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Wait Until It Stops: 1925
"Glen Echo Park Co., 1925." The Dentzel Carousel at the Glen Echo amusement park in Montgomery County, Maryland. National Photo Company ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 07/14/2023 - 6:42pm -

"Glen Echo Park Co., 1925." The Dentzel Carousel at the Glen Echo amusement park in Montgomery County, Maryland. National Photo Company glass negative. View full size. Wait Until It StopsWhich the photographer didn't quite do. Dentzel CarouselRestored and in color here Thanks, Anonymous Tipster!The link to the restored carousel was terrific..although I liked the carousel horses pre-restoration, with their "dark varnish and park paint" almost as much as the new and improved steeds! It almost makes me want to drive to Maryland to see them in person! (Almost. With gas at $4 a gallon, the visit through the Internet photo slideshow was as close as I'll get to Glen Echo.) Glen EchoI rode on this carousel as a child in the 1980s. Glen Echo was being "revived" as an artists' colony back then, but the midway and dance hall were still there, the bumper car pavilion could be walked through, and the site of the pool was marked. It was a strange place because it was so devoid of activity. The carousel was still in decent repair with paint peeling, and you could ride for a dollar. We did, many times. My diplomat father was always careful to point out that the park was controversial because it excluded people of color, and as a child I thought that was why it failed, considering the diversity of the area. Glen Echo EchoHere is an excellent article on the protest with a touching reunion of sorts. Glen EchoThis a lovely photo. I worked for the park service a couple years ago as a summer job, and one of our tasks was to polish the brass on the carousel, and I'll never be able to polish metal or think of the carousel without remembering the fumes. An excellent excuse for riding the carousel for free, though. Glen Echo has changed drastically over the years -- it's been a Chautauqua, trolley stop, amusement park, raging streambed, a lovely ruin, and most recently, a national park and center for the arts. I live in the nearby neighborhood of Bannockburn in the house my father grew up in, and my grandmother was a vehement protester of the park's segregation, pushing my uncle in a stroller while she and her other kids carried signs. In 2007 she and Gwendolyn Britt were among guests on the Kojo Nmamdi radio show discussing the park's desegregation. Also on the show was park ranger Sam Swersky, who is always combing eBay for old photos of the park to add to its collection. I don't know if he's seen these yet, but now that it's summer and I have time I'll have to comb through the Park Service's photo albums and see. (The Gallery, Kids, Natl Photo, Sports)
Glen Echo Girls: 1935
... 4, 1935. Montgomery County, Maryland. "Bathing girls at Glen Echo amusement park." 4x5 inch acetate negative by Theodor Horydczak. View ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 07/14/2023 - 9:49pm -

August 4, 1935. Montgomery County, Maryland. "Bathing girls at Glen Echo amusement park." 4x5 inch acetate negative by Theodor Horydczak. View full size. Don't forget your keysThree of them are wearing a anklet with a key (from home or a locker) Too bad we don't know their names - wonder how their lives turned out A snapshot in timeWhat pretty girls with kind eyes. A look at the row behind them more than suggests the young men are thinking the same thing. Do you every just look at photos like these and hope that things turned out well for them all? I do. This old architect was so hoping for another old building in today’s Shorpy! Guess I’ll just have to make do … Before the days of …silicone. Just registering my approval. Fun is where you find it ...Where do you find it? Glen Echo Amusement Park The Coaster Dip is cool, so's the Crystal Pool. For Summertime fun, it's Glen Echo after dark, Glen Echo Amusement Park. I remember this jingle on WPGC (Good Guys Radio) in the early '60s. So ThinThese pretty young girls are all quite thin -- one with her ribs showing. In that decade of Depression, one suspects many were quite thin. A scan of the background figures certainly confirms that. Our 21st century folks are pretty well padded in comparison. Interesting little spot up the river from DCI had not heard of this park just outside of DC. Even more interesting is that it had bathing facilities that included water slides and artificial beaches. I found this website with another image taken on the same August 4, 1935. I can see two of the girls sat for both images -- definite beauties so they would have caught the photographer's attention. [We have many more Glen Echo photos right here. They are all from the collections of the Library of Congress. - Dave] Sign of the timesThe girl on the right appears to have gotten her smallpox vaccination. I don't think that was a universal thing in 1935, and of course young people today probably have no idea what it was all about. (The Gallery, D.C., Pretty Girls, Swimming, Theodor Horydczak)
Skooter: 1928
Bumper cars at the Glen Echo amusement park in Montgomery County, Maryland, circa 1928. National Photo ... "Fun is where you find it, Where do you find it? Glen Echo Amusement Park!" I can still hear it today. Little Ladies ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 11/04/2012 - 8:00pm -

Bumper cars at the Glen Echo amusement park in Montgomery County, Maryland, circa 1928. National Photo Company Collection glass negative. View full size. The Kid With No HeadThere's a ghostly figure of a man next to the kid on the right with no head. This ride is too dangerous, Mommy! Been there!I rode those in the early 1960s .. They used to have a radio jingle: "Fun is where you find it, Where do you find it? Glen Echo Amusement Park!" I can still hear it today. Little Ladiesapparently didn't play on such an aggressive ride back then! Dashing Here & There Washington Post, May 25, 1924 The "Skooter," the big feature this season, has twenty-five two-seat cars that dash here and there bumping into one another over 10,000 square feet of steel flooring, electrically driven and controlled by the driver. Bumper Car PavilionThis building still exists. There's an NPS page on its history. BirdsI bet the mesh on the rafters was to keep birds from roosting up there and doing what they do on the people below. [The mesh carries the electrical current that powers the cars. - Dave] Bumper CarsYou know you're getting old when the kids start misidentifying things "everyone" knows. I remember the sound of the metal strip sparking as it glided over the mesh, the tinge of ozone in the air. There were occasionally dead zones in the mesh. The operator would have to push you a few feet, or you would have to wait for a friendly bump. Six Flags still has this type of ride available, as will many older amusement parks. Since the primary enjoyment of this ride is low-speed vehicular collisions, they have been less popular with park owners. Glen Echo echo"The coaster dip is cool and so's the crystal pool, bla bla blablabla bla bla bla bla Glen Echo Amusement Park." The song is in my head, too, but what are the "blabla" words? Glen Echo After DarkI think the bla-bla words are For summer time fun it's Glen Echo after dark And no seat belts either!I wonder how many riders fell out of the cars? Bumper Car Pavilion is a dance hall nowToday, the Glen Echo Park Partnership for Arts and Culture (www.glenechopark.org) presents dances in the Bumper Car Pavilion. Visitors can hear live music and dance the night away in this unique, historic building throughout most of the year. (The Gallery, Natl Photo, Sports)
Coaster Dips: 1928
1928. Roller coaster at the Glen Echo amusement park in Montgomery County, Maryland. View full size. National Photo Company Collection. Glen Echo Park http://www.glenechopark.org/parkmap.pdf Victim of the ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 02/22/2008 - 8:53pm -

1928. Roller coaster at the Glen Echo amusement park in Montgomery County, Maryland. View full size. National Photo Company Collection. Glen Echo Parkhttp://www.glenechopark.org/parkmap.pdf Victim of the timesI read a bit of the history of the Glen Echo Amusement Park and it seems to have been a victim of the 1960s. The park was originally "Whites Only" and served by trolleys from Washington. In the early 1960s protests from civil rights groups led the owners to open it to all (quite rightly too). However the local (white) residents "complained about the influx of urban African Americans." The forced the closure of the bus and trolley service to the amusement park. Without easy public transportation to the site for patrons of all races, the Amusement park close in 1968. The only amusement park ride still remaining is the carousel built in 1921. Glen EchoI grew up in the Washington area, and went to Glen Echo many times, mostly in the late 1940s and early 1950s. I remember reading frequently about the turmoil it went through leading up to time it became, thankfully, racially integrated. Very near DC, it was in close proximity to a very large African-American population, who had little or no access to the amusement park. In the days I went there, it was all white, and I still regret that it took so long to change that. Here is a wonderful 2005 newspaper article about one African-American's memories of this time. http://www.washingtoninformer.com/ARGlenEcho2005Sep8.html 1952My mother once told me a story about the Coaster Dips. When she was 12 years old (1952) she won a contest as a newspaper carrier for the Washington Post. She won unlimited rides, she rode the Coaster Dips 100 times in a row, never exiting the ride. She always talked of how fun it was. I wish she was alive to see this picture, I'm sure it would bring back wonderful memories. Coaster DipI worked on the Coaster Dips the last two years the park was open. What a great time I had working for the Baker Brothers. The largest attendance of my employ was when the Three Stooges visited. I stood in line to meet these guys, as my uncle was a former Stooge. I usually ate standing in front of the wonderful theatre organ, and as a young bloke met girls there. That was my main reason for working there. The second year I ran most of the rides and then repaired the electric cars at Jungleland. My downfall (getting fired) was that I was able to walk up to the second level and in almost complete darkness, and occasionally scare people as the car came off the chain. I miss it all. (The Gallery, Sports)
Big Fun: 1928
Roller coaster at the Glen Echo amusement park in Montgomery County, Maryland, circa 1928. View full ... by steel. Safety is not one of the issues. 1891--1968 Glen Echo The Glen Echo Park began in 1891 as a National Chautauqua Assembly ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 09/03/2012 - 6:49pm -

Roller coaster at the Glen Echo amusement park in Montgomery County, Maryland, circa 1928. View full size. National Photo Company glass negative. Wood Roller CoastersThere are lots of wood coasters in operation today, and not just old ones still in operation. New ones are being built and in many cases they are more popular than the steel ones. IMHO, they are lots more fun, and the noise they make is a big part of it. Cotton Candy CoutureCan you imagine going to an amusement park today in a dress and heels?? It seems ludicrous even for the 1920s, but then again, people then dressed up to cross the street. Wood vs SteelI'm not sure why Sal is so worried about Coaster Dips being built of wood. For the record, the first steel roller coaster was The Matterhorn Bobsleds at Disneyland built in 1959. Among Roller Coaster enthusiasts there is considerable debate about the relative merits of wood vs. steel. There are thing you can only really do with steel (loops come to mind), but there is a definite feel too wood that can't be replicated by steel. Safety is not one of the issues. 1891--1968 Glen EchoThe Glen Echo Park began in 1891 as a National Chautauqua Assembly and then developed within a decade into a very popular amusement park as well as still its many other venues on the grounds such as the 1933 Spanish Ballroom. The facility was run until 1968, closed and the National Park Service bought the park in 1971 to be a nonprofit arts and culture partnership. I remember as a child going to the old Glen Echo and seeing this very roller-coaster! Here is a link to the present map of the park: http://www.glenechopark.org/parkmap.pdf What Goes UpAn amusement park near me still has a working 1920s wooden roller coaster. While I can't see why any sane person would ever ride the thing (or any roller coaster---at least not twice), I find it fascinating as a historical item. Wooden coastersThe coasters being constructed of wood was part of the whole experience. Coaster DipsPlease tell me that thing is metal, not wood. I love the body language of the snappy foursome by the saltwater taffy stand. You can tell they are discussing what they're going to do. Wood for meIn 1999 Busch Gardens in Tampa opened Gwazi, a wooden "dueling" roller coaster. Wooden coasters are the best! This one, unfortunately, was torn down and burned in 1969, a year after the park closed. Glen EchoGlen Echo has done a good job at preserving some of its history. Without knowing the history behind the park I visited last year because they have a very popular swing dance night in the ballroom. The Spanish Ballroom (which is seen in the map) is absolutely beautiful! People of all sorts come out on Saturday nights for swing dancing, I'm sure some of them were around when the park was active! Very cool. (The Gallery, Natl Photo, Sports)
Naval Escort: 1943
... County, Maryland. "Servicemen and their girls at the Glen Echo amusement park." Medium format nitrate negative by Esther Bubley for the ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/30/2017 - 8:43pm -

April 1943. Montgomery County, Maryland. "Servicemen and their girls at the Glen Echo amusement park." Medium format nitrate negative by Esther Bubley for the Office of War Information. View full size. Go Navy!Popeye hits the jackpot. Dress codes matter!With today's dress codes and its bare midriffs, the gentleman wearing blue might end up as a "navel" escort. When Is A Clutch Not A Purse?When it either carried or, held "clutched" under the arm pit. A handbag has handles, according to my wife. Although the girl in the checks is carting her handbag (I see handles) under her arm. The middle girl is carrying, what I assume, is a peize of some sort. [It's a camera. -tterrace] [good eye] Used to live across the street from Glen EchoI remember trying to fall asleep on those hot, humid DC nights, to the sound of the roller coaster and the screams of the riders. This would have been 1960 or so. Mom wasn't a big fan of amusement parks, but she did walk us through one day before we moved. Gimme a hand!Lots of handling going on here! Prelude to cell phone cameraBrownie box camera. What hath George Eastman wrought?? That SailorCould have been me in 1951. Looks AlikeThe two girls on the left appear to be wearing outfits made out of the same checked material. Either they're sisters or best friends who shared a bolt of fabric. As usual, their 40's hairdos are a marvel of ingenuity. Some more pictures of Glen Echo ParkFrom my late father's pictures. Also taken in 1943, I believe. That's him mugging for the camera just below in the O of the word POP CORN. Coaster DipsThat appears to be the Coaster Dips roller coaster in the background. (The Gallery, Esther Bubley, WW2)
Sands of Glen Echo: 1943
July 1943. Glen Echo, Maryland. "Sun bathers on the sand beach at the swimming pool in the Glen Echo amusement park." In the foreground: The photographer's sisters Claire ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 09/15/2009 - 9:36am -

July 1943. Glen Echo, Maryland. "Sun bathers on the sand beach at the swimming pool in the Glen Echo amusement park." In the foreground: The photographer's sisters Claire and Enid Bubley. Photo by Esther Bubley, OWI. View full size. I'm becoming an Esther Bubley fanThis is such an eloquent picture of everyday people. Unobtrusive, not calling attention to itself, just capturing a moment in a way that presents it most beautifully. I also love the picture of the two kids watching the parade. I'm sure they and their parents treasured this photograph! It's so real, authentic, representative, unposed, and funny, all at the same time. Two-PieceI've always loved those two-piece swimsuits in cheerful prints that were so popular during the war! A good deal more flattering to most women's bodies than the totally unforgiving bikini One pieceIn the background, I notice that the topless male bathing suit is making its historical appearance. Shudder! (At least in most cases.) Another Photographic ArgumentFor the classic Bikini. A lyin in the sandHere we see indisputable proof of the efficacy of the beach towel. Tan Am"Sandy" is going to have one goofy looking sunburn when the day is done. Rookie mistake. I love youClaire and Enid. Foy Las Vegas That's my Mom!Wow! Esther Bubley was my aunt, so I've seen a lot of her photos. I have some of hers--that she printed--in my home. And when I was maybe 6 years old, she took a series of me and my sister. But I'd never seen this one, or any that she'd taken at Glen Echo. Interestingly, another sister--Anita--would move close to Glen Echo (in Bannockburn, just across the road) about 10 years later. Anita died a few years ago, but her husband, Harry, still lives there. And I have some nice memories of Glen Echo from when I was a kid, back around 1960. Thanks for the memories. [You're welcome! Which one is your mom? - Dave] Hey, I'm next, darn itSad to see so many people waiting to use that solitary beach chair. I sure hope the guy with ankle grabbed didn't forget his swim trunks again. The white swimming cap.My mom is Claire -- the one closest to the camera with the white swimming cap. I'll ask her whether the third woman, the one with sand on her back, was with them. And if you happen to run across any Esther Bubley photos of a wedding, please let me know. Esther took photos of my mom's wedding--it was either 1947 or 1948--but never was able to find them, or at least never made any prints (that my mom is aware of). So, the wedding remains photo-less. [The archive of Esther's 2,100 photos taken for the government is here. - Dave] (The Gallery, Esther Bubley, Swimming)
Glen Echo Park: 1928
Montgomery County, Maryland, circa 1928. "Glen Echo Park." Another look at this old-school attraction in the Washington ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/18/2012 - 12:02pm -

Montgomery County, Maryland, circa 1928. "Glen Echo Park." Another look at this old-school attraction in the Washington suburbs. View full size. Play Station ZeroThe Penny Lane attraction in this photo brings back memories of what were known as "Penny Arcades". The one I remember was on the Boardwalk in Shorpy's favorite Queens, NYC site, The Rockaways, an area of beachfront summer bungalows and rooming houses. We're talking the 1940s here. When you entered the place from the Boardwalk, the first thing you saw was the Fortune Teller console with a witch like mannequin moving her head. Inserting a penny got you a tepid fortune card. There were change making people walking around with a wide apron pocket loaded with pennies. My favorite game was a mechanical baseball machine with lead soldier like pitchers and catchers. The one cent coin got the pitcher throwing (actually bowling} an agate sized lead ball toward the bat. The trick was to be able to press the lever quickly enough to hit the ball. It wasn't easy and if you scored runs you were awarded chits for the usual Carny junk. These were the last century's version of what we now know as Video Games. I rememberWhen I was a kid in the 1950s to early 60s, my mother took my brother & me to Glen Echo once every summer or so. Next to the beach it was my favorite destination. I believe they had a large roller coaster my mother wouldn't let me ride & a "junior" roller coaster she would. I didn't find out till years later that Glen Echo was strictly segregated. That realization took some of the gleam out of my memories. I couldn't fathom why some kids were kept from the fun times because of outward appearance. If I also remember correctly the owners of the park were finally ordered to integrate. They chose to close Glen Echo instead. A Sad EndNot entirely true Palmatier Meg. There were non-violent protests to the segregation in 1960. In 1961 they DID integrate. It remained open with out incident until 1966 when there was an ugly incident which caused the park to close early. The kids from the urban area had been bused in for the evening of fun and the buses refused to return to pick them up when the park closed early. They had to walk back home and violence ensued. Glen Echo Park is mentioned on pages 6 and 7. The park stayed open until 1968 even after the so called "riot." I grew up in the neighborhood and our family were regular customers. It was so sad to see it close. I almost cried when I saw this picture in Shorpy. It is now open again as a park dedicated to the arts. The carousel is still there and beautiful! Penny ArcadesAs Mr Mel stated there always seemed to be a fortune teller at those Arcades. In the Baltimore area's Gwyn Oak Park & Carlin's the same lady ruled both houses. You put a penny in a high slot and it rolled down a bridge to fall into her hands. Lights flashed as she turned to drop a card into a slot and there was your fortune. I spent many a happy hour with only a dollar in those arcades watching hand cranked movies and stereopticons (magic lanterns). The topics ran the gamut from the Johnstown Flood, The San Fransisco Earthquake, The Baltimore Fire, WWI and old silent cowboy movies. There were machines where you could stamp out your name or some other message on a round lucky coin. The best were the pinball machines. One penny for 5 balls and some grand shows complete with bells, whistles, lights and gongs. Today's electronic pinballs may wow you but they are but cheap imitations of the classics from the 20's through the 50's. Of course the pictures of scantily dressed ladies on the main board did impress a young lad of 11 or 12 in those pre Playboy days. Oh wellHowdy Folks, I came in the last few years of Glen Echo. My grandma took me when I was little once. I remember all the fun I had there. Being an inner city kid, awhile later we found eternal freedom through DC Transit and headed sraight to Glen Echo a few times and the last time it was closed. Our hearts sank and the ride back was long and sad. Sorta like losing Coney Island. We had found sanctuary and now it was gone. We now have Kings Dominion and six flags but the two combined will never match the experience I had at Glen Echo. Eventually, I would live in Glen Echo a short time but the area has now been developed and bears little resemblence to older times. Life is short so we must make the most of it. Thanks Shorpy (The Gallery, Natl Photo)
Glen Echo: 1925
1925. "Glen Echo Park Co." Picnic tables at the Montgomery County, Maryland, amusement ... wonder if was a company picnic. And of course, everyone at Glen Echo was white, and would be until 1960. The Cloche Hat sitting on ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/24/2013 - 6:49pm -

1925. "Glen Echo Park Co." Picnic tables at the Montgomery County, Maryland, amusement park. National Photo Company glass negative. View full size. Picnic groveThis looks like the same area, near the bumper cars, where I waited for several hours around 1955 to meet Buffalo Bob from Howdy Doody. After the long wait we were rewarded with Buffalo Joe or some such name as Bob had a more pressing commitment. AmenLet's eat! Suitable attireI'm surprised to see so many men in suits. It doesn't look like a lot of people having fun. I wonder if was a company picnic. And of course, everyone at Glen Echo was white, and would be until 1960. The Cloche Hatsitting on the picnic hamper in the immediate foreground would look perfect on the bobbed haired flapper standing left of the tree! So GladThat Glen Echo still exists and that some of the rides have been restored so that everyone can enjoy them. This was out in the 'country' when this picture was taken and a street car line carried you to the Park from Georgetown. American Beer GardenThe outdoor atmosphere, the trees and the picnic tables hark back to the German-American beer gardens that were once common. However, based upon the somewhat sad to uninterested faces, like the man in left center, it's clear this is indeed during the less than Gemutlichkeit period of American Prohibition. Post more!I have fond memories of Glen Echo from my childhood. I can still see the airplane ride at the entrance to the park. Please post more pictures! And yes, it was all-white. Washington DC was, alas, much segregated until the mid-1960s. The Maryland suburbs weren't much better, and Virginia was simply shameful. I myself grew up listening to kids casually using the "n-" bomb. Still ThereThat area is still full of picnic tables. Although its no longer an amusement park, its still a great place to visit. The Bumper Car Pavilion is used for dancing (real dancing, like swing) in the spring and summer seasons and the glorious Spanish Ballroom from the 1930's (where my grandparents danced) holds dances all seasons. I've gone swing dancing there and it is magical. (The Gallery, Natl Photo)
Gentlemen Will Not Get Gay: 1925
Funhouse at the Glen Echo amusement park in Maryland circa 1925. Note the many cryptic signs. View ... Roulette Washington Post May 21, 1911 A New Glen Echo Outdoor Amusement Grounds Present Many Attractive Features ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 09/03/2012 - 11:56am -

Funhouse at the Glen Echo amusement park in Maryland circa 1925. Note the many cryptic signs. View full size. National Photo Company glass negative. Ride it, too!There is still one of these operating at Luna Park, which is right on the Harbour in Sydney, Australia. Leave it to the Australians to take litigiousness out of the equation--have you seen how little padding their footballers wear? "The Nauseator"Boy, that ride looks truly thrilling. Human RouletteWashington Post May 21, 1911 A New Glen Echo Outdoor Amusement Grounds Present Many Attractive Features With the opening next Saturday afternoon of the Glen Echo Park, which under its new management of local business men, has been practically rebuilt in the last few months, the Washington summer outdoor amusement season will swing into full stride. No single department has been slighted in the complete rehabilitation of the Glen Echo Park, in which 50 attractions will be in operation when the gates are open next Saturday. Important among these is a new open air dancing pavilion, ample enough in area to permit of its use by 500 persons at the same time, and this is only one of a dozen structures recently erected to house the newest devices to provide fun and merriment in summer amusement parks. The spacious interior of the amphitheater has been entirely remodeled into a new midway, in which have been placed ten of the latest contraptions with which to defy the trials of the "dog days," including a "human roulette wheel" and a "giant slide-ride," said to be the largest in the United States. Other attractions include a novel marine toboggan, the "social dip," a thrilling topsy-turvy ride, Ferris wheel, modern miniature railway, a new boating pavilion at the canal bank. Some Observations1. It is awfully loud in there - See the kid lower-center. 2. Gentlemen Still Do Not Get Gay - 2008. 3. The Carneys are as well dressed the patrons. 4. Sometimes the Bull Moose isn't so fun - It's at those times that it may be necessary to actually shoot the Bull. Was this ride called the Bull Moose by chance? Don't Shoot The Bull meant don't loiter after the "ride" is over?? [Also, who can tell us which building this is. - Dave] Dangerous ridesWhen I see photos of old amusement park rides I'm always amazed how dangerous they look. They use the throw people around like rag dolls. They would never have such rides nowadays. Maybe people were tougher back then- or maybe they didn't have good personal injury lawyers! Sign, SignEverywhere a sign. 1. Sit down on the wheel don't stand up. 2. Do not get on or off roulette wheel while in motion. 3. Last night we hung one rowdy. The rope still works. 4. The operator is a bird. He is perched high just to make the wheels hum. 5. Forget your cares. Be a kid if only for an hour. 6. Gentlemen will not get gay. Others must not. 7. The bull moose is for fun. Don't shoot the bull. 8. If you find a four foot round square please hand it over to ru---. 9. Rowdyism is the birth-mark of a rough n---. 10. The answer to the question "Why is a mouse when it spins" is the higher the fewer. Human roulette wheelNo doubt Dave will remember the "human roulette wheel" from the Fun House on the Boardwalk in Santa Cruz, CA. It was a great ride except for flying off and smashing into someone else or being smashed into. Funny but we all had a great time, survived, and didn't feel a need to sue anyone for a few bumps and bruises. [I think you mean tterrace. - Dave] High Ladder to slide....Look how high the children climbed to get onto the sliding spiral....that must have been half the thrill climbing up that high... Getting GayBased on one OED definition of gay: Forward, impertinent, too free in conduct, over-familiar; usually in the phrase "to get gay". U.S. slang. I'd translate the sign from 1925 slang: "Gentlemen will not get gay. Others must not" Into current vernacular as: "Real gentlemen won't act like jerks. Others had better not." Spinningtterrace does indeed remember a fun house ride like this, but at San Francisco's Playland at the Beach rather than Santa Cruz. Not sure what the official name was; I called it the turntable. It was smaller and less elaborate than this, and just one of many things in the Fun House. Know what the best thing was about these things? They were made of wood! Highly-polished (in large part by the posteriors of the fun-seekers) hardwood, like this one. The giant slide was, too, as well as the tumbler, a big revolving cylinder. Those were the days when falling on your keister was fun. Fun houseI spent many a fun filled hour in the late 1950s in the Fun House. The slide was a favorite and the long climb in the narrow, steep stairs was kinda cool also. Do you remember "Laughing Sally"? Laffing SalI didn't realize until I just now did some searching that it's "Laffing," not "Laughing" Sal, and that the automaton was not exclusive to SF's Playland at the Beach, but a standard fixture of old-style amusement parks since the 1930s. Additional surprise: the Playland Sal is now ensconced at the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk. Man, if they only still had that giant clown face, what a then-and-now pic that would make, but they shut the fun house down in 1971 for liability reasons. Why is a mouse when it spins?I'm pretty sure the sign at the far right says "Why is a mouse when it spins?", not "house." This is a pretty well-known example of an "anti-joke" (others are the classic "Why did the chicken cross the road?" and the shaggy-dog story "No soap, radio"). There are various different "punch lines," but Google suggests that "the higher, the fewer" is the most common. I'm sure a historian of humour somewhere would be interested to find this documentation of the joke from 1925. [Yes it should be mouse. The joke is mentioned in an 1899 newspaper article ("Mr. Scullin' connundrum"). - Dave] Rowdyism and ReminiscencesThe one sign must be "Rowdyism is the birth-mark of a rough neck." Here in the Twin Cities, we had the Excelsior Amusement Park (on Lake Minnetonka) up until the early 70's. It was built in the early 20's and replaced a park that had been on Big Island in the middle of the lake. Excelsior Park had a fun house with similar attractions. The "roulette wheel" was rarely operational by the time I was around (in the 60's), but I do remember riding it once and staying on it until the operator gave up (I was near the center, didn't weigh much, and had sweaty palms). There was a revolving barrel, which they later built a catwalk through and decorated the interior with fluorescent paint and black lights. Apparently they got tired of rescuing people who fell down trying to walk through it. There was a giant slide, and one of those obstacle-course-like things with sliding or jumping floorboards. It was equipped with air jets, presumably for blasting ladies' skirts into the air, but no one was ever operating them in my day. There were a couple of other attractions in the fun house as well. I also remember that they had "Report Card Day". You could bring your report card, and for every A, you got 3 ride tickets, for every B you got 2, and for every C you got 1. Very nice of them. Other attractions included bumper cars with metal bumpers, a rotted wooden roller coaster that occasionally jumped the track (my folks never let me ride it), a little train that took you out on a pier over the lake and many of the usual rides - ferris wheel, scrambler, tilt-a-whirl, etc. The carousel was a work of art by the Philadelphia Toboggan Company. It's the only part of the park that survives and is now an attraction at Valleyfair - the modern-day, sanitized theme park in the Twin Cities. Here's a link to a picture of the carousel: http://www.nca-usa.org/psp/ValleyfairPTC/001_34.html You can see others by clicking Previous or Next. Where's Sal?I thought Playland's Laffing Sal lived at the Musee Mechanique now (http://www.museemecaniquesf.com/). The SlideLongtime visitor, first time commenter ... love Shorpy. Anyway, there's a slide almost identical to this, from the same time period, in my home town of Burlington, Iowa. You can still go on it, and it is indeed terrifying climbing up those steps -- you don't realize how high it is until you're about halfway up. I have a photo but am not sure how to post it. [First, register as a user. Then log in and click the Upload Image link. - Dave] Re: Laffing SalHere is the Laffing Sal at Santa Cruz. As seen on the Silver ScreenI've seen this ride in a silent movie -- if I recall correctly, it was "The 'It' Girl" with Clara Bow. Looked like fun -- if I ever make it to Australia, I'll have to check it out! Looks boring for the womenNot much a woman of the time could have had fun doing there, modesty ya know. OopsYou're right, Dave, that was tterrace: https://www.shorpy.com/node/3695 No matter, thanks for stimulating so many great memories. Doug Playland-Not-at-the-BeachI am enjoying the posts about the old Fun House at Playland-at-the-Beach. In our Playland-Not-at-the-Beach museum in El Cerrito, California we have many artifacts from the beach amusements. A few points I would like to correct: 1.) The Fun House was not demolished in 1971. It was torn down after September 4, 1972 -- the date the whole park closed and was demolished to make room for condominiums. 2.) At San Francisco's Playland she was named Laughing Sal -- the variant spelling "Laffin' Sal" was used in many other parks across the country. She was also known as Laughing Lena and many other names. The Sals were mass produced and purchased by amusement parks out of a catalogue. 3.) The Laughing Sal that is now at Santa Cruz was the final Sal at San Francisco's Playland. There were earlier ones that wore out. Santa Cruz purchased her from the John Wickett estate for $ 50,000. Wickett had purchased her for $ 4000 decades before. To learn more, visit our website: www.playland-not-at-the-beach.org, or better yet, visit our museum for the time of your life! Richard Tuck Playland-Not-at-the-Beach 10979 San Pablo Avenue El Cerrito, CA 94530 Website is www.playland-not-at-the-beach.org email: Richard@playland-not-at-the-beach.org (510) 232-4264 x25 for reservations (510) 592-3002 24-Hour Information Line Does anyone else rememberDoes anyone else remember the "disembodied head" versions of this Laffing Sal thing that were a gift-store fad in the late '70s-early 80s and scared the crap out of me( and probably most other small kids) at the time? They don't seem to have stuck around very long, for obvious reasons. The WheelThe wheel at the Fun House in SF which I used to frequent in the early 40's I remember as having a low fence around it into which you slammed when you were eventually swooshed off the platter. Am I misremembering? This one looks a bit hazardous for passersby. Scariest thing for me? Those big padded spinning wheels you had to walk between to get in the place. My friends were usually well on their way before I worked up the nerve. Laughing Sal - East CoastFor those of us on the East Coast, the "Laughing Sal" who used to reside on the Ocean City, Maryland, Boardwalk is currently on display at the Ocean City Life-Saving Station Museum. She's no longer mobile and they have her enclosed in a glass case, but you can push a button to hear a recording of her laugh. In fact, if you click here, there's a (not very good) photo of her at the bottom of the page, and a sound clip of her laugh will automatically play, so turn up your speakers! Going UpSimilar slide in Burlington, IA: http://www.nolamansour.com/images/Thanksgiving07-08.jpg It is scarier going up than down. Crapo ParksI was born in Burlington & grew up in a neighboring town. I know I've gone down that slide but it's been years and I can't remember if the slide is at Dankwardt or Crapo Parks. (For those not familiar with the area, yes Crapo is an unfortuante name for a very pretty park. Pronounced "cray-po"). At Crapo, there are two artillery guns (I don't know exactly what they were - they had seats & long barrels). They were up on a bluff and I remember sitting on them and shooting imaginary shells to Illinois. Chautauqua AmphitheaterAccording to the historical marker at Glen Echo, this building was the original Chautauqua amphitheater built in 1891. It opened as the fun house in 1911 and operated till 1948. In 1956 the termite ridden building was burned to make room for a parking lot. Attractions in the building included, the Rocking Pigs, the Whirl-i-gig, Crossing The Ice, and the Barrel of Fun. The Anonymous Tipster (07/25/2008, 4:36pm.) is remembering correctly: the roulette wheel was later altered by sinking it into the ground resulting in a low wall around the edge. Thank YouI appreciate the translation, I've been sitting here (in our current Internet vernacular) going o_O trying to figure that one out, ha. (The Gallery, Natl Photo, Sports)
Glen Echo Girls: 1924
... County, Maryland. More fun at the Elks outing at Glen Echo Park. View full size. National Photo Company Collection glass ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 09/09/2011 - 1:35pm -

1924. Montgomery County, Maryland. More fun at the Elks outing at Glen Echo Park. View full size. National Photo Company Collection glass negative. (The Gallery, Natl Photo, Sports)
Modern Photography: 1943
July 1943. Glen Echo, Maryland. "Climbing the ladder to the sliding board at the Glen Echo swimming pool on a hot day." Photo by Esther Bubley. View full ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 10/21/2015 - 2:47pm -

July 1943. Glen Echo, Maryland. "Climbing the ladder to the sliding board at the Glen Echo swimming pool on a hot day." Photo by Esther Bubley. View full size. Glen EchoWhen I was about 7 (1960 or so), I lived across the road from Glen Echo. On hot, humid summer nights, I hand my windows open and remember the rattle of the coaster and the screams. My mom didn't believe in amusement parks, so my brother and I only got to go once (and not on the roller coaster), just before our family moved. You could see the water tower at CIA from my bedroom window. The coaster is gone, Glen Echo is a park now. The Crystal Poolka1axy, I'm about your age. I visited Glen Echo last month to ride the carousel and just wander around. My parents took my sister and me there a few times when we were kids in the early '60's, and I remember the thrill of finally riding that big roller coaster! We never used the pool though. (The Gallery, Esther Bubley, Swimming)
Vertigo: 1928
The Coaster Dips rollercoaster at Glen Echo amusement park circa 1928. View full size. National Photo Company ... you sure stay in (most of the time, anyway). Great pic Glen Echo Park Glen Echo Park was originally founded in 1888 to be the ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 07/18/2012 - 11:30am -

The Coaster Dips rollercoaster at Glen Echo amusement park circa 1928. View full size. National Photo Company Collection glass negative. What a thrill especially without a seat belt!! Yikes. I wonder how many people learned about gravity~ it's the law, you know.. Now they restrain the restraining devices~ you can't move~ but you sure stay in (most of the time, anyway). Great pic Glen Echo ParkGlen Echo Park was originally founded in 1888 to be the "National" Chautauqua. It was based on the original Chautauqua, in Chautauqua, NY. Unfortunately they built near a swamp, and several of the founders died of typhoid fever within the first year, and the whole project collapsed. The typhoid problem was solved a few years later, and the park reopened as an amusement park. Many "Chautauquas" around the country went on to become parks, and even towns, such as Redondo Beach, CA. Glen Echo Park is now operated by the National Park Service. (The Gallery, Natl Photo, Sports)
Joy Ride: 1924
1924. Montgomery County, Maryland. "Elks Outing, Glen Echo." View full size. 4x5 glass negative, National Photo Company ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/18/2012 - 11:58am -

1924. Montgomery County, Maryland. "Elks Outing, Glen Echo." View full size. 4x5 glass negative, National Photo Company Collection. Long dress + carnival ridesLong dress + carnival rides = trouble! Glen Echo Park PicsI believe that the park has been closed but at least some of the buildings are still standing and being used. http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Glen_Echo (The Gallery, Natl Photo, Sports)
Next Stop Funville: 1959
February 8, 1959. Montgomery County, Maryland. "Glen Echo Park entrance with trolley to Union Station in front." Gelatin silver ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 07/18/2023 - 12:57pm -

February 8, 1959. Montgomery County, Maryland. "Glen Echo Park entrance with trolley to Union Station in front." Gelatin silver print by Ara Mesrobian (1924-2019). View full size. Not Funville if you weren't WhiteGlen Echo park was segregated until 1961. It permanently closed in 1968. The site is now run by the National Park Service. The original carousel still operates. keeping trackThe trolley tracks are still there, at least in front of the gate. Only amusement park around in the 1950sWhen I was a young child, my mother and sometimes a friend would take us kids to Glen Echo. We thought it was the greatest place ever. I always wanted to ride the big roller coaster but my mom let me ride only the junior roller coaster. She never rode them herself and felt I was safer on the kiddy coaster. Decades later I didn't hesitate to take my younger son - a budding coaster junkie - on any roller coaster he fancied. Great mother-son times. I didn't understand Glen Echo was segregated until I grew up. If I remember right the park closed for good after it was pressured to admit all people but chose to shut down instead. That really tarnished my childhood experiences. In the newsLast month members of the original group that helped desegregate the park gathered there as a commemoration of that accomplishment and to celebrate Juneteenth. It was featured on a local DC news channel. (The Gallery, D.C., Streetcars)
Thrillsville: 1928
The "Aeroplane" ride at Glen Echo amusement park in Montgomery County, Maryland, circa 1928. View full ... The Washington Post, May 20, 1928 Thrills at Glen Echo In this air age, it is not to be wondered that the new ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/18/2012 - 11:56am -

The "Aeroplane" ride at Glen Echo amusement park in Montgomery County, Maryland, circa 1928. View full size. National Photo Company glass negative. Pop-A-DuckI love the names of the concessions: "Pop-A-Duck" and "Fountain of Youth". Does anyone know the name of the airplane ride? [Update] The Washington Post, May 20, 1928 Thrills at Glen Echo In this air age, it is not to be wondered that the new aeroplane swing is attracting patrons by the hundreds. This device, made entirely of steel, is 82 feet high, and accommodates six aeroplanes, each of which holds six passengers. There is very little difference, as far as thrills go, between this swing and an actual air jaunt. Equipped with motors and propellers, it is modeled closely after the army style planes. A couple alternate photos of this ride from Library of Congress' Theodor Horydczak collection. Gotta SwingThe name of the swing ride was Aeroplane. Great!I can't help but notice that there are no barriers or fences to keep the people from getting under the planes. Today, we'd have fences everywhere and warning signs. Meanwhile, Up in OntarioI remember riding a plane ride like this in Port Dalhousie back in the 1950s. I couldn't beg enough quarters to keep me airborne. I did thatI was at Glen Echo many times, but during the 50's. My Aunt Dorothy would take me for special visits. I just loved it. Went back as a teenager and couldn't believe how small it was. As a child it was soooo big and wonderful. (The Gallery, Natl Photo, Sports)
Fare Maiden: 1943
... denomination of coins may be used..." -tterrace] Glen Echo The amusement park was still a popular streetcar destination in 1943. ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 05/16/2014 - 7:24pm -

June 1943. Washington, D.C. "Hattie B. Sheehan, a streetcar conductor for the Capital Transit Company." And if all you have is bills, no problem. Photo by Esther Bubley for the Office of War Information. View full size. Change?Pennies, Nickels, Dimes, Quarters ... and what? [Half dollars. Or not; see comment above. -tterrace] Streetcar Nellie Washington Post, October 10, 1943. Hillbilly Songs of Motorwomen Resound Through Car Barns Providing leisure-hour entertainment for their fellow “motormen” at their lounge opposite the carbarn at 14th and Decatur sts. nw., are four women operators of the Capital Transit Co., all of them girls from the hills who break into rollicking folk tunes when the day’s streetcar run is ended. Mrs. Hattie Sheehan, known to her friends as “Streetcar Nellie” is a smiling 30-year-old operator, who breaks into songs learned back home in Harrisonburg, Va. Although “I’ve Been Workin’ on the Railroad” is not confined to the mountains, it is a favorite with Mrs. Sheehan who explained yesterday that “it was a good theme song for us.” … Non Cents!There were no tubes for cents or half dollars on those belt changers as a general rule. That changer most likely had 2 tubes for quarters, 2 tubes for dimes and 1 tube for nickels or 2 for nickels and 1 for dimes. Also, Gunther's beer was brewed in Baltimore City, MD. [You're right about the half dollars. She has a Johnson Universal Changer, which could accommodate five tubes in any combination, though according to the original patent not halves: "The coins according to their particular denominations are deposited in the coin tube elements... element 1 being designed for dimes, the element 2, for pennies, the elements 3 and 4 for nickels and the element 5 for quarters. Of course, any number of elements of a particular denomination of coins may be used..." -tterrace] Glen EchoThe amusement park was still a popular streetcar destination in 1943. Hattie probably kicked up her heels at the Spanish Ballroom on more than one occasion. Don't forget to buy tokensTwin City Lines Minneapolis/St. Paul changers had pennies, nickels, dimes, quarters, and a double height section that stuck out above the top for tokens. More on HattieAt age 18, Hattie Lucas Bennett married Emory P. Sheehan in Harrisonburg, Virginia, in their home county of Rockingham. By the 1940 census they were still living outside Harrisonburg, with Emory working as a bookkeeper and Hattie in a shoe factory. According to records of Woodbine Cemetery in Harrisonburg, Emory died April 9, 1945, when he was about 44. She lived until July 2, 2000. Her brief obituary in the Harrisonburg Daily News Record the following day notes that "she was a bus and streetcar driver for D.C. Transit during World War II." How Sweet It IsAs attractive as Ms Sheehan is, she brings back memories of the TV show "The Honeymooners". It starred, as Brooklyn's most famous Bus Driver, Ralph Kramden, brought to life in hysterical performances by Jackie Gleason. The sitcom played from 1951 through 1955, initially on the DuMont network and later on CBS. The cast included Art Carney as Kramden's Sewer working Buddy, Audrey Meadows as Gleason's gutsy wife and Joyce Randolph as Mrs Norton. A local TV station WPIX will show some of the Honeymooner episodes every so often as a fill in or inserted into a NY Yankee's rain delay. On Christmas Day after their Yule Log burns out, they'll have a Marathon of these shows. As old as they are they're still very funny. Attached is an ad for a Ralph Kramden children outfit, not unlike Hattie's. DestinationFrom the window route sign, it appears that this streetcar is from the 14th Street line, Route 50 (Short or cutback service) from the Bureau of Engraving to 14th & Decatur Street. (The Gallery, D.C., Esther Bubley, Streetcars)
Throck and the Kats: 1921
... . I will be in DC in May (I grew up not far from Glen Echo Park, actually). I may take a little visit down to Thomas Circle to see ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/05/2012 - 4:49pm -

July 15, 1921. Cleon Throckmorton at the easel on the terrace of the Krazy Kat, an establishment described by the Washington Post two years earlier as "something like a Greenwich Village coffeehouse." Scroll down to the comments for more on "Throck," an engineering graduate who made his name designing sets for Eugene O'Neill's plays, and was the first art director for CBS in the early days of television. View full size. National Photo Company Collection. Krazy Kat Raided! Washington Post / Saturday, February 22, 1919 ROW IN KRAZY KAT LANDS 14 IN JAIL Carefree Bohemians Start Rough-House and Cop Raids Rendezvous. Fourteen would-be Bohemians yesterday appeared in police court and demanded a jury trial on various charges preferred against them by Policeman Roberts, who, with the assistance of two night watchmen, raided the Krazy Kat, which is something like a Greenwich Village coffee house, in an alley near Thomas Circle. Roberts, under orders to watch the rendezvous of the Bohemians, heard a shot fired in the Krazy Kat shortly after 1 o'clock yesterday morning. The watchmen were quickly pressed into service and a raiding party was organized. When Roberts climbed the narrow stairway leading from a garage to the scene of trouble, he found himself in the dining room of the Krazy Kat, confronted with gaudy pictures evolved by futurists and impressionists and what appeared to the policeman to be a free-for-all fight. At the Second Precinct police station 25 prisoners, including three women — self-styled artists, poets and actors, and some who worked for the government by day and masqueraded as Bohemians by night — were examined. Those against whom charges were placed gave the following names: John Don Allen, Cleon Throckmorton and John Stiffen, charged with keeping a disorderly house; Charles Flynn, drinking in public; J. Albion Blake, disorderly conduct; Walter Thomas, assault and disorderly conduct; Harry Rockelly, drinking in public; George Miltry, disorderly conduct; Mitchell McMahon, drinking in public; Joseph Ryon, disorderly; Anthony Hanley, drinking in public; Frank Moran, disorderly conduct, Leo Cohen, drinking in public and disorderly conduct, and Raymond Coombs, disorderly conduct. ---------------------------- February 17, 1957 ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. — A $50 bet, an engineering diploma and a hobby turned Cleon Throckmorton from the world of structural design to a lucrative career in art. A native of nearby Absecon, Throckmorton, now in semi-retirement, has designed settings for over 300 plays all because a friend bet him $50 he couldn't earn a living from art. "A few of my artist friends and myself were kidding around years ago in a restaurant in Pittsburgh and I said anyone with an common sense could paint," he explained. Art was his hobby and the bet was collected after two of his works were accepted by the Corcoran Gallery in Washington, D.C., for its semi-annual exhibit. "That made me really serious about art," he says. Although he had just earned an engineering degree from Carnegie Tech, "Throck" started on a career in theatrical setting design and is still going strong here as a designer and painter of party backdrops for a beachfront hotel. Unlike the conventional artist, "Throck" uses gallon jugs of paint and does his work on the floor with a brush attached to a long bamboo pole. Throckmorton, now 59, spends about six months each year at his Atlantic City work with the raimainder of his time scattered at spot jobs in Hollywood and New York. ------------------------- October 25, 1965 ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. (AP) Cleon Throckmorton, 68, who gained prominence as a set designer for playwright Eugene O'Neill, died Saturday in hospital after a brief illness. Throckmorton joined O'Neill at the Provincetown Playhouse in Massachusetts and prepared the sets for O'Neill's Emperor Jones, The Hairy Ape, and Beyond the Fringe, which were later produced at the Theatre Guild in New York. During the pioneering days of television, Throckmorton became the Columbia Broadcasting System's first art director. He is survived by his wife. Krazy ManThis is becoming quite the detective story! I cannot wait for the continuing adventures of Throckmorton & his crew. Given that the bust happened two years before these pictures, it seems that Cleon kept his establishment running for a while. Thomas Circle looks, unfortunately, fairly well re-developed as of the last time Google snapped a picture. I will be in DC in May (I grew up not far from Glen Echo Park, actually). I may take a little visit down to Thomas Circle to see if there are echoes of the Krazy Kat in some alley there... [Throck was enrolled at GWU. Still to come: Photos of the alley. Which, coincidentally, is just a couple blocks from my day job of the past 13 years. - Dave] Mrs. ThrockmortonJust a quick search of the 'Cleon Throckmorton' name dug up something kind of fun -- an archived letter to Time magazine from 1947. Pages two and three have Mrs. Throckmorton's sister disputing TIME's claim that it was Mrs. Throckmorton photographed puffing a cigar at opera. If I'm chasing the right trail, Throckmorton married Juliet St. John Brenon. Her father was a (highly respected it would seem) NYC music critic, Algernon St. John Brenon. It would be cool to know if one of those girls was Juliet, wouldn't it? ThrockI wonder if there is any chance the young lady he is painting became Mrs. Throckmorton. ThrockGoogle this guy. He was a major player in the theatre world. Very interesting. Gaudy pictures evolved by futuristsWhat a great line, in a fascinating story. These women look dangerous to me; not just flappers, but vamps! Alley KatsIs the alley in question Green Court, off 14th near Thomas Circle? I worked in one of the buildings on 14th and could look out on the alley which then, the '90s, housed the Green Lantern, a gay club. I think it became the Tool Shed. Ahh, yes, looks like my hunch was correct... From "Gay Life Remembered" by Bob Roehr in Independent Gay Forum... Krazy Kat in 1920 was a "Bohemian joint in an old stable up near Thomas Circle ... (where) artists, musicians, atheists, professors" gathered. Miraculously the structure still stands, five blocks from the White House, as a gay bar called the Green Lantern. I really do empathize...with "Throck." My wife is always charging me with "keeping a disorderly house." I keep trying to tell her she just doesn't understand my absurdist aesthetic. It's not easy being a visionary, I guess. No Connection!(Washington Post / Saturday, February 22, 1919 ROW IN KRAZY KAT LANDS 14 IN JAIL Carefree Bohemians Start Rough-House and Cop Raids Rendezvous.) ........................................... There is no connection ..... but the date of this Post article was the same day my father (bless his soul) was born. This is good stuff Dave. Thank You. My new hero(ine)... is the woman who is having her portrait done. Not only is she beautiful, but as evidenced in the other photos, she seemed to have a bit of a rebellious streak for daring to show so much skin (someone earlier referenced that she seemed to be wearing - *gasp!* - a miniskirt, in 1921.) That rules, in my book! Plus, she has such a coy look about her. It's fun to think that maybe she's a gypsy who has found the fountain of youth, and she's still roaming around and haunting places like Soho artists' lofts and tiny Parisian cafes, looking exactly the same now as she did then, smoking cigarettes and taking everything in through those dark eyes.... A sword? Looks like the lady on the table might have some future swashbuckling planned. Heart Stopping , Sucking In Air GreatThis photo is so good on so many levels it hard to take it all in. Whew About that Cigar & Mrs ThrockmortonThe 1920 Washington Census shows Cleon's father, Ernest U. Throckmorton, as proprietor of a cigar shop. Could be it's true she was smoking a stogie? Other info on this sheet has the parents at 55 yrs old. Mother's name is Roberta, born in Indiana. Cleon was 22. Home address is 1536 Kingman Place (something) NW. [According to his N.Y. Times obituary in 1965, Mom & Dad's full names were Ernest Upton and Roberta Cowing Throckmorton; Cleon was born October 18, 1897; his wife was the former Juliet St. John Brenon. - Dave] Green LanternBy coincidence, after reading about the Green Lantern here yesterday, I was watching a 1918 Charlie Chaplin comedy called "A Dog's Life", and noticed that the saloon in that film is called "Green Lantern". It made me wonder if that phrase has some particular "folk meaning" or significance, or relevance to saloons or drinking, but I can't find anything on google but the comic book hero by that name. Throckmorton Place $895K in '04!Shucks...you missed your chance to buy the Throckmorton home. From some 2004 Washington Blade (another gay connection!) classifieds... LOGAN CIRCLE New listing! Fabulous renovated TH. 1.5 blks from Logan Circle, Whole Foods & more! 3 story TH w/ separate bsmt apt and 2 story owner’s unit w/ beautiful gar- dens and deck. Live in 2 BR, 2.5 BA unit w/ hdwd flrs, lots of light,& lrg bathrooms. Rental 1 BR w/ private entrance. Great condo alternative. Must see! $895,000 OPEN SAT 5/15 & SUN 5/16 (1 - 4 pm) 1536 Kingman Place. (202) 332-3228 Jeff Shewey, COLDWELL BANKER / PARDOE. CleonWhile looking online for his paintings I found this: Throckmorton, Cleon (1897–1965), designer. Born in Atlantic City, he studied at Carnegie Tech and at George Washington University before embarking on a career as a landscape and figure painter. After a few years he turned to the theatre, assisted on the designs for The Emperor Jones (1920), and later created the sets for All God's Chillun Got Wings (1924), S.S. Glencairn (1924), In Abraham's Bosom (1926), Burlesque (1927), Porgy (1927), Another Language (1932), Alien Corn (1933), and others. By his retirement in the early 1950s he had designed sets for over 150 plays. Throckmorton also drew up architectural plans for such summer theatres as the Cape Playhouse in Dennis, Massachusetts, and the Westport (Connecticut) Country Playhouse. Cleon & JulietCleon's wife, Juliet St. John Brenon, according to her IMDB bio, was born in 1885, making her 37-ish during the time these photos were taken. Her uncle Herbert Brenon was a well-known silent film director who worked frequently with Cleon. Apparently they had some connections to Society: Baron Franz von Papen, three postcard autograph messages signed in the mid-1930s to American friend Mrs. Juliet Throckmorton in New York. [Her November 1979 obituary in the New York Times gives her age at death as 82, which would mean she was born around 1897. Of course actresses (and actors) have been known to fudge their age. - Dave] Throck of AgesFor what it's worth...the SSDI lists her as follows: JULIET THROCKMORTON 01 Sep 1895 Nov 1979 It would appear that IMDB is quite mistaken, Hollywood fudging notwithstanding. Juliet's ObitNovember 22, 1979 (NYT) JULIET B. THROCKMORTON Juliet Brenon Throckmorton, a stage and screen actress in the 1920s, and widow of Cleon Throckmorton, a noted stage designer who worked closely with Eugene O'Neill, died Sunday at Cabrini Medical Center. She was 82 years old and lived in Manhattan. Mrs. Throckmorton had in recent years been a contributor to Yankeee magazine, writing, among other subjects, about Eugene O'Neill, E.E. Cummings and other well-known people who had frequented her husband's Greenwich Village studio. Juliet BrenonAre we sure Juliet is the one pictured? Juliet & Throck were not engaged until 1927 in NYC. Here's the announcement:
Get Happy: 1925
... Washington Post, May 31, 1925. Glen Echo Park Thrives. At Glen Echo the new ballroom has proved a wonderful ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 09/30/2011 - 8:49pm -

Washington, D.C., 1925. Horace "Happy" Walker, leader of the band seen in the previous post. National Photo Company glass negative. View full size. Happy WalkerI wonder if he ate at the Happy News Cafe? Washington Post, May 31, 1925. Glen Echo Park Thrives. At Glen Echo the new ballroom has proved a wonderful addition to the park, and "Happy" Walker has been exclusively engaged to direct and play with his band, the Golden Pheasants, every week night from 8:30 to 11:30. He features "requests," and for the asking will play any number. … Washington Post, Aug 24, 1964. Horace (Happy) Walker, Boatman, Band Leader. Horace (Happy) Walker, boating enthusiast, public relations consultant and ex-band-leader, died Friday at Mount Alto Hospital of pneumonia. Mr. Walker, 65, lived at Ponder Cove, in Edgewater, Md. Orphaned when he was 10, he worked the vaudeville circuit in New York and in 1923, between performances with a vaudeville act called "50 Miles from Broadway," he visited the Capital and decided to settle here. That year he brought his orchestra from New York to play at local clubs and private parties. … I Want That Suit!Herringbone pattern double-breasted in what appears to be gray. Tweed, perhaps? Could be as it looks like a coarse weave. Unlike on modern suit jackets, there are only two cuff buttons, and they're not ornamental--they actually button the cuff. Light up your face with gladnessObviously we know how this man got his name. I wonder if his "musicians wanted" ads indicated "sourpusses need not apply." Even though today it isn't considered cool to smile, people are still drawn to their more cheerful brethren. It's also a fact that a smile makes one look younger, hence another reason to keep those lips turned up. Happy Happy Joy JoyThis guy makes me want to party -- and I don't party! More Technical Notes!More saxophone technical geekery!! Happy's handling a "New Wonder" model Alto Saxophone by the C.G. Conn company. Easy tell, from that angle: it's that knurled round metal drum right behind the rubber mouthpiece. Conn called it a "Microtuner"; instead of fine tuning the horn by pulling the mouthpiece out on the neck, or pushing it in, you rotated that drum and the end of the saxophone's neck where the mouthpiece is attached would move in or out, depending. Conn used that kind of mechanism on their altos until about the mid 1950's. FDR troubadourHorace "Happy" Walker's Orchestra was popular in the Washington-Baltimore area in the '20s and '30s. In 1937 they played at one of Franklin Roosevelt's inaugural balls. His main instrument was trumpet. When he developed pneumonia he had to stop playing. He also had a radio program on WOL. (The Gallery, D.C., Music, Natl Photo, Portraits)
World Cruise: 1943
...   Among the more than 50 attractions to be found at Glen Echo Park, the free admission amusement park and recreational center located at ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 10/25/2016 - 4:55pm -

        Among the more than 50 attractions to be found at Glen Echo Park, the free admission amusement park and recreational center located at Glen Echo, Maryland, is the magnificent World Cruise Water Ride. Embarking at the entrance in boats seating six passengers, one is transported over a waterway to magnificent scenic views of the capitals of the world. Glen Echo Park is open each year from early April to the middle of September and is easily reached by De Luxe Capital Transit street cars, or Conduit Road auto highway, or auto straight out Massachusetts Avenue. Devoid of any objectionable features, Glen Echo Park is one of the points of interest of the National Capital.         -- Postcard text, 1941 July 1943. Montgomery County, Maryland. "World Cruise at Glen Echo Park." Photo by Esther Bubley for the Office of War Information. View full size. Out of uniformI'm surprised to see one sailor out of uniform. He's wearing Dress Blues when the district dress code calls for Dress Whites to go on liberty. Devoid of any objectionable featuresIn other words: No Negroes. https://www.nps.gov/glec/learn/historyculture/summer-of-change.htm Park historyhttp://glenecho-cabinjohn.com/GE-04.html "Objectionable features"What the heck is meant by the comment that it is "devoid of any objectionable features"? [Until 1961, Glen Echo Park was a segregated, whites-only venue. - Dave] In England... this would be a QUEUE. In the US, a LINE, either way, annoying to those adults with little or no patients. [In other words, annoying to pediatricians. - Dave] [LOLOLOLOL. Where is speel cheek when you need it - Baxado] I don't think that's what it meantThe phrase "No Objectionable Features" was once used to describe movies, vaudeville and various entertainments. All it meant was that there was no nudity or lewdness, and that it was safe for everyone from children to grandparents. Summer of changeI lived right across the street from the park when I was a kid. I would have been 6 during the "Summer of Change". I don't recall anything out of the ordinary, but Mom didn't "do" amusement parks, so no visits for me in any case. All I remember of Glen Echo, is the sound of the roller coaster and the screams of its riders through the open window of my bedroom on the hot and humid summer nights when I was trying to get to sleep. In UniformNavy dress blues have always been considered a liberty uniform no matter the season. If a service member were visiting or transferring to an area and was unaware of when the seasonal uniform shifted from "summer" to "winter"... they could always wear their dress blues. Flow of History"Glen Echo Park is open each year from early April to the middle of September and is easily reached by De Luxe Capital Transit street cars, or Conduit Road auto highway" The stops along the street car line are now neighborhoods bearing the old stops' names, and linear village greens that were the track bed and ROW. For example, Brookmont near Bethesda, MD: https://goo.gl/maps/ogLQgE31wio Conduit Road became MacArthur Blvd. Its original name was to do with the Washington Aqueduct conduit pipes beneath it, servicing the Dalecarlia Reservoir in DC/MD. It was completed in 1858 and is the major source of DC's drinking water. The Aqueduct has a Rails to Trails B&O (and then CSX) Roman Arch tunnel beneath it, measuring 340 feet long, 18 feet wide. It is now part of the recreational Capital Crescent Trail. (The Gallery, Boats & Bridges, D.C., Esther Bubley)
Dr. Buzzkill: 1925
... of Miss Sally Canada, 19, daughter of the postmistress at Glen Echo, Md., then arrested her and raided her mother's store. U. S. ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 09/13/2011 - 6:30pm -

September 5, 1925. Washington, D.C. "W.A. Green, Chief Prohibition Inspector." National Photo Company Collection glass negative. View full size. Major GreenThis is Maj. Walton Atwater Green, former Army officer who seems to have had some role in the formation of the military police in France during World War I. You can find quite a few references to him in the news and society pages of the mid-20s and 1930s. The male MedusaA formidable gaze, to be sure. Who knows? He might have been a real sweetheart, but I'm not sure I would get close enough to find out. The Double Stink-Eye!Snidely Whiplash believed he had gotten away with his little ruse with a simple mustache trim. Not for long. Serious, yesBut the bowtie says "party!" Marty Feldman EyesCould they both be glass? "Hey Wally, you've got some snew there on your right shoulder." "What's snew?" "Not too much Wally, what's snew with you?" A little off the top, Andy?Floyd the Barber. Bling Bling!Call me a cynic, but that watch looks very gold, very thin, very stylish and very expensive to be on the wrist of a humble public servant in 1925. I confess! I confess! Just stop staring at me!He can smash an entire roomful of bootleg hootch WITH HIS MIND. Emulsion gremlins telling us the truthI think some smart mold spores tagged this plate. The first few dots across the desk spell in Morse: DTs Eh, he ain't so badjust the way his face is put together, everybody has to make a living. Great title, Dave, you've set the bar high for Twenty Ten. Previous jobAuditor for the I.R.S. This guybeats out the Franciscan brothers from eighth grade as scaring me the most! What? What did I do?As I looked at this photo, I had an immediate and overwhelming sense of guilt - like I must have done something very wrong, and Mr. Green knows about it. Those eyes... burning ... my ... soul! (slump) Hey Lucy!We've found the Anti-Gale Gordon! I WonderIf the good Doctor could be a distant relative of Tom Selleck; or the inspiration for that mustache (but with a smile!) He does look like the perfect man for the perfect job! The Evils of the Demon RumHe looks like he could use a drink! This guylooks like he needs a beer. Seriously. Now. Before something bad happens. There's a man who could use a good stiff drink!Good thing he can get into the evidence locker! Future father-in-lawImagine dating this mans daughter... VERY serious, strict, about as fun as a funeral. Oh, and no liquid sunshine either. This man needs... a drink. ScaryTalk about a look that could kill at a thousand paces. A toastI hope Mr. Green will join me in saluting the XXI Amendment to the Constitution. Cheers! The G-ManIf looks could kill! Mean looking dudeYou would have to be to take charge of that agency. The most corrupt US government department ever. Looks like he's got a bear of a hangoverHand so unsteady he got ink all over his paper. "Seen the papers today, Williams?"I wonder whether Mr. Green had been reading articles in the nation's papers the day before the photo was taken, regarding an extraordinary case. These three extracts are lengthy, but worth reading because of the story itself, and for the editorial comment on prohibition laws. * * * WON LOVE OF GIRL AND THEN ARRESTED HER Dry Officer Is Rebuked For Securing Evidence in Such a Manner Washington, Sept. 4. - Should dry agents woo and win the love of pretty daughters to get evidence against their mothers? Lincoln C. Andrews, prohibition generalissimo, today puckered his brow over that perplexing problem. He gave no information of his decision. The question grew out of the case of John T. Williams, married rum sleuth, who won the love of Miss Sally Canada, 19, daughter of the postmistress at Glen Echo, Md., then arrested her and raided her mother's store. U. S. Commissioner Supplee in Baltimore yesterday dismissed the case against Miss Canada with a withering denunciation of Williams and his methods of enforcing prohibition. Harry M. Luckett, chief of Washington dry agents, came to the defense of Williams today, but did not defend his novel scheme for securing evidence. He denied that he told Williams to get evidence "at any cost." Prohibition Commissioner Haynes declined to make any verbal comment on the case, but his gestures were eloquent. Asked if he were interested in love-making methods to get evidence, Haynes threw up his arms and walked away. "It was the dirtiest trick a man ever played on a girl," was the comment of Sally Canada. The pretty girl then described how Williams dropped into the little store and finally succeeded in making a date. He was a fast worked and gave Sally such a good time that she fell in love with him. One night, Williams asked her to buy some liquor for him and took her to a place near her home, she said. Williams drank most of the liquor on the spot, she added. Later, she added, he asked her to get more liquor which she did and hid it in her ward. Williams called for the liquor with his wife and when it was delivered arrested the girl and raided her store. In flaying Williams, Commissioner Supplee said it cost $500 to get a $3 pint of liquor. * * * A MODERN INSTANCE A story of real life down in Baltimore is worth telling in tabloid form. Told with the usual circumstantiality in a 1925 novel, it would bld mark the utmost extreme of fantasticality. Flashed on the cinema screen it would be called the grotesque hallucination of some poor scenario writer. But it is a true story none the less, and the essential part of it appears in the records of a United States Commissioner's office. Our readers can draw from the narrative what moral they please. At any rate, it is worth repeated as—well, as a modern instance. Down in a Maryland town bearing the romantic name of Glen Echo lives a nineteen-year-old girl and a High School graduate, one Sally Canada, with ehr mother, who keeps a country store and the post office. For some reason not fully disclosed, Mrs. Canada's little store incurred the suspicions of the Prohibition agent in the district. He accordingly summoned an official trysty on his staff whose name is John T. Williams. It is Williams who figures as the hero of the story, for want of a better one - a melancholy want in this romance. The regional Prohibition chief, as it appears from the records, ordered Williams "to go the limit on making a case against the Canadas," mother and daughter. How well Williams obeyed this injunction will appear below, though we may anticipate by saying that he must have had in mind this passage from the "Merchant of Venice": "The villainy you teach me I will execute, and it shall go hard, but I will better the instruction." We shall see that even the "limit" may be paradoxically exceeded. To make a long story short, let it be stated at once that Williams, after introducing himself as an acquaintance of a friend of the Canada family, began courting the girl, motoring with her to various summer resorts and entertaining her in the customary ways. We continue this narrative by slicing the following extract from the special Baltimore despatch: "I told her I loved her and asked her to marry me," testified Williams, who said the courtship lasted from June 28 to July 28. The girl, he said, on the night of July 27, sold him a pint of liquor for $3. It was then that he made the complaint and caused the postoffice to be raided. After hearing the stories of Williams, Miss Canada, and her mother, Commissioner Supplee declared: "This girl was taken on automobile trips and taken to dinner and parties. Williams made love to her and won his way into her confidence. I consider this a plain case of trapping. If the Volstead act depends on such methods as this for enforcement, I think it is a pity that we have it and similar laws on the statute books. "I do not believe Miss Canada or her mother ever sold liquor or possessed liquor. The pint used as evidence was secured by Miss Canada for Williams after he won her confidence." The story, though not occupying very much space, is a pretty complete one as it stands. On the whole, it does not call for extended comment in any decent community, even in this new and wonderful era of Volsteadian enterprise. It seems necessary, however, after repeating the main details, to substitute for Williams, as the hero of the story, that United States Commissioner with the unromantic name of Supplee. More power to his strong elbow and his honorable manhood! This example of rascality and treachery in the name of law enforcement is exceptional only in the almost unbelievable measure of its turpitude. Less shameful methods of the same general stamp are employed every day. The effect of the new dispensation is to put a sort of official premium upon practices which every right-minded man and woman detested before the Eighteenth Amendment was adopted. One can imagine nothing more contemptible than officers of the law who, not content with snooping and spying, glory in their successful stratagems to tempt people to violate the law. We do not believe that the decent public opinion of the United States, which is still presumably predominant, will permanently endure that particular kind of official knavery. * * * ... "It was the dirtiest trick a man ever played on a girl," she said. And it is. And Williams should be forced to pay some sort of a penalty for that trick, and if it was a man "higher up" in the dry force, he, too, should pay. A girl's love should not be tampered with. The trouble with divorce courts today lies in the fact that love is being taken entirely too lightly, not always by the man, of course, because both are to blame in many cases. But for the mere matter of adding a few hundred dollars to the United States treasury, no man should be permitted to mask a misdemeanor of the sort committed by this dry agent under the cloak of his official duties. In the first place, the daughter was not committing the crime. It was her mother. Yet she was the subject of an unjust farce, the unhappy medium of an unscrupulous man's deception and trickery. Possibly her entire life has been blighted for the sake of procuring a little bootleg liquor. Is that justice? The sooner all justice is carried out for the sake of justice, the better the citizens of this nation will come to regard the countless number of statutes which have been enacted. But it should always be remembered, that the happiness and rights of every man and every woman and every child should not be tampered with or distorted in order to gain some petty objective. Best Kicker EVER!This kicker "Dr. Buzzkill" is one of the funniest things I have EVER read! Thanks for the laugh. Also, does anyone else think actor Hugh Laurie ('House') is *made* for this role? Inspector Hard StareOne would probably need a couple of drinks after being inspected by this guy. Mr. NiceguyUnasked-for advice: Lighten up. Shoveling against the tideNothing like trying to put a Genie back in the bottle! 8 more years of trying... Tough audience hereI wonder how many of them would survive being exhibited in 85 years time in today's environment and fashions. I certainly know my family has some pictures of me from the 1970s tucked away which would result in instant retribution if they were publicly shown. Walton Atwater GreenThis is indeed Maj. Walton Atwater Green, an Army officer in WWI who subsequently had several interesting careers -- publisher of the Boston Journal, a novelist, and for a time Chief Prohibition Inspector. He was also my grandfather, though we never met. Nice to see his face here. (The Gallery, D.C., Natl Photo, Portraits)
The Funnies: 1922
... in the sack. MOM!!! You TOLD us we were going to Glen Echo amusement park! Who knew? I almost did a Givney flip take when I ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 07/24/2012 - 7:09pm -

"John M. Bear Jr., 11/26/22." Twenty-one little kids. All wearing hats decorated with characters from the funny papers. At Johnny's 11th birthday party. And they're mortified, every last one. (Thought you'd all slip under the radar, did you? That this embarrassing little artifact would just go on collecting dust at the bottom of a box somewhere? Well. Guess what. Not only did they invent radar, they invented computers and scanners and the Internet. Bwahaha. View full size!) See You in the Funny Papers!They're all adorable. Check out the vampette in the Jerry hat playing peekaboo with her ostrich feather fan. Standing left is Jeff who is thinking, "This is nowhere near as much fun as The Mark of Zorro." Kids Love Boob!toonopedia has the scoop on most of these characters. Boob McNutt started as a series of one-shot gags, which usually ended with Boob being tortured to death for his innocently destructive ways, but before long, week-to-week continuity was added. In 1922, he met the love of his life, Pearl, and the focus shifted to his quest to win her hand in marriage. The task was accomplished in 1926, but they were soon divorced. They went through a few more cycles of courtship, marriage and divorce. Funny Cartoons...I'm not sure you could have a character today called "Boob McNutt"... Great shot... Sheesh.Never has fun looked so enforced. Attn. Internet: Please pick up your shipment of WINHo. Lee. Mo. Ley. What an amazing picture. Although I do have to wonder how much counseling the kid with the "Boob McNutt" hat had to undergo later in life. Gloomy GusFabulous picture! Check out Gloomy Gus there in the middle. Her little moniker suits her just fine, don't you think? Next to her is "Boob McNutt." *snicker snicker* And the row of preteen girls in the back. Oh, can't you just feel the awkward?! I'm guessing the adult responsible for this is standing to the right of the kids. Many of them are looking that way with looks on their faces ranging from disbelief to possible hatred. But mostly disbelief. Now Stop It, All Of You!My guesses on why the long faces include the probability that they've just been threatened with bodily harm into keeping still for the photo and that maybe none of them got the character they wanted on their hat. Another reason to look so glumCheck out the water on under the porch railing. If you had to be outside on a cold November day in the rain taking a picture I don't think you would be very happy either. Thanks, Mom.Thanks a LOT. One is Having a Little FunThe "S'matter Pop" girl has actually been caught having a small amount of...."fun". The "Jeff" lad is a perfect portrait of misery, however. This is the saddest "party" I've ever seen. FrighteningI'm not talking about how these kids look. It is absolutely frightening how many of these comic strip characters I can identify without resorting to Wikipedia! By the way, Maw Katz is short for Maw Katzenjammer from "The Katzenjammer Kids." As for Ham Gravy, he was the boyfriend of a girl named Olive Oyl before the arrival of a mono-ocular spinach chomping sailor called Popeye, in the strip "Thimble Theater." With one or two exceptions that I can't track down, these are all King Features strips. [Someone misspelled Joneses. And I think it should be "Keeping." - Dave] Let the good times roll!I hate to say it, but these look like the photos we just got back from one of our scarce family reunions. Most of the people had no idea who the others were, had little in common, were dressed in uncomfortable Sunday clothes and had the body language of pulling away from the people next to them and folding their arms across their waist. Creating a posed memory photo of united hilarity when none existed is not easy (and of course there was no liquor since we could not tempt the recovering alcoholics), but I digress. I'm guessing that either the party was extremely dull, the hostess was too strict or uptight, there was not enough food or the guest of honor did not like his gifts and threw a tantrum. Anyway, it brings to me reveries of gatherings in my own experience wherein the chemistry was just not right and, like "MacArthur Park", someone left the cake out in the rain. I love this telling picture of the party with no joy. It happens. Par-tayWow. It looks like they all just lost ice-cream privileges. Buck up, kids! This is the best time of your lives! "Good Old Days" my thick, woolen suit! ...as worn by poor, sad, finger-clasping "Jeff" at far left. "Betty" beside him, however, is kind of an insouciant charmer with a bended knee and a knowing grin. All that formalwear for kids, and then these craptastic hats! Jim said it best: "Ho. Lee. Mo. Ley." Craptastic HatsI feel kinda sorry for the person who spent so much time on those hats! I am sure they expected a better reaction! Clearly a talented artist, it looks like they took the time to personalize each hat, as well. Each cartoon character seems to be giving an individual message to the child that wears the hat. The easiest to read is the "Mutt" hat. It says "Hello Hector, by heck". The first two boys seated seem to be named Phillip and Nathanial. Hard to read anything else but, that was a nice touch, although totally lost on this glum bunch. Gloomy Gus seems to fit her hat very well, and the serious bags under her eyes make me think she might be getting sick. Gee, I hope it isn't tuberculosis! That would make this birthday disaster even more tragic! - Kathleen [Birthday boy John is Hairbreadth Harry. Eleven years old! His friends are Hector, Ralph, Francis and Eugene. - Dave] Awesome!How did you do that? I was far off on the names, but at least they were personalized! Although they look as if they were done with markers, these great close-ups show that they were most likely done with pastel pencils. I am thinking now that the parents of John might have actually commissioned a sketch artist to do these hats. They look as if they have the effortless, clean lines that come with a lot of practice. And each is a perfect copy of the characters they are drawing. I love the details here. Beautiful lace work on the little girl's dress behind Francis. Hairbreadth Harry looks like quite the dandy! He is one I don't recognize, I am going to have to look him up. Wow, that expression on Eugene looks familiar. It is the same dull look my grandson gives me when I am lecturing him! That is one bored kid. Kathleen Mom is so proud!Methinks that a party hostess/mother had what she thought was a spanking idea of making hats for all the kids to wear with their "favorite" cartoon characters on them. She is no doubt pleased with herself and the drawings, hence she made the kids pose so she could capture the moment forever. To share and share and share. Note all the water and mud on the porch, and the carpet the front row kids are sitting on. The second row kids are in chairs. Setting up this picture took a bit of work, that's why I think it is a self-pleased mother. [Martha Stewart's grandma, maybe. - Dave] NSFW!Sadly, I couldn't click through to the comments for this picture at work. The filter claimed the action was blocked because of "porn." Not a problem I usually have with Shorpy. Thanks a lot, Boob McNutt. Hairbreadth HarryIn the modern age of the 1920s, old-time melodramas, with their mustache-twirling, top-hatted villains kidnapping innocent gals and subjecting them to unspeakable perils, and the early silent film versions of same, were considered old-hat and ripe for ridicule. Think of the swinging, mod 60s being sent up by Austin Powers today. That was the shtick of the comic strip, as well as a series of short film comedies made by the Weiss Brothers in the late 20s. A number of those have recently been issued on DVD, transferred from the original negatives. Many feature breakneck car chases through the streets of Los Angeles and vicinity. In a way, they're like Shorpy in motion: high-quality, moving images of everyday street scenes in a time gone by - cars, roadways, shopping and residential districts the way they used to be. During one chase sequence you can plainly see the famous HOLLYWOOD sign arrayed across a hillside, except it's the original: HOLLYWOODLAND. Huck Finn?Look at those freckles, and the mischief on her face. Huck Finn she is, no doubt. Lonely Hats Club BandI thought I had seen every detail in this photograph by now, and then I noticed it! A lonely hat, perfectly flat, perched on the porch railing, waiting for that one kid whose mom wouldn't let him come at the last minute! Probably an early 20th century victim of "groundation"!- Kathleen As Dr. Johnson said"Nothing is more hopeless than a scheme for merriment." Where are they now?I'll bet when Polly grew up she was amazing in the sack. MOM!!!You TOLD us we were going to Glen Echo amusement park! Who knew?I almost did a Givney flip take when I saw young Katie Holmes standing there wearing the Ham Gravy hat. Who could've guessed that she, of all people, would master time travel? Katie Can Travel Through Time......because that Scientology stuff is really amazing. Really. Textbook CaseThis should be in Webster's or on Wikipedia next to the definition for "mortification." Great idea for 6 year olds.... Baer, not Bear?From 1917 to 1921, Congressman - and populist political cartoonist - John Miller Baer resided in Washington while representing North Dakota's First Congressional District. After his Congressional service ended, he remained in Washington, continuing to draw cartoons for labor publications. The 1940 census reflects that his household included a 28-year-old son named John M. Baer Jr., who by then was working as an architect with the U.S. Army. John Jr. would have been eleven years old in November 1922. (The Gallery, Kids, Natl Photo)
Last Ones In: 1943
July 1943. Glen Echo, Maryland. "Swimming pool in the Glen Echo amusement park." Where most of the swimsuits aren't swimming. ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 11/16/2015 - 4:39pm -

July 1943. Glen Echo, Maryland. "Swimming pool in the Glen Echo amusement park." Where most of the swimsuits aren't swimming. Medium-format negative by Esther Bubley for the Office of War Information. View full size. Waist linesNot an obese or even slightly overweight person in sight. Rubber bathing capsI HATED those things! They pulled the hair going both on and off, were hot, and just plain miserable! Fun is where you find it jingleSummer Teen radio in the Washington, DC- Baltimore area in the '50s and early '60s was constantly peppered with the Glen Echo jingle which can be heard at the following link, as originally broadcast on station WPGC: http://DCMemories.com//glenechobobraleigh1.mp3 Fun is where you find itI remember radio commercials in northern Virginia in the early '60's for Glen Echo. I think it started this way. Fun is where you find it. Where do you find it? Glen Echo Amusement Park. The Coaster Dips are cool. So's the Crystal Pool. For summertime fun, it's Glen Echo after dark. Glen Echo Amusement Park. Anyone else remember this? A Military HangoutI noticed all of the "fit" folks too. At first I wondered how so many prime military men could be there until I saw the line outside waiting to get in. Lots and lots of uniforms so have to assume that those inside were mostly military too. Crystal Pool is goneOnly the outline of the pool and the original façade of the entrance are still there. The entrance was restored a few years ago. Art Deco doorway leading nowhere. (The Gallery, Esther Bubley, Swimming)
F Street: 1908
... Lincoln Park streetcar advertising the "hydraulic dive" at Glen Echo. 8x10 inch glass negative, Detroit Publishing Company. View full size. ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/09/2012 - 7:14pm -

Washington, D.C., circa 1908 "F Street, looking toward Treasury." Note the sign on the Lincoln Park streetcar advertising the "hydraulic dive" at Glen Echo. 8x10 inch glass negative, Detroit Publishing Company. View full size. The location of the photograph and a little history This was taken from the steps of what is now The National Portrait Gallery what was the Patent Office. The building on the right and the one on the left are still there as are 50% of the buildings you see down F St. There is a Wikipedia entry on the large building on the left Currently they have a Gordon Biersch on the 9th St. level and the rest of the building is a Marriot Courtyard and the building on the righrt across F St. is a McCormick and Schmick's Now What Are You Going to Do with It?Looks like the sanitation engineer has amassed several large piles of "horse exhaust." What happens now? [Looks more like a construction project. - tterrace] That may be, but Washington, D.C. has been piling up crap for years, so I was a little confused! [My first clue was the flags on tops of some piles, making me think, "Ah, road work." Then the large light-colored chunks in the piles, and the fact that they're adjacent to rectangular holes opened in the pavement by the tracks. - tterrace] Great details!!Love the details in this photo -- as well as in so many of the others you post here on Shorpy. Note the man washing the window on the second story of the building in the far right hand of the picture. And, if you look directly up F Street to the Treasury Building, it looks like they're doing some major repair on the top of the building over a portion of the front columns. Street level flagsThe horse exhaust piles, AKA road apples - why do you suppose some are marked with a flag? [Those are piles of excavated debris. See enlargement in the first comment. - tterrace] Nice vantage pointThis wonderful photo was taken from the grand staircase at the Patent Office Building, part of which is visible on the far right. But you can't stand there today for a then-and-now photo. The steps were torn out in the 1930s as part of an effort to smooth out the dogleg on F Street, visible here. The Smithsonian has supposedly agreed to restore the steps, but there's no sign that project is going to start any time soon. Where are the automobiles?In 1908 I would have expected to see at least a few automobiles. There may be one in the far distance, but it is difficult to be sure. I have always been fascinated with how quickly the transistion from horse drawn vehicles to motor vehicles took place as documented in shorpy.com photos of the early 20th century. Summer in the cityIt looks like a typically hot summer's day, long before air conditioning was commonplace. Notice that all the street-level businesses along the north side of F Street have canvas awnings, while those on the shady south side have none. Could the unopened awnings on the Patent Office windows (foreground) have been folded up in anticipation of the window cleaner? Hydraulic signage?Was that even a word in 1908? But seriously now, I think it reads "WYNDALE LANE GLEN ECHO," IMHO. [The Hydraulic Dive was a roller coaster at the Glen Echo amusement park. - tterrace] Hydraulic slide I visited Glen Echo in the summer of 1951. The swimming pool was a quarter mile across and easily held a thousand kids. It had a water slide three stories high. I don't remember a name but this must have been the "Hydraulic Dive". The dimension asserted are the perceptions of an 11-year old. In the summer of 1952 Glen Echo was closed (at least to me). Polio scare. What a dressI love the dress that the motion blurred woman right in front (behind?) the trolley is wearing... The feathery pattern must have been beautiful and colorful. I'll take a one-way ticket into that image please! (Yeah, I watched 'Midnight in Paris' but still have an illogical feeling that certain times and places in the past were better than now.) Union TrustI think that must be Union Trust Company on the left and Rich's Shoes on the right at 10th. I look at these and think that my great-grandmother could have been in the crowd, or my grandmother or her siblings. (The Gallery, D.C., DPC, Streetcars)
Downward Spiral: 1928
Montgomery County, Maryland, circa 1928. "Glen Echo Amusement Co." The Coaster Dips roller coaster at Glen Echo Park outside ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 07/18/2012 - 11:35am -

Montgomery County, Maryland, circa 1928. "Glen Echo Amusement Co." The Coaster Dips roller coaster at Glen Echo Park outside Washington, D.C. National Photo Company Collection glass negative. View full size. Well here we are at the park Washington Post, July 7, 1929. Glen Echo Park, as a famous radio announcer might describe it: “Well here we are at the park, everybody. You should see the crowds, all having a good time. The music that you hear is coming from the Wurtlizer [sic] organ on the carrousel. Just listen to that roar. It's the coaster dip. The boys and girls are certainly having a good time. “Whrrrrr, no that's not an airfleet overhead. Its the airplane swing. Sorry I can't take you through the Old Mill, but it doesn't make any noise—just a nice cool boat ride, you know. What's all the fun down at the Midway? Wait a minute. I'll take you down there! “That shouting and laughing you hear is coming from a group of people in front of those funny mirrors. Well, they are enough to make a monkey laugh. “Just a minute everybody. I hear [Graham] McWilliams and his boys tuning up in the ballroom. There are quite a few couples on the floor. There he goes. Golly, that sure is peppy music. I am almost tempted to go up there and dance myself. “You can enjoy the pleasure of the ballroom every week-night from 8:30 until 11:30 o'clock. “More carloads of fun seekers arriving on the Washington Railway electric cars. They all seem to be as cool as a cucumber, too. Well, you know the line runs along the Potomac. I guess that's the reason. Goodness, my time is up, but I hope you will take the trip to the park soon. You'll enjoy it far more than my meager description.” 40 Years MoreIn 1968 this coaster was dismantled and burned and the park closed soon after. President Nixon rode this with his two daughters. 60s jingle"The coaster dip is cool and the crystal pool for excitement and fun in the summer after dark— Glen Echo Amusement Park!" "Fun is where you find it..."A variation on that jingle here. Part I of jingleFun is where you find it! Where do you find it? Glen Echo Amusement Park! Coaster Dips terrified me at age 10. Near the coaster was a .22 rifle shooting range. Lazy, hazy, crazy days of summer circa 1964. (The Gallery, Natl Photo)
Streetcar to the Sky: 1913
... The railway and associated resorts, including the 70-room Echo Mountain House, were gradually obliterated by fire and flood until, by ... Just wondering. Sort of reminds me of the trolley to Glen Echo Park in Maryland, although more dramatic. Trolleys are making a ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/07/2012 - 1:37pm -

Mount Lowe, California, circa 1913. "Electric car at Ye Alpine Tavern, Mount Lowe Railway." This Swiss-style chalet in the San Gabriel Mountains was the upper terminus (elev. 5,000 feet) of an 1890s scenic and incline railway that started in Altadena, with streetcar connections all the way to the main terminal at the Pacific Electric Building in Los Angeles. The railway and associated resorts, including the 70-room Echo Mountain House, were gradually obliterated by fire and flood until, by 1940, nothing was left. Detroit Publishing Co. View full size. Can't be all that greatThis young lady doesn't seem too thrilled by the experience. And what's the streak in the background? Gauze curtains, smoke? A ghost? [It's a flutterby. - Dave] Mount Lowe videoI first became interested in researching Mount Lowe after discovering a photo, of a lady standing near some oak trees, labeled "On Mt. Lowe" in my late Aunt Mary's album. (This is the same Aunt Mary featured in my brother tterrace's photos.) There were cousins in Los Angeles, and Aunt Mary apparently went by train to visit them often. It would have been in this era. Anyway, my searches have found many links to info about the mountain and the railway. Here is a video from an old film clip. Shows amazing history.Although obvious, it seems incredible to see the flag only having 48 stars! Very interesting. Born Too LateHardly a soul can still be alive who rode the Mount Lowe Railway, especially in its golden age. It must have been a magical trip. The links tell the main story; other sites show open cars stopping to let riders admire the fields of poppies adorning the open plains in the spring. California mountains in the summer can be somewhat parched, but still refreshing compared to the warm stagnant air of the basin. The Tavern evidently preserved as many oaks as possible, with their small crackly leaves and hard acorns. Regrettably the enterprise never really covered its costs and succumbed to a series of disasters before I was born. It was a rather long trip, taking several hours each way. I, like many, regret the passing of the trolley cars, but old timetables show that it took well over two hours even to run the 50-some miles from central LA to Huntington Beach, and the tracks could never achieve the coverage of even a mediocre bus service. My StarsIt all depends on your perspective. With my little hand over my heart, I pledged allegiance to a 48-star flag on many a morning in grade school. I'm not used to the newfangled 50-star flag yet. Stars and StripesI also remember saluting the 48 star flag. Lets not get too upset about this, had this picture been taken 2 years earlier, in 1911, we would have seen a 46 star flag and 4 years before that, in 1907, old glory showed 45. I was always a good history student but grammar and punctuation were a problem, mainly because of run-on sentences. "Sunrise"Funny this is posted today! I happened to catch part of a silent movie recently on TCM called "Sunrise" and wanted to see the rest of the film. I got it from Netflix and watched it yesterday. There is a scene where Janet Gaynor is running from George O'Brien and hops something that looks just like this going through the woods and up into the mountain. I'll bet it was this trolley line. Oh, and I would highly recommend the movie - it was great and I usually don't like silent movies. Very Peaceful.Oh, I would love to have been there. Just looking at pic relaxes me. A boring place perhapsbut I bet the ride getting there would have been a blast! I thought of "Sunrise" as wellGenerally in Silent Film circles known as one of the best silent films ever made. When I saw this picture I immediately thought of that movie. I thought at the time it was unusual to have a trolley in the woods like that. Understanding the budget of a 1927 movie, I figured they would not have built that trolley and track just for the film. Just wondering if it really was the same trolley from the movie. Does the right of way still exist?Just wondering. Sort of reminds me of the trolley to Glen Echo Park in Maryland, although more dramatic. Trolleys are making a comeback. That's nice, but they are pretty useless. Mount Lowe rail trailFor hikers: http://www.mtlowe.net/MtLoweTrail.htm I camped thereAs a Boy Scout growing up in nearby La Canada Flintridge, we used to hike to the top of Mount Lowe and camp at the ruins of the old hotel. The view of Los Angeles at night was spectacular! When a fire damaged the trail to the top, my Eagle Scout project involved rebuilding the upper portion. We lugged a wheelbarrow and all the tools up to the top to complete the job. Fond memories! Thanks. The Great Circular BridgePlease post some views from the "high" side, a favorite of the postcard makers- lots of air below the car. Another favorite was taken from the opposite side of the canyon at the bottom of the incline, plus apparently group shots were taken of each incline carload an sold s souvenirs to the passengers- I'm told this is available today at amusement parks where the water toboggan plummets near the finish and most passengers are screaming. [and apparently young jaded women lift their shirts] Civil War aeronautThaddeus Lowe, who incorporated the railway and is the mountain's namesake, had been a balloonist during the Civil War as an observer for the Union. His daughter, whose name I'd have to look up, lived into the latter part of the 20th century. She was an accomplished aviator and is recorded in recent history in "The Right Stuff" as proprietor of the Happy Bottom Riding Club, the bar that stood near the end of the original runways at Muroc/Edwards AFB. Then she was known by her married name Pancho Barnes, and it may have been one of her rental horses that broke Chuck Yeager's rib the evening before he flew the X1 to Mach 1. SunriseBrookeDisAstor mentioned the movie Sunrise. I own the DVD of Sunrise, which is a remarkable film and I remember the scene where Janet Gaynor takes the trolley running through the woods to go into the city. According to IMDB, the film was shot at three outside locations: the Columbia River in Oregon, Big Bear and Lake Arrowhead, both near San Bernardino. But of those two locations, only Lake Arrowhead had a Pacific Electric line nearby. So not the Mount Lowe Line, but somewhere similar. Raise a glass to Mount LoweThere's some Mount Lowe Railway memorabilia at a little bar in Altadena called the Rancho, on Lake Avenue. Bare Naked BulbLove the light bulb in the trees, so simple yet so definitive. A campground nowDid an overnighter there with the Boy Scouts recently. The old right of way makes for an easy grade. I tried to replicate the location of the historical photo. Mine is the blue tent. Dandy http://dan-d-sparks.blogspot.com Great hikeI grew up in Sierra Madre in the 1950s early '60s. The roadbed of the railway was one of my favorite hikes, even found some spikes on occasion. The river rock foundations were still there at the hotel; a great place to camp for the night and a rad view. I still fantasize of time traveling back and taking the rail trip to Mount Lowe. Present Day FunicularsIt's a shame this streetcar line is long gone, but there are still some very spectacular funicular style rail trips available. I would be very remiss if I didn't mention the Lookout Mountain Incline in my old home town of Chattanooga. (The Gallery, DPC, Railroads, Streetcars)
Old-Timer: 1915
... The Cabin John area of Bethesda, which includes the Glen Echo Amusement Park, got its name from a fellow named John who lived in a cabin ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/07/2012 - 11:04am -

There's no caption information for this circa 1915 photo taken in or around Washington, D.C. Harris & Ewing Collection glass negative. View full size. Open HouseI love the screen door....I would like to go in and take a look around! Re: Roof PatchesIt looks more like the patches are tar paper or canvas, something much more flexible than metal. And the stuff hanging down in front of the window might be twine or wire and the remnants of some climbing plant. [As we can see below, he had a vine growing on a chickenwire trellis. And what looks like a bird nest at the top. - Dave] Back to BasicsThis is a house in its most pure and basic form. No pretense of design and intended to last no longer than its occupant. The presumed owner/builder's comportment suggests a timeworn familiarity of the place I find endearing. Wish I knew more of his story. Roof PatchesIn response to the first of "Couple Things:" the roof of hand-split wooden shingles (white oak was popular for this use) has some badly torn-up sections, and the area right over the window has been patched with small sheets of scrap metal. But before the patch was made, rain got into the end-grain of the board-and-batten pine siding, mold has set in, and that area under the eave will never see mold-reducing sunlight. But the dignity of the man, even living in this hovel, is remarkable. And the details of the area around the cabin take me back to my Great-Grandmother's home way down in Grayson County, Va (southwest corner of the state).Fine choice, Dave. Thank you. What's in the tub?Covered with a bit of old rug, tied with rope, weighted down with rocks- what's in there? Sauerkraut? Moonshine? Weasels? The expression on his face makes me think I wouldn't have dared to ask. HatI hope is that the hat was waterproof and he wore it both in and out of the house. Last Year's BeansLooks like he was growing some beans or peas in front of that window. Or maybe even flowers. It looks like he has the remains of a garden in front of the house. You kids......get offa my lawn! The old guyMan, that dude looks like he could have been born around 1850. Probably a Civil War vet. Couple things1. What's going on in front of/above the window? 2. I love how even a hovel like this has some cool detailing on the screen door. Cabin JohnThe Cabin John area of Bethesda, which includes the Glen Echo Amusement Park, got its name from a fellow named John who lived in a cabin in the area. I just wonder if this is that John and that's his Cabin! [Wikipedia sez: The community name is a corruption of its original name of "Captain John's Mills." - Dave] Standing CorrectedThanks for the close-up; it looked like rotting siding to me. Now, what kind of bird builds that sort of nest? Barn swallows, as I recall, build in eaves and such, but their nests tend to be much tidier than this, but.... I love this photoWow. I'm by no means a photographer, but I know what I like. This photo has so much detail and beautiful contrast. I love the dignified manner in which this man is posing. There's obvious financial hardship here, but he's got his nice hat on and has buttoned up his coat. Very impressive indeed. NIMBYThe irony of the reader comments lauding this old gent's dignity (and I love this photo too) is that most of us would be upset to have a neighbor like this today. Take away the "Ken Burns effect" of black and white and antiquity, add some plastic trash cans in place of the barrels and you have the making of a zoning or covenant dispute. I think you're on to somethingHe's definitely got something going on in that covered up bucket. Check out the seemingly empty barrel. While everything else around the place is falling apart, he took the effort to make sure the barrel was level. See, at the bottom, he put chips of stone under it to keep it steady. What... could he be brewing? CisternThe roof gutter ends above the barrel. My grandfather, born 1911, remembers collecting rainwater off the roof. (The Gallery, D.C., Harris + Ewing)
The Whip: 1928
"Glen Echo, 1928." Riding the Whip at Glen Echo amusement park in Maryland. View full size. National Photo ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 07/24/2008 - 3:33pm -

"Glen Echo, 1928." Riding the Whip at Glen Echo amusement park in Maryland. View full size. National Photo Company Collection glass negative. Smooth operator!Look at Mr Smooth to the right, with a girl on each arm! I bet he enjoyed the ride. Whip It! Whip It Good!Coney Island SensationWashington Post, May 19, 1918 10,000 Enjoy Amusement Grounds. "Whip" and Derby Racer Popular. With workmen still putting the finishing touches on the new amusements, Glen Echo Park, Washington's favorite amusement grounds, formally opened the 1918 season last night. More than 10,000 persons, including the "tired business man" and the weary war workers, enjoyed the evening in the park. The center of attraction last night was the new "Whip," the Coney Island sensation which has just been installed. That dancing has lost none of its popularity was shown by the number of couples on the floor. Throngs also gathered around the derby racer and the gravity for the speed rides. The first of the season's free Sunday concerts will be given this afternoon. The WhipI have to remark at the number of adults on what we would now consider a children's ride. Noticeable too is that the men are wearing suits and ties. To our society they are all overdressed and in the wrong attire for an amusement park. Also, the Whip is exposed to the elements, not so good for the leather seats and the mechanics of the ride. What I remember most about the Whip ride was that all the exposed metal chains and gears were covered in a greasy lubricant to prevent rust and to ease friction. You see none of that here. It looks too clean with no gum on the concrete and no trash on the ground. The cars on the Whip also seem to be hand painted with ornate designs. Now they would be painted in alternating primary or neon colors with none of the finery. I suppose our culture lost something when we took off our coats and put on T-shirts. Young Whippersnapper Riverview Beach Amusement Park in Pennsville, New Jersey had a nice kiddie version of The Whip in 1948. The nice paint job was somewhat more Art Deco by that time. That's me and the photographer was my father. (The Gallery, Natl Photo, Sports)
Pennyland: 1928
1928. At the Glen Echo amusement park in Montgomery County, Maryland, near Washington. View ... Disneyland for D.C. Dwellers Glen Echo, or "Clown Echo," as this 4-year-old pronounced it, was the closest ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 02/19/2008 - 7:06am -

1928. At the Glen Echo amusement park in Montgomery County, Maryland, near Washington. View full size. National Photo Company Collection. Penny ArcadeAmazing! One of those old machines, like the palm reader, would be worth a fortune today. I would love to know what they all are. A lot look robotic. PennylandYou should visit the Musee Mechanique at Pier 45 in San Francisco (at the Wharf). Also see the website.. Musee MechaniqueI thought of the Musee as soon as I saw this image. What a fun place. I haven't been there since it moved from the basement of the Cliff House, but I'm glad it's open for business again. I wonder if Pennyland had a gal like Laffing Sal? http://www.museemechanique.org/3.html Free AdmissionBut everyone left lighter by a few coins, I'm sure. I love the flapper turning to look back, or calling out to a companion: a fleeting moment frozen in time. Ye Olde Curiosity ShoppeWe have a store like this on the waterfront in Seattle as well. It's full of wonderful things like narwhal horns, shrunken heads, mummies and and more. They have a bunch of old machines that play organ music, stamp coins and tell you your weight or fortune. Free admission! Musee MecaniqueDan Zelinsky and the Musee Mecanique in San Francisco have a new web site: http://www.museemecaniquesf.com Disneyland for D.C. DwellersGlen Echo, or "Clown Echo," as this 4-year-old pronounced it, was the closest thing we had to Disneyland 60 years ago. I was saddened when it closed down. So many memories! [It was Disneyland for D.C. dwellers only if those dwellers were white. - Dave] (The Gallery, Sports)
Gypsy Camp: 1925
... Montgomery County, Maryland, 1925. "Fortune teller -- Glen Echo Park Co." National Photo Company Collection glass negative. View full ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/16/2016 - 10:43pm -

Montgomery County, Maryland, 1925. "Fortune teller -- Glen Echo Park Co." National Photo Company Collection glass negative. View full size. ForetoldI see ... in ze future ... people vill be looking at peekture of us ... I do not know how ... but zey'll be looking. WonderDid they see the Great Depression four years ahead? Strange DreamsYou're not kidding if you hung around there too long. Madame Mask"Careta" is Spanish for mask. Get your fortune from a masked gypsy. Doesn't sound too promising. Excellent marketing environment: large metal pot that's never had a fire, and numerous sitting areas implying large potential crowds. Most terrifying is the "experts tell your past, present and future," just a few miles outside Washington D.C. Mysterious Madame CaretaHaven't been able to find much but The Washington Times had several ads placed through the winter of 1912-1913 of Madame Careta of Glen Echo being at 809 9th street NW for the winter. By June of 1913 she is back at Glen Echo for the summer with "three assistants" (The Gallery, D.C., Natl Photo)
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