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Party Line: 1921
... as January 1921. What a firetrap this room was! The Corby Connection The stack of four books touting "Corby Bread--100% Pure--Corby Cake" caught my eye. I found a couple of ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 09/14/2011 - 5:09pm -

January 1921. Washington, D.C. "National Woman's Party switchboard." If you can ignore the mold and the fingerprints, there are a number of interesting details here. National Photo Company Collection glass negative. View full size.
Look at the calendar on the wallOn Wednesday, January 26, 2011, my daughter and son-in-law presented me with a new grandson.  I just noticed that in 1921, January 26 was a Wednesday also, leading me to believe that we have the same calendar this year as the one from 1921.  Quite a coinkydink but then I am easily amused.  Carry on.
Moldy observationsHanging electrical fixture: cloth or paper, presumably wrapped around a bare, clear light bulb, again presumably to soften the harsh light thereof?
Leather strap in bottom right separation of cubbyhole case is similar to those used by letter carriers to strap up bundles of mail, though now they're nylon.
Phone jack plugs: familiar to any hi-fi bug from the 50s-on.
The switchboardThe switchboard looks remarkably similar to the Western Electric 551 that graces my dining room, which was built in 1941. The only differences are in the wood side panels and trim. All the working parts are identical.
The phone company didn't update that product until 1955. 
Jan 1921-2011The calendar for January 2011 was the same as January 1921. What a firetrap this room was!
The Corby ConnectionThe stack of four books touting "Corby Bread--100% Pure--Corby Cake" caught my eye. I found a couple of advertisements for "Corby Bread" in Washington D.C., papers, though I don't know if it's the same Corby Bread.
[More on the Corby Baking Company in these Shorpy posts. There's an ad or two in the comments. - Dave]
Great legs!She sits on an amazing "Colonial Revival" duck-footed desk chair. The little desk has great Empire legs too. But the best of all, the electric space heater plugged into the ceramic ceiling fixture! No wonder she's wearing those "high-top" shoes -- the better to run with when the fire starts.
Re: Corby ConnectionAh, of course. Rather than starting with traditional archival sources, you'd think I'd know by now to start by searching the site first!
Not Too SharpOnly a left handed dyslexic would be comfortable sharpening pencils with that pencil sharpener.
Telegraph Call BoxesOn the operator's right are little boxes for summoning a messenger from a telegraph company, each box with a company rate sheet hanging from it. Turn the handle on the box, a bell rings in the local branch of the telegraph company, and a boy runs to your office to collect your message.
The top box is for Postal Telegraph. The lower box I'm guessing is for Western Union (I can't zoom in properly to see what's written on the rate card). The box itself has the name of the American District Telegraph company, which started off in the 1870s as a local messenger/fire alarm/security service, but I think ended up doing a lot of the local deliveries for Western Union. ADT continues today in the burglar alarm business.
Something else that's interesting about the presence of these boxes. By the 1940s at least, and probably before that, you could send a telegram by just phoning Western Union, and the charge would be added to your phone bill. That would presumably have been the easiest and quickest method for a company switchboard operator to send a telegram.
Re: Corby ConnectionMore about the Corby bakery, located on Georgia Avenue in Shaw, can be found here.
Those ACL CalendarsWere ubiquitous around the South and East for a long time.  I was on the mailing list for one during my childhood and early teens, until they stopped producing that version, around 1970, and went to a poster-style adapted from the L&N.
re: Moldy observationsThe paper on the light bulb, perhaps it is asbestos?
TRS plugsThe plugs at the switchboard look like type-310 TRS ("tip-ring-sleeve") connectors, still in widespread use (along with the corresponding jackfields) in telephony applications some 90 years later. They differ a bit from the audiophile's TRS plugs by being slightly "necked" at the sleeve and tip, and are usually bare brass rather than nickel-plate.
Phone booksThe "Corby Cake books" are telephone directories. The old phone books had advertising on every blank space, including the spine. The spine would be prime space considering that it would be seen at all times.
I have some old phone books where every blank space is taken up with advertising., including around the edges of all the pages.
Corby eventually sold out to Wonderbread.
They have images of the phone books here but I don;t have a premium account.
CallboxesI believe those two boxes on the wall to the right of the switchboard are telegraph messenger callboxes. The two telegraph rate books lead me to that conclusion. Looks like Postal Telegraph and Western Union. The boxes were wired to a central office.
If a customer had a telegram to send, they would twist the knob, which was spring loaded, and the box would send out a series of dots and dashes. Each location had a unique identifier assigned.
In the central office a recorder with a pen nib and inkwell would record the dots and dashes on a moving strip of paper. The operator would cross reference the code to a particular customer and dispatch a messenger to pick up the telegram to be sent. This saved the customer the time or interruption of making a telephone call to request a messenger.
Western Union was still using these at a few places in the early '60s.
Those HeadphonesIn the 1930s & 40s the NYC Board Of Education would send what they called an audiologist to the elementary schools with some prehistoric sound equipment. It consisted of a turntable, an amplifier and some sort of switching device that could handle about  30  sets of headphones. We sat at our desks, at which we had a large printed form and one of those headphone sets. The audiologist told us that she would start the record and we would hear a voice reciting numbers. The voice would say  "now write the number that you hear in the first column." The voice would then say a number like "21" and this would continue with a series of numbers instructing us to write that number in the next column, etc. However the voice volume kept getting lower until it was inaudible, this was how they tested for hearing loss. All the students were asked to bring a sharp pencil with them for the test. I guess today the kids may or may not have a sharp pencil with them but many of them have headphones.
Incoming!The printed labels for the "incoming" and "outgoing" boxes struck me as odd. Today it takes a few seconds to pick a fancy font and print an inbox label. But did she have a friend with a letterpress that she got to make these? They look to just be on some sort of paper and not *that* super fancy. Why weren't they just handwritten?
(Also interested to know the story behind the belt in the cubby!)
[Office supplies in the business district were only as far as the corner stationer. Although it would not have been uncommon for a national organization of this size to have had its own print shop. - Dave]
Incoming/OutgoingThe typeface on those signs is much like one often seen in do-it-yourself rubber stamp sets, a common office appurtenance in days gone by. In fact, it's almost identical (though larger) to that of an ancient set I found among the relics in our post office supply room. We never used it, but I couldn't just throw it away. Anyway, I'd been a rubber stamp freak since I was a kid.
Incredulous!I showed this photo to the (25-year old) receptionist at my workplace.
She has, on her desk, a small phone console that has 11 incoming lines and capability for PA; a computer monitor/keyboard/wireless mouse, the PC being slaved to the company's server upstairs; a charger for her cell phone; a small digital camera for taking ID photos; a flip-over desk calendar and ... well, that's about it.
Naturally the office is air-conditioned (no fan required).
[That's a heater in our photo. - Dave]
She could not believe this photo, particularly when I pointed out that even well into the 1960s many offices were using similar switchboards.
One of her more poignant questions related to how the operator knew which socket to stick the plug in!
Youth -- what would be do without it?!
(The Gallery, D.C., Natl Photo, The Office)

Madame Corby: 1922
Washington, D.C., circa 1922. "Corby's laboratory." Another look at Mrs. M.M. Brooke, "chemist in charge of the Corby Baking Company laboratory," also seen here . National Photo Company ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 07/23/2012 - 3:42pm -

Washington, D.C., circa 1922. "Corby's laboratory." Another look at Mrs. M.M. Brooke, "chemist in charge of the Corby Baking Company laboratory," also seen here. National Photo Company Collection glass negative. View full size.
la-bore-a-toryLooks like a scene from Young FrankenSTEEN.  I had completely forgotten about those pull-cords which turned the light fixtures on and off.  Waaaay back in the day.
CeilingLooks like fumes, steam, or something has done a number on the paint around the top of the windows. noticed that in the previous pic.
[The garland is ornamental. - Dave]
(The Gallery, D.C., Kitchens etc., Natl Photo)

Fairview Hotel: 1916
... why... ...but I have sudden craving for a delicious CORBY CAKE™. Gold Dust Twins "I will agree with you sister why do they ... -- truck drivers and employes about the yards. Corby - Washington's Biggest Bakery Article from October 1915 issue of ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/27/2012 - 1:21pm -

Washington circa 1916. "Fairview Hotel, 1st Street and Florida Avenue." The proprietor is former slave and "colored philosopher" Keith Sutherland. See the comments below for more on him. Harris & Ewing glass negative. View full size.
Room comes with outside bar.I wonder if he ever tried to patent his Pepecual Motion machine? 
Soup to GoTake a good look at the wooden cart. It has a kerosene container with a tap. It looks like it goes under the "soup" pot. Maybe Mr. Sutherland took his cart around and sold food as a vendor. He has a counter on both sides! Amazing.
I don't know why......but I have sudden craving for a delicious CORBY CAKE™.
Gold Dust Twins"I will agree with you sister why do they want to break up Fairview for"
Cryptic sign. One might assume the city wanted to tear down the, um, stately Fairview Hotel. I can't imagine this was seriously a room for rent, unless it's just the check-in. Looks more like a ramshackle lunch stand.
Fair View?Why, I'd say it was better than fair.  It's downright byootyfull.
Gold Dust Twins"Fairbank's Gold Dust Washing Powder - The Many Purpose Cleaner. Gold Dust products were represented by the Gold Dust Twins, two African-American children surrounded by gold coins. The orange box with the universally recognized twins practically jumped off the shelf. In fact the twins were one of the best known trademarks of the 19th century. Let the Twins Do Your Work was the tag line. The back of the box shows the twins tackling several household chores as well as a list of 34 cleaning jobs made easier by using Gold Dust.
http://www.the-forum.com/advert/golddust.htm

Wow!Now this is one of the most interesting photos posted on Shorpy in a long time. I would love to know the story behind the "I will agree with you sister..." sign.
This Quaint StructureWashington Post, September 3, 1916.


PLEAD FOR QUAINT HOTEL
Hundred Neighbors Sign a Petition
To Save Sutherland's "Fairview."
A petition eight feet long, signed by about 100 neighbors of the Fairview Hotel, First street and Florida avenue northeast, will be introduced as evidence against the condemnation and closing of this quaint structure when a hearing is held at the District building Tuesday to determine whether the property shall be razed for sanitary reasons. Keith Sutherland is the aged colored proprietor, and he hobbled to the District building last week and appealed to Daniel Donovan, secretary to the board of commissioners, to save his place.
Since filing his appeal the health department has investigated the property. Its report has been turned over to Commissioner Brownlow, and will be heard at the hearing.
Fairview is a one-room hotel, opposite the Baltimore and Ohio freight yards. On the spotless whitewashed walls the proprietor, Sutherland, has written some quaint bits of philosophy for the edification of his customers -- truck drivers and employes about the yards.
Corby - Washington's Biggest BakeryArticle from October 1915 issue of Bakers Review courtesy of Google Books:
The largest bakery in Washington--and model one, too, in every sense of the word--is that owned and operated by the Corby Baking Co., one of the most progressive baking concerns in the United States.
     The firm was organized twenty years ago, when they started a little bakery down town. In 1902 they bought out a baker at 2305 Georgia Ave., (where their present plant is situated), and then built the first addition. In 1912 they built again, giving the Plant of the Corby Baking Co., Washington, D. C. building its present size.
The article even has pictures!
Say!I think I stayed there one year Thursday night!
Roof GardenFor me a most entertaining aspect of the photo is the three rusty tins being used as planters on top of the shack:     FAIR     VIEW     HOTEL
And the whiskey bottles on the stand tell a lot about this place.
Those signsKeith Sutherland's quaint signs would qualify today as genuine folk art.
Gold Dust TwinsFred Lynn and Jim Rice were known as the Gold Dust Twins in 1975.  I figured the name came from somewhere, but I didn't know it was from washing powder.
Sage DiesWashington Post, Feb. 21, 1933.


Sage Dies
Former Slave Prophesied
Voters' Landslide for Roosevelt.
Keith Sutherland, colored philosopher and prophet whose political forecast won him the thanks of President-elect Roosevelt, fulfilled his final prediction Sunday when he folded his hands about a Bible and died at his home, 1640 Eleventh street.
The former slave felt the approach of death Friday, his children said. He called his family together and instructed them to prepare a funeral, saying that he would die on the Sabbath.
Last August Sutherland dreamed of a great voters' landslide for Franklin D. Roosevelt. The dream was so "clear" that he wrote Mr. Roosevelt a description of it. Mr. Roosevelt responded with a "thank you" note saying he found the prediction "very encouraging."
For the past half century Sutherland has kept a restaurant in Washington where the walls were posted with his prophecies, many of them showing unusual foresight.
He was 79 years old. Funeral services will be held tomorrow at 1 p.m. at the P.A. Lomax funeral home, Fourteenth and S streets. Interment will be at Harmony Cemetery. He is survived by four children.
The Real McCoyIt actually looks like Grandpappy Amos McCoy's apple cider stand.
Hostelry Spared

Local News Briefs

Upon recommendation of both the health officer, William C. Woodward, and Building Inspector Hacker, the District commissioners decided not to condemn "Fairview," the famous hostelry at First street and Florida avenue northwest , owned by Keith Sutherland, colored philosopher.  About a month ago complaints reached the health office that "Fairview" was insanitary and a menace to the health of the city.  The commissioners decided to investigate, but before they were ready to take action, an eight-foot petition signed by hundreds of residents of the northeast section, asking that "Fairview" be allowed to remain, was presented to them by Sutherland.

Washington Post, Sep 9, 1916 



District Building Notes

Keith Sutherland, the aged colored proprietor of the Fairview Hotel, at First street and Florida avenue northwest, impressed city authorities so much last week with a plea for the retention of his property, which had almost been condemned to be razed, that it is likely the "hostelry" will be allowed to stand.  Sutherland hobbled to the District building and presented a petition for his place signed by about 200 neighbors.  Health Officer Woodward investigated the property and it is understood reported favorably on letting it remain.  The building inspector, Morris Hacker, has the matter now under consideration.  Sutherland is famous throughout his section of the city for his bits of philosophy, with which the walls of his establishment are painted.

Washington Post, Sep 10, 1916 


Alley Cook-ShopsWashington Post, Jan. 1, 1897.


LICENSES FOR ALLEY COOK SHOPS.
Judge Kimball Decides They Are Liable
To a Fee of $25 a Year.
The alleys of this city are filled with colored cook-shops, which heretofore have paid no license fee. Judge Kimball said yesterday, however, that every one of them must pay $25 a year. Only the police and the people who visit the numerous alleys and little streets of the city know how many of these cook-shops exist. The colored people generally resort to these places for pigs' feet, meat pie, and substantial provender prepared by the old mammies and quaint old colored men who run them, and cook dishes to the taste of the people of their race.
The police yesterday brought into court, as a test case, Keith Sutherland, who has conducted a cook-shop for many years at 1111 R street. He was released on bonds after he took out a license, and as the matter has now been tested the police will bring all the proprietors of unlicensed cook-shops to the Police Court.
Into the FutureThe descendants of Keith Sutherland's little counter 100 years ago were still going strong when I moved to Washington in the 1980s. I was directed by my new colleagues to explore the alleyways around our offices at M Street and Connecticut Avenue for (legal) hole-in-the-wall eateries for lunch and breakfast. It didn't take long for these places to become favorites of mine. I've been gone from D.C. for 20 years now; I'm wondering if these establishment still exist.
Sutherland Family
1880 Census
1643 Vermont Avenue
Sandy Sutherland,	54
Rach Sutherland,	57, (wife)
Webster Sutherland,	12, (son)
Keith Sutherland,	25, (son)
Hattey Sutherland,	22, (daughter-in-law)
Mary Sutherland,		6,  (daughter)
Willie Sutherland,	4,  (son)
1900 Census
1112 R St
Keith Sutherland,	46
Hattie Sutherland,	44, (wife)
Arthur Sutherland,	3, (son - adopted)
Webster Sutherland,	32, (brother)
1920 Census
104 Seaton Place Northeast
Keith S Sutherland,	65
Hattie D Sutherland,	64,	(wife)
Webster	Sutherland,	52,	(brother)
???,			14,	(daughter)
Arthur L., 		21,	(son)
Cora,			15,	(daughter-in-law)
Pinkey ???,		52,	(mother-in-law)

Just like India of todayHere in India, we still have thousands of "hotels" just like this one. I can walk to the end of the street here and find three of them that in black-and-white wouldn't look so different.
Many are even on wheels (carts with bicycle wheels). Most have similar folk-art signs complete with misspellings.  And similar records of cleanliness.
I always thought it was interesting that restaurants in India are still called hotels.  Now I see it's not odd, just archaic. 
Corby BakeryIt later became a Wonder Bread bakery (last time I was by there, the old "Wonder Bread" sign was still in place).  The Corby buildings are still there (east side of Georgia just north of Bryant Street) and now house a strip of retail shops and fast food places.
"Arbiter of all Brawls""Keitt" Sutherland was getting towards the end of a colorful life here.
Washington Post, February 4, 1900.


EX-KING OF THE BOTTOM
Once Dominated a Notorious Section of the City.
WHERE CRIME AND EVIL REIGNED.
Reminiscences of "Hell's Bottom," Which Formally Kept the Police Department Busy, Recalled by "Keitt" Sutherland, the Odd Character Who Figured as Self-appointed Arbiter of all Brawls –- His Curious Resort in Center of that Section.
KEITT'S.
I, am, going,
to, put, my,
name, above,
THE DOOR.
The above legend with its superfluity of commas, inscribed on a piece of board about a  foot square, nailed above the door of a tumble-down building at the intersection of Vermont avenue, Twelfth and R streets, marks the abode of the “King of Hell’s Bottom.” The structure thus adorned is the pool room of “Keitt” Sutherland, overlord and supreme ruler of the negroes in the
vicinity.  Although the encroachments of modern dwellings, increase in the police force, and other accompaniments of growing metropolitan life have somewhat shorn him of his feudal rights and curtailed his former realm, “Keitt” is now, and always will be, monarch of all he chooses to survey.
It is still within the memory of the present generation when “Hell’s Bottom” was a fact and not a memory.  The swampy, low-lying ground bred mosquitoes, malaria, and – thugs.  It was the quarter set apart for and dominated by the tough element of the colored population.  A white man with money in his pocket studiously avoided the locality after dark, or else set a fast pace to which he adjusted the accompaniment of a rag-time whistle.  Half a dozen saloons congested within the radius of a block served the barroom habitués with whisky as hot as chile con carne and as exhilarating as Chinese pundu.  Fights arose approaching the dimensions of a riot, and the guardians of the law had all they could do to quell the disturbances.  A policeman or two was killed, and that, together with the growth of the city, led to the rehabilitation of “Hell’s Bottom.”  Now it is interesting mainly in its wealth of reminiscence.
“How did I happen to put up that sign?”  Keitt repeats after the inevitable query. “I’ll tell you. You see my folks used to own that property, and they was sort o’ slow dyin’ off.  I knowed I was going to come into it some day, an’ I thought I might as well let people know it.  About that time a show came along, and they sang a song somethin’ like this: “I am going to put my name above the door.  For it’s better late than never.  An’ I’ll do so howsomever.’  It gave me an idea.  I just put that sign above the door.  After while the folks died, an’ I got the property.”

Queer Sort of Place.

Guided by the much-be-commaed signboard, the visitor goes to the door of the poolroom and inquires for “Keitt.” He finds the room filled with colored youth of all sizes, the adults of which are engaged in playing pool at 5 cents a game.  The balls on the table are a joblot, the survivors of the fittest in many a hard-fought game.  The cushions are about as responsive as brickbats.  But the players do not seem to care for that so long as they can drive the balls into the pockets and make their opponents pay for the sport.  An ancient, dingy card on the wall informs the reader that he is within the precincts of the “Northern Light Poolroom.”  The same placard also gives the following warning: “Persons are cautioned against laying around this building.”
“Where is Keitt?” inquires the intruder, who finds himself regarded with suspicion.
“Two doahs down below.  Jest hollah ‘Katy,’ an’ he’ll show up,” is the answer.
“Keitt” on inspection justified the right to the title of “king.”  He is a giant, weighing 250 pounds, well distributed over a broad frame six feet and one inch in height.  He looks like a man who would not shun a rough and tumble fight.  He does not have to.  A registered striking machine off in the corner shows that he can deliver a 500-pound blow.  He might do better, but unfortunately the makers of the instrument did not figure that a man’s fist was a pile driver, and 500 pounds is as high as the machine will register.  Many are the tables told of his prowess; of how he whipped in single combat the slugger of the community, a man who had challenged any five to come on at once; of how when only a bootblack  in the ‘60’s, he sent three bullies about their business with broken heads and black eyes; of how he used to suppress incipient riots in his saloon by means of his strong arm and without the aid of the bluecoats in the neighborhood.  Indeed, the police used to say that “Keitt” was as good as a sergeant and a squad with loaded “billies.”
But “Keitt” (the name is a popular conversion of the more familiar “Keith”) has not won his way entirely through the medium of brawn. He is a man of intelligence, and has a keen eye for business.  He is the magnate of the neighborhood, with property in his name, money in the bank, and a good comfortable roll about his place of business.  He can go down in his pocket and bring out more $50 bills than the average man caries about in the $5 denomination.  If one hints robbery or burglary “Keitt” simply rolls his eye expressively, and enough has been said.  No one cares to tamper with his till.

Plenty of Local Color.

The saloon on the outside looks like a combination coal and wood shed.  “Keitt” apologetically explains that it was formerly a stable, and that he has not had time to fix up much.  Nevertheless, the fish, beans, sandwiches, and other eatables are so tempting that the frequenters of the place do not pay much attention to external appearances.  The magic of the proprietor’s name draws as much custom as he can attend to, and fully as much as the customers can pay for.  There is a charm about the old haunt that cannot be dispelled by police regulations or the proximity of modern dwellings.
On Saturday night the place takes on something of its old glory.  In the smoke-begrimed room – hardly 12 by 12 – are found thirty or forty men eating and talking. Through the thick clouds of smoke the lamps throw out a dim gleam, and the odor of frying fish and the fumes of the pipe struggle for the mastery.  The crowd gets noisy at times, but any attempt at boisterousness is quieted by a word from the dominant spirit of the gathering.  If any one gets obstreperous he is thrown out on the pavement, and it makes little difference to the bouncer whether the mutinous one lands on his head or not.  This is the negro Bohemia.  They who live from hand to mouth love to come her.  The boot-black with a dime receives as much consideration as the belated teamster with a roll of one-dollar bills.
Business is business, and “Keitt” is a business man.  Consequently there is very little credit given.  “Five or ten cents is about the limit,” says the autocrat.  But “Keitt” is something of a philanthropist., although he makes his charity redound to his personal benefit.  An illustrated placard, done in what appears to be an excellent quality of shoe blacking, has the figure of a man sawing wood.  It bears the following words, “Just tell them that you saw me sawing wood at Keitt’s for a grind.”  The term “grind” is synonymous with mastication, the wood sawyer thereby being supposed to do a stunt for the recompense of a square meal.  This does away with the tearful plaint that is ever the specialty of the hungry and penniless, gives employment to the idle, and increases the size of “Keitt’s” wood pile.  The latter is sold to the negroes of the neighborhood at prevailing prices.  “Keitt” figures that his method is wiser than giving unlimited credit, and he is probably right.
“Keitt” is a mine of reminiscence.  He has been in Washington 1862, when he came from Charles County, Md., where he was born a slave.  He was a bootblack around the Treasury building, and he remembers seeing Lincoln’s funeral pass by, with the white horse tied behind the hearse.  His history of the rise and fall of “Hell’s Bottom” is quite valuable from a local standpoint.  Divested of dialect, it is as follows
“’Hell’s Bottom’ began to get its name shortly after the close of the war in 1866.  There were two very lively places in those days.  One was a triangular square at Rhode Island avenue and Eleventh street.  It was here that an eloquent colored preacher, who went by the name of ‘John the Baptist,’ used to hold revival services, which were attended by the newly-freed slaves.  The revival was all right, but the four or five barrooms in the neighborhood used to hold the overflow meetings, and when the crowds went home at night you couldn’t tell whether they were shouting from religion or whisky.
“Then there was what was known as the ‘contraband camp,’ located on S street, between Twelfth and Thirteenth.  The negroes who had just been freed stayed there waiting for white people to come and hire them.  They got into all sorts of trouble, and many of them settled in the neighborhood.  Money was scarce and whisky was cheap – a certain sort of whisky – and the combination resulted in giving the place the name which  it held for so many years.  The police force was small.  There was no police court, and the magistrates before whom offenders were brought rarely fixed the penalty at more than $2.  Crime and lawlessness grew terribly, and a man had to fight, whenever he went into the ‘Bottom.’
“The unsettled condition of the locality made things worse.  Men used to shoot reed birds where Corcoran street now is.  I have caught many a mud turtle there in the 60’s.  I saw a man get drowned in the creek at Seventh and R streets.  At the point where the engine-house is now located on R street a man could catch all the minnows he wanted for bait.  Tall swamp grass afforded easy concealment for any one who wanted to hide after a petty theft or the robbery of some pedestrian.  Consequently, it is small wonder that the law was defied in those days.

Many Disorderly Rowdies.

“A white man never wanted to cross the ‘Bottom’ after dark.  If he did he had to keep stepping.  Just how many crimes of magnitude were committed there no one can tell.  The life of the negro was far from easy.  If a fellow took a girl to church, the chances were that he would not take her home.  A gang of rowdies would meet him at the church door as he came out.  They would tell him to ‘trot,’ and he seldom disobeyed.  They escorted the girl themselves.  It was impossible to stop this sort of petty misdeeds.
“At times the trouble grew serious.  I have seen 500 negroes engaged in a fight all at once in ‘Hell’s Bottom.’  That was during the mayoralty elections, and the riot would be started by the discovery of a negro who was voting the Democratic ticket.  I have had big fights in my old saloon, but there was only one that I could not stop with the assistance of two bouncers I had in those days.  There were fully fifty men in the saloon at the time, and most of them were drunk.  They began to quarrel, and when I could not stop them I blew a distress call.  About fifteen policemen came, for in those days it was useless to send two or three to quell a disturbance around here.  When word came that the police were after them the last man of them rushed through the rear part of the saloon, and I’ll give you my word that they broke down the fences in five back yards in getting away.  Not a man of them was captured.
“Ah, those were the days.  Things are quiet around here now, but sometimes we have a little fun, and then the boys go to the farm for ninety days.  I keep ‘em pretty straight in my place, though, let me tell you.”
(The Gallery, D.C., Eateries & Bars, Harris + Ewing)

Epiphany: 1920
... and gone, the negative supports new, if moldy life! Corby's Mother's Bread & Cakes In Bread For The City: Shaw's Historic Bakeries we can read that: the Corby Baking Company, makers of "Mother's Bread," ... had its factory just up ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 09/21/2015 - 6:03pm -

Washington, D.C., circa 1920. "Epiphany Church." With Star Lunch on the left and a mold invasion on the right. National Photo glass negative. View full size.
Wonderful churchThe Church of the Epiphany, on G Street in downtown Washington, is still going strong. Recently, beautifully renovated, and a real gem. And great acoustics, too!  I've sung there many times with the Washington Men's Camerata -- it's their favorite concert venue.
It seems somewhat modifiedbut basically the same.

A positive effectI frequently find Shorpy photographs heartwarming.  This one is no exception: even though everything in this photo is likely dead and gone, the negative supports new, if moldy life!
Corby's Mother's Bread & CakesIn Bread For The City: Shaw's Historic Bakeries we can read that:
the Corby Baking Company, makers of "Mother's Bread," ... had its factory just up the street at 2301 Georgia Avenue NW. Corby's had been founded by Charles I. Corby (1871-1926) and his brother William (1867-1935), who were born in New York and moved to Washington around 1890. Charles started the first small bakeshop on 12th Street NW and was soon joined by his brother. In 1894 they borrowed $500 for a down payment to buy a bakery on Georgia Avenue. After construction of a new building in 1902 and additions in 1912, the complex filled much of the block and soon ranked as Washington's largest bakery.
(The Gallery, D.C., News Photo Archive)

H Street Market: 1920
... Company Collection glass negative. View full size. Corby's Florida connection Brothers Charles and William Corby built and grew their bakery into the largest in Washington D.C. in 1920. ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 05/17/2014 - 10:23pm -

Washington, D.C., circa 1920. "The New H Street 620 Market." Another glimpse of a long-vanished item of urban street furniture, the bakery delivery box. National Photo Company Collection glass negative. View full size.
Corby's Florida connectionBrothers Charles and William Corby built and grew their bakery into the largest in Washington D.C. in 1920. They were ahead of other bread bakers with automation and were able to deliver 90,000 loaves per day.
Charles died at a polo match in Florida in 1926 and his son also died in Forida in 1937 while vacationing from the bread business. Both had heart disease. Charles was 55 and his son was 44 when they died.
A hard way to live & maybe an easy way to die.This could almost be my Grandad's Grocery on Singleton St @ LeGrande Ave. Indianapolis, Ind. 1924. He was shot down during a holdup in 1925. It was a hard way to make a living, and for an unlucky few, an easy way to die. But for 30 years it provided a family of 4 with a warm home & a fine upbringing for my dad & his sister. Sometimes it is dificult for us to see past the black & white of the photograph, but the ghosts are all there with their own stories to tell, to those of us who can hear them!
Old-time DC bakeriesMore about the history of both the Corby and Bond bakeries, which were located on either side of Georgia Avenue near Howard University, can be found here.
Bakery delivery boxCan anyone tell us, foreigners, how the bakery delivery box worked?
Was it used to deliver the fresh bread to the customers? They could take out and pay later, or how?
Thanks Jess, for the answer!
The Bread BoxAlex, as a former wholesale baker, I can tell you how the bread box worked. 
The store had an account for a set number of loves a day, but the bread was baked at night and delivered at dawn before the store opened. The delivery driver and the grocer both had a key to box. It was a safe place to leave the bread so it wouldn't be stolen before the store opened. 
The grocer would get the bread from the box and sell it in his store. 
Wholesale bakeries in large cities still work like this. At my NYC bakery, our baguettes would be delivered at dawn and, if there was no one to receive the bread, it would be left outside of restaurants until the opening staff retrieved it. If you wander Manhattan around 5:30 AM you will see bags of fresh bread on the sidewalk outside of many nice restaurants! It's a system that works better than you think it might, and we didn't use the old boxes because no one can keep track of thousands of keys if you have thousands of accounts. 
PS- I'm working on opening a small green grocery now, I love this picture!
(The Gallery, D.C., Natl Photo, Stores & Markets)

Whitebread Sandwich: 1935
... in Epiphany: 1920 to give some information about "Corby's Mother's Bread & Cakes" we read that: the Continental Baking Company, which had taken over the Corby bakery in 1925 ... replaced Corby's Mother's Bread with its new Wonder ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 09/22/2015 - 2:47pm -

Nov. 28, 1935. "Washington, D.C., street scene." One-stop shopping for Wonder Bread, Stud, Prince Albert, ice cream and what-have-you. View full size.
Happy Thanksgiving!My limited research places this date as our annual festive holiday
often highlighted by the Macy Parade in NYC, feasting on turkey and all the trimmings day, football rivalry around the U.S., family fun and fighting day, too much food day, giving thanks day and whatever else it means to you.  As for the people pictured, it appears they are quite poor, reside in a dreary slum neighborhood, may even be homeless, and the Great Depression has stifled their outlook on life.  One wonders if they plan to share that loaf of bread.  
Prior Superlative?What was the "Best Thing" superlative BEFORE sliced bread?  A poke in the eye with a sharp stick?
Mickey Mouse?What are the two stickers in the upstairs window?  They look like Mickey Mouse, who was enjoying his first wave of popularity around this time.
[Looks possible. -tterrace]
Mother's Bread becomes Wonder BreadIn the same Bread For The City: Shaw's Historic Bakeries we quoted in Epiphany: 1920 to give some information about "Corby's Mother's Bread & Cakes" we read that:
the Continental Baking Company, which had taken over the Corby bakery in 1925 ... replaced Corby's Mother's Bread with its new Wonder Bread product, which was rapidly gaining in popularity. In October 1925, the company, still using the Corby's name, advertised "a delicious new Cake Dedicated to the women of the nation's Capital! In homage to them named Hostess Cake!" It's not clear where the Hostess name actually originated, but it soon became the brand for all of Continental Baking's cake products.

(The Gallery, D.C., Harris + Ewing, Stores & Markets)

Bread Lab: 1922
Washington, D.C., circa 1922. "Corby's laboratory." A newspaper ad reveals this to be Mrs. M.M. Brooke, "chemist in charge of the Corby Baking Company laboratory." National Photo Company Collection glass ... baking business, and I once worked for the company that Corby eventually became part of, so this brings back memories. Mrs. Brooke ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/05/2012 - 5:36pm -

Washington, D.C., circa 1922. "Corby's laboratory." A newspaper ad reveals this to be Mrs. M.M. Brooke, "chemist in charge of the Corby Baking Company laboratory." National Photo Company Collection glass negative. View full size.
Wheat ChemistryThe bench on the left and the center island were taken up with the chemical analysis of protein.  On the left, several long-necked Kjeldahl flasks can be seen.  Samples of flour or baked bread would be weighed into the flasks and they would be digested with sulfuric acid and hydrogen peroxide.  The digestions took place on the 6-position gas burners on the left bench.  They have 2 of these, so you could do 12 digestions at one time.  Note the vacuum system on top of the flasks to suck off hazardous fumes.  The center bench is primarily for distillation of the samples.  Once the digestion is complete, they would add concentrated sodium hydroxide, and steam-distill the nitrogen in the form of ammonia into a flask for analysis.  The large spherical copper apparatus at the far end of the island is probably a steam generator for the distillations.  
These tests are required in order to manage the milling and baking equipment, and chemists are still needed in flour mills and bakeries to oversee the operations of these types of chemical analyses.
Mrs. Brooke, Profit CenterI grew up in the wholesale baking business, and I once worked for the company that Corby eventually became part of, so this brings back memories.
Mrs. Brooke is making sure the bakery got what they paid for from their suppliers. It looks like maybe she's testing a batch of flour for gluten content in the photo, and back in the pre-pure food days making sure you weren't buying watered down milk or a lesser grade of flour would have been a never-ending battle.
It still is, but today a bakery would just Fedex a sample to a testing lab every so often instead of paying for a Mrs. Brooke, but I bet she paid for herself many times over by putting the fear of God into the suppliers.
Of course, even under the best conditions the quality of the ingredients will vary, and it's a constant adjustment process to produce a uniform product. The fact that Corby was doing this back in 1922 is amazing.
It is good to knowthat the Corby Baking Company did not discriminate against women, and that Mrs. M.M. Brooke was put in such a high position in the company.
Bread Experiment Gone A-RyeFrom the splotch on the ceiling it looks like Mrs. Brooke burst a beaker or two in her day.
Shelf Life NotwithstandingI would rather see a chef in a baking company than a chemist.  Better living through chemistry?  I think not.
[That would be baker, not chef. Any baker is a chemist --  baking is all about chemistry. Reactions involving or affecting leavening, yeast, rise times, nutritional content, etc. - Dave]
Chemist in Charge
Re: Kjeldahl flasksKjeldahl flasks ... six-nozzled Bunsen burners ... rubber tubes to draw off the acid fumes... 
The wonderful expert knowledge in the comments is but one of the reasons I love Shorpy.
Better Eating Through ChemistryFirst off, Dave, thanks for defending the place of chemistry in cooking.  Sadly, the importance of chemistry is too often misunderstood.
On the left of the picture are a couple of six-nozzled Bunsen burners, the like of which I'd never seen before.  Above them are Kjeldahl flasks, indicating this is where analysis for total nitrogen was being done.  Nitrogen content reflects protein content and is important in evaluating nutritional value.  I do wish these rigs were in a fume hood, however.  The rubber tubing indicates the acid fumes were drawn off by vacuum and trapped in the water in the Erlenmyer flasks.  
This method is done more simply these days, but the importance is still the same.  The name is the game is still quality control.
(The Gallery, D.C., Natl Photo)

Slick and Quick: 1926
... for easy pickup. Is that tarpaper? Next to the Corby Bread boxes? Slick and quick Spotless Cleanser sign on the right. ... with just a nickel. Bigger Than A Breadbox The Corby Bread lock-box on the porch, where the bakery leaves the bread before the ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 06/19/2013 - 8:31pm -

Fairfax County, Virginia, circa 1926. "Freeman House Store -- Vienna, Va." A historic structure that figured in the Civil War. Our title comes from a retail detail. National Photo Company Collection glass negative. View full size.
Shopping info needed !This is certainly a "genteel" operation, minus the many advertising signs usually posted on the front façade. How will I know the kinds of tobacco, bread, soft drinks, or pickles which are available?
3 ply paperThere used to be a building paper that was made with a very heavy outer layer, treated with some kind of resin, the middle with a tarry substance (also something like jute fibers) and the inside paper tough but not as heavy as the outer layer. This stuff was good for several years exposed to the weather. Looks like someone has ordered rolls, and the storekeeper has kept them on the porch for easy pickup.
Is that tarpaper?Next to the Corby Bread boxes?
Slick and quickSpotless Cleanser sign on the right.
Here she is!View Larger Map
Fetch my julepThat hammock on the second floor porch... speaks volumes about the pace of Southern life. I'm there.
The Easy WayHere's part of Spotless Cleanser's marketing budget, all starting with just a nickel.
Bigger Than A BreadboxThe Corby Bread lock-box on the porch, where the bakery leaves the bread before the store opens. Not uncommon today, but they usually hold specimens collected from patients in a medical practice, to be picked up by a laboratory for processing. What I can't identify are the tubes stacked up to the left of the breadbox.
[Paper towels, or maybe toilet paper or butcher paper. I see the word PLY on the end. - Dave]
How about wrapping paper?Maybe the rolls next to the bread box are brown kraft wrapping paper, for the store's own use, since close to 100% of everything sold there went out that way, probably expertly wrapped with a cobweb of string.
FoundationBeefed up a bit, just in time from the looks of the second story balcony roof and floor! Time to drive a couple inches of wedge in to raise that beam a little more.
(The Gallery, Natl Photo, Stores & Markets)

The Corner Store: 1923
... a meat market. Bigger than a bread box Both the Corby's Mother's and the Havenner's Bread Companies had lock boxes outside of ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 10/02/2011 - 9:48pm -

Washington, D.C., circa 1923. "Seventh and Kennedy." Note the bakery-delivery bread boxes. National Photo Company Collection glass negative. View full size.
Brand shiny newI love the old bay window storefronts.  I can remember so many of those shopping in downtown Minneapolis when I was little.  Shopper's heaven!
Eskimo PiesNot bad, just a nickel for an Eskimo Pie. Now the home of Yum's Chinese Carry-Out.
View Larger Map
ScaryThere seems to be a Monster lurking behind the doorway of the Store, either that or the Proprietor was, shall we say, ugly!
[Or, shall we say, Santa Claus. - Dave]
Oh, Okay, what I took to be hair was actually a Wreath!
Could this be the foreunnerof the ubiquitous "Mall"
Storefronts "For Sale"Notice that the signs in these new storefronts read "For Sale," not "For Rent." One wonders if they came with the apartment located on the second floor. Also, was the whole enterprise planned as a condominium? Was this something done in commercial properties long before it became common with residential properties?
The Velvet KindI wonder if the truck seen in This Thread made any ice cream deliveries to the corner store seen here.
DanielsI hear that place is such a meat market.
Bigger than a bread boxBoth the Corby's Mother's and the Havenner's Bread Companies had lock boxes outside of Daniel's Meat Market. Evidently they were used to deliver their bread before the store opened. Some of the restaurants around here just have the bakeries leave the rolls and loaves in those rugged Kraft paper bags in front of the store. I guess there is some sort gentlemen's agreement about not busting one open and copping a biscuit or two. 
Safer TimesIf you look in the yard of the home at the end of the store, you'll see another example of a more "trusting" age.  It was quite common to put baby outside in a buggy for nap and fresh air, unaccompanied.  Of course Mom was in the house, within earshot, but you can wheel off a sleeping baby. As with a previous post of a stroller in front of a store, this was more the norm than the exception. Shopping in a market could only take a few minutes in those days. You'd be arrested for child neglect/endangerment these days, and considering these days, rightfully so. 
Sorry, but it hasn't improved!Looks as if they did finally rent out the other four storefronts, though.
(The Gallery, D.C., Natl Photo, Stores & Markets)

Delicious Cakes: 1922
... Co. Golden & Co. National Furniture Co. Corby Baking Co. Hacker Cereal Co. Thomas J. Lipton, Inc. S. ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 09/11/2011 - 6:47pm -

Washington circa 1922. "Food show. Ward exhibit." Among the tempting varieties of Ward's Cakes on display here: Silver Queen, Devils Dream, Kukuno, Creamy Spice, Sunkist Gold and Southern Pride. Plus Paradise Fruit Cake and something called "Homelike." View full size. National Photo Company glass negative.
What, no penathalenoleum?Store-bought cakes that actually look like they taste good, rather than the weird aftertaste and bloating you get from today's preservative-laden science projects. This is the first Shorpy photo that made me hungry. Well, OK, the second… after the possum gloop splattered into the gutter.
Food Show Exhibitors

 Washington Post, Feb 4, 1923



60 Exhibits Prepared for Pure Food Show
Convention Hall Converted Into Dazzling Picture
for Opening Tomorrow

Sixty exhibits and practical demonstrations of pure food products and labor-saving devices for the home are scheduled for the national food show and household exposition, which opens at 7:30 o'clock tomorrow night in Convention Hall, Fifth and L streets northwest, and continues for two weeks.
The hall has been converted into a veritable fairyland with rows and rows of dazzling booths and yards and yards of artistically draped bunting.  Salesmen and demonstrators will gather at the hall tomorrow morning to receive final instructions.
After the opening tomorrow night, the show will be open daily, except Sunday, from 3 to 5:30 and 7:30 to 10:30 p.m.  Everyone will be given plenty to eat free -- coffee, tea, milk, soft drinks, "hot dogs," pancakes, salads, gelatine, cheese, salad dressing and other things.
The list of exhibitors follows:

France Milling Co. (Gold Medal Pancake Flour) 
Joseph Tetley & Co.
Gelfand Manufacturing Co.
Browning & Bains Coffee Co. 
Steuart Sons & Co. (sirup [sic] and molasses) 
Foulds Milling Co. (macaroni and spaghetti)
Carry Ice Cream Co. 
Noxzema Chemical Co. 
Johnn B Heppe & Co. 
E.J. Agee (Economy Darner) 
Cheek Neal Coffee Co. (Maxwell House Coffee) 
J.L. Kraft & Bros., Inc. (cheese) 
Akin Manufacturing Co. (Shi-Nall) 
Brewer Snyder Co. 
A. Loffler Provision Co. 
Corn Products Refining Co. (Parko) 
O.J. DeMoll & Co. (pianos and talking machines) 
Nelson Refrigerator Co. 
Refrigerator Pan Alarm Co. 
Rosslyn Packing Co. 
Golden & Co. 
National Furniture Co. 
Corby Baking Co. 
Hacker Cereal Co. 
Thomas J. Lipton, Inc. 
S. & S. Water Co 
Genesee Pure Food Co. (Jell-O) 
Wilkins & Rogers (butter) 
Palmer Harvey & Co. 
Walker Hill Dairy 
C.F. Mueller Co. 
Julius Lansburgh Furniture Co. 
McCormick & Co. 
Martin Gillet & Co. (House of Lords Tea) 
P.B. Davis Co. (Davis Baking Powder) 
S. Kann Sons Co. (modern kitchen utensils) 
Hub Furniture Co. 
Chapin Sacks Inc. 
Mutual Service Bureau (electrical devices) 
Kirkman & Son 
Carroll Erwin Co. (electrical household goods) 
Columbia Bottling Works 
William Conradis & Co. (model bath room) 
New Era Gas Stove Co. 
Pillsbury Flour Mills Co. 
King Electric Washer Co. 
Ward Baking Co. 
Doubleday Hill Electric Co. (radio receiving station) 
Cook's Quality Cakery 
Harry Chapel (broker) 
Troco Nut Butter Co. 
William T. Leahey & Co. (vegetable cutters) 
Havenner Baking Co. 
Ridgewood Orchards (apple) 

and several additional exhibitors to be definitely announced tomorrow.

(The Gallery, D.C., Natl Photo)
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