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Smoke on the Water: 1905
... Publishing glass negative. View full size. Cattle cars Looks like the Detroit was carrying a load of livestock cars. I wonder it they were full or empty. Looking at car #3818 I would say ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/02/2012 - 7:42pm -

The Detroit River circa 1905. "Transfer steamer Detroit." Yet another view of this workhorse of the waterways. Detroit Publishing glass negative. View full size. Cattle cars Looks like the Detroit was carrying a load of livestock cars. I wonder it they were full or empty. Looking at car #3818 I would say empty. Did these Transfer steamers carry passengers as well as rail cars? Could they have imagined?In just 106 years, huge container ships with thousands of stacked semi-trailers full of novelty items from China (fake vomit, whoopee cushions and ersatz dog doo included) would be zipping across the ocean at unforeseen speeds to deliver their treasures to unemployed Americans. No, I can't figure it out either. GaspCough! Cough! Ain't commerce wonderful? Not called a steamer for nothingThough "smoker" might be more appropriate in this case. The AdageA picture is worth a thousand words. This is the best description I've ever seen for the nautical term "Captain's Bridge." Variety of patented stock carsIf you look closely you can see there are several different kinds/designs of stock cars. A lot of these were patented and owned/operated by companies such as Canda and Mather. The right front car is a Mather patent car from the Mather Stock Car Company. The next two cars are a different Mather patent. The ones on the far left with the little box on top of the roof might be a Canda patent. The various mechanisms (the roof box on the left cars, the rods you can see on the cars in the middle) are used to load feed (hay, etc). Often stock cars had a lot of staining along the floors from the 'bovine residue' and the lime used to clean same. These cars look new/very well maintained. They also all have air brakes and grabirons/ladders mandated by the Safety Appliances Act, which were mandatory the following year. The "L.L.S.T.Co" car has an unusual truck design, which I don't recognize. John White's book "American Railroad Freight Car" has a great discussion on stock cars and the various patented designs from this period. Passenger carsYou can just see the clerestory roofs of passenger cars on the far track. These cars could be regular coaches or accommodation for drovers riding with the livestock train. They could also be express or mail cars. PassengersThere are three likely passenger cars on the center track, as can be seen by the clerestory roofs. If there were people on board the smell of livestock on either side must have been pungent. Passenger carsIf you look in the back; there are the clerestory windows of several passenger cars. I believe that these are probably Michigan Central cars. Passenger CarsTrains with many stock cars included some accommodation for the workers who fed and watered the animals when needed. Although three passenger cars seems like a lot, there could easily have been many more stock cars so perhaps that's why there were three cars. Revisionist historyTaking a closer look, only the nearest car with a clerestory roof seems large enough to be a passenger car for these times. It may well be a baggage/mail storage car instead. The other two similar cars appear to be quite a bit shorter and therefore are more likely to be mail storage or postal/mail storage cars. The window configuration would tell us what these cars were, so I walked around my monitor to look at the other side of the ship but all I could see was "Made in Korea." Smoke on the Waters, 1905This ship was still running well into the 1980s and perhaps beyond. My son Eric and I rode the engine room in 1971. A fascinating voyage. Two large single cylinder engines drove the props. If they stopped at the end of a stroke, the engineer had a steel pry pole to push them off Top Dead Center. This ship and it's running mate the Lansdowne, were the two oldest ships on the lakes, thanks to their Iron Hulls. The Lansdowne was a paddle wheeler & was the winter boat. built in 1885, with engines salvaged from a wooden car Ferry built in 1875. When one wheel shaft broke about 1972, the local crew sent an indignant letter to the CNR Pointe St Charles Shops saying there was something wrong with a piece of machinery that only lasted 97 years. The Lansdowne became a posh restaurant for several years tied up beside Cobo Hall in Detroit, but went bankrupt. The last I heard The Detroit was still carrying freight cars as a barge. (The Gallery, Boats & Bridges, DPC, Railroads)
Hudson Motor Cars: 1911
Washington, D.C., circa 1911. "Hudson cars, H.B. Leary agency, 1317½ 14th Street N.W." Harris & Ewing Collection glass negative. View full size. Keep the Cars Coming! I love the pictures of the cars! Where else can we see such detail of these cars "in period"? Enough! ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/07/2012 - 10:39pm -

Washington, D.C., circa 1911. "Hudson cars, H.B. Leary agency, 1317½ 14th Street N.W." Harris & Ewing Collection glass negative. View full size. Keep the Cars Coming!I love the pictures of the cars! Where else can we see such detail of these cars "in period"? Enough!How many more pictures of DC car dealerships are we going to have to suffer through? Squeeze me.I bet kids found those horns irresistible as they walked by parked cars. Great Scott!I looked and looked, and then my wife noticed: These are all right hand drive cars! Why??? 99 years and still on the roadHere's a 1911 Hudson, snapped at a car show in Concord, North Carolina, April 10th, 2010. Its body style (touring car) is like the one visible in the storefront window. This was only the third year for Hudson production. No Hupmobiles?Five spiffy Hudson models in a row and not one Hupmobile! I owned a Hudson myself for over 40 years. They were good cars (obviously). Great historical car photographI love these vintage car photos. They are as much about our history as the architecture behind them. This photo just got copied into the Hudson folder in my digital car collection. memo to 8:28Hey Anon at 8:28 - some of LOVE pictures of old cars. If you're "suffering" - GO SOMEWHERE ELSE !!!!!! What's wrong with cars?What's wrong with pictures of cars? Besides, they're neighborhood pictures. At least around here, we no longer have laundries on the scale of the Star Laundry next door. Quaker Oats isn't a surprise, but some of the store-side ads are. Some products are a lot older than you think. Please keep to the LeftThere was no requirement for left-hand steering in those days-- but Henry Ford switched from right to left in October 1908 as his Model S gave way to the Model T, and he wound up with enough sales volume to influence the trend. By about 1914, most or all the US cars had settled on left-hand drive. [In 1914, many if not most American cars used right-hand drive. Even in the early 1920s some manufacturers were still using RHD. - Dave] Seriously?These dealership photos are beautiful. Americana at its finest. Keep 'em comin'. Anyone know where Star Laundry might be?I see eight signs in this picture. Wow. Star LaundryThe Star Laundry building is still there, relatively uncannibalized, at least above the first floor level. At street level, it is now the La Villa Restaurant, a take-out fajitas and taco joint. The buildings on either side, including the Hudson dealership, have been "updated" beyond recognition. No way to tell if the buildings behind the faux siding are even the same as what was there in 1911. The Star building is holding up well though. View Larger Map My HeritageAs the scion of two generations of hand laundrymen, I understand the importance of "We mend your linen." If the customer didn't know his sheets were torn, the storekeeper took the heat. Sometimes they would be beyond repair and were returned unlaundered. As for "Regular Pkgs 10¢" -- my grandfather opened his laundry on Market Street, on the Lower East Side, in 1910. Unfortunately, he died in 1935, so I'll probably never know if he ever got as much as a dime for a bundle of wet wash. In any case, notwithstanding the disapproval of Automobile Dealership Americana, this is one great photo. Left and RightEarly cars had right-hand steering because the brake lever (which was hand-operated), gearshift and horn were on the outside of the car. Since most drivers were right-handed, they had to sit on the right to reach them. Car displayWhat I find so interesting about most of these car photos is that the cars are displayed on the street. The businesses were storefronts rather than stand-alone car lots. I suspect this is the case since cars were rare and most probably had to be special ordered. I wonder when the stand-alone lots became the standard mode of car sales. Bring on the Detroit DealershipsI can't wait until you feature MORE early car dealerships. Bring 'em on! 8:28: What a Party PooperI love the old auto dealership photos. Why should 8:28 complain? There are also old buildings in the photo. I propose that a right-hand drive auto be driven over the foot of 8:28 until a more reasonable attitude is evinced. More HeritageMy dad was an automobile dealer all his life. I practically grew up in showrooms and used-car lots in the 1950s and 1960s. I love these shots, keep 'em coming! Times have changedThat Hudson dealership is now a gay bathhouse. (The Gallery, Cars, Trucks, Buses, D.C., Harris + Ewing)
OKC: 1942
... Fred Jones was once the nation's number-one seller of Ford cars and trucks. He had so many cars to sell, he put them on the roof -- something I don't think I've ever seen ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 01/12/2024 - 12:51pm -

October 1942. "Oklahoma City, Oklahoma." An aerial view of West California (seeds) and West Reno (Fords). Acetate negative by John Vachon, Office of War Information. View full size. How did this not become a nationwide chain?I was surprised to see a lodging named Fidelity Hotel. I guess it was the owner's way of letting the public know there would be no hanky-panky going on here. Take your sinful ways to that new Hilton ... they're bound to fail. The hotel and everything in the photo is gone. This section of West California Street was replaced by the block engulfing Myriad Botanical Gardens. Not necessarily sketchy, but --Between Horn, Miller, Superior, Grisham and Merit, the street in the foreground is definitely the "seedy" part of town. Car lot with a viewAccording to the Automotive Hall of Fame, of which he is a member, Fred Jones was once the nation's number-one seller of Ford cars and trucks. He had so many cars to sell, he put them on the roof -- something I don't think I've ever seen before. Most Cars I've Seen in an Old PhotoI can't recall ever seeing an old photo (pre 1970s?) with so many parked cars lining the streets. There are practically no available parking spots in view! That's always been a marvel to me: how *empty* of cars streets were in the old days, how much available parking there was, and how free-flowing the traffic was, compared to now. Meanwhile, I spot only two pedestrians; whereas, in most old photos of city scenes the sidewalks are bustling with folks on foot. Odd. (Or have I just not been paying attention?) (No smart-aleck editors' remarks, please; I'm simply baffled by a pattern that doesn't compute with my usual viewing of Shorpy city scenes.) Fidelity HotelOne can only hope that it was the opposite of Infidelity Hotel ... but it doesn't look promising. Meanwhile Doug Floor Plan mentioned "that new Hilton" ... that would be the now-historic Skirvin Hilton, where my husband and I were guests in March of 2022. It just happened to be my sixty-fifth birthday and I marched (because that's what you do in March) right up to the desk and told them so. We had reservations that would have suited us just fine, but instead they bumped us up to the Presidential Suite. True story. It was fun. HotelGood location for a Ford Seedsons. Seedin' and feedin'From the store names, it looks like there's a whole lotta seedin' and feedin' goin' on. Myriad Gardens The Fred Jones automobile dealership was located at 220 West Reno Avenue. The street on the left side of the picture, running perpendicular to Reno and California in this 1942 view, was South Robinson Avenue (now renamed Ron Norwick Boulevard). None of the buildings seen in this 1942 photo stand today. What was then California Avenue is now the center of Myriad Gardens. Vachon's camera was pointed south-southeast. The picture was probably taken from atop the Biltmore Hotel building, which had stood along the south side of Grand Avenue (now Sheridan Avenue) on land also now part of the Myriad Gardens' site. The Fred Jones property on the south side of Reno Avenue was also cleared-off during the "urban renewal" of the 1960s. It remains privately owned land -- still vacant -- still pending development. (The Gallery, Cars, Trucks, Buses, John Vachon, OKC, Stores & Markets)
Lots of Pulp: 1890s
... can't look stylish working in a paper mill? Furniture cars Both this and the recent Buffalo picture show rail cars dedicated to furniture transport. As far as I know those types of cars ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 07/26/2012 - 4:56pm -

Appleton, Wisconsin, circa 1890s. "Girls of the paper mills." Evidently taking a water break. Detroit Publishing Company glass negative. View full size. Ruffles and FlourishesIt takes a spirited woman to add a five-layer ruffled collar to a utilitarian calico shirtwaist. Who says you can't look stylish working in a paper mill? Furniture carsBoth this and the recent Buffalo picture show rail cars dedicated to furniture transport. As far as I know those types of cars haven't existed in decades. Nice looking girlsThey really don't look like the type to be working hard in a paper mill. Furniture carsFurniture cars were substantially larger (40 or even 50 feet long) because furniture was a relatively light load. The average car of the 1890s was 34 feet long and held maybe 30 tons. Putting a full load of grain, for instance, into a furniture car would badly overload it, but a 50-foot car of furniture was unlikely to tax the weight limit for the wood frame. As boxcars got stronger, the need to have specialty cars for larger but lighter loads decreased. But what you do see, incidentally, is the growth of automobile boxcars, which are marked by extra large or double doors. Note also the F&PM car on the right does not have an airbrake hose. Furniture CarsMy grandfather, who was an engineer born into a family of railroaders, once explained to me that "Furniture Cars" existed to ensure consumer goods weren't damaged upon arrival, as in those days anything could be hauled in a boxcar, from raw cow hides to coal to the occasional load of livestock. I know I wouldn't want a couch that was shipped to me in a boxcar that recently held coal! If you look closely....you can see Brett Favre in the open boxcar, probably hiding from training camp. What are you going to believe?Despite the calm and easygoing faces these two lasses are exhibiting, it's hard to not to notice how ruffled they are. Comfortable in the real worldI've been wondering why the "factory girls" were usually prettier than the aristocratic women. This picture may give an answer: the "factory girls" were comfortable and confident about reality. Even though the photo is clearly posed, you can tell the girl on the left knows how to use a pump and isn't afraid to get wet; the girl on the right knows that the train won't be moving soon, and isn't afraid to let ordinary dirt touch her dress. Memory FailingI could have sworn that "Girls of the Paper Mills" was a Playboy photo feature in the early 1970's. Ladylike? Yes, butboth of them have hands that could crack walnuts. F.&P.M.The F&PM was the Flint & Pere Marquette, later just Pere Marquette. The car has a newfangled knuckle coupler, labelled "MCB" for Master Car Builder's Association. However there doesn't seem to be an air brake hose. Also notice the poling pockets on the end beam -- metal circles. A wooden pole could be placed from these to similar pockets on a locomotive on a parallel track, enabling the locomotive to push the car. This was a dangerous practice for the crewmen, who had to hold the pole in place. In those days though, railroad workers were considered more or less disposable. The circled "H" indicates that this is the handbrake end of the car, I think. Come on.....This is really a recent photo taken with girls wearing period clothes. What a great photo, and excellent quality. Like stepping into a time machine. Yet I doubt anything in this photo exists today, except maybe the rail line. One of them doesn't seem to be working too hard at all. No brakesOr I should say no air brakes on that F&PM (Flint & Pere Marquette) boxcar, as evidenced by the lack of an air hose next to the coupler. The F&PM operated a Lake Michigan carferry service from Ludington to Manitowoc just down the line from Appleton. It was later simply called the Pere Marquette, and in 1947 was merged into the Chesapeake & Ohio, which is now part of CSX. FancyCompared to the dress of folks we have seen in previous working environments, these two ladies look like they are preparing to attend a fancy ball. And look at those delicious Midwestern complexions. Mary & MarthaHow can I get the e-mail address of the cutie on the right? I Guess......I'm the only one who thinks that's an odd place for a well & pump. My German WifeThe girl on the right looks spooky similar to my German wife. With the photo being taken in Wisconsin in the 1890s; I suspect we might be looking at German immigrant girls. (The Gallery, DPC, Factories, Railroads)
Crippled Children's Auto Outing: 1908
... owned this building in NYC. Crazy looking ladies in cars All of that is true but how nice these people were, taking these kids ... provide some more 'crazy photos' ! crazy looking cars... please observe the roads. abosolutely a paradise for joy riders. ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 09/08/2011 - 11:54am -

"Auto Rides for Crippled Children," New York. May 25, 1908. 5x7 glass negative, George Grantham Bain Collection. View full size | Zoom in. Is That?Is that someone in the window on the left of the stoop where the women are standing? Notice the 2 fingers on the window sill and the face peering through the curtains. Very creepy! Above The First Doorway......on the left I see what appears to be the name "Blackburn" which is my last name. Now it's going to drive me nuts trying to figure out if some relative of mine had once owned this building in NYC. Crazy looking ladies in carsAll of that is true but how nice these people were, taking these kids out maybe to the circus, beach or somewhere. You don't often see pictures of the upper class doing something nice. But they are pretty crazy looking. Crippled children'sIt is an amazing experience to watch this rare photo. Please provide some more 'crazy photos' ! crazy looking cars... please observe the roads. abosolutely a paradise for joy riders. But unfortunately now we have excellent cars. But where are the- car friendly roads ! White MasksWhy do the women have the white masks on? to keep the sun off? I've never seen any other pictures from this time having such masks. Re: White MasksThat's netting to keep the dust out of their eyes. Part of any fashionable lady's motoring ensemble back then. Because bugs in your teeth......is not only UNfashionable, it's downright disgusting. Thank goodness for enclosed passenger cabins and convertible windshields. :-) All of the cars seem to beAll of the cars seem to be the same make and model and they all have their steering wheels on the left side. Not sure when the left side became the standard in the states. [Steering wheels on these cars are on the right. - Dave] Thomas FlyerThese cars bear a strong resemblance to a Thomas Flyer of the period. For many years, "quality" cars always had their steering wheels on the right-hand side, regardless of whether the country they were built in drove on the left or the right. (The Gallery, Cars, Trucks, Buses, G.G. Bain, Kids, NYC)
Easter Sunday, 1936
... by Theodor Jung for the Resettlement Administration. Cars Can anyone perhaps identify the cars? The cars (subject to correction) Right to left: Ford V8, Chrysler, Lincoln ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 12/09/2007 - 11:10pm -

April 12, 1936. Newsboys in Jackson, Ohio. View full size. 35mm nitrate negative by Theodor Jung for the Resettlement Administration. CarsCan anyone perhaps identify the cars? The cars (subject to correction)Right to left: Ford V8, Chrysler, Lincoln CarsLeft to right: 1934 Oldsmobile, 1934 Chevrolet, 1932 Ford. News in HandLooks like The Columbus Dispatch to me. UnravelingLook at the condition of the sweater on the boy on the left. In my old neighborhood, we had kids coming to school in much worse clothing. The LineupChrisB got the vehicle identification right. The cars with the "Congress" bumper sign is a 1934 Oldsmobile Sedan. Although a 1936 Lincoln has a similar grill it also has 18 horizontal chrome pieces not seen here and does not have the same hood louvers. To the right is a 1934 Chevrolet Master Series 2-Passenger Coupe - also known as a Business Coupe which cost $560 new and of which 53,018 were produced. The 10 millionth Chevy was produced on November 13, 1934, but it was a 1935 model. Note the similarities between the Oldsmobile and Chevrolet as they were both produced by General Motors (GM). Olds had the three horizontal hood louvers in 1933 and two horizontal hood louvers in 1934. Chevy's had nearly the same designs, with slightly different placement, but in 1934 - 1936. Amazingly, the Cadillac V-16, also a GM product, also used this design from 1933 - 1935. Chrysler was in the middle of Airflow production and both Chrysler's and Desoto's look vastly different during this time. Dodge used four horizonal louvers in their 1934 1/2 models, but again the grill is different. Continuing to the right is a 1932 Ford which looks like a 5-Window Coupe. This was the first year for the Ford V-8 engine which was initially produced on March 9, 1932. This Ford looks like it has some type of accessory horn attached to the headlight tie bar. In the background is a Desoto and Plymouth Dealer. Farther back is an out of focus sign for 1935 or 1936 Dodge Trucks as well as signs for Dodge and Plymouth cars. (The Gallery, Cars, Trucks, Buses, Kids, Theodor Jung)
Blue Island Yard: 1943
... refrigeration was developed, railroad refrigerator cars were kept cold by ice in bins at the ends of the cars. (Remember the icebox in the home?) The bins were filled through hatches ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 04/15/2024 - 1:33am -

January 1943. Riverdale, Illinois. "Blue Island Yard of the Indiana Harbor Belt Railroad with view of the icing platform." Photo by Jack Delano, Office of War Information. View full size. Indiana Harbor Belt abidesThe Blue Island Yard seems to be pretty active still: Icing Platform?Have not before heard of such a thing. Yes, IcingBefore mechanical refrigeration was developed, railroad refrigerator cars were kept cold by ice in bins at the ends of the cars. (Remember the icebox in the home?) The bins were filled through hatches in the roof of the cars, usually at the ends. Icing platforms were a little taller than the refrigerator cars, arranged to ease getting ice into the bins. The boards you see were probably used to make temporary bridges to the cars, including to reach to the far side hatches. Freeze FrameThe Wikipedia article on refrigerator car had a photo of the icing platform in use, possibly from the same Jack Delano series. I was surprised that mechanical refrigeration for rail cars didn't catch on until after WWII. (The Gallery, Jack Delano, Railroads)
Lukens Lake: 1956
... a couple of '50/51 Fords, a Buick and a Pontiac) The Cars Good job everyone. From left to right are: 1950 Ford, 1950 Buick ... 1955 Chevrolet wagon, with different taillights). The cars I'm pretty sure that the first Ford is a '49. We had one when I was a ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 07/29/2012 - 7:59pm -

"Bath house at Lukens Lake near Peru, Indiana. July 1956." 35mm Kodachrome transparency. View full size. I'll Take a Shot At IDL to R: 49/50 Ford; 49/50-51 Buick, 49/50 Ford, don't know, a Muntz Jet maybe?, Pontiac Wagon, early 50s (used Chevy tail lights with chrome insert) Car IDThe fourth car from the left seems to be a Kaiser or a Henry J, probably the latter which was also sold by Sears--think they called it the Allstate. The one on the right looks like a '56 Chevy wagon. A near-forgotten model from American automobile history.The car with fuel stain by the gas cap (next to the Pontiac) is '51 (or so) Kaiser-Frazier Henry J. You can almost make out the script above the license plate. 49 FordThe car I learned to drive on was my dad's old blue 49 Ford with a column shift 3 speed. The body was absolutely cherry. My dad sold it for 50 bucks decades ago. Car IDI see a Henry J! (and a couple of '50/51 Fords, a Buick and a Pontiac) The CarsGood job everyone. From left to right are: 1950 Ford, 1950 Buick Roadmaster, 1951 Ford, Kaiser-Frazer "Henry J" (1951 model, most of which had no trunk lids), 1955 or 1956 Pontiac wagon (which both used the same rear fenders as the 1955 Chevrolet wagon, with different taillights). The carsI'm pretty sure that the first Ford is a '49. We had one when I was a kid, and the trunk lock mechanism piece above the license plate was straight and did not turn down at each end like the one in the picture. The '50 Fords had the "turned down" piece. The carsEditing my own reply. I meant to say the first Ford is a 1950 model since it has the turned-down trunk lock piece above the license plate. [You are correct. Thanks for the info. Now, who can tell if the station wagon is a 1955 or 56 Pontiac? The red-and-white color scheme is shown in the 1956 sales brochure. - Dave] Car conditionLook how quickly these autos lost their finish, all except the Pontiac wagon look much too rough for their six or seven years of use. Pontiac WagonI vote for the Pontiac being a '55. I've got a print of my twin brother and I up on top of the family's '55 Pontiac wagon washing it (we were 8 years old, and not heavy enough to dent '50's sheet metal). What I can see of the back end in the photo, the taillights, rear trunk hinges, and bumper look identical. The photo though is mostly a side view so not all details are available. Our car had a two tone dark green, light green paint job. Andrew Russell San Diego '51 Henry JThe Henry J is a '51. In 1952 the taillights went on to the fins. [The other way you can tell it's a '51 is that there's no trunk lid. - Dave] re 1955Here is a web adress,http://www.cars-on-line.com/stationwagon.html. You will see A 1955 pontiac chieftain wagon for sale. They have A pic of the rear and it looks the same as this one. [The 1956 wagon would look the same in back. - Dave] 1955 GMThe Pontiac is a 1955, GM used the same basic design on Pontiacs and Chevys. [Or it could be a '56. - Dave] Re: 1955 GMIt could also be a 1956 Pontiac. The wagon rear ends were the same for 1955 and 1956. Peru, IndianaBirthplace of one of the greatest songwriters who ever lived: Cole Porter! Henry JSears Roebuck also sold the Henry J and called it the Allstate. The retail price was $999. Kaiser-Frazer was an attempt at creating another brand in the automobile business after WWII, when cars were scarce. The biggest dealer was in California, a franchise owned by the promoter Earl "Madman" Muntz. His radio jingle was "The Kaiser-Frazer, yours at once, today at Madman Muntz." After Kaiser-Frazer sank, Muntz just reached up on his shelf for his next idea. It was a low-price line of TVs, under $100, hawked on radio stations across the country. You called and got a visit from a salesman who carried the step-up model into your house and began his sales pitch. At his peak Muntz may have been the largest seller of TVs in the country. PontiacThe Pontiac is a 1955. The 1956s had the name in script rather than in block letters. We had a 1956 sedan. My great-aunt had a Henry J just like this one, except that it was an ugly dark brown. (The Gallery, Cars, Trucks, Buses, Kodachromes 1, Travel & Vacation)
Hybrid EV: 1942
... air hoses. (Just a guess!!) Steam Heat Passenger cars of the past used steam for heating and, in some cases, for air ... boilers. The steam is transmitted from locomotive to cars via metal pipes and couplings. In freezing weather, it seemed one could ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 03/10/2024 - 2:58pm -

December 1942. "Chicago, Illinois. One of the Chicago and North Western Railroad streamliner diesel electric locomotives. These trains are operated jointly with the Union Pacific Railroad to the West Coast." Acetate negative by Jack Delano, Office of War Information. View full size. Not hybrid or EV.Locomotives are diesel-electric, not hybrid. The electric part is the method of power transmission between the engine and wheels because they have a 250-950rpm operating range. A gearbox would be too large and complex to be practical, especially when synchronizing multiple units. They don't charge or operate on batteries (except some at low yard speeds for shuttling). [You're thinking about this much too narrowly. Hybrid: "Of mixed character; a thing made by combining two different elements." - Dave] Ice BeardJust like old man winter. Chug and playShorpy is certainly correct - but then almost all (North American) "diesels" are such: a diesel engine drives a generator that powers the traction motors. But the U.P. was strictly an amateur about combining powering methods The SBB lok is still around - ! - but converted back to free-range capabilities. EMD E6It looks like the EMD E-series, guessing E6, built from 1938 to 1942. I take it backThe E-series didn't have the radiator. Lionel offered two streamliners, the M10000 and this thing. I can't find pictures of this thing that also give the model number. Achoo-choo!It looks like its nose is running! I love that streamlined look, though. I'll bet it's sporting that striking Union Pacific armour yellow and gray paint scheme, too! Re: Achoo-choo!You are absolutely correct! Not an E-unit. It's an M-10000!I think that the "runny nose" comes from water in the air hoses. (Just a guess!!) Steam HeatPassenger cars of the past used steam for heating and, in some cases, for air conditioning too. Steam locomotives had plenty, but diesel electric locomotives needed diesel oil fired auxiliary boilers. The steam is transmitted from locomotive to cars via metal pipes and couplings. In freezing weather, it seemed one could always see whisps of steam here and there - perhaps the valve beneath the pilot (steel plate above the rails) was slightly cracked open to prevent freezing. Once can see minor damage to the pilot - perhaps the locomotive encountered a vehicle somewhere at a crossing. Only a handful of these machines were built before larger and more powerful locomotives became available. I recall reading that one of these locomotives struck a skunk which splattered over the area where we see the frozen steam. The large, automobile-like grilles, supposedly brought the odor into the cab making things stinky for the crew.  About that runny nose.Water is never permitted in a trains air hose. A frozen brake line is a train wreck looking for a place to happen. Passenger engines such as this one have (had) a steam generator on board to supply a steam pipe to the entire train for heating, air conditioning, cooking, etc. The ice on the pilot would be condensate from this steam line. Corrections (for those who care)This locomotive is a Pullman-Standard M-10005 or M-10006, produced in 1936 -- a descendant of the "original" M-10000 from 1934, which was already retired a year when this photo was taken. These were predecessors of the famous EMC/EMD "E" series locomotives produced by EMD starting in 1937. Additionally, the icicle "beard" was caused by leaking steam from the steam train line -- steam was used to heat (and cool in summer for coaches that had steam-ejector air conditioning installed) the passenger coaches, and was produced by steam boilers on the locomotive. Steam was used on all conventional passenger equipment until the late 1970s when electrical head-end-power (HEP) came into vogue. (The Gallery, Chicago, Jack Delano, Railroads)
Vacation Wagon: 1964
... on eBay. View full size. family trips in those cars I also spent some hot days in a car like that on the way to the ... to drop tailgate Simple, huh? Looking at old red cars makes my elbows hurt! Seemed like some of those old single stage ... correctly, and it wasn't until the government mandated new cars with ignition interlocks in the 1970's that "real men" started to actually ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 05/31/2022 - 1:09am -

        Our annual salute to the start of vacation road-trip season, first posted here 15 years ago. Everyone buckled in? Let's go! "Great Falls, Montana. Return after 3 weeks Vacation. June 27, 1964." This Kodachrome of a 1960 Chevrolet Parkwood station wagon is from a box of slides found on eBay. View full size. family trips in those carsI also spent some hot days in a car like that on the way to the grandparents. My mother flattened the second seat, put a mattress on the floor and loaded three of us and the stuff in on top of it, us and the stuff equally loose and not tied down. We whined and fought and slept our way to Cape Cod from southern NJ. My father always "had to work" (they were her parents), so she did the drive alone, I think maybe 12 or 16 hours? Seemed like forever. NostalgicThese people still had a bright future ahead of them, full of great hopes for the days to come. They hadn't gone to the Moon yet, and to them, by 2007 we'd have personal helicopters and robots would run everything. The possibility of the President being indicted for a crime was unthinkable. My job as a web designer hadn't even been invented yet. The lawn looks like it's literally astroturf. Were the colors really like that, or is it an effect of the kodachrome? Holy cow! We had a 59 chevyHoly cow! We had a 59 chevy stationwagon back in the day. Does this bring back memories. We would drive to Florida from Virginia a two day trip usually in the heat of the summer to visit grandparents. Five children two parents no ac. Damn! [This is a 1960 Chevrolet. - Dave] DeflectorsDoes anybody know/remember what the deflectors left and right of the rear window were for? These may have been an aftermarket item. It is amazing how well the colors in this slide are preserved after almost 50 years. It looks like Kodachrome all right, including the telltale blue cast in the shadows The Astroturf look......to my eye, seems to come from the little flowers (or toadstools?) that are in the lawn. At the smaller image size, they look like specular reflections, making it seem like the grass is shiny. [The white flowers are clover. - Dave] 1964As I remember it, this was less than a year after the assassination of JFK, there were race riots in the south and we (I was 14) were all starting to question attitudes towards women, blacks, hispanics, homosexuals and the culture we had grown up with. One of the more minor cultural things was the importance of your front lawn. 50 years?I was born in 1964, and trust me, it hasn't been 50 years since then, yet.... ;) Re:DeflectorsThe deflectors on either side of the rear window were intended to blow air across the rear window to prevent snow from accumulating. A similar deflector is often fitted along the roof on station wagons from the 60s on. I think they were usually a factory or dealer option in later years, but I really don't know specifically about this model or when they might have first been used. OK, 40 years.Sorry, I was too vexed on the year of manufacture of the car. I remember that someone in our street had the sedan version of this Chevy. Like any 8 year old, I was fascinated by the winged tail and the panorama windshield. You didn't see many of these in Europe around 1960; everbody, including my father, was driving Volkswagen Beetles. (He later had a new Ford Mustang 1964 1/2 , with a 289 ci V8 and a four speed box, rally pack and (optional) front discs, which I found very impressive at the time. A real gas guzzler by European standards. Family TrucksterThis is probably what Clark Griswold's dad took the family on vacation in. It's a 1960 Chevy, and I'm guessing it's a Kingswood model. The Brookwood was the more stripped down model and I think the "full dresser" was called a Nomad. This one isn't completely chromed-out and it has the small, dog-dish hubcaps so I'm thinking it's the middle of the line model. I think the rear air deflectors also helped keep exhaust gas from entering the rear passenger compartment when the vehicle was moving with the tailgate window was lowered. Though it doesn't look like there's room for anybody in the third row of seats for this trip. With the window up they also helped keep the rear glass clear of snow and dust. These are Parents of the Year......in my book. Can you imagine going across country now without all of the luxuries and Wendy's and portable DVD players and Nintendo and cell phones and credit cards? These parents did it all the HARD way...and I'll bet they made a lot of memories that summer! My jaw droppedOnce again the red stationwagon family blows me away. The color composition here is perfect. Chevy ParkwoodThis is a 1960 Chevrolet Parkwood. Parkwoods and Kingswoods both use Bel Air trim (mid-level). The Kingswood, a nine-passenger wagon, has the third-row rear-facing seat, and two steps on the rear bumper (one on each end just outside of where the tailgate would come down). Less obvious is that all Kingswoods have power tailgate windows, an option on the other Chevrolet wagons. I still drive a '59 ChevyI recommend owning one. In 2000 We took the ultimate road trip with mine from near the Canadian border in Washington State through the desert to Las Vegas and back up through California and Oregon. There really is nothing like seeing the U.S.A. in your Chevrolet. Cruising the Strip in Vegas was a blast. We might as well have been driving a space ship with the reactions we got. Sadly, these Chevrolets were mostly scrapped and very few survive. 60 ChevySadly, the third row seat had not been invented as of yet and the deflectors were used to deflect air into the rear of the stationwagon at slower speeds. I may not be an expert but I'm old enough to have ridden and slept in the back section of a folded down stationwagon. We didn't know about SUV's yet. Chevy WagonChevy's Parkwood and Kingswood wagons could both be had with a third-row seat. And back then, for the record - wagons WERE the "SUVs" of the day! [According to the 1960 Chevrolet sales brochure, only the Kingswood was available with third-row seating. The International Travelall and Chevy Suburban Carryall were two of the SUVs of the day. - Dave] The luggage rackis something you don't see anymore. It hung on the wall of the garage when not in use. Once my dad, who was in a big hurry, didn't secure the tarp on top properly... We played car games, like Alphabet, Road Bingo, and License Plates, read books, colored,sang songs and squabbled. You took your chances with local restaurants. We hadn't got used to entertainment on demand, so we didn't miss it. And to Dave Faris: It's the film. I once assured my daughter that colors when I was a kid were the same as today. "The Fifties," she said, in her narrator's voice, "were an oddly-hued decade." Slide ConversionHow does one convert slides to digital photos? Any website links or advice? [You'd use a film scanner. I used a Nikon 4000 ED for this one. - Dave] Family TrucksterWe had a green Ford station wagon, not nearly as nice as this, and with our family of six, it was a masochistic experience to take family vacations. Every summer we said that's it, we will never do this again, until the following summer when we did it again. The best part was arriving home again, but I will say that NOT having DVD's and high tech electronic gadgets forced the kids to look out the window and they gained incredible geographic knowledge from seeing the U.S. I could truthfully call these annual trips "purgatory on wheels." Road TripMost all of my long-distance car trips were connected with moving as my father was in the USAF. In August 1954, after being in the UK 2½ years, we got in our in our '53 Chevy coupe and went from New York City to the SF Bay Area, mostly along US 40. Entertainment consisted of looking at the scenery and checking off the towns on the free roadmaps that the service stations provided in each state. Iy being the pre-Interstate era, one did go thru many towns back then! (Excepting on the PA Turnpike) Burma-Shave signs relieved the boredom in the rural areas. We had a car radio (AM only, of course), but for some reason I can only recall it being used while crossing the salt flats west of Salt Lake City. Westward HoIn 1951 our family, my wife, son and daughter, living in Detroit, started taking trips to Cheney, Washington, to visit my WW2 buddy. All on old state highways, no air conditioner, 4½ hours to get through Chicago and the kids loved it. Took these trips out west to the 1970s. We still go west to see my buddy and my daughter in Seattle and we enjoy crossing Nebraska on old U.S. 30. It is a treat to be off of I-80. Nostalgia Ain't What it Used to BeDon't look at this picture and pine for the old days. Change the car to a green Olds Vista Cruiser and that's us in 1969. Back then, dads bought a new station wagon to kick off the summer vacation. Dads don't buy an SUV today for that reason. Without repeating some of the horrors already mentioned below, there was the additional joy of Mom sending back a Coca Cola bottle for one of her sons to use in lieu of a loo. If the girls had to go, we had to pull over. Not so with the boys. Watching mom backhand-fling a Coke bottle out her window, filled with fluid far different that what was originally intended, and seeing it bounce and spill along the shoulder as we whizzed along at 75 mph (pun intended), that's about the fondest vacation memory at least from the car perspective. Today with the daughter hooked up to a video iPod and the sons enjoying their PSP, it's a pleasure to drive for distances. Back then, we didn't play License Plates. We played Punch Buggy and Slug Bug, etc. Fistfight games. Let's go!I loved car trips, and I never had DVD players and Nintendo. I watched the scenery and kept a travel diary. those were some of the greatest times of my life. Road TrripWe had to make do with pillows & blankets. A mattress would have made it actually comfortable. I don't know if Dad didn't have the imagination for that, or just not the money. I suspect the latter. We'd sing sometimes. It was 12 hours from north Georgia near the North Carolina line to south Georgia, near the Florida line, where my grandmother lived. I see the moon; the moon sees me. The moon sees the one that I want to see ... Thanks for the memoriesMy folks had the four-door sedan version of this car, in sky blue & white. My mom used to have a station wagon, don't remember what kind, but it was memorable for its pushbutton transmission on the dash instead of a gearshift! However my favorite "finned" car was our family's Buick Invicta. Now that was a car! Third Row SeatsFords had third-row seats in 1955. I'm pretty sure Chevy had them by 1958 at least. Chevy didn't offer woodgrain sides until '65. Sunday ridesWe had that same car, only in light blue. No seat belts or infant seats for us! We'd put my baby sister in one of those deathtrap baby seats that hooked over the front seat and off we went! What a picture!This picture takes me back almost 40 years to the road trips our family did during summer holidays when I was a little boy. It feels like I myself am stretching my legs after coming home. The colours, the moment -- one of my favorite pictures in Shorpy. My Favorite Car was a 1960 Chevrolet Impala 2-dr hardtop. Bluish gray with white segment on the side, red and white interior. The first car my wife and I bought. Paid $1750 for it used in 1962. We made some wonderful trips in that car. Re: Family TrucksterJust saw this item on TV yesterday about a real family named Griswold that had their station wagon modded to look like the Family Truckster from National Lampoon's Vacation movie for their trip to Disney World. http://tinyurl.com/plo5kub See the USA in Your ChevroletFor our family, it was a 1962 Buick Invicta wagon. Huge car designed for doing massive mileage on the interstates and that's what we did -- six or seven hundred miles a day from Indiana to the Rockies for our annual vacation. Procedure for Accessing the Cargo AreaWe had one of these when I was a kid as well. Ours was a silver gray color. See the chrome disk on the trunk door? Upon arriving at destination, here's what you had to do: 1) Put trunk key in center slot (separate keys for ignition and trunk back then) 2) Open flap (as seen in photo) 3) Rotate flap several times till rear window is fully down 4) Reach in and grab handle to drop tailgate Simple, huh? Looking at old red carsmakes my elbows hurt! Seemed like some of those old single stage paints, reds in particular, had to be waxed every two weeks to keep them looking decent. The widespread adoption of clearcoat finishes in the late 80's to mid 90's freed modern kids from the dreaded frequent waxing chore, thereby giving them the leisure time to start the video gaming revolution... As Long AsThis isn't really the "End of the Road"! That's a scary title for all the Shorpy Faithful. 3 Adults + 7 Children =1000 mile round trip to see grandma. We kids didn't mind a bit. Seat belts?I don't think you heard "Everybody all buckled up?" all that much in '64. I'm not sure of the exact dates, but if you had seatbelts back then, you bought them at a discount store or an auto parts store like Western Auto or J. C. Whitney, and they were lap belts only. Three point seat belts didn't come along for several more years, if I recall correctly, and it wasn't until the government mandated new cars with ignition interlocks in the 1970's that "real men" started to actually use them. Back then, we used to spend our vacations camping, so the car was packed to the gills, including the center of the back seat. My sister and I each got little cubbyholes next to the doors, with just room enough to sit for the trip to northern Wisconsin. My dad drove a two tone green '55 Oldsmobile Delta 88. I saw a picture of that car a few months ago, and as soon as I did, I started remembering a surprising amount of detail about the car's details. It was handed down to me when I went off to college in '64. Seat beltsbobdog19006 is correct in that seat belts were not standard equipment in 1960. However, they had been available as a dealer-installed option since the 50s. By 1966, they were standard in all Chevys, and by 1968, they were federally mandated. I spent many a happy hour on family roadtrips in our '68 Ford wagon, nestled in the narrow gap between the second row and the rear-facing third-row seat, no seat belt, of course. Neither did my siblings in the third row. Service StickersI remember those stickers that service stations or car dealers put on the inside edge of the driver's door when you got your car serviced. This Chevrolet has two. Our road trip rigWe had a '76 Chevy Beauville van, a ho-hum light brown rather than red, which made up for the lack of chrome spears with its cavernous interior: two bucket seats in front for Mom and Dad, two bench seats, and a homemade plywood bed. Strangely, all that space wasn't enough to prevent sibling quarrels. The best story of this van was the return trip of its maiden voyage, when my uncle, who owned a small niche-market manufacturing firm, talked my dad into towing a piece of equipment from South Texas to a parking lot near Chicago, where we would deliver it to his customer from Wisconsin. We quickly got used to being asked at every single hotel, gas station, and rest stop, exactly what was the three-wheeled contraption with the hydraulically-actuated vertical roller-chain conveyor with teeth. The looks on everyone's faces when my dad told them it was a grave-digging machine: Priceless! Curtains?Every August for years we travelled from Birmingham to Cincinnati for a week of visiting my parents' relatives. Before our last such trip in '69, we went through a black-and-white '57 Plymouth Savoy, a metallic-beige '63 Ford Country Sedan wagon (the one without wood on the sides) and a '67 Olds VistaCruiser. I'd love to have that VistaCruiser back today. Ours was burgundy red and my dad put red stripe Tiger Paw tires on it. Imagine a 442 station wagon. As for Shorpy's '60 Chevy wagon, I only just noticed the homemade or aftermarket side curtains, with vertical stripes of brown, gold and red to compliment the bright red car. Thanks, Dave, for showing us this photo again... and including all the original comments, too. Great to relive all the great summer vacation stories with everyone! Re: deflectorsIn the days before the rear window wiper on a station wagon, some folks put these on and the deflected air current would help to clean off that window to a degree. Not having either, within a mile that rear hatch would be almost impossible to see through. Been there, done that and got the tee-shirt. This does bring back memoriesWe had a similar station wagon, but it was salmon (or was it mauve, or ecru?) colored with a white top (I think). It had a 460 a/c (four windows down while traveling sixty miles per hour, some times 560 with the rear tailgate window down). I remember taking a trip from Mississippi to Six Flags over Texas on U.S. Highway 82 (two lane most of the way) in Summer, 1964. The back seats were folded down, and the four of us kids had pillows, blankets, books, and board games to pass the time. It was replaced soon after with a 1965 Ford Country Squire Wagon with a/c, and fake wood paneling on the side. Instead of a rear facing bench seat, it had two small seats on either side that faced each each other. Memories of summer tripsWe also lived in Montana back then, and our family truckster in the 1960s was a 1963 Rambler Classic station wagon. (Yes, I suffered greatly for it among my friends.) That's what I learned to drive, and we ranged all over the western US and Canada in it. Before that, however, we traveled in a 1949 Studebaker Land Cruiser 4-door sedan, which my dad (both inventive and frugal) had outfitted with a set of three back seats that, when covered with the mattress from our roll-away bed, filled the back seat and trunk area with a very passable sleeping unit. That's where I spent most of my time on our travels. At other times, I would climb over the front seatback into the front bench seat between my parents. That's where I was on August 5, 1962, when we were preparing to leave Crescent City, CA, and heard on the radio that Marilyn Monroe had died. Deflector's actual purposeWas to break the "vacuum" the "wall" that was the rear of that wagon created which would suck exhaust into the car if that rear window was open even a little bit. The fresh air, the snowless/cleaner rear window were merely bonuses... Buckle up?A 1960 Chevy wagon probably didn't have seat belts unless the owner installed them. The kids in the back were pretty much free range as long as they didn't make too much noise. Lots of people piled the stuff on the roof and put a mattress in the back for the kids. It was a great way to go and most of us survived. [Seat belts were optional on all 1960 Chevrolets. - Dave] Car playgroundMy folks had a Ford wagon of that era. No seatbelts. Folks put a mattress in the back. Became our playground on long trips. We had no desire to "sit" in a seat. Miss station wagonsI miss station wagons. I prefer them to the SUVs that replaced them. I also miss the bold bright colors that cars use to come in. No SquattingLooking at all the stuff already loaded, I'm surprised the back of this wagon isn't dragging on the ground. In fact it's sitting pretty level. I wonder if dad had overload springs installed? We've had one built for you.To BillyB: Station wagon suspensions were designed with the idea that they would have to haul some combination of eight people and their luggage, so they did OK when loaded down. They *were* softer than contemporary pickup trucks, so the back end of the station wagon wouldn't bounce all over if there were only one or two people in it. Especially at the time of this photo, gas was 25 cents a gallon and would be that price forever, so the factory didn't mind spending a little extra weight on a beefier suspension. Also, most of the really heavy luggage went on the roof rack, which was fairly close to being in the middle of the wheelbase. The back-back, behind the rear seat, tended to contain lighter things, like blankets, pillows, the picnic basket, and - as the trip progressed - bags of souvenirs. If Dad wanted to use the inside rear-view mirror, you couldn't stack stuff much higher than the seats, anyway. Source: I rode in the back of a '79 Oldsmobile wagon every summer from '79 to '87. I think the longest trip we took in it was from Kansas City to Washington, DC and back. WagonsWe had a 1956 Ford wagon, then '61 Mercury wagon, finally a (I think) 1964 Ford wagon. I remember one year with the Mercury, my mom ran low on gas. We were up in the mountains in a resort town. To get to the gas station, she had to reverse up hills, turn around for the downhills, turn around again for going up the next hill. What a ride. Another time, 1965, we were in a typhoon in the current wagon. There were eleven of us in it. Another wild ride driving on a road along the bay. Waves washing over us, my mom hugging the middle of the road (there was an island we could not get across). Wagons were great. The 283 V-8with its 170 gross horsepower is not going to have much highway passing reserve with all that weight. Cross-flags over the V on the tailgate would have indicated one of several 348's which would have given more than enough reserve. That car is 58 years old but properly equipped could have kept pace with most cars on the road today in equal comfort. A 58 year old car in 1960 by comparison was barely even recognizable as such it was so rudimentary by comparison to the 1960 version in its looks and capabilities. The same comparisons held true in all other realms of life comparing 1960 to 1902--homes, conveniences, dress, you name it. Virtually any of those later areas are not that significantly different from their 1960 versions. Those deflectors... were supposed to keep dust off the back window Nikon CoolscanI am having a problem with mine. Can you recommend a place that can repair them. [There aren't any. Try buying them used on eBay. - Dave] 283 V8Although I agree that a 348 engine would have been a better choice for this station wagon. The 170hp 283 was the base V8 engine with just a single two barrel carburetor. The next option up was also a 283 but with a four barrel which the above wagon may have had, which would have given it a little more passing power. Koolscan softwareDave. What software program do you use with your 4000? As it seems the program that came with it is only works for Microsoft VISTA. [I use the NikonScan software that came with the scanner, on a Windows 10 workstation. To install the software on a modern operating system, you have to disable Driver Signature Enforcement. And it's Coolscan, with a C. - Dave] (The Gallery, Cars, Trucks, Buses, Kodachromes 1, Travel & Vacation)
The Hump Master: 1942
... would have the weight/contents of each car (or group of cars, called a 'cut'). His job was to regulate the speed of each, so they ... back then, given the varied rolling resistance of freight cars from different RR's. Hump on my signal In the fourth image down in ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 03/20/2024 - 11:24am -

Chicago, December 1942. "Hump master in a Chicago & North Western railroad yard operating a signal switch system which extends the length of the hump track. He is thus able to control movements of locomotives pushing the train over the hump from his post at the hump office." 4x5 Kodachrome transparency by Jack Delano for the Office of War Information. View full size. After the snickeringRead the Straight Dope. He's a what?He would have been great on "What's My Line?" Retarder Controller? I suspect the control the hump master is using is actually the retarder controller-slowing down the car(s) as it rolls down the hump. The clipboard he holds would have the weight/contents of each car (or group of cars, called a 'cut'). His job was to regulate the speed of each, so they rolled just far enough, but not TOO far. His job was probably 55% art, 40% science, and 5% luck back then, given the varied rolling resistance of freight cars from different RR's. Hump on my signalIn the fourth image down in this posting you'll see this picture and another which explains the operation. The lever he has his hand on does nothing more than control the signal aspects displayed to the engineer of the hump locomotive. There's a second operator, shown in the other photo, who controls both the turnouts and the retarders; they both have a copy of the same list, whose content you can see in the second picture, which gives information on each car, in order, as to weight and destination. Bar codesBar codes are now used in humping operations. Computers read the codes as cars begin their roll down the hump (or on the way up), retrieve car information from a database, calculate the necessary momentum the car needs to properly attach to the growing train, and the retarders are applied automatically. It's amazing to watch from a distance, with cars moving here and there to their respective destinations, retarders creating screeching noises as they press against the wheel flanges. RF Railcar IDIn our area, at least, RF (radio frequency) tags replaced bar codes some time ago for railcar identification by the Union Pacific Railroad. Humping by TelephoneIn the sixties when I worked for Mother Bell in New Haven, I would get called out at least weekly during the late night/early morning hours to fix some trouble in the telephone system in use at "The Hump". The NYNH&H RR (later Penn Central) had some of the oldest telephone equipment in existence, and it was how they coordinated all the hump movements between towers. It was always very cool to stand in one of the towers and watch all the freight cars coming over the hump and descending through "the ladder" to be mixed on one of innumerable tracks in the huge yard. I had to find outThe Fast Freight Rides the Hump from Popular Mechanics, March 1940. (Technology, The Gallery, Kodachromes, Chicago, Jack Delano, Railroads)
Red Comb Feeds: 1943
... It used to be fun to see how many different carriers cars were in a freight train. Now unmarked private cars (reporting marks end in X) go sliding by incognito. Freezing haze ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 04/13/2024 - 9:40pm -

January 1943. Riverdale, Illinois. "Freight operations of the Indiana Harbor Belt Railroad. Grain elevator and mill at a siding of the Harbor Belt's Blue Island Yard south of Chicago." Medium format acetate negative by Jack Delano for the Office of War Information. View full size. Water StopToday's photographer might use AI to remove the arm (water stop?) from the image. Or maybe not. Perhaps the tall stack as well. I say, leave 'em in -- they're part of the story. A dangerous job made worseSleet or freezing rain has been the order of the day here. Everything is covered with a glaze of ice, making the easiest tasks of railroading a threat to life and limb. All of the railroads represented by the boxcars here are long gone. Fallen FlagsPM Pere Marquette CCC&StL Cleveland, Columbus, Cincinnati & St. Louis "Big 4" NYC New York Central SL-SF St Louis-San Francisco "The Frisco" DT&I Detroit, Toledo & Ironton "We Have the Connections" Henry Ford's RR It used to be fun to see how many different carriers cars were in a freight train. Now unmarked private cars (reporting marks end in X) go sliding by incognito. Freezing hazemade buildings in the background look as if being painted. (The Gallery, Jack Delano, Railroads)
Forest Brook: 1956
... to the school office! Plus, there's a great lineup of cars out the window, in case a little daydreaming is in order, but only for a ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 02/14/2013 - 7:14am -

November 8, 1956. "Forest Brook Elementary School, Hauppauge, Long Island. Classroom and teacher." For those of a certain demographic, this may strike a chord. Large-format negative by Gottscho-Schleisner. View full size. We never did that.I grew up in the suburbs around Akron, Ohio, and we never had a bomb drill or duck-and-cover drill ever. All of my peers that grew up in other places had those drills, which has led me to a couple of possible theories. One, that we had some sort of pacifists in our local administration that refused to take part in the Cold War(unlikely). Or two, that we were so close to potential industrial targets that there was simply no point in hoping for survival... Better to go out in the first flash. [Never had them in my grade school years 1952-1960 in Larkspur, California, either, nor was I aware at the time that they were going on anywhere. -tterrace] Lighting fixturesWe had very similar fixtures in my Elementary School about ten years after this, ours had a large bulb with the bottom painted silver sticking through the center though. They were probably ancient even in 1966. X marks the spotI'm not sure if it looked that way in 1956, but Forest Brook today has a strange shape, what you might get if Picasso or Dali had been asked to draw the letter X. Hauppague today is a densely populated community, home to most of Suffolk County's government (though Riverhead is the actual county seat) and a huge industrial park, but back in 1956 it was on the frontier of suburbanization. I wouldn't be surprised if some of the students in this picture were the children of farmers. You will not leave this house dressed like thatIt would be three years before I entered first grade about 20 miles west of Hauppauge. The New York City Board of Education had a much less relaxed dress code. Boys from first grade on had to wear ties. Jeans and sneakers were not permitted. On school assembly day everyone was required to wear a white shirt or blouse and the boys had to wear red ties. Of course by the time we were graduating from high school there were still strict dress standards, but they only applied to the teachers. Smelementary SchoolThose wooden desks were washed and cleaned before classes three months ago, and the floors are waxed weekly. All the girls are in skirts or dresses, and the boys are well groomed and always polite. After all, no one wants to get called down to the school office! Plus, there's a great lineup of cars out the window, in case a little daydreaming is in order, but only for a few seconds at a time. By the way, you can smell today's newfangled hot lunch almost ready to serve, down the hall. Let there be photonsMy elementary school (Horace Mann in Burbank, Calif.) had the same light fixtures, although we had four to a room. Each contained one ≈500 watt bulb; the bottom of the bulb was obscured by a silver coating. When a bulb was nearing the end of its service life, it would usually emit a high-pitched squeal. The teacher would then cycle the light switch off and on several times, killing the bulb and throttling the distracting squeal. Reading MaterialMost of the children have notebooks, many children seem to have the Spell and Write workbook, and the young man in the lower left (just behind the girl in the foreground) has the Air Raid Instruction booklet on his desk. My First Year of School1956 was my first year of school in Houston. Would have loved to have been able to wear blue jeans and shirt tails out but HISD rules at the time (and almost all the way through my HS years) said no blue jeans, no t-shirts, no shirt tails out for boys and skirts/dresses only for girls. Hard to believe especially since the schools weren't air conditioned in HISD except for offices and a few other classrooms (science for one)until after I graduated in 1968. No duck and cover drills for us until the Cuban missile crisis when we were told Houston would be a first strike target due the refineries throughout the Houston area. We had an air raid siren right next to the window in my 5th grade class that went off each Friday at noon. I also thought to myself that if the Russians were smart they would attack at noon on Friday! Star pupils or problem children?Teacher has all that space in front of the classroom for her desk but it's right up close to those pupils at the far end of the classroom. Even with the photographer present, the kids appear to be gazing out the window. Maybe she needed to be that close to keep their attention for any length of time. I wonder if modern medicine is overused in favor of such simple solutions. Maybe I'll send the first grade picture (1960) from my Catholic school in New Jersey. It's a bright, clean classroom like the one shown here but it's packed tight with baby boomers, all in navy blue and white uniforms, with Sister in her black and white habit up front. 1956 RebelAlright, who's the non-conformist on staff who just had to park facing the wrong way? Sturdy Desks and the "Good Old Days"Those sturdy desks are perfect for the inevitable "Flash Drills" of the era, in which the principal would come into the room unannounced and write "FLASH" on the blackboard, causing all of us students to "duck and cover" to avoid instant nuclear incineration. I'm not sure how much good it would have done in a real attack, but it was the only tool in the drawer. Also, I'm surprised the windows don't have the standard heavy blackout curtains, which were handy not only for viewing nmovies but to keep enemy bombers from spotting stray lights at night. And a decade laterI started public school a decade later, in a building constructed in 1961. And it was exactly like this, light fixtures, desks, and all. Most of the teachers were young then (and exactly one man, who I got in fifth grade) but I started out with Mrs. Lord, the white-haired wife of the principal, who could have stepped out of any 1910 school administrator picture with naught more than a change of collar. However in my day the fellow with the open shirt front there would have been made to neaten himself up. Beautiful Schools but the Russians are coming!I began my second semester of kindergarden in January of 1953 in newly built grade school on the west side of Detroit. We immediately began having fire and air raid drills. For air raids we descended into the basement of the school which was actually the main tunnel of the air circulation system. Some times when we went down the stairs during a drill, the big fan would still be rotating after being shut down. We had to sit along the walls and cover our heads. To condition us further the lights would be turned off for a short period of time. I switched to a newly built parochial grade school for the fourth grade on. No basement, so we sat in the main hallway between the class rooms and covered our heads. Both schools had class rooms identical to Forest Brook. To add to the tension, the nearby Rouge Park had a Nike missile battery. The missiles were normally hidden behind a high earth berm, but they were visible when frequently pointed skyward for testing. The AM radio frequencies of 640 and 1240 were permanently etched into our memory. DrillsI'm exactly the right age for these memories, but except for a few very early instances that were termed "air raid," all our drills were of the fire kind. No duck, no cover - and this just north of San Francisco, with its own battery of Nike missiles by the Golden Gate - in plain view if you took a spin along the Marin Headlands. We all just marched outside. The only time we had to put our practice to use was for a 1957 earthquake centered just south of SF but sharp enough in Larkspur to get us squealing in our fifth grade classroom before the alarm sounded and we made our orderly exit. "Silver Tooth"I was in the ninth grade in fall of 56. All of the new schools I attended in the late 40's and 50's had those windows and the 9 inch floor tiles. I believe the teacher's desk was in that position only for this pic. One memory came to me in a flash when I saw the tiles. In the 4th grade on the last day of school as I was swinging between desks I did a face plant on the green floor tiles. The impact broke off two of my front teeth below the nerves and the family dentist fixed them with silver caps that stayed that way until I turned 21. Blue Jeans?I was in 5th grade at the time, in a far western suburb of Chicago. What I remember was the enormous spending on shiny new schools back then. My mom was a teacher, back when teaching was a respected profession, teachers were proud of what they did for a living and grateful for the $6,000 a year they were paid. That and the rule against blue jeans. Strictly verboten in my school system. They looked "hoo-dy", pronounced with "hoo" as the first syllable, and were a a well known precursor for the dreaded juvenile delinquency during adolescence and a life of crime and depravity later on. Without that rule, thank goodness and a vigilant school board, I probably would have a criminal record by now. Good Ol' '56I was in third grade in Hempstead, Long Island then. Ike was president and the world 'champeen' Brooklyn Dodgers would win another pennant only to lose once more to the Yanks. Anybody who wore dungarees (as jeans were called then) in my school district would have been sent home to change to proper attire and an open shirt would catch you a stiff reprimand. Nobody knew what a school bus was and schools were not in the restaurant business for anybody. There was a lot to like about those days. Fond MemoriesI was in 1st grade at that time and our classroom in suburban Chicago looked very much like this one. Someone mentioned getting called down to the office. There was nothing worse than hearing your name on the PA system to report to the principal. Every kid in school knew you were probably in deep doo doo. As for the non-conformist staff member who backed into his spot, these types have always been around and still are today. They'd rather waste extra time and endure the hassle of backing into a parking spot just so they can pull out with ease at the end of the day. Never understood that logic. The Joys of childhoodI would have been 9 years old when this photo was taken. I was attending "Summer Avenue School" at that time. It was an old three story brick building. We had the kind of desks that bolted to the floor so they couldn't be moved even if you wanted to do so. The seat was actually part of the desk behind you and folded up automatically when you stood up. The top of the desk was hinged at the front so that you could lift it up and put you books and such inside. Oh Yes, they had the obligatory inkwell hole in them as well, but never any ink. Summer Avenue School still stands but is now known as Roberto Clemente Elementary School. The desksStarting I guess in the late 40s that blonde style of wood came very much into vogue for furniture. Notice, they're the first generation of school desk withOUT a hole for an inkwell. We had ball point pens by then, no more dipping a nub into india ink. And no more opportunities for dunking the pigtail of the little girl in front of you into the ink! The furthest cornersAh, those desks. In the later grades of elementary school we ate our lunches in the classroom, and the kid in front of me used to stuff the parts of his lunch he didn’t want into the deepest recesses, behind books and other trash. It got very ripe, and one day the teacher followed her nose to Robert G.’s desk and made him excavate the smelly mess. I will leave the rest to everyone’s imaginations. 4th grade for meDecatur Street elementary. I think the building was probably built at the turn of the last century. And probably the teachers. We had the well worn student desks that you find in the antique shops now for a pretty penny. The one with the ink well and indentation for a pencil with the seat back and foldup seat on the front of your desk. We had 12' ceilings, oiled wood floors that the janitor put sawdust down on daily to use his pushbroom on, kept the dust down. Old School, New SchoolI started the first grade in 1954 in rural Kansas. We were in a building that had been built in 1911 and only housed six grades. The 7th and 8th grades were in the high school. The bathrooms, the lunchroom, and the art room were all in the basement, and we had music in a one-teacher school building that had been moved into town and put behind the school. The 1911 building was probably a horrible firetrap, although there was a metal fire escape on the back from the second floor down. The district built a new school in 1956, and we moved in in February 1957, when I was in the third grade. It looked much like the one in the photo, except that we had metal desks. No dress code--nearly all the boys wore jeans. That 1956 building is still in use, along with the 1923 high school. Of ocurse, they house far fewer kids than they did then. Several years laterI was attending a Catholic school in a much older building further west on Long Island -- still vividly remember our "duck & cover" drills as I was the smart-alack who asked how a wooden desk would keep us from burning to a cinder. As for the cafeteria, no hot lunch then; if you forgot your brown bag (no lunch money; you were not permitted to leave the premises) you might have been lucky enough to be escorted across the street to the convent for a PB&J sandwich. The uniforms were ghastly -- white shirt, dark maroon tie with the school shield on it, and dark grey slacks with black piping down the outside seam. Girls wore a white blouse with a snap tie, grey plaid skirt (that was always rolled up at the waist after leaving the house, and a matching bolero. Once out of sixth grade boys wore a blue plaid tie & girls could wear a -- *gasp* -- blouse of color. Reminds me of another picture here of young girls wearing skirts in the dead of winter; evil little Catholic boys that we were, we'd spend the lunch hour in the schoolyard assaulting the bare-legged victims by snapping rubber-bands on their frozen legs. Not non-conformism. Safety!I've worked at a school for years and even though I'm not much of a rebel, I've always backed into the parking space. The logic is simple: you have to back up when you arrive or when you leave, and it's safer to back *in* to a space when there are few or no children around (an hour or two before school starts) than to back *out* of a space when children are running all around at the end of the school day (of course, one should triple-check either time). I often back into shopping center parking spaces using the same reasoning: if there's no one around when I arrive, it's safer to back up then than later when there might be a lot of people about. I knew a man many years ago who fatally backed over his 4-year-old daughter in their driveway and that tragedy changed my thinking on this permanently. Reminds me of...Sutton Elementary School, southwest Houston, 1971 to 1973. The building was built in the late 50s and had those same big windows, but by that time we had the one piece metal desks with the big opening beneath for your books. Few years laterI was in the first grade in a Catholic school in NYC. We had fire drills but no under the desk kiss your butt goodbye stuff. Nuns ruled the roost in those days. Midget Gestapo agents all in black with a yardstick bigger than them which was used to get you back in line if you misbehaved. I remember the first day of 2nd grade while us kids were waiting for school to open and my mom approached me to wipe my nose and the nun smacked her hand saying "he belongs to us now!" Ah memories... Patty Duke, Ben Gazzara, Gene Hackman were some of the actors who lived in the area, Kips Bay, and might have even attended my school at one time. "Snaggletooth"I can sympathize with jimmylee42. I broke a front tooth in much the same way at my school in the fourth grade. It was the winter of '63-'64. When the weather was exceptionally cold, they would open the gym for the early kids to come inside before classes started. Although the details are vague now, someone said I was tripped by a bully while I was running around. In a family of four siblings my folks couldn't afford to get my missing tooth capped for years. So one of my nicknames throughout grade school was "Snaggletooth"... not one of my fonder memories. I finally got a white tooth cap just before I started senior high after we moved to Florida. I wonder how my Alabama classmates would remember me now? Yes, the Memories!I would have been right in this age range, near as I can tell from looking at the kids. That would have made it my first year out of parochial school, escaped from 4th grade under the rule(r)Sister Rita Jean, she who was Evil Incarnate. Best memory was teacher telling me, "David! Stop moving your desk around. It makes me think we're having an earthqu... Everyone - outside!!" DaveB WonderfulGrade school in Alexandria, Louisiana. Very familiar classrooms, with the good Nun up front to keep [or try to keep] us on the right path. Bayou View SchoolThis reminds me of Mrs Powell's 2nd grade class at Bayou View School in Gulfport, Ms, c.1955. Fast ForwardTwenty years later I attended a school built in the early 1940s. This reminds me of those old classrooms in some respects with the desks all lined up in rows, large windows and undoubtedly a large slate chalkboard just out of view. I notice that the teacher's chair is a sturdy wooden straight back chair - no comfortable office chairs here! Also, only a two drawer filing cabinet? I don't think I've ever seen one that small in a classroom. I teach school now and while this brings back memories (even the light fixtures), it's amazingly different today. Green ThumbThe teacher has quite a spartan setup, but I love the line of flowers along the windowsill! What a lovely touch that would be in a classroom. This was a fun photo and I enjoyed the comments. My parents were born in 1954 and I really like seeing and reading about what that might have been like. I grew up in that town!I didn't go to this school, but grew up in Smithtown--where this school actually was; not Hauppauge. I was in elementary from 1990-1995, when times were much different. As a teacher I love seeing how it was then. Love this photo but makes me sadIf I could push a button and go back in time and be someone someplace in the past, I'd be on my way to being one of the kids in that classroom. This is public school education when it was about education. (The Gallery, Education, Schools, Gottscho-Schleisner, Kids)
Rolling Coal: 1942
... (vicinity). Champion No. 1 cleaning plant. Loaded coal cars ready for market." Photo by John Collier, Office of War Information. ... intrigued by the different sizes of coal in the various cars, so I looked it up and discovered the following (from smallest to largest, ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 04/03/2024 - 7:00pm -

November 1942. "Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania (vicinity). Champion No. 1 cleaning plant. Loaded coal cars ready for market." Photo by John Collier, Office of War Information. View full size. *cough*This is why nobody cared if they smoked cigarettes back then. CLEAN coal???This has nothing to do with modern claims of cleaner (less polluting) coal. I did some research and this is about cleaning the dirt and detritus from the dirty coal. It looks cleaner but still burns dirty! Anthracite coal sizesI was intrigued by the different sizes of coal in the various cars, so I looked it up and discovered the following (from smallest to largest, by name of size): barley (size of coarse sand), rice (pencil eraser), buckwheat (dime), pea (quarter), chestnut (golf ball), stove (baseball), and egg (softball). But I’m still a bit confused because those chunks in the cars on the left are certainly bigger than softballs. This is not anthracite (hard) coal. This is bituminous (soft) coal, a higher sulfur coal -- smokier and more ash. There were different grades of soft coal, and this is most likely from the West Kittanning B seam. A very high heat to ash coal. The steel mills just ate this stuff up. Soft coal was mined in the western part of Pennsylvania along with West Virginia and Kentucky down the Appalachians, hard coal specifically to eastern Pennsylvania. Coal sizesI'm old enough to remember steam locomotives. A branch line separated two sections of my grandfather's farm, and I recall picking up huge chunks of coal that fell off overloaded tenders, some of them easily 12 inches or more in diameter. Coal was the common fuel in those days, and we used stove coal in the furnace. The water heater was fired with pea coal. (The Gallery, John Collier, Mining, Pittsburgh, Railroads)
Hiding the Lockheed Plant: Cars
... bigger full-size scans, especially the ones with nearby cars. By the way, the "Before being hidden" links in the individual photo ... 
 
Posted by CHB8 - 05/04/2009 - 9:44pm -

An after photo of Lockheed during WWII (unbelievable 1940s pictures). This is pretty neat special effects during the 1940's. I have never seen these pictures or knew that we had gone this far to protect ourselves. During World War II the Army Corps of Engineers needed to hide the Lockheed Burbank Aircraft Plant to protect it from Japanese air attack. They covered it with camouflage netting to make it look like a rural subdivision from the air. Before being hidden beneath tarp Hidden from above Parking lot hidden from below Hidden LockheedThese are fascinating, thanks. I, for one, would like to see bigger full-size scans, especially the ones with nearby cars. By the way, the "Before being hidden" links in the individual photo captions are bad, although you can access it from the Member Gallery thumbnails. [I fixed them. I think. Please check your links when posting! - Dave] A side benefitA nice side benefit is that your car wouldn't be in the sun, so it wouldn't be too hot when you were ready to go home. Casting a wide netMy Granddad worked at Douglas during WW2 and reminisced about these measures. (ShorpyBlog, Member Gallery)
Omaha Stakes: 1938
... negative. November 1938. Omaha, Nebraska. "Cars parked diagonally along a row of parking meters." Photo by John Vachon for ... All the same? Look closely, the first seven cars are all different, two doors, four doors, at least two different coupes. ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/15/2017 - 11:06am -

        We've updated this post from 2008, originally illustrated with a low-res catalog print, with this high-resolution scan made from the original negative. November 1938. Omaha, Nebraska. "Cars parked diagonally along a row of parking meters." Photo by John Vachon for the FSA. View full size. All the same?Look closely, the first seven cars are all different, two doors, four doors, at least two different coupes. Look at some of the color pictures from this time frame you will see many different colors also. [I think the point is that the first three or four cars are remarkably similar in appearance, superficially at least. They seem to be the same make. No doubt the car experts out there can ID them. - Dave] ArrowsThe parking lines becoming arrows on the sidewalk pointing to which car goes with which meter ... great! CarsI think this is the first picture of this type that I've seen from the 30s where all of the cars look very late model. It isn't just the cars in front, the ones in the background are new looking as well, no model A's, or T's. I'm not a car expert, but I think you get what I mean. The closest three carsAre all 1936 Fords. The leaping greyhound hood ornament on the first car was a popular accessory of the era. The fourth car down appears to be a 1937 Packard. Beyond that it gets difficult to tell. The coupe with the sidemounted spare (the fifth car down) might be a Buick. Japanese Flag?Fifth parking meter down has a short flagpole beside it which appears to be flying a Japanese flag. Japanese FlagSeems to me the flag is not flying next to the parking meter but on a car parked behind the meter. Maybe there is some kind of meeting going on, judging from all the late model, official-looking, cars parked in a row. That in fact may have been the real subject of this photo. [The "real subject" is "cars parked diagonally." - Dave] POVA similar picture today would show a mass of silvery/light gold colored 4 door econoboxes. Fifty years from now a viewer would be hard pressed to discern one from another. Carbon CopiesSo everyone had the exact same car back then? ColorYou can get a car in any color you want, as long as it's black. Hood OrnamentThe leaping greyhound was also the hood ornament that represented Lincoln automobiles. Now, a Lincoln is part of the Ford Motor Company, but a Lincoln is not a Ford and vice versa. "Japanese" FlagThat's no Japanese flag -- it's a flag indicating a bus route. They still have the same design in Omaha today except they are metal now. There are ones with blue dots and green dots as well. Corner of 16th and DodgeThe location of the Woolworth's is now the spot where the First National Bank Tower stands and the Metropolitan Drug Store is its parking garage. The only building on that corner still standing would be the one from where the picture is taken. Movie on the marqueePretty sure the movie playing in the theater in the background is THE ARKANSAS TRAVELER, starring Bob Burns and Fay Bainter (names on middle row)! The 5th car down is indeed a BuickIt's a 1938 Club Coupe. (The Gallery, Cars, Trucks, Buses, John Vachon, Omaha)
A Lot of Cars: 1942
... the auto body plant was built til the time of the photo, cars had sure undergone a growth spurt. Wonder how that lot made out in ... where you could see the Soap Box Derby winning cars on display in the lobby. Or the new models from the General Motors Five. ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 01/30/2023 - 1:30pm -

July 1942. "Detroit, Michigan. Looking down on a parking lot from the rear of the Fisher Building." Photo by Arthur Siegel for the Farm Security Administration. View full size. Nowa Lot more! All growed upInteresting to look at the size of the "slots" and the actual size of the vehicles parked in them. From when the auto body plant was built til the time of the photo, cars had sure undergone a growth spurt. Wonder how that lot made out in the mid-fifties when automobile took a really big jump in size. Perhaps most of all in the creations coming from this very place. [The Fisher Building is an office tower in downtown Detroit, not an auto body plant. - Dave] I just thought it was a factory -- my mistake. Is the building named for the same person that ran the design and manufacturing company? [Did you click on the link? The Fisher family financed the building with proceeds from the sale of Fisher Body to General Motors in the 1920s, after which it was known as the GM Fisher Body Division. - Dave] Kid friendlyThe tunnel under West Grand Boulevard, from "The Golden Tower of the Fisher Building" to GM headquarters, where you could see the Soap Box Derby winning cars on display in the lobby. Or the new models from the General Motors Five. Like so many other places in '50s Detroit: the Ford Rotunda, J.L. Hudson Co. downtown in December, the little trains at the Detroit Zoo, the Vernor's bottling plant at Woodward and Grand Boulevard, the model railroad layout in the basement of the Detroit Historical Society, the lobby of the Guardian Building, etc. There was no admission charge for many of these adventures, which fit the family budget nicely. My father was a shrewd family time investor. [Strictly speaking, the Ford Rotunda was in Dearborn. - Dave] A lot of carsIs that what it's called? Like a school of fish, or a pride of lions, or a murder of crows (my favorite). (The Gallery, Arthur Siegel, Cars, Trucks, Buses, Detroit Photos)
Stardust Memories: 1964
... helping my dad and learning the business. Vintage cars Oh my... just look at that parking lot of vintage cars. What I wouldn't give to have those in my garage. The cars of my youth ... 
 
Posted by rsyung - 06/26/2015 - 10:17pm -

Taken by my dad in Las Vegas, June 1964. 35mm Kodachrome. View full size. ESQUIVEL!My all-time favorite space-age bachelor pad music hero is on the bill and that almost made me giddy. Fords and Chevys and Caddys, Oh My What a great illustration of good old American iron. We started the family garage business in 1962 and I probably worked on most of those as a teenager helping my dad and learning the business. Vintage carsOh my... just look at that parking lot of vintage cars. What I wouldn't give to have those in my garage. The cars of my youthWe will not see their like again. Trending nowSpike in google searches for the De Castro Sisters and Esquivel! Mixed memories of old ironIn the desert, these beauties wouldn't rust out in 5 years or so like they did here in the Midwest. But these are most likely out of towners for the most part. I lovingly, painstakingly patched and filled the rust on my secondhand '62 Bel Air, gave it SS trim, dual exhausts and '67 Chevy bucket seats and console, then smashed its primer-coated hulk in a car wreck in 1970. Gone at age 59This dazzling casino was built in 1958 at the pinnacle of space age enthusiasm when Sputnik (1957) was newly launched and all the world was reaching for the stars. The decor and architecture proclaimed everyone's fascination with outer space and inter-planetary exploration and when all lit up at night, this moving, twinkling light display was hypnotic. It was one of the many casinos frequented by Sinatra's rat pack and was used to film the Robert DeNiro movie "Casino". Not only were the cars, decorative signage and motifs unique to that era but people really did feel optimistic and hopeful, looking forward to a great and prosperous future. Alas, by 2007 it was being demolished as obsolete, dated and shabby. To me it represented the best of times but for people of other ages, it may mean something different. I'm pretty sure that the phenomena of "happening only once in a lifetime", like many things in life, makes those memories special to hold on to. This picture was taken when the casino was just 6 yrs. old. Not just American IronA lowly, lovely, pastel blue VW bug lurks in this photo. Betcha!I'd wager that my aunt and uncle are inside there somewhere. They drove a Caddy and gambling in Vegas was their favorite pastime. They both were in the CIA so I can only guess where they got their gambling money! LOL De Castro Sisters got their big breakAs a hobby, I sell vinyl records at local record shows. An older customer came up to me once looking for the song "Teach Me Tonight" (1954) a big hit by the De Castro Sisters that he had been looking for for years. But he only wanted it on a 78rpm record version. Just so happened I had brought a separate box of 78's that had a copy of the record in it. He was ecstatic and bought it right away, thanking me profusely. I saw him later in the show, asked him how he was doing and he told me that he had taken the record out to his car, placed it on his front seat to drive out to lunch, opened the car door, got in, forgot the record was there and sat on it - broken into a hundred pieces. I sympathized with him and told him he'd find another copy in 20-30 years. Funny thing is......compared to today's gargantuan hotel/casinos, this looks like a fancy strip mall. Googie!The Stardust appears to be from the commercial architectural school of design known as "Googie", which originated in 1950s Southern California with the styling of coffee shops and fast food outlets. It was all about The Space Age. For someone born in 1950, the car lot is a feast for the eyes. My favorite is the 1961/1962 cream Continental hardtop, a design that is still fresh today - look at the current Roller. The Rambler and the FalconThe owners of the "economical" cars in the parking lot could be at The Stardust for the 99 cent buffet....yum. Station wagonsI always wondered what happen to station wagons. My family had several during the '50s & '60s. They seem like a useful design- better than SUVs that seem to have replace them. The Vanishing WagonIn the days before federal fuel mileage standards, almost every car model had a wagon in the lineup, from the VW Squareback to the Buick Roadmaster. Because those mileage limits applied to cars but not to trucks, manufacturers determined that they could best get their fleet averages under the limit by discontinuing wagons and building more trucks and SUV's for people who want to carry more than what a sedan's trunk will hold. This is called the "law of unintended consequences" and it trumps every law on the books, every time it's tested. [It was the minivan, not the SUV, that did in the station wagon. - Dave] Got here in a C-47As a USAF ROTC cadet at the University of Arizona, along with a bunch of other boys, I was dumped here at the Stardust for an afternoon by the base bus from Nellis AFB (we had flown up from Davis-Monthan AFB, Tucson, in a veteran C-47 as part of a practical exercise). That was in early 1963, a little more than a year before this picture was taken. Although I was only 18, being in a brand-new, well fitting Class A blue uniform must have made me look grown up. At any rate, no one kicked me out of the casino and I made $12 in silver dollars at the slots. At the time, back in Tucson, I had a ’62 Chevy Impala 2-door hardtop SS 409, 380 hp (one 4-bbl carb), 4-speed, not unlike at least one of the cars in the photo. Coincidence?We just returned from Las Vegas today. It was 113F in the shade. This is old Las Vegas, quite different from the Las Vegas of today but one thing in common - a lot of high hopes and broken dreams. I found a few clips of Esquivel, and Delworthio is right. They sound like something Major Don West of Lost in Space would listen to in his pad. Got here in a C-47As a USAF ROTC cadet at the University of Arizona, along with a bunch of other boys, I was dumped here at the Stardust for an afternoon by the base bus from Nellis AFB (we had flown up from Davis-Monthan AFB, Tucson, in a veteran C-47 as part of a practical exercise). That was in early 1963, a little more than a year before this picture was taken. Although I was only 18, being in a brand-new, well fitting Class A blue uniform must have made me look grown up. At any rate, no one kicked me out of the casino and I made $12 in silver dollars at the slots. At the time, back in Tucson, I had a ’62 Chevy Impala 2-door hardtop SS 409, 380 hp (one 4-bbl carb), 4-speed, not unlike at least one of the cars in the photo. Pick of the crop . . .If I could pick one of the cars in this remarkable photo to have, it would be the 1961 gold-and-white T-Bird. That red two-door Chevy is also a beauty. Dream CarsI would take the 59 Chevy, hands down. Nice1959 Pontiac convertible hiding behind the '61 Falcon wagon to the right of the snap. Where is it now? You'se read my mind!All the classic car comments were right out of my head! Today, this parking lot would be worth a cool couple million! HoneymoonMy wife and I honeymooned at the Riviera, across the street from the Stardust, in October of 1959. When I took my new bride to the Lido de Paris she was blown away by the nudity. Almost too much for the small country farm Texas girl. Could not understand how the girls could keep the strategically-placed flowers in place. I suggested glue. The old Rivera is gone, so is the old Startdust and most of the culture that made Las Vegas of the 1950s. We lived in Las Vegas from June 2000 through August 2005 and things were a lot different. My car at that time was a 1958 Chrysler Newport 4-door hard top painted in three colors with fins so high I occasionally though some was on my bumper. The marqueeStardust photos are usually easy to date because the year was on the marquee most of the time through the 50s-70s. Not so in '64, so it's nice to see an accurate date with the photo. They still make wagonsThe wagon lives on in the car catalog under its new name: the crossover. "Station wagon" is a dated term that conjures images of, well, you know what a station wagon looks like. "Crossover" is hip and new, even though its literally the same thing as a station wagon, but styled to look like its SUV big brother. Mercury Colony Park wagonThe standout in this shot is the light blue Mercury late fifties Colony Park four-door hardtop wagon. The style was derived from a 1956 Ford show car that foresaw high-speed turnpike cruising in comfort on the new Eisenhower Interstate Highways which, by the way, were the most successful government stimulus program in history. And since the government, meaning American citizens, financed and built it, there have been no, zero, tolls on the interstates since they were built. (ShorpyBlog, Member Gallery)
Mantrip: 1942
... Patrick I get your drift I pictured the cars going into the mine and then careening down a hill, roller coaster style. ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 03/31/2024 - 5:20pm -

November 1942. "Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania (vicinity). Westland coal mine. 'Mantrip' going into a drift mine." Acetate negative by John Collier for the Office of War Information. View full size. Not Space MountainThis ride is "Descent Into Darkness" Not A Fun RideThat doesn't look like much of an amusement park ride! Doing Their PartMiners are a rare breed of men. The U.S. coal industry was instrumental in the war effort both at home and on the front line. The West Virginia University football program pays tribute to the West Virginia coal mining industry with the “Mountaineer Mantrip” before each home game at Milan Puskar Stadium. https://wvusports.com/sports/2017/8/2/mountaineer-mantrip.aspx Patrick I get your driftI pictured the cars going into the mine and then careening down a hill, roller coaster style. That would be a slope mine. Because this is a drift mine, they are entering the side of the hill and rolling on a horizontal path - much less exciting. This diagram helped me: (The Gallery, John Collier, Mining, Railroads)
Santa Cruise: 1984
... than cruising, nevertheless this compendium of classic cars, this Valhalla of vintage vehicles, this body of beachside barouches is ... Volvo P1800 in the center of the picture. James Bondy Cars Roger Moore, before his Bond roles, drove a white P1800 in the TV ... 
 
Posted by tterrace - 09/10/2017 - 11:53am -

OK, they're parked rather than cruising, nevertheless this compendium of classic cars, this Valhalla of vintage vehicles, this body of beachside barouches is ripe for perusing in the super-duper-size scan of this 35mm Kodacolor 100 negative I shot in Santa Cruz, California. I was there visiting my brother, at the time an English teacher at Santa Cruz High. Camera: Konica Autoreflex T, 57mm f1.4 Hexanon lens. Last year I had it refurbished and used it for the first time in over 30 years. Every so often I'll shoot a roll of color negative film just for fun. View full size. The '80s can keep the K-CarI'll take the '71 or '72 gold Grand Prix on the right in the center row. Must not be restrictions on truck parking, or the driver of the Mack Superliner ignored them and took a stroll on the beach. Silver bulletI would take either of those classic VW vans. But can someone tell me what make is that James Bondy car beside the red VW beetle? [Scroll down! - Dave] DibsOn that lovely silver Volvo P1800 in the center of the picture. James Bondy CarsRoger Moore, before his Bond roles, drove a white P1800 in the TV series, 'The Saint'. Nice cars, getting more valuable as time has gone by. Nothing to add, except ...Great shot! Thanks for sharing, tterrace! Some Interesting CarsSome unusual and interesting cars in that pic: Coming at us around the curve on the left is a mid-70's AMC Concord; 4th car from left facing the beach is yellow and black Jeep Cherokee Chief(probably a '78 based on badge behind side window); in the middle row is the aforementioned Volvo P1800; just to the right of the Volvo a Pontiac Firebird with T top; and probably the most unusual one there is the Renault R15/17 behind the guy with the boogie board on the right! I see two of my family's carsIn the row closest to the beach, between the Camaro and the Karmann Ghia, I think I see a Honda Accord. I'm not 100% on that, but the bronze color was unique. My dad's was a '79, same color, and was the car I learned to drive in, on a deserted dirt road in the Mojave Desert, when I was 13. Near the far right end of the middle row, next to the S-10 pickup with the camper shell, is a Dodge Colt, visually identical to my first car, also a '79. Nobody would call it a great car, but I had my fun with it. I suppose I will eventually get used to looking at a photo full of "vintage" cars, in which none of them are before my time. WishesWish I was there then! Wish I could see a NOW pic of this same spot, SIGH! Oh, almost forgot to say Thank You tterrace & dave! (ShorpyBlog, Member Gallery, tterrapix)
Clean Energy: 1942
... (vicinity). Champion No. 1 coal cleaning plant. Loading cars with clean coal." Photo by John Collier, Office of War Information. View ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 03/30/2024 - 4:22pm -

November 1942. "Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania (vicinity). Champion No. 1 coal cleaning plant. Loading cars with clean coal." Photo by John Collier, Office of War Information. View full size. Nothingsays clean like corrugated tin. Large CoalThat front car has mighty large chunks of coal. Someone get that Shorpy fella to break it up. (The Gallery, John Collier, Mining, Railroads)
Our Lady of Lourdes: 1914
... 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 ... 
 
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)
Mid-Island Plaza: 1957
... they are nevertheless distinctive. I count 18 identifiable cars and I am able to ID the make (and usually the year) of 16 of them. And yes ... a Black & White cookie. (The Gallery, Kodachromes, Cars, Trucks, Buses, Stores & Markets) ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 03/05/2024 - 1:20pm -

Circa 1956-57. "Urbanism -- USA. Mid-Island Plaza and parking lot in Long Island, New York." 35mm color transparency, Paul Rudolph Archive, Library of Congress. View full size. 1957 Ford Interestingly, I see only one 1957 auto. The black Ford second from very right of the picture. [You missed the other one! - Dave] No store is an islandBut it can be confined to one. Started as a stationery store in Queens during the Depression, Gertz grew - bigly - at it original location before joining the rush to the suburbs in the 50's. It was one of two Allied Stores divisions in the NYC area - Stern Bros got the Jersey side while Gertz expanded on Long island - but they all became Sterns eventually. The store shown in the main pic ended its life as a macy*s - in what was then known as Broadway Commons - in 2020. DullsvilleCar collectors and nostalgia buffs like to think of 1950s automobiles as the stuff of glamour and youthful dreams. But, as this photo attests (with the exception of the 1955 Chevy and '53 Mercury hardtops as well as the red '54 Chevy convertible), most of them were, withal, pretty dull. That's my hometown!Hicksville, New York. I used to shop at Gertz all the time with my mom. It used to be an outdoor shopping plaza until they finally covered it. it was kind of interesting, all the stores retained their old exteriors. Later on, I worked there at Consumers Dist for a few years. It's seen many highs and lows. She's a fighterMid-Island Plaza has an interesting history. Mid-Island opened in 1956, on the site of a former boys' orphanage and a dairy and vegetable farm. It cost $40 million and was built to accommodate more than 40,000 shoppers daily. That's a lot of shopping. Beneath the mall was a nearly mile long truck tunnel. In 1957 the tunnel was designated a Civil Defense operational headquarters, providing emergency accommodations for over 9,000 people. Those were scary times. Mid-Island was enclosed in 1968, renamed Broadway Mall in 1989, renovated between 1987 and 1991, and completely redeveloped in 1995. Decline set in as we entered the new millennium. As referenced by Notcom, Gertz eventually became Macy's, and closed in 2020. JCPenney opened in 1999 and closed in 2003. I read somewhere Penney's thought online shopping was a passing fad and doubled down on bricks and mortar. But Broadway Mall is still there, which is a lot more than you can say about a lot of other malls. Jericho!We lived just a few miles from Mid-Island Plaza from about 1955 thru 1960 when we moved to New Jersey. My mother didn't drive at that time so we sometimes took a cab there to shop during the week. I don't remember much about the mall but those cab rides!! edit: If you car spotters spy a '56 Studebaker in the lot it may very well be ours. My father loved that thing. Maybe prosaic, but Identifiable!Maybe mostly prosaic daily drivers, but they are nevertheless distinctive. I count 18 identifiable cars and I am able to ID the make (and usually the year) of 16 of them. And yes Dave, two 1957 Fords. [I'm driving that '54 Hudson. - Dave] So I DidA '57 Custom 300. Proust's MadeleineLike the French dude's cookie, this picture brings back a wealth of memories to me. I grew up less than a mile away, and I walked there often in my middle and high school years. Gertz had a kids' club called the Pie Club, which gave you a book every year on your birthday, and they would sponsor a movie for members in the mall theater every few months, with the highlight being a pie-eating contest. One show featured a visit by Carl Yastrzemski, a Boston Red Sox Player who had grown up on Long Island. And the food! Maybe once a year, we'd get a Sicilian pie from Pizza D'Amore. (Our go-to pizza place was Dante's on Woodbury Road.) After Sunday Mass, we'd go to Mid-Island Bakery for crisp crusted Kaiser rolls and seeded rye. If I hadn't kicked the pew in front of us, my mom bought me a Black & White cookie. (The Gallery, Kodachromes, Cars, Trucks, Buses, Stores & Markets)
College of Cars
... are rolled down while the owners are away for the day? Cars & Trucks The pickup next to the Corvette looks like a K series ... I also never knew that Korea had that many American cars back then. But this is definitely Korea - those rolling brownish-green ... 
 
Posted by tterrace - 06/24/2009 - 4:53pm -

Back in October 1956, my brother shot this Ektachrome slide to show the construction of the new Engineering Building at Cal Poly, and a student parking lot just happened to be in the foreground. Today it looks like a vintage car rally. For extra points: spot the Corvette. View full size. Spotted the CorvetteIn the second row visible between the yellow pickup truck and black two door coupe. Which Way Is It Going?Found it! Do I get an extra point for finding the Studebaker? (There's a light grey coupe above which is possibly another Stude.) Steve Miller Someplace near the crossroads of America WindowsNotice how many of the driver's door windows are rolled down while the owners are away for the day? Cars & TrucksThe pickup next to the Corvette looks like a K series International. The Stude is '48 or '49, the grey coupe above it looks Chrysler-ish to me, but there is a '42 or '46 Studebaker Champion across the road and there is a white sedan parked on the far side of the construction that might well be a '56. There's a sweet little Nash in the bottom left corner, you had to watch out for those you know! Santa MariaI was fifth grader living in Santa Maria in 1956 (about 30 so miles south of SLO). The Vette looks so out of place in that assortment of vehicles. Had to be a prof's car, or a rich kid. Anyway, what really stood out for me was how many car windows are rolled down, and obviously unlocked. Bet you don't see that much these days in the Cal-Poly lots. What a wonderful era to be a kid. Safe, good economy, room to roam. Also, there seems to be a tree growing out that huge dirt pile beyond the construction. Either that pile had been there way too long, or they just kind of piled up the dirt around it. I'm in construction, and odd stuff like that just jumps out at me. Just joking. Spot the...Looks like I should have made it "Spot the Kaiser" instead. Can you find a very nice yellow 54 Chevy Coupe?Hint - on the right side of the parking lot parallel parked. ID this one...Can anyone ID the red car with the black soft top a few rows above the yellow pickup? Two BuicksI also see at least two Buicks. What's the model that's sixth from the left in the line of vehicles in which we're looking directly at their back bumpers? It has a vague boat-tail effect and a split rear window. Surely not a Tucker? Another Stude? [1947ish Studebaker. - Dave] Choppers!I also never knew that Korea had that many American cars back then. But this is definitely Korea - those rolling brownish-green hills, the cloudless blue sky. Please keep in mind everything that I know about Korea I learned from watching M*A*S*H. M*A*S*HMash was filmed in southern California not Korea. Read the caption. [On the Totally Not Getting It scale of 1 to 10, you get an eleven! - Dave] 1984 Borgward Isabella1984 Borgward Isabella - Cal Poly had already invented a time machine [Last year for the Isabella was 1962. Have a nice trip! - Dave] Air QualityOf as much interest as the cars, to me, is the clarity of the air. That's how it used to be. Kaiser spottingFirst find the Corvette to the right of the yellow pickup; next to that is an old (hah!) blue two-door coupe; right above that is the distinctive roofline and window configuration of a dark green post-1950 Kaiser. I saw the purple car, too. That's a color you really didn't see factory-supplied those days, so it's got to be on someone's customized job. Spot The Kaiser?Great photo! I just love to see this kind of picture, and always look for my '55 Olds, or my old '51 Kaiser Dragon. Is there really a Kaiser in this photo? I couldn't spot it! I did find a very purple car that I wish I could see more of! It is above the far Buick, in the outbuilding area. There is a dark red car there with its trunk open, too. It would be fun to see inside. Wish that dark panel truck was mine! Fabulous photo, with so many of the cars I still admire, all in one place and taken for granted! Kathleen Other car-spottingYeah, the Corvette is interesting. Had to be a Rich Kid. Equally interesting is the brand-new '56 Chevy (white, in the back near the center). Somebody had connections! KaiserGood job, Tterrace! I wouldn't ever have caught that Kaiser, even with the same basic model sitting in my driveway for a decade or so! You are right, it's the windows that prove you right. And I will take this moment to mention that although I have been addicted to this site for a couple years now, it was your photos that really made me feel personal emotions, since we are from the same era. It is just great to see all the stuff from my childhood so well. Keep jumping the shark! P.S. I bet that purple car was someone's beloved hotrod! Holy Frank Burns!I also noticed the BG hills look exactly as I remember from nearly every M*A*S*H episode. The cars in the lot are making me salivate; I was born 20 years too late (1964). (ShorpyBlog, Member Gallery, Cars, Trucks, Buses, tterrapix)
Mall Santa: 1957
... old, it looks like it could be today. The lack of period cars and clothes makes it timeless. Santa? Or Satan? That is a ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 03/05/2024 - 1:28pm -

Circa 1956-57. "Urbanism -- USA. Mid-Island Plaza in Long Island, New York." So where's the Cinnabon? 35mm color transparency, Paul Rudolph Archive. View full size. Will-o'-the-Wisp"A Will-o’-the-wisp is a phantom light that hovers in the wilderness, luring travelers ..." And shoppers. ughThat Long Island haze of the mid-20th century. That's the bluest most skies ever got there. Lerner ShopsI was born in 1957 and I remember even as a kid, enjoying window shopping at Lerner's when out with my mom. And I loved it when I was old enough to shop there for cute outfits with my own money in the '70s. The store was founded by Harold Lane along with Samuel Lerner, uncle of lyricist Alan Jay Lerner. Timeless Amazing that this photo is 60+ years old, it looks like it could be today. The lack of period cars and clothes makes it timeless. Santa? Or Satan?That is a horrifying visage. This reminds me --of those long-ago days when you had to actually go places to get stuff. It just needs hornsThat Santa would do much better as Krampus. ArcadeThis early version of the shopping mall – before they were all transformed or built in the covered-over version – makes me think of streets in other countries where they have arcades which provide protection at street level from the weather. It’s pleasant to be outdoors while it’s raining and not need an umbrella. Also, as someone, like JennyPennifer, who was born in 1957, I always twitch when I see that year. [Our photo is a visual representation of the definition of "mall" -- an open, unroofed plaza, lined with buildings or trees on either side. - Dave] Oakridge Shopping Centre: 1959When it opened in Vancouver, B.C., in 1959 Oakridge was not an enclosed mall as it later became. It was anchored by Woodward's Department Store, and was not in an outer suburb. Now the same location is being developed with multiple high-rise residential towers adjacent to a rapid transit station. The 1950s design is remarkably similar to the Long Island mall. Woodward's huge food floor had staff that loaded the groceries into your car for you. Jericho NativeI lived in West Birchwood in the 60's, starting when I was 6 years old. We'd get on our bicycles in the morning and roam around all day. There was a tunnel under the Northern State Parkway that gave us access to the Cantiague Park and Pool. Often we'd then head over to the Plaza to hang out and grab a slice of Sicilian pizza at Pizza D'Amore. There was a merry-go-round in the northeastern part of the plaza. Then home for dinner. Two Other ExamplesThis very much reminds me of Glendale Mall in Indianapolis. The mall had been enclosed when I arrived in late 1981, but it retained the Mid-Century Modern ambiance, along with some quirky amenities such as a fountain with moving parts all made of copper, a chandelier made out of many glass tubes, a 20-foot diameter circle on the Terrazzo floor that had the signs of the zodiac on pedestals around the perimeter containing a daily horoscope, and an indoor sidewalk cafe. Today, the center part of Glendale is gone, and the remaining two structures have been "demallified." (Is that a word?) Before moving to Indy, I lived in Columbus, Ohio. All the 1950s malls had been enclosed except Westland. Even though Westland was on the other side of town from me, I drove clear over there because the enclosed malls (such as my own Northland) were oppressive to me. In the summer of 1981, Westland was enclosed and I stopped going there. (The Gallery, Kodachromes, Christmas, Stores & Markets)
End of the Rainbow: Cars!
... San Luis Obispo, seems to end on a row of classic 50s cars. The two-tone '53 Olds is nice, but I wish it wasn't obscuring the ... later and still no available parking on campus! Big Cars on Campus Not everyone on campus had the latest cars. There's a '48 ... 
 
Posted by tterrace - 06/24/2009 - 5:10pm -

1955. A rainbow over the campus of Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo, seems to end on a row of classic 50s cars. The two-tone '53 Olds is nice, but I wish it wasn't obscuring the red-roofed Merc behind it. Shot by my brother, then a freshman there, on 35mm Kodachrome. View full size. 1953 OldsThat is an example of the legendary Rocket 88! The Fifties in a single picI didn't live out the Fifties, but from what I've seen and read through the years, few pictures epitomize that era for me such as this one. It goes so hand in hand with the feelings of a bright future and overall optimism promised by the Atomic Age (Cold War notwithstanding) as well as with the idealism and memories of a seemingly less complex time we tend to associate the era with nowadays. (The film Pleasantville comes to mind). The More Things ChangeNearly 55 years later and still no available parking on campus! Big Cars on CampusNot everyone on campus had the latest cars. There's a '48 Plymouth and a '49 Ford at the left, and across the street must be Dad's "old" 1949 Buick. RainbowOn the rainbow one can see a thin additional strip of UV wavelength light turned visible by the film. The Old DaysMy personal theory on why everything seemed so simple in the 'old' days is that many times the old days were merely days of our youth. And what is simpler than waking up, going to school, going home, and doing it again. Of course, with a smattering of highlights and lowlights interspersed with the mundane routines of childhood. I lived in Santa Maria in 1956-57, about 30 miles south of SLO. And I remember those days fondly. Fifth and sixth grade. Purple People Eater on the radio, huge tailfins on cars, sand dunes at Pismo Beach, sandlot baseball, and roaming the dry riverbed and cliffs which were on the way to SLO. And coincidentally the next town north from Santa Maria was Nipomo, where we just saw the Depression era photo of the mom nursing her baby. ColorsIn today's world of highly sanitized digital photography a picture like this is enjoyable to look at. The saturated colors and tones are lovely. Thanks for putting this up. Definitely need to find some Kodachrome for my Yashica Electra Rangefinder (circa 1966) and put the DSLR away for a while. MercuryHard to tell if the Mercury is a '52 or '53. A 1953 Merc was my first car, bought used in 1958 for $500 when I was in high school. You could hear the "glasspacks" a half mile away. These days, you can't tell one car brand from another, far less the year. Wallpaper This photo is so beautiful I use it as my computer background. The colors are amazing. Image Drag & DropHey, tterrace- I'm fooling around, and having a lot of fun, with http://images.google.com/ and just dragged & dropped your photo above into the search box. It came up with this delightful site http://shoeboxford.wordpress.com/page/6/ --- While I'm commenting, I've recently watched Pal Joey and Flower Drum Song. Great views of San Francisco of course, but what really caught my eye were the cars--'50s vintage, fresh and new, and I recognized every one of them, the cars of my adolescence. (ShorpyBlog, Member Gallery, Cars, Trucks, Buses, tterrapix)
Good and Bad: 1941
... see these guys are upfront with potential customers. Cars and Stripes Well, surely the bad salesman is the one clearly guilty of ... time, I pledged to be quicker to pounce. While the cars may be good and bad. At one time, the sugar wash moonshine was best in ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 01/24/2020 - 3:25pm -

March 1941. "Bedford, Virginia." Would you buy a used DeSoto from these men? Medium format acetate negative by John Vachon for the Farm Security Administration. View full size. Lost traditionIt's been years since a used car dealer was that honest. Which is which?I think the BAD user car salesman is the guy on the left. Looks like funMaybe I wouldn't buy a car, but I'd definitely have beer with them. Or two. But guess who would pay! A town that sacrificed greatly in WWII.Bedford was a town of about 6,000 residents in 1944. On June 6, D-Day, the invasion of France at Normandy, 20 young soldiers from Bedford were killed on the beaches. This was one of the highest loss rates of any town in America during the war. Three more soldiers from Bedford were killed before WWII ended. Today Bedford is the home of the National D-Day Memorial. Honesty is the best policyGlad to see these guys are upfront with potential customers. Cars and StripesWell, surely the bad salesman is the one clearly guilty of the criminal act of wearing a striped tie with a striped suit. Incidentally, it's worth wondering whether there was an available salesman who was GOOD enough to unload that ugly-duckling Airflow lurking in the garage. Truth in Advertising1941 Style! The guy in the long coat is undoubtedly carrying a tommy gun under that coat and his partner next time surely has a snub nose .38 in a should holster under that suit coat. Good Versus BadWho makes the call? Looks like the boys are ready to flip on it. The Good, the Bad and the Not so BadSometime around 1970 or so, there was a used car dealer in Houston styled Mediocre Motors, the signage rendered in a most appealing font. It was my intent to pay them a visit at some point, as my motor vehicle at the time could only aspire to mediocrity. Alas, they slipped away Bobby McGee-like and I was left with that wistful longing for "what might have been". Next time, I pledged to be quicker to pounce. While the cars may be good and bad. At one time, the sugar wash moonshine was best in county. In the market?Never buy a used car from a rakish hat. Bad used carsSometimes, bad is good. My first car was a 20 year old VW Beetle, rusty, bad engine, worse brakes. I spent way too much money and time working on that thing, but it taught me two things: I learned a lot about how a car is put together and how the various systems work, and I learned how to deal with a "less than perfect" car when my brake job failed (emergency brake and downshifting saved me then, as it did forty years later in a friend's car). I later sold it for what I'd originally paid for it. You could have knocked me over with a feather when I saw it two years later, apparently none the worse for the wear, parked at my state college. Our slogan"Oh. Guess you got a bad one." (The Gallery, Cars, Trucks, Buses, John Vachon, Small Towns)
Free Ice: 1900
... New York, no matter how cold it gets outside, the subway cars are usually cooled to the point of refrigeration. This keeps our bodies ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 11/28/2018 - 10:09am -

Circa 1900. "Heat wave. Free ice in New York." 8x10 inch dry plate glass negative by Byron for the Detroit Publishing Company. View full size. Great TimingMy friends back East say it brutally hot just now, Hudson Valley included. More than just comfortI would bet that most of these people are not going to use this ice for chilling their drinks. They're probably going to use it to keep their food from spoiling. One thing about the present day is we continually go from hot to air conditioned environments during a heat wave. In New York, no matter how cold it gets outside, the subway cars are usually cooled to the point of refrigeration. This keeps our bodies from becoming acclimated to the temps. These folks have been in the heat and have become somewhat adjusted. The clothes they wear are probably all cotton or linen, both of which have the ability to wick the sweat away and help cool the body. I'm sure they're pretty miserable, but coping. You'd get a line for free ice right nowWith temperatures hitting 101 degrees, in the middle of a l-o-o-ng week of 95+, you'll get plenty of people willing to stand in line for bags of free ice. Ice cubes in a bowl + fan = poor man's air conditioning. Thanks, Dave, for reminding us that some things never change, like NYC heat waves in the summertime. The children who grew up standing in those lines supported the construction of municipal swimming pools during the New Deal. They remembered! Nostalgic and VintageI absolutely love old photographs, the older the better. You get to experience people, places and things frozen in time. Sure this isn't Japan?The policeman looks like he's wearing white gloves. That would suck on a hot day like it appears to be in the picture. Hot CommodityLater on, someone realized they could spritz it with food coloring and some flavored syrup and charge for it. The Iceman (and Milkman) ComethBack in the 1940's in Newburgh NY in the midst of a summer heat wave, neighborhood kids would raid the back of the open ice delivery truck while the iceman would be tonging a block of ice to home ice boxes. Another source for kids, of small chunks of ice, was in milk delivery trucks while the milkman was delivering his wares. Weather's nice here in Monterey.It might have gotten to 65 here today. Staten Island FerryWhen my parents married in New York, in 1953, they stayed with a friend in Harlem. It was so hot and a neighbour was having a rent party so my parents took the Staten Island ferry back and forth all night long. Cool and quiet, compared to their friends' apartment. I lived on City Island, in the Bronx, for two years and with no air-conditioning, and the ceiling fans not being up to the job, it was like trying to sleep in pea soup. Trying To Imagine...what NYC must have smelled like with all of those sweating people and piles of horse manure in the streets makes me not want to go back in time to experience what is going on in the photo. This is a first in all my time as a Shorpy fan. Melting PotTemperatures in Manhattan will probably go over 100 degrees today. It has been in the high 90s for the last few days and will be in or around the 100 degree mark for the rest of the week. There will be no free ice and the local utility, Con Ed, has started cutting back on the power so the air conditioners are not performing to spec. I think I'll go to a movie today, their sign says they're 20 degrees cooler inside. Incidentally, movie theatre air conditioning goes back to 1925 when Dr. Willis Carrier cooled the new Rivoli Theatre on Broadway. Fishy, indeed!We are experiencing a real heat wave in New York today. I don't for a minute believe that the photo was taken in a temperature that comes close to our 100+ Look at the barefoot boys on that sidewalk -- there's your proof. I got news for yahFree Ice? That's nothing special. Every February there is tons if it in New York. You just need to plan ahead a little. Hats Year RoundUp until the 1950's or so, you will notice that headgear was always part of the dress code. My dad wore a hat most of the year. It had to be hot and uncomfortable. Something's FishyI can't believe all their icemakers went out at once.They need to call the super and complain. Take it offThey sure are wearing a lot of clothes for a heat wave. I'd lose the jackets and long sleeves. Barefoot tykesThat sidewalk had to be hot! HatsA few years ago I bought a straw hat and It seems to actually make you feel cooler on a hot day. Cool LidOnly a straw hat would make sense, or maybe one of these. Poor timingHow about some lovely pictures of deep snow, ice-covered lakes, or something to make us feel cooler in today's hot weather? The Long Hot SummerLooks like the cop has had a long day. As hot has his uniform is, my hubby now has to wear pretty much all that, except in polyester and with an extra 35 pounds of equipment, plus a bullet proof vest. It's been hovering around or at 100 lately here in Maryland, and his vest doesn't have time to dry out from sweat one day before he puts it on the next. So next time you see a cop sitting in his car with the AC on on a hot day, think of that guy up there! He could use a little break! (I hope he got hold of some ice chunks.) Waaaaah!I love reading about the New York heat waves with temperature in the 90s or even 101 (!). If it was in the 90s in Austin, we'd all be wearing parkas. Most of these people want Gordon Park!As in the last picture. Even in these Victorian times you can see signs of the heat, the cop wiping his brow, most men in the derbies have them way back on their head to let the heat out, and the straw hat man doesn't because they let heat out, just as the Mexican and South East Asian farmers learned from history. I loved the snow cone comment, probably very right, why give the melting ice away if you can sell it! Hot mamaSo I can see why they had the long pants, skirts and hats, but couldn't she have left the shawl off? Hey, Austin tipster We NY/NJ SMSAers feel the same way about you guys when your highways are shut down after 4 or 5 inches of snow. We laugh at your puny "frozen precipitation levels" that seem to cause such chaos! Have you ever been on the Lower East Side, and seen these turn-of-the-19th-century former tenement neighborhoods? They are still standing: five- and six-floor walk-ups, built with no help from Mr Otis, crowded together on narrow streets. Even today, Austin's population density of 2600 people per square mile is less than 1/10th of New York City's (26,100). Crowding ten times as many people into every square mile raises the ambient temperature of NYC exponentially. When the weather report says "90" in a town of crowded, narrow streets with ten times as many people, it is a medical emergency. Be grateful that, in your hometown, such temperatures make you reach for a sweater. It's not a sign of how much tougher Texans are in comparison to New Yorkers. It means that you are fortunate to live where the historical development patterns have provided you an environment where weather extremes aren't so dangerous to human health. 547Was looking for clues about the location of this picture and noticed the clothing store has "547" on the awning (alas no street name). Looking closer you can see that "547" is also written on the inside of the awning and reflected in the store window. But the reflection isn't backwards ... so perhaps it was written backwards so that people facing the window could see the non-backwards number in the reflection? Very curious. [The "547" on the outside of the awning would be backwards on the inside of the awning because it's the same "547" showing through the canvas. - Dave] (The Gallery, DPC, NYC, Stores & Markets)
The Ridgewood: 1904
... From December 1932: (The Gallery, Bicycles, Cars, Trucks, Buses, DPC, Florida) ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 02/18/2024 - 3:46pm -

Daytona Beach, Florida, 1904. "Hotel Ridgewood, Ridgewood Avenue." The shady byway last glimpsed here, here and here. 8x10 glass negative, Detroit Photographic Co. View full size. Between the linesI've read the article my post linked too several times. I do know that I look at things differently, maybe I don't see all the words, but I see nothing in the link I provided that would have sent me off to the site that had the article you posted. If I had, would have posted your article instead of posting the link. Torn down, not burned downAmazingly enough, a hotel structure featured on Shorpy survived fires! Unfortunately, torn down in 1975. https://www.news-journalonline.com/story/opinion/2022/06/21/ridgewood-av... Outdoor plumbingObviously, they do not expect a freeze. Reading between the (fire)linesNot to spoil anyone's day, but if Mr. De la Cruz reads the article a little more carefully, he will note that while the business survived until 1975, the building, at least this building, did not. (Oh the advantages of that fire resistant annex!) From December 1932: (The Gallery, Bicycles, Cars, Trucks, Buses, DPC, Florida)
Cleveland: 1912
... this a little red wagon and someone using it to scoot? Cars 23, horses 1, pushcarts 1 It's just 1912, but the competitive battle ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 11/12/2023 - 12:37pm -

Cleveland, Ohio, circa 1912. "U.S. Post Office, Custom House and Court House, Public Square." 8x10 inch dry plate glass negative, Detroit Publishing Company. View full size. JaywalkersI love these old pictures from before crosswalks had even been thought of. "I want to be over there. The shortest way is diagonally across the intersection. Off I go." +104Below is the same perspective from July of 2016. Little Red WagonSo is this a little red wagon and someone using it to scoot? Cars 23, horses 1, pushcarts 1It's just 1912, but the competitive battle between four-hoofed and four-wheeled transportation is pretty much over. (The Gallery, Cleveland, DPC, Streetcars)
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