Suits
S.S. Shedd & Bros, 432 9th St 
Plaza Theater, 434 9th St 
Offterdinger Cigars, 504 9th st - Henry T. Offterdinger,  proprietor

On the right side of the street are Crandall's and Moore's Garden Theaters - seen in this Shorpy photo.
Kodak momentI note on the left of the image a sign offering Kodak film and developing.  Makes me think that someone from that business stepped out across the street to make an impromptu photo.  What is amazing is that for the slow speed of the films (low sensitivity to light) in those days that they were able to get the motion of the pedestrians almost unblurred.  It must have been a very sunny day to get away with a faster shutter speed to freeze the action.
[This photograph was made on glass, not film. - Dave]
Hair splittingI think this is 9th street looking south, taken from the immediate left of the old Riggs building. It's going downhill sharply, and I remember the Gaiety theater being a few doors down from Riggs on the right when looking south.
Those buildings on the left house the Spy Museum.
[This is looking north, not south -- even-numbered addresses are on the left. The Spy Museum is on F Street. The buildings on the left have all been replaced by the J. Edgar Hoover Building. - Dave]

Not Ninth StreetThe photo is of Seventh Street, NW.  Look at the top center for the Lansburgh Dept Store signage.
[This is indeed Ninth Street. You're confusing the Lansburgh department store with the Lansburgh furniture store. - Dave]
+95Below is the same view from December of 2010.
Early FordThe forged front axle is the identifying feature. It is a Ford prior to the Model T. I'm leaning toward a 1911 Touring Car. The very basic design is reflected in Henry's Model B of 1905. That would be about the sixth Ford model produced.
(The Gallery, Cars, Trucks, Buses, D.C., Harris + Ewing, Stores & Markets)

Merrimack Street: 1908
... the sign was for the Adam Good Company. Propped bikes today I've seen bikes propped up against the curb like that in Tulum, Mexico, but never in the ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/21/2012 - 6:58pm -

Lowell, Massachusetts, circa 1908. "Merrimack Street looking west." 8x10 inch dry plate glass negative, Detroit Publishing Company. View full size.
Massachusetts Oriels No, not birds of any kind but those lovely protruding windows about half-way down the block, supported on the stone brackets. Bay windows are similar, but do not have the supporting bracket. For comparison see the window of V.E. Darlings' office in the Courier-Citizen building. 
"In Rain or"Or what? what I say?, I must know!
Now I won't sleep tonight.
Uneeda BiscuitNational Biscuit Company (Nabisco) had only been in business 10 years when this photo was taken. 
In rain or shineUneeda Biscuit!
Is it Adam Good?Signs painted on the buildings on the right of the picture advertise either A Dam Good Co. or Adam Good Co.  The street level store just below that sign sells coffee, tea, butter and cheese.  I'm confused (as usual).
A Dam Good PictureA plethora of great signs here, but I was initially surprised to see the sign for the nicely-named A Dam Good Company, especially in 1908 New England. 
Took me a minute to realize the sign was for the Adam Good Company. 
Propped bikes todayI've seen bikes propped up against the curb like that in Tulum, Mexico, but never in the U.S. Pretty nifty.
Pioneer SignageThe O.J.Gude Company of N.Y. the company that made the Uneeda Biscuit Sign, partially seen in this picture, was a preeminent outdoor advertising company. They must have had a deal with the other NBC (the one that makes the Mallomars) to paint their signs wherever in the nation that the biscuit company felt it was needed. I think they also made the first electrically lighted outdoor sign as well.
Streetcar TracksMust have been a real challenge to buggy drivers to keep those narrow wheels from becoming trapped in the tracks. (Still a problem today, albeit for bicyclists at diagonal railroad crossings).   
Nat'l Biscuit Co. logoHere's a link to a brief, interesting history of the National Biscuit Co. (later, Nabisco) logo, the first incarnation of which is the version depicted in the photo:
http://www.bfdg.com/other-thoughts/nabisco.html
Who's paying for this pic?This picture raises a question I've had generally about how these photos got made. Did Detroit Publishing, National Photo, etc, just send photographers out in the field to take pictures at the photographer's whim? And then hope to sell them later?
I can understand the party photos, portraits, etc, I would imagine someone called up the local photographer and wanted a photo shoot. But what was the motivation for the more "arty" shots that we see? Or the last picture, where we see people hauling granite? I'm thankful they did, but don't quite understand how the bills got paid.
[Detroit Publishing, which had retail galleries in New York, Detroit and other major cities, was mainly in the postcard business; National Photo was a news service and commercial photography and portrait studio whose pictures were commissioned by its clients. -Dave]
Then and nowI live downtown.  Still a fun city but with fewer horses and buggies.
"Propped" Bicycle.The young guy on the right appears to be picking up his bicycle from where he parked, or "propped" it at the curb. By positioning the bike exactly as shown, it would stay that way without falling over. If the curb wasn't high enough, the pedal would also help by being placed to hold it at the top of the curb. We sometimes parked our bikes this way as kids, and without the benefit of Kryptonite locks, they were always there when we came back. But then again, it was the 1950s.
On the street . . .  . . . where, about thirty years later, you'd find Jack Kerouac and his high school pals encountering the existential night.
Uneeda Biscuit mentioned inUneeda Biscuit mentioned in the opening number of The Music Man (as the train approaches River City): "The Uneeda Biscuit in an airtight, sanitary package, made the cracker barrel obsolete, obsolete...." 
Nabisco Logo OriginsJohnB, thank you for the link regarding the history of the National Biscuit Company logo. It traces its origin to a 15th century printer's design used in Venice, which in turn was derived from early Christian art. Perhaps it was inspired by this Byzantine icon of the Archangel Michael found in the church of San Marco in Venice. Note the orb held in the Archangel's hand:
Adam Good Companyis it this lot?
http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=NhVAAAAAIBAJ&sjid=K6QMAAAAIBAJ&pg=5...
(The Gallery, DPC, Streetcars)

Motorcycle Mama: 1941
... (and "whites only" until the 1950s). Killer Bikes Because those early Harleys had a hand shift, the rider had to have a ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 09/06/2022 - 10:28am -

October 1941. Berkshire Hills County, Massachusetts. "Members of a motorcycle troop out to enjoy the fall coloring along the Mohawk Trail through the Berkshires." Medium format acetate negative by John Collier for the Farm Security Administration. View full size.
Definately a vintage biker photo …... because if it was taken today, the dude would have a seriously huge gut.
["Definately"? Sic! -Dave]
I'm disappointedIf they were a motorcycle troop, they had a name.  I wish John Collier had captured it so we would know if we're looking at the South Side Devils ... or the East Side Demons.
[It's right there in front of your nose! - Dave]
You are correct.  I was thinking of something more rebellious.  As best I can make out, the name on his shirt is Bridgeport M.C., so they rode about 75 miles north to see the foliage. The patch has a nice, sort of Art Deco style.

The other AMA ...The American Motorcycle Association, founded in 1924 (and "whites only" until the 1950s).

Killer BikesBecause those early Harleys had a hand shift, the rider had to have a foot clutch.  It was easy for one's foot to slip off the clutch and, if the motor was running and the bike in gear, it could lurch forward a number of feet.  This was extremely dangerous at intersections.
When I was a bike rider in the late '50s it was not uncommon to see a fallen rider lying in the middle of an intersection.
(The Gallery, John Collier, Motorcycles)

Motorcycle Cop: 1922
... stalls. [Psst. It's a PEDAL. - Dave] Old Bikes Yes, that is "The" brake pedal on the left. There is no front brake. I ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 04/06/2013 - 11:54am -

August 1922. Washington, D.C. "Eslie Williams." The officer and his Henderson #1. National Photo Company Collection glass negative. View full size.
Painful ergonomicsHandle bars set to hit thighs on close turns, seat angled down at the rear, up at the front, oh my. Like the palm-slap horn/siren though.
Excelsior-HendersonA motorcycle with a more distinct sound than a HD.
Harley Who?The Henderson, built from 1911 to 1931, was considered to be the Rolls-Royce of motorcycles and was the favorite ride of police departments throughout the country. (Rolls-Royces, sorry to say, were not considered to be the Hendersons of luxury cars.) 
Suicide ClutchI'm going to guess the left peddle is a suicide clutch (next to the gear shift mechanism levers.  So-called because if you are stopped with the machine in gear and take your foot off the peddle (perhaps to maintain balance) you'll shoot forward unless the engine stalls.
[Psst. It's a PEDAL. - Dave]
Old BikesYes, that is "The" brake pedal on the left. There is no front brake. I would guess the rocker-clutch is on the right side of the bike.
LocationIs that Griffith Stadium in the background?
Re: SoundThere is a YouTube video of a running 1928 Henderson,
it sounds great!
Too large to embed so here's a link.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PgWb2nmxfAU
Hey why don't you stop by the detectives officeput in a report about your stolen clothes iron.
Low set handle barsRe: Painful ergonomics - I thought the handle bars were set low, so the officer could drive with his knees; leaving both hands free for his rolling shootouts with Al Capone and Bonny & Clyde.  Then I saw this https://www.shorpy.com/node/5914 and it changed my thinking entirely.
Henderson?Are you sure that's not a Harley? There's a lot of oil leaking around that crankcase.  
On the "suicide clutch"my 1936 HD ULH had a foot clutch/hand shift , and it wasn't too bad once you got used to it. The Henderson clutch is double linked, the foot pedal, as noted, and a second hand lever that also worked the clutch, so that if you needed both feet down, you still had control of the clutch. Ace motorcycles had a similar setup.
 Hendersons were quick, the 1922 Police model could do an honest 100 mph, although I doubt the brakes were up to the job.
Re-Tire TimeLooks like a pretty wicked gash at 6:00 on the front tire.
Four Crosswheel spokes.  Gives the most "comfortable" ride possible on bicycle wheels.
(The Gallery, D.C., Motorcycles, Natl Photo)

Montrose Newsies: 1940
... at that town's entire cadre of newsies here. The bikes remind me of the ex-service Parachute bikes, Model BSA 'Airborne folding para troops bicycle,' that were left by the ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 09/13/2018 - 12:55pm -

September 1940. "Distributing newspapers off the morning train to newsboys at the railroad station. Montrose, Colorado." Medium format acetate negative by Russell Lee for the Farm Security Administration. View full size.
EssentialA bicycle for a paperboy.  I made more money per paper on non-subscription sales, hawking them in public, but the bulk of my papers were delivered to houses on my route, and I couldn’t have done it without a bike.
Breaking news: Still there!
In the bagThe newsie about to depart doesn't use a strapped shoulder bag to hold his papers. Must have a flat route or be really gifted riding with one hand. Also, I seem to remember seeing grocery delivery trucks using those insulated canvas bags (against the wall)  to transport frozen food, especially ice cream. They must have done okay at melt prevention.
Small TownWith Montrose's population at fewer than 5,000 in 1940, we may be looking at that town's entire cadre of newsies here.
The bikesremind me of the ex-service Parachute bikes, Model BSA 'Airborne folding para troops bicycle,' that were left by the Canadian troops in southern Netherlands (Zeeland) after the liberattion of our country in 1945. People could buy them.
Heavy-Framed Bicycles with Balloon TiresNote that these bicycles have a heavy-duty frame with the top horizontal member doubled ! Not two thin tubes side-by-side, but rather two full-size tubes, one above the other. They weigh perhaps twice what a modern bicycle weighs!
I learned to ride in the 1960’s on a hand-me-down Elgin Four-Star from the 1930’s which was very much like the bicycles depicted here.  While I cannot positively identify these newsboy’s bikes as Elgin’s, the resemblance is very strong, including the two curved bars extending front the top of the steering tube to the axle ends. (These were purely decorative, as far as I know.)
The scene seems like a bit of Americana that happened every morning in many towns for many decades: The morning train from the nearest large city unloaded bundles of papers etc. from the baggage/express car onto a high-bed, high-wheeled Railway Express Agency pull cart. The REA Agent then brought the cart to the street side of the depot and the bicycles and small local delivery trucks converged on it.  The performance might be repeated again if there were evening papers. (Remember them?)
(The Gallery, Bicycles, Kids, Railroads, Russell Lee, Small Towns)

Commuter Parking: 1937
... another local community like Bladensburg or Laurel. bikes I agree with Sugapea. My husband and I both graduated from the ... is just down the street from Greenbelt). He had 3 locked bikes stolen before he just gave up. Greenbelt I lived in Greenbelt from ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/13/2013 - 3:38pm -

November 1937. "School at Greenbelt, Maryland." Notable for being an early planned community, one of three "Green-" towns midwifed by the Depression-era Resettlement Administration. 35mm negative by John Vachon. View full size.
Oh, the Old DaysWish the kids now days knew the joy of coming out after school and finding your "unlocked" bike still standing exactly were you left it, unmolested.
mode of transportToday, kids only come to school by S.U.V.
Sad.
GreenbeltA bit down at the heels today, but still a very pleasant place. Opponents of government "interference" in relentless growth should have a look at Greenbelt and then another local community like Bladensburg or Laurel.
bikesI agree with Sugapea. My husband and I both graduated from the University of Maryland in 2005 (College Park is just down the street from Greenbelt). He had 3 locked bikes stolen before he just gave up.
GreenbeltI lived in Greenbelt from 1948 to 1951 (14x Hillside Rd). It was the most walkable and safe environment you could ask for. But it was also segregated...no African-Americans allowed. Had they been permitted to live there when I did, it still would have been a wonderful place to live, and I am sure they would have been welcomed. After all, in 1948, Jackie Robinson and Larry Doby were already playing in the Major Leagues and Truman had already integrated the armed forces.     
Little Red WagonThat little red wagon reminds me of the similar wagons we had in my nursery school yard back about 1952.  We'd get on them with one knee in the wagon, and our hands controlling the handle in front, and we'd zip ourselves along with our other foot on the ground, more or less like a scooter.  We really clipped along!  I'll bet that's what that wagon was use for, (as opposed to being pulled with something in it).
Something's wrong hereDoor propped wide open
No guard at the door
No hall monitor
No metal detector
No graffiti on the brickwork
and >gasp!< that faucet still has a knob on it!
Tag saleIf this was a tag sale these items would be gone so fast it'd make your head swim!
(The Gallery, Bicycles, Education, Schools, John Vachon)

Bike Raffle: 1954
... Looks like they all went to the same barber. Kids and Bikes Our small town required the bicycles to have small metal license ... 
 
Posted by ZebraMan - 07/21/2013 - 8:08pm -

Carefree postwar boys, complete with a Beaver Cleaver look-alike, participating in a bicycle registration day in Lafayette, Indiana.  The event began in the iconic city park, where the kids' bicycles were inspected and registered, and this raffle was held for a free bicycle. Later, they rode through town in a bicycle parade led by two local police officers on three-wheel motorcycles. View full size.
WowA great photo. Who took it? How did it come into your possession?
Shirt TuckingSome are more skilled than others.
Looks like they all went to the same barber.
Kids and BikesOur small town required the bicycles to have small metal license plates on them.  We kids would line up early that Saturday morning when the new plates were issued in order to get a single digit number.  (Plate # 1 was on display in city hall, with the reminder to register your bike.)  I think the plate cost 25 cents, which was a substantial amount for a child.  The plate typically hung from the back of the seat with 2 metal S hooks (provided with the plate), and rattled when you rode.
BuckyThe kid with the striped shirt could, as my Mother used to say, eat corn on the cob through a picket fence!
Look who snuck in the back.A girl!
Thank you!This and a few others I have that are from the same event were discarded by the local newspaper when they cleaned out their archives.  I founded and manage a Facebook page called Lafayette/West Lafayette Nostalgia that has 11,000+ members and thousands of photos; a friend of mine found these large-format negatives and sent them to me; photographer is unknown. Your site is one of the great joys of my life, Dave.  Thank you so much for all you do and for publishing my photo!
A Girl?We said "Gurll" in those days. They had Gurll Cooties.
(ShorpyBlog, Member Gallery)

The Busy Corner: 1906
... to see how casual bike owners were in this instance. Bikes are parked all over the place with no worry about locking them up. Love ... first filed an application in district court" Upright bikes Bikes back then were "fixies." They had no braking other than ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/21/2012 - 4:50pm -

Detroit circa 1906. "Griswold Street at Fort." The comings and goings of a century ago, cross-sectioned and flash-frozen. 8x10 glass negative. View full size.
Mr. RumplepantsI have to say I have never seen a suit of clothes quite like this.  If this were the 1960s hippy era I might understand, but this seems out of character for the period.  Perhaps he is breaking the pants in for a tall friend.
[That's a fire hydrant, not rumply pants. - Dave]
Bike ridersIt's interesting to see how casual bike owners were in this instance. Bikes are parked all over the place with no worry about locking them up. Love the one in the right foreground that seems to be standing upright without the assistance of a kickstand (although it might be hidden from view). Can't believe the curb is holding it up! 
Die Volks SparkasseOn the corner, you can see that the Peoples Savings Bank put up a translation in German of its name: "Die Volks Spar Kasse." Presumably to cater for the thriving German community in the Detroit area.
Gotta love those streetcars!I drove a trolley car similar to this one at an outdoor museum once. The motor control was fairly easy to understand, but those mechanical brakes were a bear! If you didn't finesse those things you could easily throw all your passengers onto the floor -- and I did! I have a great deal of respect for motormen, past and distant past.
Temperance, Industry , EconomyThe People's Savings Bank in Detroit was originally located one block away at the southeast corner of Congress and Griswold.  Below is a circa 1878 advertisement for the bank  - note the beehive in the ad and also on the corner of the bank's facade in the photo. 

The bottom line of the ad indicates they were paying "Five Percent Interest"!
Use of the spoken and written German language in the USA abruptly disappeared once the United States entered the Great War.  In April 1918, my German-born cousin who was an ordained priest had to get a license to preach to his flock of German immigrants in West Point, NE because under Nebraska's Sedition Law, "no alien enemy may act in the capacity of preacher... without having first filed an application in district court" 
Upright bikesBikes back then were "fixies." They had no braking other than backpedaling! Your pedals stayed where you put them, made it easy to park against the curb.
That balancing bikebrought back a few memories, note where the right pedal is, that is holding the bike up, a trick we learned on bikes with no gears.
Rumplepants and the fire hydrantThey combine to make the man look not so well dressed.
And Today....Pretty sure this view is looking south, towards the Detroit River.  Here it is today.
Re: Bike RidersThe curb is holding up the bike.  Roll the pedal back to rest on the curb and it will stand up.  I do it all the time with my bikes none of which have a kick stand.  This is a common image in many of the Shorpy photos.  
The cowcatcheron the streetcar freaks me out --- were the brakes so bad on the car that it was deemed necessary?  I wonder how many folks were impaled crossing the street. 
One-legged urchinsThe "cowcatcher" was indeed necessary, but not because of the brakes. Little boys can move a lot faster than a motorman can reach for a brake lever. One-legged boys were not uncommon in the big cities. Double amputees as well. Al Capp, the celebrated creator of the Li'l Abner comic strip, lost one of his legs to a streetcar when he was a youngster. The only way the builders might have prevented such injuries would have been to install a catcher that went completely around the car, right down to street level. Even then, little boys, being inventive and daring as they are, would have found a way to be mangled.
Pedestrian Safety Device. "Cowcatchers" on streetcars were the subject of numerous patent applications. They are  intended to reduce injuries by keeping victims from going under the car. And yes, with steel wheels on steel rails, the brakes were that bad. 
Re:  The cowcatcherStreetcar fenders were supposed to fold and scoop up folks that fell in front of the car to keep them from going under.
Faked "accidents" were commonplace back then, when traction companies were bleeding edge tech and at least for a while well off. 
(The Gallery, Detroit Photos, DPC, Streetcars)

Poo Corner: 1902
... for the Wright Bros first powered flight ] Hey, free bikes! People were more honest back then? Monument Could that be ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 07/24/2017 - 7:09pm -

Circa 1902. "Main Street -- Dayton, O." No. 2 with a broom. 8x10 inch dry plate glass negative, Detroit Publishing Company. View full size.
+106Below is the same perspective from August of 2008.
Still Here!Dayton City still has the electric trolley (one of 5 cities that do). Read this article to find out more. 
I remember when my son was very young taking the electric trolley downtown to do some shopping.
[That is indeed the soldiers monument phatsub. And on the opposite end of Main Street there is now a metal sculpture of the distance for the Wright Bros first powered flight]
Hey, free bikes!People were more honest back then?  
MonumentCould that be the Montgomery County Soldiers Monument in the background? It was dedicated in 1894.
(The Gallery, Bicycles, DPC, Horses, Streetcars)

Syracuse Panorama: 1901
... is a fantastic way to see the countryside. A world of bikes at the end of the golden age of biking In the lower right hand corner, ... sidewalk. Of course the 1890s had been the golden age of bikes, and the Model T was still 8 years away from sale to the public. The ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 07/28/2012 - 4:16pm -

Syracuse, New York, circa 1901, in a panoramic view of the Erie Canal combining three 8x10 inch glass plates. Detroit Publishing Company. View full size.
Jerry Rescue BlockThe building dead center (left of the lift bridge) is the Jerry Rescue Block.
Wrote my Masters Thesis on the Rescue, too much to share, but the wiki entry is a decent if incomplete thumbnail:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jerry_Rescue
Onondaga Coarse Salt AssociationWikipedia has a wealth of interesting detail on the Syracuse salt industry in general, and mentions the OCSA headquartered at No. 1 Clinton Block - 'Manufacturers and Dealers in all kinds of Coarse or Solar Salt." (Mid-frame, on the immediate right of the canal).
Today in SyracuseView Larger Map
The post office at the center is where the "Clinton Block" on the right side of the picture once stood. The canal itself has been filled in long ago and is now Erie Boulevard, which runs along the left side of the post office.
Gone but not forgotten All of these buildings are long gone. The one on the left with the tower and long shed is the old New York Central station.
The pre-concrete Erie CanalFor those not familiar with this area, the waterway with the bridge over it is the Erie Canal as it passed through downtown Syracuse (before it was paved over). You're looking essentially West. The bottom of the photo not seen is now "Clinton Square" (named for Dewitt, not Bill) where several majestic old buildings still survive. See https://www.shorpy.com/node/5501
Bridge explanation?That bridge across the canal has me puzzled.  Did it raise with some sort of mechanism to the position seen in the photo, for passage of boats?  It looks like there's nothing to keep a person from falling off the ends of the nearest walkway (can't tell about the one on the other side).  
At least one  building is still there. Center of the picture to left of canal. The first building is gone (with white walls) but the middle building still stands.
View Larger Map
Lift bridge sidewalksThe far side of the lift bridge has stairs that connect to the sidewalk on that side when the bridge is in the up position. The gents apparently decided to take a ride on the side that has no up connection, which although frowned on, is still considered fun by some. Several bridges of this type have survived to this day on the Erie Canal:
http://bridgehunter.com/ny/orleans/knowlesville-road/
http://bridgehunter.com/ny/monroe/washington-street/
http://bridgehunter.com/ny/niagara/adam-street/
Canals are so coolI think they should dig up the Erie Canal and open it to traffic again.  Traveling around England and Europe on the canals is a fantastic way to see the countryside.
A world of bikes at the end of the golden age of bikingIn the lower right hand corner, you can see what looks like a bike rack on the sidewalk.  Of course the 1890s had been the golden age of bikes, and the Model T was still 8 years away from sale to the public.  The world of the car was about to emerge, but not yet, not in 1901.   When it did, sidewalk bike racks probably wouldn't come back for, oh, about 100 years, until about yesterday afternoon.
Throughout the image I count 7 bikes, 2 with riders, 5 parked, although there may be more than 2 under the awnings of the bike store.  And of course there is a bike store in the middle, on a prominent commercial corner, because bikes were still a bigger deal than they were about to become as auto production began to double every few years of the early 20th century.
Peeking LiftThere's another lift bridge peeking out one street west ("up picture"). It is just barely visible on the north (far) side of the canal, in the up position. Look somewhat below the "Greenways" sign for it.
A bridge in actionHere is a video of the same type of bridge in action. This bridge is located in Brockport, NY.

Summer TrolleyThere's a very unusual double deck entirely open summer trolley car on the dead end tracks on Clinton St. that don't connect with the main tracks on Genesee St., lower right of the photo.
Is the "one on the left with the tower and long shed" actually the New York, West Shore &amp; Buffalo depot?  Back then, New York Central passenger trains ran in the street downtown.  Technically, both lines were under common ownership.
Wish grantedThis photograph almost fulfills my wish to have lived in that great era just to feel, smell, and see our great city. I've been trying to piece together how the railroads ran through the city and this answers so many questions. Absolutely beautiful!
(Panoramas, Boats & Bridges, DPC, Railroads, Syracuse)

Fast Company: 1917
... guys would think if they knew how much faster cars and bikes of today would be. Mind boggling I would bet. Speed then and now I ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 11/09/2023 - 3:53pm -

Washington, D.C., 1917. "Auto and motorcycle races at Benning track." 5x7 inch glass negative, National Photo Company Collection. View full size.
Need for SpeedI wonder what these guys would think if they knew how much faster cars and bikes of today would be. Mind boggling I would bet.
Speed then and nowI wonder how a modern racer would experience a, say 70 mph, speed on a 1917 machine and track. Worse than today's 140 mph? Oh, and wearing the same outfit as the racer pictured above, no Nomex/Kevlar in those days.
The two menwho are the center of attention in this photo -- to me, they look like brothers.  If so, it wouldn't be the last racing family.
Before the banAt the time, auto racing contests were governed by the American Automobile Association. In November 1917, the AAA's contest board announced it would stop sanctioning auto racing events for the duration of the war. It was justified the halt based on the government's need for skilled mechanics and drivers because of the war. It expressed hope that, without the "temptation" of auto racing, up to 1,200 skilled mechanics and drivers would become available for war work. President Wilson applauded the ban, explaining that auto racing was too destructive of materials and gasoline as well. 
(The Gallery, D.C., Motorcycles, Natl Photo, Sports)

Grand Central: 1906
... up to Central Park for a lively canter. Broncs to Bikes Urban horseback riders at the turn of the last century were regarded ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 07/09/2018 - 4:58pm -

New York circa 1906. "Grand Central Station and Hotel Manhattan." The coming decade would see the replacement of this structure by the current Grand Central Terminal. Detroit Publishing Company glass negative. View full size.
The eagles of Grand CentralA search for Grand Central Eagles yields interesting stories.
The couple who found one in their back yard.
And the story of one that ended up Upstate.
Poor Grand Central Station only lasted 12 years: from 1898 to 1910. 
Electric TrolleyIt's surprising to see electric trolleys and horse-drawn trolleys sharing the same set of tracks, but also surprising to see an electric trolley with no overhead wires -- how did it pick up the electricity?
[Through the slot between the rails. - Dave]
A streetcar named electricThe last of Manhattan's cable cars were converted to electric power around 1901. The car draws its current via a "shoe" that extends down through the slot seen running between the tracks. Same system used by electric streetcars in Washington, D.C., many examples of which can be seen on these pages:


Cable car?I'd be pretty confident saying this is a "cable car." The Metropolitan Street Railway operated cable trolleys.
http://www.cable-car-guy.com/html/ccnynj.html#msry
San Francisco wasn't the only place that had them.
[In 1898 the Metropolitan Street Railway began converting its cable traction lines to underground electric power. - Dave]
Eagle on the ballIt is speculated the that eagle below the dome ended up in Essex, NJ at the Space Farms Zoo and Museum.
http://outdoors.webshots.com/photo/1113715013034126691DiLhTm
Greg
American ExpressWikipedia tells me AmEx started as an express mail and shipping operation. What do you think this wagon's delivering, and to whom?
White Wing!The man lower right in the white suit and pith helmet is a "White Wing." These were the first street cleaners in New York. 
Is this the spot?View Larger Map
Lone HorsemanThis is the first urban horse &amp; carriage era Shorpy picture in which I recall seeing a (civilian) man on horseback, rather than drawn in a wagon or carriage (he's right above the streetcar).  Maybe I wasn't paying enough attention, though!!
I wonder if he ever took his horse up to Central Park for a lively canter.
Broncs to BikesUrban horseback riders at the turn of the last century were regarded in a similar way to how we view motorcyclists today; traveling light, moving fast, a bit intimidating (ex: mounted police), a little daredevilish &amp; somehow just a touch less civilized. I mean, you never see the very Edwardian Sherlock Holmes mount a horse except in an emergency.
In many ways, today's bikers have adopted the horseman's accoutrements and lingo: leather chaps, buckskin and fringe, saddles and saddlebags, triple-trees, trick riding, trail runs, etc. 
"I'm a Cowboy, on a Steel Horse I Ride!" - Bon (yech) Jovi
Sharing the tracksIn the lower right, under the American Express horse, are the remains of the railroad tracks crossing the horse car track.  They joined the trolley track on Fourth Avenue or Park Avenue South, as shown in other Shorpy photos.  Even after the 1st Grand Central was built about 1873 and steam locomotives were banned from the streets of lower Manhattan, the New York, New Haven &amp; Hartford RR still insisted on using horses to pull its passenger cars farther downtown over these tracks.
(The Gallery, DPC, Horses, NYC, Railroads, Streetcars)

Grass Routes: 1940
... was the exception to this routine. I had similar bikes, I had both 26" and 28" Schwinns. And yes, I said that right, not a 24" ... My handlebar basket was twice as big as on these boy's bikes and I had a pair of saddle bag style wire baskets on the back like the ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 03/20/2017 - 1:03pm -

July 1940. "Boys in Natchitoches, Louisiana, folding papers before delivering them in the afternoon." Photo by Marion Post Wolcott. View full size.
Same for many years . . .At least until 1964, paper boys (and I hated that expression) did it the same way these kids did, riding a balloon-tired Schwinn or Western Auto bike with a big basket on the front.
I'll never forget one Friday in 1963. I collected for my papers on Fridays, and that usually took an hour-and-a-half for my 25-or-so subscribers. That day, it took five hours as every subscriber wanted to discuss their horror at President Kennedy's assassination. 
Houma, Louisiana, November 22, 1963.
WhackI'd always do that task standing up, the better to whack the paper against the front of my thigh after I'd made the fold-and-tuck.
Elgin Four-StarI believe the bicycle on the far right is also an Elgin, this one being the "Four Star" model which has "over/under" double upper frame members.  As you can see, this model does have a conventional seat pillar.
It was my first bike, a hand me down from an older cousin.  He, in turn, must have received it as a hand-me-down, because it's from the 1930's.
Wish I still had it!
Ah yes, paperboy memories:Some 10-15 years after this picture was taken, until I was old enough to work in the stores, I delivered the Miami Daily News in the N.E. section of Miami and later on in West Hollywood, Florida after school. The Sunday morning edition was the exception to this routine.
I had similar bikes, I had both 26" and 28" Schwinns. And yes, I said that right, not a 24" and 26" sizes. I was the proud owner of a fairly rare 28" Schwinn. It was a real workhorse for a paperboy
My handlebar basket was twice as big as on these boy's bikes and I had a pair of saddle bag style wire baskets on the back like the bike on the right. These were usually large enough to carry all of my papers 6 days a week.
On Sunday mornings I had to add a large pair of canvas saddle bags over the wire ones to carry all of those thicker papers. If the bike fell over, which was frequently, I had to unload it, prop it against something and reload it before continuing on.
I rarely folded a newspaper and even though I would buy a box of rubber bands from my route manager they usually lasted me for months. I walked the paper to the porch, placed it between the doors and usually made as much in tips as I did my share after settling my "paper bill" on Saturday afternoon.
Ah yes, those were the days.
Love the old bikes.Back in 1952 as a 10 year old my Dad took me to Sears to buy my J.C. Higgins bike. The  memory comes back every time I see one of these old American bikes.
Paper and PopThe highlight of my paper route was stopping by the grain elevator for an ice cold coke.  I had a route in the country and only had about 46 customers, but had to ride several miles each day to deliver them all.
There is a nice Elgin Twinbar bicycle second from the left. Notice that it has twin bars making up the frame and that there is no seat tube on the frame.
Roll and tuckAlthough it has been many years since I have had a paper route, I still roll &amp; tuck newspapers before realizing I've done it.
Folding paper.Salina Journal, (Kansas). I learned to fold my papers from an older kid, fold it flat.  I could "wing it" like a boomerang while riding my Schwinn down the sidewalk.  The paper would land within a foot of where I was aiming.
We had one extra paper each day and if a large tractor-trailer truck drove past we'd throw the extra paper on the roof of the trailer thinking that it might end up in some exotic place like Kansas City or even farther!!!
(The Gallery, Bicycles, M.P. Wolcott)

Teeth Without Plates: 1905
... last a thousand beers! Little has changed Brakeless bikes, like the one in this great picture, are the 'modern' thing again now. ... new assignment I want to try to determine exactly when bikes started appearing with fenders attached. Goebel's -- the ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/13/2013 - 3:35pm -

Detroit, Michigan, circa 1905. "Cincinnati, Hamilton and Dayton Railroad office, Woodward &amp; Jefferson Aves." A number of familiar Shorpy standbys here: The newsie, the "painless dental parlor," ectoplasmic pedestrians and a cameo by Goebel's beer. 8x10 inch glass negative, Detroit Publishing Co. View full size.
Which corner?Assuming the shot was taken in the afternoon, that would be the northeast corner of Woodward and Jefferson.  The site is now occupied by the City-County building, subsequently renamed the Coleman A. Young building.  The current structure was built in 1954.
[Our view is of the odd-numbered addresses on both streets -- the northwest corner. - Dave]
View Larger Map
Can someone enlighten me? What on earth is/was Vitalized Air?  Some sort of anaesthetic, I'm guessing since it's listing with "laughing gas".  Chlorform perhaps?
Also, I keep expecting the guy leaning against the post to whisper "Hey lady, wanna buy a watch?" and open his jacket to show them sewn into the lining...
Goebel&#039;sThis Reich will last a thousand beers!
Little has changedBrakeless bikes, like the one in this great picture, are the 'modern' thing again now. They're called fixies these days.
Teeth without plates?OMIGOD!!  Does that mean some Dr. Painless was trying to do dental implants in 1905?  I hope the bar downstairs had plenty of Canadian Club under their sign for those poor suckers.
[I'd imagine that "teeth without plates" meant crowns and bridgework. - Dave]
Modern DentistryAgain, Shorpy jumps the gun, Teeth Without Plates, America's first implants.
A different edit of the shotMuch as I like the "King Leer" edit, I don't think it is a fair one. A different crop reveals something else entirely: All three people are looking at something down the street, although whatever it was, it was out of camera range (or ran into the store).
McGough&#039;s Chop HouseHalf a spring chicken and a Goebel's cool lager would taste pretty good right now.
Painless or notI don't find the picture of a naked molar comforting.
King LeerNote the guy checking out the chick, although given her clothes coverage, he must have a discerning eye.
Fountain pens at 20 pacesI'm curious about the oversize shotgun (punt gun?) seemingly suspended in midair near the Laughlin fountain pen sign.
[It's advertising the Cassius M. Havens sporting goods store below. Or possibly the Painless Dentist. - Dave]
Loooooooove this pictureTo me, this epitomizes every reason I visit Shorpy....  for the kind of minute details I see in these images. I loved everything in this one. I had grandparents born in the 1870s and can only wonder how they felt about the modern inventions just coming into their lives.  
A new assignmentI want to try to determine exactly when bikes started appearing with fenders attached.
Goebel&#039;s -- the &quot;Luxury Beer&quot;Crazy wiresWhat's with the crazy wires that come out of the dentist office window- make a circuitous trip up to top floor then back down and into the sporting good store next door.  
Oh?This reminds me of my first bike which was too big for me.  I finally grew a bit, as I'm sure he did. 
Love the expression on his face as he spots the photographer.
All that&#039;s missing isUneeda Biscuit!
Northwest CornerCirca 1920. (Wayne State University Virtual Library)
Hello Operator, give me HeavenThat call box -- a direct line to the man upstairs?
No Need for GasI'm laughing so hard reading all the signs that I might need some "Vitalized Air".
The entire process is spelled out right in the windows: Teeth without plates are offered in the room just to the right where there are "Gold &amp; Porcelain Crowns". Moving over to the gas sign we find "Extractions Without Pain" in one room and at the next stop is the grand finale:
Of bikes and pensPer the amended "King Lear" I disagree that the kid is part of the scene and/or everyone is looking further to the right.
The bike isn't brakeless: it has a 'coaster brake' inside the rear hub. A slight back peddle pedal activates it.  And down here in Florida, anyway, those 'basic' bikes are called Coasters or Cruisers.
The Laughlin Fountain Pens were manufactured in Detroit and seems to have had limited distribution around the country.  For some reason, advertisements for them are being sold on eBay, but when I last check only two pens were for sale -- as quite expensive collector items. A brief biography of Mr Laughlin I found says:
To Coast or NotIt's a little hard to tell but I think the kid's bike didn't have coaster brakes. For starters, they were only invented in 1898, and this fellow doesn't look like he's riding the latest thing. Second, I would think that the hub would be quite a bit fatter. But third, the one characteristic sign of a coaster brake is that that there is a little arm that comes out from the hub and is anchored to the arm of the frame, and I see no sign of this in the photo.
All this......and a cigar store Indian!
(The Gallery, Bicycles, Detroit Photos, DPC, Railroads)

Scooter Sk8rs: 1922
... big-time bruises on the lower backside. No helmets, bikes you could "grow into" Not to mention being able to spend the ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 07/24/2012 - 7:16pm -

September 15, 1922. Washington, D.C. "Scooter skates." On the right: Clarence Sherrill. National Photo Company Collection glass negative. View full size.
Current?this has a timeless look to it.  It's also darned cute!
That looks crazy funCrudely made, no helmets or elbow pads.  These would never pass safety laws today, and we as a society are poorer for it.
I would bet these guys probably didn't show their mothers what they had built.  Dad, on the other hand, probably would take one out for a spin after the boys' bedtime.    
I want to build one for myself, and I'm 32.
Timeless The only thing that would make you think this was from that era is the fact they had a street free of cars. That could easily be me and my brothers from the late sixties/early seventies.
Girls vs BoysHere's the difference: When girls injure themselves it's by accident. When boys injure themselves it's part of the plan. Occupational hazard if you will.
Skate, boardThe idea went through a number of experiments before they realized turning the board 90 degrees meant they could stand up on the thing.
Wipeout!Look Ma, no hands...
Look Ma, no feet...
Look Ma, no teeth!
Look Out for Potholes!I see skinned knees and knuckles ahead.  My money's on Clarence in this race.  Kid on the left is in the lead but too close to the curb.  Boy in the center looks a little uncertain about this.
Good to see Mom dressed Clarence in a necktie before sending him out to play.  
These ladsLook like they could have fit right in with kids of the 50's. They probably don't know or care that this would be a great exercise for the core.
Old SchoolOne of the oldest skateboard "tricks"...the Coffin.
The &quot;greatest generation&quot;The "greatest generation" before they grew up, and before extreme sports, helicopter parents, law suits and knee and elbow pads. In the 1960s my brother and I "borrowed" my sister's roller skates and did the same thing.
Those Were The DaysBefore we covered our kids with helmets and elbow pads, and knee pads, and wrist guards, and blinking lights.
Ahh!  Freedom!
PrototypesThese were obviously the forerunners of the land luge.
MultitaskingNot only are they horizontally skating, they've exercising their abs.
A board attached to a roller skatemust have provided great abdominals workout, but I picture some skinned knuckles, too.
Dennis the MenaceMiddle boy - complete with cowlick!
Top that!We used to do this on our hill, but with a folded-over shoe skate. You couldn't see the skate and it looked like you were gliding in defiance of physics.
Sk8 &#039;68A link to my own little kiddies doing the same thing on skateboards in the late 1960s. Daughter in front, youngest son in back (with the glasses). Photo by their Uncle tterrace:
https://www.shorpy.com/node/3852
Luckily no one backed out of the driveway while they were rolling along.
Crack a smile at least?These boys all look so grim it looks like they are being tortured by an exercise sadist. "You WILL hold your legs up for one more lap!"
Such Fun!I remember attaching skates to pieces of plywood and riding down Mockingbird Lane in Fort Smith, Arkansas. If any of you know the area, that was quite some hill for 10 year olds! Both girls and boys took turns without the benefit of safety gear or much to hold onto.
All had fun and I do not remember injuries but I do remember parental participation. This would have been in 1963.
Young ClarenceMade his first appearance on Shorpy three years ago!
https://www.shorpy.com/node/2018
His father, Col. Sherrill, was superintendent of public buildings and grounds in Washington. Also a keeper of public morals:
https://www.shorpy.com/node/1070
Bruised tailsWe used to do that same thing back in the 1950s.
I remember after a day's worth of riding, we actually had
some big-time bruises on the lower backside.
No helmets, bikes you could &quot;grow into&quot;Not to mention being able to spend the whole morning or afternoon doing what you wanted, where you wanted without parents trying to stuff you into knee and elbow pads, a helmet, and make you call home every three minutes.
I had more scraped knees, elbows and shins from falling off the bike which, if I stood on the ground, I could barely reach the handle bars. I got bare toes caught in the spokes, and fell on the bar in a manner that any child (boy or girl) remembers for the rest of their lives.
Despite the odd concussion, I survived to tell about it and still fondly recall riding out into the country early in the morning to have a cookout breakfast over an open fire or spending the day racing up and down the unfinished highway.
Those were the days -- and we'll never get them back!
Middle boy&#039;s shoesI was intrigued by the middle boy's shoes.  I was this age in the 1950's and remember this style of double t-strap being marketed as "barefoot sandals" by Sears, Wards, Penney's, etc.  They were always offered as boys or girls, i.e. unisex, and typically came in white, red, and brown, with black and navy blue available on occasion.
Most of the time they were offered up to a youth size 3.  The white ones were a staple for little boys serving in weddings.  Today a few manufacturers offer this style, although generally only to toddler size 12, which eliminates older children.  The most common term today is "English sandals".  For whatever reason most sellers list these as girls shoes, although retailers who offer these as boys shoes report that most are sold for little boys.
I recall many of my peers (boys) wearing these in the 1950's, although my mom preferred black/white or brown/white saddle shoes for me, a style that I still wear very frequently.  I do have double t-straps in black, brown, navy blue, and red in adult sizes, and wear these often with jeans in the winter and shorts in the summer.  Payless occasionally has them in adult sizes, although offered as a womens shoe, and Muffy's has them in red and navy for both genders, with the latter being a more dressy shoe.
This style is a timeless classic.
New and improved, And now for 1972, a completely new thrill, 'Skate Boards'! I built my first in 57-58 from an old pair of steel wheel sidewalk skates. The ride was awful, bumpy and tooth loosening, but the rush from roaring down 'Dead Man's Hill' at, no doubt, the blistering speed of 15 mph, STANDING UP!, was addictive.
(The Gallery, D.C., Kids, Natl Photo)

Tackle HQ: 1942
... I hope that the Princess is air conditioned. From the bikes parked out front, I'm guessing Saturday afternoon, kids' matinee. "Down ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 09/03/2023 - 9:07pm -

July 1942. "Decatur, Alabama. War production center (Ingalls Shipbuilding Co.) on the Tennessee River." Acetate negative by Jack Delano, Office of War Information. View full size.
July in DecaturI hope that the Princess is air conditioned.  From the bikes parked out front, I'm guessing Saturday afternoon, kids' matinee.  "Down Texas Way" sounds like good matinee fare.
The Princess Theater is Still ThereLoyd's Drug Store is gone. You can get Mellow Mushrooms on your pizza instead.

Down Texas WayThe sixth film of Monogram's eight-film series "The Rough Riders" has U. S. Marshals Buck Roberts (Buck Jones) and Tim McCall (Tim McCoy) coming to a Texas town to visit their friend, U.S. Marshal Sandy Hopkins (Raymond Hatton), only to learn that he has disappeared, and is suspected of the murder of John Dodge (Jack Daley), owner of practically the whole town, except the hotel Sandy owns and runs when he isn't on an assignment as a Marshal. 
Remnants remain
2nd Ave NE and E Moulton StreetBelow is the Street view today, looking north along 2nd Ave NE from the intersection at E Moulton.  The Princess Theater is still there, at 112 2nd Ave NE, as is the small, two story building just this side of it.  The building which housed Loyd's Drug Store is gone, replaced by new buildings containing two eateries and an architecture firm. In 1942 there was a barber shop on either side of the Princess, but none now.

The theater is still thereBut the rest of that corner has changed a bit.

(The Gallery, Cars, Trucks, Buses, Jack Delano, Small Towns, Stores & Markets)

Wabbit Season: 1910
... Illinois and Wisconsin. It is a delicious treat! Bikes and Class Would the guy in the high-buttoned jacket have been a beater ... but if so, that could explain why there are one too few bikes. The other men's wearing spiffy clothing and boutonnieres on a hunt ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 09/13/2013 - 8:56pm -

Circa 1910. "Rabbit-hunting party of six men, with bicycles, guns and dogs, including rabbits strung between two tents. Possibly Christchurch district." Now where'd we put that cookbook? Glass negative by Adam Maclay. View full size.
A plague of rabbits@solo: New Zealand definitely has problems with overpopulations of introduced rabbits, to the point that the official government Encyclopedia of New Zealand refers to periodic population booms as "plagues."
These guys are certainly doing their country a favor.
Elmer Fuddwould be very jealous of these guys!
AulsebrooksThe biscuit manufacturer is Aulsebrooks, a name well-known to generations of New Zealanders.
Slow HaresI guess since they had no fast food outlets, rabbits would be the only way to go. It seems much more fun than standing in line, but if you're really hungry the wait would be terrible.
Something&#039;s MissingI see six men but only five bicycles and five guns. One of them must be a vegan.
Sorry BugsYou can't counter this by yelling "Duck Season!" no matter how we love the classic cartoons. Merrily these guys roll along with bicycles and strung bunnies. Ugh.
The Bicycleslook to be as well maintained as the rifles. 
Resisting oversimplificationOnly the ignorant equate New Zealand with its larger neighbor, Australia, but this photo reminds one that the latter (and larger and more climatically diverse, etc.) was nearly over-run by imported bunnies in the late 19th and early 20th Centuries, such that wholesale carnage had to be brought down on the voracious immigrants.  Did New Zealand experience a similar problem, or are these hunters merely scaring up the ingredients for jugged hare?
Stylish campersTies, pocket squares, and boutonnieres on a camping/hunting trip. Boy, times have changed.
Nothing is missingThe young man with the Mao style jacket is the only one properly dressed for the hunting trip but alas, is just a servant.
More on the RabbitsMy Australian Mother has told me about the Hare problem in the Sydney area (NSW) of the 30’s and 40’s. They are cousins of the rabbit, but larger and much more aggressive…more like small ‘roos’, short for kangaroos. The destruction of many gardens and vegetable plots was a common occurrence.
When I started hunting as a young boy at 10 y/o I went after American rabbits with my 16 gauge shotgun….a big mistake as I found; too many lead pellets left in the meat. I soon switched to a .22 rifle and only had to find a single round. I viewed this photo of the 12 gauge double barrels stacked together with that thought. 
We really don’t eat much rabbit in this country….mostly in the South, and then I find it at Mexican restaurants here in Northern Illinois and Wisconsin. It is a delicious treat!
Bikes and ClassWould the guy in the high-buttoned jacket have been a beater for the hunt, hired by the other guys?  I have no ideas whether wabbit-hunters usually need beaters, but if so, that could explain why there are one too few bikes.  The other men's wearing spiffy clothing and boutonnieres on a hunt makes me guess that they're middle class rather than upper class, though perhaps bicycles were so prestigious at this time that young aristocrats used them to go hunting--in adventuresome New Zealand if not in Britain.
(The Gallery, Adam Maclay, Animals, Bicycles, Dogs, New Zealand)
Syndicate content  Shorpy.com is a vintage photography site featuring thousands of high-definition images. The site is named after Shorpy Higginbotham, a teenage coal miner who lived 100 years ago. Contact us | Privacy policy | Accessibility Statement | Site © 2024 Shorpy Inc.