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Diamond Alkali: 1950ish
... a living." Trade Show Booth Looks like to me. Pittsburgh and Everywhere! Oh we are having fun Probably not as popular ... Virginia by a group of glass industry businessmen from Pittsburgh. The company soon established a large chemical plant at Painesville, ... 
 
Posted by John.Debold - 09/20/2011 - 9:10pm -

Every photo needs a caption, please. View full size. Manning the Diamond Alkali Booth"It's a living." Trade Show BoothLooks like to me. Pittsburgh and Everywhere! Oh we are having funProbably not as popular as the Ginsu Knife booth. More info found on Wikipedia: Diamond Alkali Company was an American chemical company incorporated in 1910 in West Virginia by a group of glass industry businessmen from Pittsburgh. The company soon established a large chemical plant at Painesville, Ohio, which would operate for over sixty years. In 1948, the headquarters of the company was moved from Pittsburgh to Cleveland. In 1967, Diamond Alkali and Shamrock Oil and Gas merged to form the Diamond Shamrock Corporation. Diamond Shamrock would go on to merge with Ultramar Corporation, and the combined company, Ultramar Diamond Shamrock Corporation|Ultramar Diamond Shamrock, would in turn be acquired by Valero Energy Corporation in 2001. A Jewel"Diamond Alkali, the Gem of Washroom Control" "Washroom Control Kits"Nominated for caption: "Washroom Control Kits" or maybe "Modified Alkalies," right off their stirring backdrop. Might be a good name for my next rock band. Cast of CharactersHere is my guess as to the players in this booth. The two fellows seated to the right and left of the man standing in the middle are in the sales department at Diamond Alkali. The one on the left is probably the road man, he visits and sells to the customers. The one on the right is the home office sales support dude. He handles trade shows. The fellow in the middle is probably an engineer that the two sales guys brought over to add some "science" to the booth in case anybody asked for that kind of information. The man and woman seated to the left on the sofa are hapless trade show patrons. Conventions!"Only 15 more minutes until Happy Hour!" Next Stop: Commerce Bank of Beverly HillsThat looks like Milburn Drysdale standing there. Sours and Liquid Blues"No, we don't sell whiskey sour dispensers for washrooms. Why do people keep asking us that?" A Singular LackWith all due respects to the lady seated here, there is a singular lack of "booth babes" here at Diamond Alkali's display. Maybe I'm used to trade shows like CES or the late (and mostly unlamented) E3, but these days a trade show would be filled with beautiful women wearing outfits that showed them off, whose knowledge about the product is slightly - and sometimes significantly - less than that of the people coming to the booth to find out about the product. Those guys in suits would never do today. "Next Year's Going to be Different!""Look at all the people at the electric motor booth! I'm telling you, next year we've got to have a giveaway... maybe those plastic bags with the handles. See, that way, we could put the pamphlets inside the tote bags, and hand 'em out. And hey, why not give out little sample size modified alkalai bars for the kids?" Another one"Even if the Men's opens next, I'm goin'!" Well?"Well, are you going to buy from us, or what?" Holy smokes!Apparently, there was so much smoking going on at that booth that two ashtrays were necessary. I believe I remember my grandfather having a similar ashtray to that: freestanding, and high enough that he could deposit his ashes from the comfort of his easy chair. Welcome Back......to "What's Behind My Back", brought to you by the Diamond Alkali Company. Each week a contestant tries to guess what I've got back there. He is joined by our panel of celebrities who help by determining what level of discomfort the item is causing me. Today's hints: "I really should be wearing gloves" and "It burns! Please for God's sake take a guess before it dissolves my wedding band!" B2BBoy, if this isn't a stereotype of the typical business-to-business trade show and its inhabitants back in the 1940's, I'll let Shorpy scrub my mouth out with soap! I attended and manned so many of these booths for 30 years that they are beyond counting! Most of the ones I got sent to were in Chicago. Ladies' Room LadyShe's there for the hordes coming in for ladies' room supply education and training. But what she's thinking is obvious: "Where did my life go so completely wrong?" (ShorpyBlog, Member Gallery, Industry & Public Works)
The Rubber Store: 1908
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, circa 1908. "Liberty Avenue at Seventh Avenue, ... was named for Thomas J. Keenan, principal owner of the Pittsburgh Press. Keenan kept the dome as his luxurious penthouse. Rumors that he entertained a whole generation of Pittsburgh women there gave the building a scandalous reputation. The dome ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 09/02/2021 - 1:53pm -

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, circa 1908. "Liberty Avenue at Seventh Avenue, looking west." 8x10 inch dry plate glass negative, Detroit Publishing Company. View full size. The Rubber StoreI mean, I chuckled for a sec but rememembering this was 1908, assume it meant galoshes, boots and maybe hipwaders for the sporting types. Not, um ... you know. [Also hot water bottles, trusses, irrigation bulbs, rubber gloves, etc. - Dave] +103Below is the same view from July of 2011. About that domed building...I used to work one block south of this scene. From my office on the 23rd floor, I looked out at the Keenan Building. When completed in 1907, the building was the tallest in the city. Its dome was originally gilded, but is now dark red. The building was named for Thomas J. Keenan, principal owner of the Pittsburgh Press. Keenan kept the dome as his luxurious penthouse. Rumors that he entertained a whole generation of Pittsburgh women there gave the building a scandalous reputation. The dome has been used for storage for many years. Help Me OutI keep falling into the images produced by 8x10 Glass Negatives. On another topic, recalling a Monty Python scene in the short attached to 'The Meaning Of Life' - a Very Big Corporation executive asks the Board "Did someone say people aren't wearing enough hats?" (The Gallery, DPC, Pittsburgh, Stores & Markets, Streetcars)
Hotel Henry: 1908
Circa 1908. "Fifth Avenue, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania." Plenty of free parking for the automobilists among ... mere hotel "Upon a commanding site in the very heart of Pittsburgh, that glowing metropolis of untiring industry, stands a pre-eminent ... a quick bio - born Elk County, PA 1865, 1890 appointed Pittsburgh patrolman, 1893 made lieutenant of police in First district, for ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 07/30/2012 - 4:37pm -

Circa 1908. "Fifth Avenue, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania." Plenty of free parking for the automobilists among us. 8x10 inch glass negative. View full size. The Spiral StaircaseGives me vertigo! Down and aroundThat circular stairway fire escape on the left looks great but I think it would be unsafe. Interesting carCar looks like a Welch, about 1906 or 1907. If so, it is a very interesting car with overhead valves. Rare in its day and even rarer now. I think only three survive. Ralph Stein had one, Harrah had one and i think one is in the Petersen Museum in LA. Tried to find a picture of one, but haven't succeeded yet. Anybody have a picture? More than a mere hotel"Upon a commanding site in the very heart of Pittsburgh, that glowing metropolis of untiring industry, stands a pre-eminent contribution to the city's greatness. It is a massive structure, eleven stories in height, of indestructible steel, stone and terra cotta, and bears the title of the Hotel Henry. Monumental, though unpretentious, in the solidity of its exterior elevation, it contains within its walls a wealth of architectural design, artistic embellishment, and the acme of perfection in the vehicles of service. Strong though the statement may appear, yet it is boldly made, that under no other roof in the world can be found a more comprehensive contribution to ease, comfort, convenience and utility. From sub-cellar to roof, science, mechanism and human endeavor are made subservient to the beck and call of mortal desire." From: http://www.archive.org/details/hotelhenrypittsb00henr The hotel dick?Notice the window, third floor on right of photo - William J. Tanney Detective Agency. If the old movies are to be believed, every large hotel had their own detective on duty (probably to keep un-marrieds out of the same room). The slang name "hotel dick" probably came in later with Dick Tracy. I wonder if Mr. Tanney hired out a detective for the Hotel Henry. Looked up Mr. Tanney and he was apparently quite an upstanding citizen. Here's a quick bio - born Elk County, PA 1865, 1890 appointed Pittsburgh patrolman, 1893 made lieutenant of police in First district, for meritorious service made Captain of Police in 1896, resigned in 1900 to enter hotel business on South Side, 1906 granted a license to conduct a detective agency. He may have died in 1918. +103Below is the same view from July of 2011. is that a colapsed facade? looks like the facade has slipped just above the Hotel sign. Doubt it was that old too. Loving the website over here in the UK, Dave. (The Gallery, DPC, Pittsburgh)
Over and Up: 1908
Continuing our tour of Pittsburgh circa 1908. "Pittsburgh & Lake Erie R.R. station and Mount Washington -- Smithfield ... any old limousine. (The Gallery, Boats & Bridges, DPC, Pittsburgh, Railroads) ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/02/2012 - 9:53pm -

Continuing our tour of Pittsburgh circa 1908. "Pittsburgh & Lake Erie R.R. station and Mount Washington -- Smithfield Street Bridge and Monongahela Incline." 8x10 inch glass negative, Detroit Publishing Company. View full size. A penny for your thoughtsWell, a penny for your weight anyway. Check out that penny scale up on the near side of the bridge. Those things are worth a "pretty penny" today as collector items. What a neato bridge, they just don't make them like that anymore. Still looks the sameThe bridge itself was only guaranteed to last for 15 years when it was first built. Motor or Naptha Launch?The small boat tied up in left foreground is interesting because it lacks a prominent funnel. In this period, most powered craft were steam driven and would have had a large, tall funnel. This could be a naptha launch, which might not require such a large exhaust, or it could be powered by an early gasoline or diesel engine. Looking at it carefully it could be a passenger ferry? The long superstructure made me thinik it might be a yacht but being able to see through the windows on both sides throughout its length suggests a simpler interior with rows of seats, not luxury accommodations with sleeping quarters. Just add roller coaster carsand a ramp! (Don't for get your life jacket. You know, just in case.) Motor? Launch"LUZON", perhaps? [Correct.] Signs of the timesThe signs advertising the Quaker Toasted Corn Flakes and the Gazette-Times must have been something to see. They look (by my estimate) to be about 15 feet or so high and a good one hundred feet or so in length. InclineFrom what I see in the recent picture, and the online street view map, I'm curious... is the incline still there and in use? [Yes.] Looks like a commuterThe Luzon looks like a commuter or sight seeing launch - some of the old New York Harbor commuters built by the wealthy mucky mucks were absolutely stunning, definitely a step up from any old limousine. (The Gallery, Boats & Bridges, DPC, Pittsburgh, Railroads)
Point Bridge: 1900
Pittsburgh circa 1900. "Point Bridge and coal barges." Note the Duquesne ... & Ruben, Reliable Clothiers" could have been to Pittsburgh what the "HOLLYWOOD" sign was to Los Angeles. Talk about placement. ... from July of 2011. (The Gallery, Boats & Bridges, DPC, Pittsburgh, Railroads) ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/03/2012 - 1:37pm -

Pittsburgh circa 1900. "Point Bridge and coal barges." Note the Duquesne Incline railway next to the Solomon & Ruben sign. 8x10 glass negative. View full size. Duquesne Incline StationHere's another view of the incline's upper station. It's the frame building behind the streetcar. This photo was taken on Grandview Ave about 1920. The streetcar's destination number was "40 Mt. Washington". The old Point Bridge is goneBuilt in 1877, it was replaced in 1927. The replacement was closed in 1959 and demolished in 1970. But the Duquesne Incline is still there and is still in operation. On the edgeWatch that first step, it's a doozie!! Hope no sleepwalkers lived in those buildings up there! Location, Location, Location I think, "Solomon & Ruben, Reliable Clothiers" could have been to Pittsburgh what the "HOLLYWOOD" sign was to Los Angeles. Talk about placement. Looks like a color picture to meGiven all the coal and its widespread use at the time the picture was taken, I don't think a color picture (if it were available then) would look much different. At least in those days times were simpler in that it was common to look at things as being either black or white. 145 Years EarlierI just got done researching the heck out of this very spot for a drawing. Amazing how fast things change. For your enjoyment: Fort Duquesne on July 9, 1755, the day of Braddock's Defeat. Bridge speed limitDRIVE NO faster than A WALK UNDER PENALTY of the LAW Stiffened Chain Suspension Transactions of the American Society of Civil Engineers, Vol VII., 1878. Bridge Superstructure. Subjects Exhibited. Point Bridge was designed by Edward Hemberle, Engineer of the American Bridge Company. It consists of tower and chains, with platform suspended therefrom in the same manner as in a regular chain suspension bridge. To this is added a stiffening system above the chains, and rigid posts arranged between chains and platform so as to prevent the roadway from undulating or oscillating independently of the structure above. The stiffening appliances above the chains consist of rigid chords running in straight lines from the top of the tower toward the center of the chain, and connecting thereto by a hinged joint at each end. Between these chords and the chains there is a system of bracing, composed of posts and diagonal tie-rods, all connections being pin-jointed. The chain, being a catenary, or curve of equilibrium, bears all the permanent load of the structure without straining the stiffening trusses. This object was accomplished by erecting the bridge completely before connecting the ends of the straight top chords to the centre joint. The rods are provided with turn-buckles, and are so adjusted as to be strained under moving loads only. The total length of the bridge is 1,245 feet from back to back of anchorages, with one middle span of 800 feet between centres of piers, and one independent trussed side span of 145 feet in length at each shore. The roadway rises from both shores toward the centre of the channel, with grades not exceeding 3½ feet in 100 —the highest point of the roadway being 83 feet above low water. The saddles upon which the chains rest on top of the towers are 180 feet above low water. The deflection of the chain is 88 feet, which is considerably more than is usual for suspension bridges, but the stiffening allows of increasing the deflection and thereby reducing the strains in the chains as well as their weight. The bridge is 34 feet wide from centre to centre of outside railings, and this space is divided into a roadway 21 feet wide and two sidewalks of 6½ feet each. History of Bridge Engineering, By Henry Grattan Tyrrell, 1911. Chapter XII. Suspension Bridges. 311. The Point bridge (Fig. 115) at Pittsburg was designed by Edward Hemberle, and built in 1876 with a center span of 800 feet and two side spans of 145 feet each, making a total length of 1,250 feet. It had a 20-foot roadway and two 7-foot walks with a clear height beneath of 80 feet and cost $525,000. The river piers were of stone and the towers of iron, 110 feet high. The 8-inch eyebar cables have stiffening trusses above the chains in the form of segmental chords, and the design is such that all uniform loads are carried by the cables, causing no stress in the stiffening trusses. It was the longest span with flat eyebars in America, and toll was collected upon it till 1896. In 1906 it was repaired at a cost of $92,000. Current CrossingTo add to what Larc mentioned, the Fort Pitt Bridge replaced the (new) Point Bridge in 1970. +111Below is the same view from July of 2011. (The Gallery, Boats & Bridges, DPC, Pittsburgh, Railroads)
Forbes Avenue: 1909
Circa 1909. "Residences, Forbes Avenue -- Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania." Next stop, Swissvale. 8x10 inch dry plate glass ... Co The sign in the distance says "Vacuum Cleaner Co Pittsburgh". According to the 1908 Pittsburgh Business directory, there was a ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 10/04/2020 - 8:08pm -

Circa 1909. "Residences, Forbes Avenue -- Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania." Next stop, Swissvale. 8x10 inch dry plate glass negative, Detroit Publishing Company. View full size. My hat's off to the gardenerAfter noting the three flights of stairs leading to the mansion on the left, I tried to imagine myself being tasked with mowing that lawn using a hand lawnmower. As a youngster in the late 1940s I mowed my family's flat lawn using a hand mower until I was about 15 years old so I am quite familiar with the state-of-the art in lawn maintenance, as it must have been in 1909. When I was about 15 my dad loaned me money to purchase a power mower that I used to earn money mowing other lawns in our neighborhood, which was used to repay him. That's how we learned business sense in those days. [1-hp mowers were not uncommon in 1909. - Dave] Vacuum Cleaner CoThe sign in the distance says "Vacuum Cleaner Co Pittsburgh". According to the 1908 Pittsburgh Business directory, there was a cleaning service called "Vacuum Cleaner Co" at 4614 Forbes. If that clue is accurate, the houses on the left are now Carnegie Mellon and this is the view: Gardener's Problem -- Solved!This appears to be the same building, now part of Temple Sinai at 5505 Forbes Ave. If it is the same building, the street has been raised considerably. UPDATE: No, it's not the same building. A Lawn Way DownThat sloping lawn is pure decoration -- nobody could lie on it. Imagine being 6 and rolling down the slope to land Plop on the sidewalk! OW! Toastrack StreetcarsThe two streetcars in this view appear to be open air summer trolleys, with cross bench seating and a running board for the conductor. These were popular for summer excursions and city tours, and these Pittsburgh cars may have been on a tour of the Forbes Street neighbourhood, which still looks upscale today. An example of such a car can be seen below. (The Gallery, DPC, Pittsburgh, Streetcars)
Men's Doctor: 1938
May 1938. "Quack doctor -- Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania." 35mm nitrate negative by Arthur Rothstein for the ... comes for free. (The Gallery, Arthur Rothstein, Pittsburgh) ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 04/15/2012 - 3:14am -

May 1938. "Quack doctor -- Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania." 35mm nitrate negative by Arthur Rothstein for the Farm Security Administration. View full size. ProgressNow the August Wilson Center for African American Culture. How much you wanna betHis free advice was "Always pay the doctor"! Grammar?Surely the apostrophe should follow the S, as in MENS' DOCTOR. [Incorrect. The plural of "man" is "men," not "mens." The singular and plural possessives are man's doctor, men's doctor. Child's doctor, children's doctor. Woman's clothing, women's clothing. - Dave] Zimmerman BuildingAt 10th and Liberty, demolished 2005. Other Views of the Zimmerman BuildingBelow are a few more view of the old Zimmerman Building Signs aboundAn interesting collection. Demolition in progressZimmerman building about 90% demolished, October 2005 -- Quack.At first glance, I wondered why the title of the image alluded to the physician as being a fraudulent practitioner of medicine. Upon closer examination, I noticed "Free Advise" above the main sign! Also, the mention of being an interpreter of foreign languages as a sideline seems to confirm the "quack" diagnosis! Downtown Doctor Slain, 633 LibertyAccording to The Pittsburg Press of Sept. 15, 1939, our dear Dr. Quack, a.k.a. Dr. Frank G. Leslie, got his due. It's the sad tale of one Mike Koski, who was apparently not cured of venereal disease as promised. He therefore walked into the office and shot Dr. Leslie to death. Wow. The details read like a crime tabloid complete with lurid pictures on Page 2. The details allude to a possible doctor behind the doctor, one Dr. Joseph Cerra (our language interpreter), who hired Leslie to front the operation. My free advice is nothing comes for free. (The Gallery, Arthur Rothstein, Pittsburgh)
Outfall: 1936
September 1936. "Pittsburgh waterfront, Monongahela and Allegheny Rivers." Medium format nitrate ... in the water My dad grew up in Braddock (a part of Pittsburgh) quite near and perhaps even more polluted than this photo shows. ... population. (The Gallery, Arthur Rothstein, Factories, Pittsburgh) ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 04/24/2011 - 10:47pm -

September 1936. "Pittsburgh waterfront, Monongahela and Allegheny Rivers." Medium format nitrate negative by Arthur Rothstein for the FSA. View full size. Down by the Win-e-gar WoiksOh I live under the viaduct Down by the winegar woiks Where they chain all the chilluns To fences and logs They do it to keep 'em From biting the dogs Oh I live under the viaduct Down by the winegar woiks! AnglingThis is where I caught all those three-eyed fish. How to seeThis is the kind of photo that black and white was made for. ChromaIf this were colorized, it wouldn't change a bit except for the sky (yellow) and water (heaven knows what). Employment versus pollution. The nasty, polluting steelmills are in China now. We now have time without end to enjoy the fresh clean water and air. We have nothing to do, because the well paying jobs left too. [In the 2008 national rankings, the United States was the world's third-largest producer of steel. - Dave] Something in the waterMy dad grew up in Braddock (a part of Pittsburgh) quite near and perhaps even more polluted than this photo shows. All four of his daughters had to face breast cancer as adults (the first in either side of the family). Who knows if this may have been a contributing factor. Mini-millsThe US, as the third-largest steel producer, puts out about 1/4 as much steel as the largest (China). US production is majority mini-mills these days. Still a lot of integrated steelmaking, but we've got a lot of scrap to use, and it costs less. Incidentally, Japan is number two in steel production. They have 40% of our population. (The Gallery, Arthur Rothstein, Factories, Pittsburgh)
Appleton Here We Come: 1962
... no plane changes. It did, however, stop at Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Cleveland, Detroit and Lansing along the way. Please tell me ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 01/14/2013 - 5:10pm -

October 1962. "Wisconsin plane trip." En route to Appleton, it's Mad Men with choreography. This would seem to have been a business trip made by Kermy and Janet's father from Baltimore. 35mm Kodachrome slide. View full size. A long-vanished airlineNorth Central Airlines is now three generations into the past. It became Republic Airlines after a merger with Southern Airways in 1979, Northwest Airlines acquired Republic in 1986, and Northwest became part of Delta Air Lines in 2008. It's possible that there may be a few pre-1979 North Central employees still working for Delta, most likely flight attendants as they often stick around for decades. The aircraft appears to be a Convair 340, one of the last of the pre-jet airliners. Douglas DC-3First operationally flown in 1935, the Douglas DC-3 became a real workhorse of commercial airlines and of the U.S. Air Force as as the C-47. Some are still being flown today, mainly by smaller third world airlines. A few of the earliest DC-3s are still flying about 75 years after they were manufactured. North Central Airlines was founded as Wisconsin Central Airlines in 1944. The name was changed to North Central in 1952 and headquarters moved to Minneapolis. North Central flew as many as 32 DC-3s during its existence. The airline ceased operations in 1979. DC-3 StairsMy dad loved DC-3s and had one-- it might have been the C-47 version-- in the late 1960s. One day he tripped or caught his foot or something while coming down those little steps and broke his arm when he hit the tarmac. The doctor asked him how he had injured himself, and my dad, a man of few words even when he wasn't in pain, replied he had fallen out of an airplane. The doctor said, "Well, I don't know how high the plane was, but you got off pretty easy!" DC-3/C-47The DC-3/C-47 is my favorite airplane; I built countless model variants as a kid. The North Central livery is particularly nice. More detail here. MemoriesI can remember DC-3s flying over our small-town house to the local airport when I was a kid in the early 1960s. They seemed really huge to me at the time. Whiskey CentralI well recall my father's jokes and asides regarding North Central Airlines -- or Whiskey Central, as he and not a few others preferred to call it in the early days. We lived in Eau Claire, Wis., home of Presto Industries and 25 below zero temperatures. As a traveling salesman for Presto, dad would occasionally ride Whiskey Central to some distant city on business. Be it the dead of winter, he never failed to carry a hip flask filled with Early Times, which he affectionately referred to as "my infallible portable heater." He further noted, as I recall, that the stewardesses were all males, and very likely descended from hardy Viking stock accustomed to Icelandic weather. Atop their uniforms they wore fur-lined coats adorned with turned-up mink collars. I also vividly remember standing beside my mother on the tarmac and waving back at my father as he paused halfway up the airplane ramp. And then remaining rooted to the spot until the speck in the sky disappeared from sight. Jim PageGreat story; your dad sounds like my dad. Few words were too many. N25651Click to enlarge. Photos by Kermy's dad of the plane in the main photo above. AmazingThe old Gooney Bird is still in use to this day. What a great aircraft! [The only thing still in use is the number N25651. It's assigned to a 21-year-old hot-air balloon. Our DC-3 was deregistered in 1990. - Dave] Oh, I really thought there were some still in use.... you mean none flying worldwide? It'll get you there -- eventuallyI flew North Central in the summers in the early 70s. Convair 340s from Washington National (home) to my aunt and uncle's in Grand Rapids. As I was only about 10 at the time and traveling alone, my parents booked me on North Central as there were no plane changes. It did, however, stop at Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Cleveland, Detroit and Lansing along the way. Please tell methis plane had a lavatory. A very old DC-3In fact not a DC-3 as such but a DST (Douglas Sleeper Transport) the original version built long before WW II with 16 sleeping berths for night flights, convertible to 24 seats for day use. It had Wright Cyclone engines not the more familiar Pratts. N25651 had a long career. It was impressed into the army as a C-49 and postwar served not just North Central but also Galaxy, Holiday Hunters, Shorter and finally Bahamasair. It was last reported derelict at St Thomas in the US Virgin Islands. PBA/Naples AirlinesIce Gang's comment is cool; living in Naples back in the 60s and being at the airport with my pilot dad all the time, I'd see those PBA/Naples Airlines planes a lot. At some point prior to those days, Provincetown/Boston Airlines had absorbed the old Naples Airlines, unless I remember it wrong-- which isn't impossible! I remember hearing that old Naples Airport was the site of the first U.S. airplane hijacking; a fellow hijacked a plane there to fly him to Cuba. Now, I'll leave it up the the brilliant folks here on Shorpy.com to let me know if that little tidbit is correct or not. I think it's really a DC-3I'm pretty sure it's not a DST. The DST's boarding door was on the right. It had auxiliary windows above the regular ones so the upper berth didn't feel too closed in, and Dave's picture of the full exterior doesn't show those. Route of the Blue Goose"Route of the blue goose" was the tag, like "Wings of man" for Eastern, in the ads. All dressed up-And somewhere to go. I wonder at what point travelers began dressing down for flights; it used to be an occasion and people dressed accordingly. I remember flying on the west coast's PSA in those days and always wearing a suit and tie, even as a teenager. We flew to from home in San Diego to Hollywood-Burbank and back for under $20 and still had money left for shopping trips to Desmond's and Silverwood's, nice Los angeles area clothing stores. DC-3 hoursMany years back I flew from Tampa to Naples Florida on PBA airline, I was the only passenger and the pilot told me this DC-3 had the most hours of any DC-3, 84,876 hours, the plane is being restored in Washington and is still flying with over 91,400 hours (10 1/2 years in the air) Canadian Pacific Airlines had a flying Canada goose as it's logo, only it was flying to the right. Dressing upI can only guess that the "dress code" for flying went away in the mid to late 60's (at least on the west coast). My first plane trip was in 1970, from Sacramento to L.A. on PSA, and I don't recall donning anything more than what I'd have worn on any given day (I was 17, so somewhat attuned to these things). But maybe I was just a slob. Eight Years LaterI have a North Central flight schedule dated January 1, 1970, with 22 tiny print pages of flights. They really covered the Upper Midwest. About that Dress CodeI don't think that they're dressed up just because they are flying. It appears to be a business trip, so the gentlemen are dressed just as they would if they were going to the office. This is still common practice for some companies today - if you're traveling for the company, you follow the dress code that's in place. But general office dress codes are less strict in many businesses now. I flew in and out of Appleton on DC-3sYup---I flew from Appleton on a DC-3 to Chicago via Milwaukee when I went into the Navy in 1960. I would come home on leave to Appleton by air and through Chicago via Milwaukee--I'd arrive in a DC-3. Sometimes as few as two passengers would be on board from Milwaukee to Appleton. It was a bouncy ride from Chicago. History will show the DC-3s on North Central Air were tough birds--one collided with a small private plane between Chicago and Milwaukee---and carried the other craft all the way to safe landing in Milwaukee---the small plane imbedded in the DC-3s port bow. I am not sure the DC-3 views shown on Shorpy's are at the present airport location west of town or the one I remember on the north east side off Ballard road. Dressed to FlyWe flew often during the 60s and 70s and I remember my mom making sure we all wore Sunday best - all five of us kids. In fact when packing our bags, the question was always posed to us - "What are you wearing on the plane?" It wasn't until the 80s that it was about dressing for comfort and then of course it morphed into dressing for airport security checks. The connection between dress and self-respect as well as respect for the occasion has deteriorated quickly since the baby-boomer generation. Soon we'll all be wearing shorts and flip-flops to the office just like many do at church these days. 1975 versionHere's a picture of the DC-3 from 1975: http://www.airlinefan.com/airline-photos/6642431/Shorter-Airlines/Dougla... Never heard of "Shorter Airlines" but the picture says it was taken in Miami. http://www.michaelprophet.com/imagesSanJuan1985_1989/55.jpg This might be the same plane, it matches the paint scheme from the 1975 picture, but the registration number is covered by the bushes. Sad it see it in that shape. (Aviation, Kermy Kodachromes)
Life in Wartime: 1942
Pittsburgh, August 1942. "The comforts of home looked pretty good to Navy ... on Shorpy. - Dave] (The Gallery, Alfred Palmer, Pittsburgh, WW2) ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 09/11/2011 - 11:34am -

Pittsburgh, August 1942. "The comforts of home looked pretty good to Navy Radioman John Marshall Evans and Sergeant French L. Vineyard, who spent Sunday with the family of their poster colleague George Woolslayer." Medium format negative negative by Alfred Palmer for the OWI. View full size. French Vineyard?I never thought I'd see a name to top Olive Groves (heard below), but that might just be it. My GrandparentsGoogled my last name and was absolutely delighted to see my father's parents. I never knew this photo existed. For reference sake their names were Ethel Householder Woolslayer and George Anthony Woolslayer Sr. [There are 48 more Woolslayer photos in the Library of Congress archive. And a couple more here on Shorpy. - Dave] (The Gallery, Alfred Palmer, Pittsburgh, WW2)
Billy Sunday Tabernacle: 1918
... spent 8 years as a big league outfielder with Chicago, Pittsburgh and Philadelphia in the National League? Could it have been his .248 ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/28/2012 - 6:38pm -

January 1918. Washington, D.C. "Billy Sunday tabernacle." A temporary meeting hall built near Union Station for a three-month series of revival meetings held by the famous evangelist. Harris & Ewing Collection glass negative. View full size. Streetcars!According to an article in The Post this week, streetcars are about to return to DC after a 50-year absence. There it is!The honest to god, original Tourist Motel! And to think, it all started because of Billy Sunday... Well, probably not, but I love the hotel name. Photographer's Vantage PointThe photographer's vantage point seems to be from an upper level window or the roof at the SE corner of the Union Station building. The view is looking south with First Street NE extending in the distance towards the Library of Congress dome. What a weird structureAnd it looks like someone's been snowboarding off the roof. Not seen in this photois a temporary wall of separation between church and state. Switch TowerCan anybody identify the function of the elevated tower at the front left of the photo? I'm guessing that it might house the controls for the switches on the trolley car tracks. That might also explain the semaphore like device sticking out of the roof. [That "semaphore" is a street sign on the lamppost near the horse. The switch tower is described in the comments under this photo. - Dave] Popular EvangelistBilly Sunday, born in poverty and raised in an orphanage, was a magnetic personality who, after playing professional baseball in the 1880s, became one of the most popular Bible-thumping evangelists of his time. He was a large cog in the wheel that foisted Prohibition on America. Unlike many of his peers, before and since, Billy seems not to have had feet of clay. Outfielder Billy SundayHow many knew that, in his 20s, the legendary Rev. Billy Sunday (1862-1935) spent 8 years as a big league outfielder with Chicago, Pittsburgh and Philadelphia in the National League? Could it have been his .248 career batting average that inspired him to give up his baseball career for a higher calling? Out-of-townerAnybody know what that big dome-y structure up on the hill is? (You can have them ring me at my rooms in The Tourist.) IncendiaryI'll bet the D.C. fire marshal held his breath for 3 months. The Ghostly Horse And WagonThe horse and wagon to the extreme right look like true ghosts to me. They're very faint and I can see what looks like the entire curb behind them. They do cast shadows so I'm not calling on the supernatural to explain it yet. I've never seen such large moving objects look so ghostly with such sharp outlines. As an aside, there is an almost invisible bicyclist who is also casting a shadow midway between the trolleys. Clean snow!By the number of wheel tracks in the snow, you can tell it's been on the ground awhile. With that in mind, it's nice to see WHITE snow. Those were the days of clean air. [The air of 1918 was considerably dirtier than it is now. Coal soot. - Dave] Who was the evangelist ?Billy Graham is the only one named Billy that I ever knew but he was born in 1918 so not likely to have preached the same year. Which "Billy" was speaking here ?? [Billy Sunday. Like it says in the title and the caption. - Dave] Thanks Dave, I thought it meant that it was on a Sunday and since it is a tabernacle it is normal to think that. But thanks for answering. [Aha! You're welcome. - Dave] Urban and Spiritual RenewalDuring the early-century maneuvering over how to memorialize Lincoln, one of the sites considered was this general area, which was a slum between Capitol Hill and Union Station. The Lincoln Memorial was going to go up elsewhere, but it appears that a way was found to clear out the slums and simultaneously promote righteousness. Eloquent, at times Washington Post, May 25, 1889 Billy Sunday as a Revivalist Billy Sunday, the clever right-fielder of the Pittsburg club, doffed his baseball uniform and made his first appearance in this city in the role of a revivalist, at the Central Union Mission last night. The hall was pretty well filled, and a great many came in while he was speaking. None of the members of either the Pittsburg or Washington clubs were present. After a service of song and a prayer by Mr. Sunday, he selected a text from the first chapter of John, fourth and fifth verses. The short sermon which followed was replete with interest, forcibly and, at times, eloquently given. He closed with a short prayer. Washington Post, Nov 6, 1917 Ground is Broken for Tabernacle Ground was broken in front of the Union Station plaza yesterday for the tabernacle which is to house the Billy Sunday revival here in January. The actual turning of the sod was performed by John C. Letts, chairman of the Sunday campaign committee. Post-master M.O. Chance presided. The ceremony took place under one of the big Union Station flags at 12:15 o'clock p.m. in the presence of several hundred people who stood with bared heads until the exercises were completed. The Rev. Charles Wood, pastor of the Church of the Covenant, and the Rev. James Gordon, of the First Congregational Church, delivered the prayers. Dr. James E. Walker, representing Billy Sunday, in his address said that Sunday comes to Washington to preach the simple word of God. "Not Mr. Sunday, but Washington is on trial," he concluded. The permit to erect the tabernacle bears the signatures of Champ Clark, Vice President Marshall, and Supt. E.H. Woods, of the Capitol. Another Billy Sunday referenceChicago, Chicago that toddling town Chicago, Chicago I will show you around - I love it Bet your bottom dollar you lose the blues in Chicago, Chicago The town that Billy Sunday could not shut down BrrrThe winter of 1917-18 was one of the coldest and snowiest of the 20th century. Many cold records were set that remain unbroken 90 years later. http://www.semp.us/publications/biot_reader.php?BiotID=637 Room at the TouristWell, you can stay there, but I'm booking a room at the Hotel Wilmat, they have 'ROOMS' (The Gallery, D.C., Harris + Ewing, Railroads, Streetcars)
A Swell Soiree: 1942
... Vineyard is wearing the paper hat. Allegheny Steel, Pittsburgh." One in a series of dozens of photos taken of the three men in a ... it's ketchup, it's GOT to be Heinz. Especially if it's a Pittsburgh photograph! Great picture. (The Gallery, Alfred Palmer, ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 09/11/2011 - 11:19am -

August 1942. "A poster comes to life. Another democratic institution, beer and pretzels. Chief radioman Evans, at extreme left, reaches for a slice of the ham which Mrs. Woolslayer is serving. Sergeant Vineyard is wearing the paper hat. Allegheny Steel, Pittsburgh." One in a series of dozens of photos taken of the three men in a WW2 poster after they decided to get together. View full size. Medium format negative by Alfred Palmer for the Office of War Information. What names!French Vineyard might be a remarkable (if unGoogleable) name, but Woolslayer is pretty amazing too. By the way, Wikipedia tells me the Duquesne Brewing Co. closed its doors in 1972. Another local brewery down the tubes. And notice the ketchup bottleIf it's ketchup, it's GOT to be Heinz. Especially if it's a Pittsburgh photograph! Great picture. (The Gallery, Alfred Palmer, Pittsburgh, WW2)
Bankers Row: 1905
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, circa 1905. "Pittsburgh Wall Street (4th Avenue)." 8x10 inch dry plate glass negative, ... is the same view from July of 2016. (The Gallery, DPC, Pittsburgh) ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/01/2012 - 1:39pm -

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, circa 1905. "Pittsburgh Wall Street (4th Avenue)." 8x10 inch dry plate glass negative, Detroit Publishing Company. View full size. Before removal of "The Hump"This was before Grant's Hill was removed in 1912. What once was a slight rise was excavated, making most of downtown flat. Must be SundayThere's nobody doing any business, although the clock says 1. The view to-dayToo bad the Curb isn't there anymore. Looks like it could have been a nice place for a tall cool one. View Larger Map +111Below is the same view from July of 2016. (The Gallery, DPC, Pittsburgh)
Just a Dip At Twilight: 1938
... A homemade swimming pool for steelworkers' children in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Photograph by Arthur Rothstein, July, 1938. View ... were already around even then. (The Gallery, Kids, Pittsburgh) ... 
 
Posted by Ken - 09/07/2011 - 9:17pm -

A homemade swimming pool for steelworkers' children in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Photograph by Arthur Rothstein, July, 1938. View full size. Bikini?Look at the girl on the far right. Is that a bikini, or is it my imagination? There were no bikinis in 1938, before WWII. At least that's what I was told. Like making love in a canoeIs there anything beer can't do? No BikiniI don't see a bikini anywhere in the picture, left or right. The lady on the right is wearing a swimsuit whose style was quite normal for that period. Notice the lower half ends of a kind of loose skirt around the thighs. Actual bikinis first started showing up on the French Riviera in the mid fifties. But two-piece bathing suits were already around even then. (The Gallery, Kids, Pittsburgh)
Betty Crockers: 1935
... Wringers During 1981-84 when I was in grad school in Pittsburgh new Bendix wringer washers could be bought in local appliance shops. Of course Pittsburgh used to be a place where steel was made. B-CC: Bethesda Chevy ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/10/2012 - 12:32am -

Bethesda, Maryland. "Cooking class, Chevy Chase High School, 1935." 5x7 safety negative, National Photo Company Collection. View full size. The StoveCan you zoom in on the stove brand at all? I just find this photo fascinating. [The one on the left is an "Insulated Glenwood" gas range. The wringer washer and mangle ironer are Apex brand. - Dave] Serious BusinessThese are so no-nonsense cooks at work! FHODFuture Homemakers of the Damned -- they are so not impressed with getting their picture taken. ModernI've read comments before about how modern some people look in older pictures. I must say, almost all of these girls, given a change of clothes, I could see at the mall today. Actually, what IS with their dresses? They're so similar but not exact... Wish I'd been more domesticFor someone who spends all her time and money on things to make her home beautiful, I'm sure one terrible homemaker. My mother hated the PTA (cult for the passionless) and 1950s fashion (for the repressed). And loved people like Gloria Steinem. My sis and I could've learned a thing or two from this Home Ec crew. Love it. This whole site is a treasure. http://hoveyvintage.blogspot.com What's that machine?What's the woman on the right with her back towards us doing? Electric towel dryer? Dough Presser? And is the machine on the far right a clothes washer or dish washer? It WOULD take a woman from the 1930's to explain these things to me! [Electric ironer and wringer washer. - Dave] Wringer WasherI remember those when I was a little boy in the early 60's..... yes, they were still around then. Through the WringerWe had one in the basement of the house my parents rented in about 1974. My sister and brothers told me it would suck my hand in and eat me if I got too close. MangleIn England, the two wringers on a washing machine were called a mangle, but in America the two-roller ironing machine took the same name. Ironrite ?It looks Like an Ironrite ironing machine to me. [Apex. - Dave] FuturamaIt will get better someday, ladies, I promise. There are microwaves on the horizon, steam irons, smooth cooktops, food processors, and top loading six-cycle washers to look forward to. My mom thought it'd eat her too!My grandmother used a wringer washer till she died, which was just last year. Yes, they still sell them; she had to buy a new one just a few years ago! Wringer WasherJust who sells Wringer Washers today? I've never seen any at Sears or other appliance stores. New WringerWringer Washer for sale. Yours for only $899, plus shipping and freight. Made in Saudi Arabia. WringersDuring 1981-84 when I was in grad school in Pittsburgh new Bendix wringer washers could be bought in local appliance shops. Of course Pittsburgh used to be a place where steel was made. B-CC: Bethesda Chevy ChaseI went to B-CC High School.. they have upgraded the home ec facilities since then www.gwadzilla.blogspot.com (The Gallery, Education, Schools, Kitchens etc., Natl Photo)
Shut This Door That Means You
... he worked the rest of his life as a glass cutter for the Pittsburgh Plate Glass Company in Clarksburg, West Virginia. In the 1920s, he ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 01/08/2009 - 11:24am -

Vance, a trapper boy, 15 years old. Has trapped for several years in a West Virginia coal mine at 75 cents a day for 10 hours work. All he does is to open and shut this door: most of the time he sits here idle, waiting for the cars to come. On account of the intense darkness in the mine, the hieroglyphics on the door were not visible until plate was developed. September 1908. View full size. Photograph and caption by Lewis Wickes Hine. One trapper's description of the job, which paid about $1.60 a day: Trappers were responsible for opening and closing the underground ventilation doors. In those old mines, they had a system of doors between sections to direct the flow of air. Air was supposed to go up the main haulage and back to the fan. So a trapper sat all day by his door with an oil lamp on his cap. There was a "manhole" - a shelter hole in the wall by the track. The motorman would blink his light at me, and I'd throw the switch and open the door for him. Then, I'd jump into the manway until he was past, and run out and close the door. A trip would come along about every hour. Was I bored or lonely? Well, it was my job. incredible photoThanks, photo it is incredible. Tamara Razov. SadSo lonely it must have been. Lonely and dangerousHere's a short death notice published in 1912 in The Pointer in Riverdale, Illinois: "Herrin — Oliver Fraser, 20, a trapper boy in a mine, was killed when a runaway car struck the trap door and knocked him in front-of the car." TrapperMy grandfather started out as a Trapper boy in 1890 at the age of eight in PA. He was in the third grade and had to go to work because his father had been blacklisted for trying to start a union. The family spent the winter of 1890 living in a half-tent as they had been evicted from company housing. Finally quit the 'mines' in 1935. Vance van GoghAfter looking at this for about the zillionth time I see that trapper boy Vance is the artist here - he signed the door drawing with both his initials (V.P.) and his full name, Vance Palmer. Kind of sad to imagine him chalk-drawing all by himself by the light of his hat-candle. Canary in a coal mineDon't scare the birds Vance, trapper boyVance Swisher Palmer was born September 16, 1893. After working in the mine as a boy, he worked the rest of his life as a glass cutter for the Pittsburgh Plate Glass Company in Clarksburg, West Virginia. In the 1920s, he served as secretary of the West Virginia Farmer-Labor party. He died in Clarksburg on August 20, 1945. Surviving were his wife and four children. I interviewed his daughter and will publish excerpts at a later date on my Lewis Hine Project website. www.morningsonmaplestreet.com/lewishine.html Vance, The Trapper Boy: 1908This is Joe Manning, of the Lewis Hine Project. I have completed my story about Vance Palmer. I interviewed two of his children and obtained some family photos of Vance. http://morningsonmaplestreet.com/2014/11/26/vance-palmer-page-one/ UnusualThe picture that the son thinks was Vance's high school graduation photo is in itself unusual. In 1911 graduating from high school was an accomplishment for a W.Va. coal miner. However, it does explain his election to the Clarksburg Trades and Labor Council as Secretary/Treasurer. Thank you Joe Manning for another insightful look at the past. (The Gallery, Kids, Lewis Hine, Mining)
Carson Street Depot: 1938
July 1938. "Pittsburgh. View of the city from Homestead." Medium format acetate negative by ... bends in the Monongahela River to have a view of downtown Pittsburgh. 601 East Carson Street hasn't changed much in 80-plus years. ... in both pictures. (The Gallery, Arthur Rothstein, Pittsburgh, Railroads) ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 05/01/2020 - 11:50am -

July 1938. "Pittsburgh. View of the city from Homestead." Medium format acetate negative by Arthur Rothstein for the Farm Security Administration. View full size. Most likely from South Side FlatsThe Carson Street Freight Station is in South Side Flats. Homestead is too far to the southeast and around a couple of bends in the Monongahela River to have a view of downtown Pittsburgh. 601 East Carson Streethasn't changed much in 80-plus years. Now a smoke / vaping shop. W. Zoglmann's SaloonA 1910 directory lists Wolfgang Zoglmann as a saloon keeper operating at 601 Carson Street. He was born in 1875 in Austria, and had five children with his wife Mary before he died in 1949. Zoglmann lives, the orthodox church, not so much. Missing Onion The original church building in the photo is still there today, minus the upper portion of its tower. The apparently more elaborate St. John the Baptist Ukrainian Catholic Church is just a block away. Wonder if there's a connection. First a saloon, then a restaurantZoglmann’s, as a saloon (circa. 1910), then as a restaurant (1934). From the Heinz History Center blog . Wo ist Herr Zoglmann?Looking at the two pictures submitted, I'd say he's the one in the suspenders in the older picture, and nattily dressed in the vest, befitting the more upscale nature of the establishment, in the second picture 24 years later. Amazingly, he's is taking the same stance and seems to be in the same position in both pictures. (The Gallery, Arthur Rothstein, Pittsburgh, Railroads)
Wood Street: 1908
Circa 1908. "Wood Street, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania." A good look at the street-rail infrastructure in ... sight. Sunday morning? Where is everyone? Pittsburgh was a bustling city with a very active downtown in 1905. I'd expect ... What has happened to our world? (The Gallery, DPC, Pittsburgh, Streetcars) ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 04/19/2016 - 6:15pm -

Circa 1908. "Wood Street, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania." A good look at the street-rail infrastructure in place 100 years ago. 8x10 inch glass negative. View full size. BrutalizedI didn't realize that the building on the left foreground was the same with the 80s streetfriendly reduction. Fancy Building & Peoples Bank remainHard to see People's Bank but I think it is there. The fancy building on the right is in plain sight. Sunday morning? Where is everyone?Pittsburgh was a bustling city with a very active downtown in 1905. I'd expect to see a lot more traffic, both pedestrian and vehicular. So I'm guessing this was Sunday morning, when all proper people would be in church, but not so early that the woman crossing in front was afraid to go out. Optical IllusionBefore I supersized this photo I thought that was snow on the street. Bad eyes or wishful thinking, I sure was hoping to cool off with a peek at snow. Bummer. [Would you settle for an airborne bugle with a Seussian finial? - Dave] Way cool Dave, thanks! +106Below is the same view from July of 2011. Lost soulIn virtually every original scene that has been presented on Shorpy, when someone has posted the same scene today, the spirit, the soul, the humanity, the beauty is gone. What has happened to our world? (The Gallery, DPC, Pittsburgh, Streetcars)
Cold-Rolled: 1941
January 1941. "Mill district of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Long stairway in a working class section." Acetate ... It looks like a stairway, but it’s a street Pittsburgh has hundreds of stairways like these, many of them categorized as ... the city unique. Ernie Pyle wrote of the steps of Pittsburgh: “Oh Lord, the steps! I was told they actually had a Department of ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 12/22/2018 - 11:14am -

January 1941. "Mill district of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Long stairway in a working class section." Acetate negative by Jack Delano. View full size. It looks like a stairway, but it’s a street Pittsburgh has hundreds of stairways like these, many of them categorized as city streets. They’re one of the things that make the city unique. Ernie Pyle wrote of the steps of Pittsburgh: “Oh Lord, the steps! I was told they actually had a Department of Steps. That isn’t exactly true, although they do have an Inspector of Steps. But there are nearly 15 miles of city-owned steps, going up mountainsides.“ SlipperyLook at those women further down the hill, linking arms. With the slope and the packed snow, I can imagine the grip underfoot was precarious. Jack DelanoI really appreciate all the Delano photos you have been posting. Many I have not seen before. We have all seen this one; if it's not his greatest photo it's his greatest landscape. [This is a "new" photo that we have not seen before, although similar to the one posted earlier here. - Dave] He loved shadows, dirty snow, night cityscapes, old buildings, locomotives and, mostly, workers and ordinary people in general. He goes past the pathos so abundant in those years and gets to the dignity of workers and poor people. My favorite is of a young black woman wearing her best suit and a tilted white hat while leaning on a rail and waiting for a bus to the next agricultural job. He was born in the Ukraine, grew up in N.Y.C. and spent the last half of his life in Porto Rico, which he loved. He would probably have considered himself a musician (composer) first and a photographer second. His autobiography "Photographic Memories" is worth finding. Another Fine MessSomehow, I can't help but envision Laurel and Hardy trying to move a piano up this stairway. Burgh StairsThis brings back memories of out-of-town drivers being confounded by streets suddenly turning to stairs, even though a through street showed on a map. Taking a ChanceThis is intersection of the short Chance Way, ambling off to the left at the bottom of the wooden stairs and Tullymet Street diving steeply down to Irvine and the Coal/Coke plants, now gone. In a modern view the only feature left are some newer concrete stairs with metal railings and that house in the left foreground, still very recognizable. (The Gallery, Factories, Jack Delano, Pittsburgh)
Bus Baggage: 1943
September 1943. "Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Bringing baggage from a bus." Photo by Esther Bubley ... hotel in the background is the old Fort Pitt Hotel in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. [Thankyou! - Dave] It's very film ... (The Gallery, Cars, Trucks, Buses, Esther Bubley, Pittsburgh) ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 09/17/2014 - 3:06pm -

September 1943. "Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Bringing baggage from a bus." Photo by Esther Bubley for the Office of War Information. View full size. Not in ColumbusThe bus may be Columbus bound but that big hotel in the background is the old Fort Pitt Hotel in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. [Thankyou! - Dave] It's very film noirish...in a dark, sort of gloomy way. A bus station in a dark, gritty downtown terminal. You can almost smell it. Fort Hayes HotelLooking at the sign on the building behind, that may be the Fort Hayes Hotel which is long gone. Deja vu...Recently, flying home non-stop from Boston to San Francisco... It felt exactly like we remember being treated as a Bus Passenger in the 1960's! Ah, Esther!She's always great. (The Gallery, Cars, Trucks, Buses, Esther Bubley, Pittsburgh)
Shop at Rosenbaums: 1941
August 1941. "Pittsburgh along the Monongahela River." Medium format acetate negative by ... is an interesting little architectural oddity- the Wabash Pittsburgh Terminal Railway station. The long, barn-like trainshed covers the ... to give the forecast. This was the tallest building in Pittsburgh until 1970. Interestingly, the Koppers Building has a copper ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 11/02/2019 - 5:34pm -

August 1941. "Pittsburgh along the Monongahela River." Medium format acetate negative by Marion Post Wolcott for the Farm Security Administration. View full size. ... to put up a parking garageThe site formerly occupied by Rosenbaum's department store (along 6th between Penn Avenue and Liberty) is occupied by a mildly interesting seven-story parking garage. It is very convenient for patrons of Heinz Hall, the performance venue one block north. All that remains... of the massive railroad bridge and adjoining station is the two huge brick pillars, one on each side of the river. Amazingly, the Kelly and Jones Pipefittings building and the Neffco Coffee building next to it (now Fort Pitt Coffee) are still standing. Unusual stationTo the left of that long steel cantilever is an interesting little architectural oddity- the Wabash Pittsburgh Terminal Railway station. The long, barn-like trainshed covers the tracks, which entered the city at second story level from the bridge. At the rear of the train shed, you can see the “flatiron style” headhouse for the station, both of which opened with the railroad in 1904. To the left of the headhouse, you can see the railroad’s elevated tracks for its small freight terminal- a pretty unusual structure necessitated by the decision to bridge the Monongahela on a high level. It was all gone by 1946. Big Fly Swatting Contest Begins Monday, June 30thChildren, get ready to swat the fly! Flies will be measured by gills, pints, quarts, etc. could have been that year, but actually happened in 1913. The Smoky CityNothing like a deep fresh breath of CO₂, hydrogen fluoride and sulfur dioxide to get the blood flowing on an early fall morning. What's left standingThe three tallest buildings in this picture (back to front): The Gulf Tower, the Koppers Tower, and the Henry W. Oliver Building. Wabash Bridgewas removed in 1948. It was not destroyed, it was dismantled, and much of the steel was used in a bridge down the river, commonly called the Dravosburg Bridge, actually named the W.D. Mansfield Memorial Bridge. The bridge connects McKeesport and Dravosburg across the Mon. The Gulf Building, now called the Gulf Tower, used to have lights on the pyramid structure at the top to give the weather forecast. Blue and orange lights let people know if it was going to be warm/cold, and if the lights were flashing that meant precipitation was forecast. These forecasts stopped sometime in the late 1980s. KDKA brought the lights back about 10 years ago, though they are now LED lights and use several colors to give the forecast. This was the tallest building in Pittsburgh until 1970. Interestingly, the Koppers Building has a copper roof. Koppers is a chemical company, and their global headquarters are still in that building. Keenan BuildingI had trouble getting my bearings until I found the Keenan Building, the domed building near the center. The top (18th) floor is rumored to have been Thomas Keenan’s bachelor pad, whence emerged many a sadder-but-wiser girl. (The Gallery, Boats & Bridges, M.P. Wolcott, Pittsburgh, Railroads, Stores & Markets)
Above the Nixon: 1914
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, circa 1914. "Sixth Avenue above the Nixon Theatre." ... As someone who lives very close to and works in Pittsburgh, I can almost hear someone in this pic saying, "Yinz wanna head ... (Technology, The Gallery, Cars, Trucks, Buses, DPC, Pittsburgh) ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 02/28/2014 - 8:25am -

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, circa 1914. "Sixth Avenue above the Nixon Theatre." Home to the Nixon Cafe. Note the theater's "digital" carriage call. 8x10 inch dry plate glass negative, Detroit Publishing Company. View full size. Employment DreamYou can see how effective the corner Employment Office was by seeing the guy with the broom in the street. And that ain't hay. Much has changedBut the light building on the right is still there. [Not to mention the one across the street. -tterrace] View Larger Map Carriage Call CodingFrom the picture via previous post, I'm puzzled by the coding of the ticket. Certainly not anything I've ever seen in punched cards, tickets, etc. Anyone? "Yinzer" ancestorsAs someone who lives very close to and works in Pittsburgh, I can almost hear someone in this pic saying, "Yinz wanna head dahntahn in a buggy to get a chipped ham sammich 'n at?" +102Below is the same view from July of 2016. (Technology, The Gallery, Cars, Trucks, Buses, DPC, Pittsburgh)
Magic Kingdom: 1905
... glad places like Cedar Point in Ohio, Kennywood Park in Pittsburgh and Lake Compounce in Connecticut are still around. Another ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/15/2012 - 4:14pm -

Nantasket Beach, Massachusetts, circa 1905. "Bird's eye view of Paragon Park from Rockland House." Note the Schlitz sign as well as the "Katzenjammer Castle." 8x10 inch dry plate glass negative, Detroit Publishing Co. View full size. Gone but not forgottenParagon Park closed its doors in 1984. Loved the Bermuda Triangle ride and the Giant Coaster. Many folks would rather take out a second mortgage and go to Disney than frequent their local amusement parks. I'm glad places like Cedar Point in Ohio, Kennywood Park in Pittsburgh and Lake Compounce in Connecticut are still around. Another fantastic photographThe clarity from top to bottom is just stunning. Before even getting to the park, I've already lost ten minutes just scrolling around the hillside and waterways, steamboats and sailing ships. Well done. Opposite from the expectedThis is like looking at a stage set from the back of the wings; all that excitement inside and beyond that gaudy fence? Grass. All illusion, as it was meant to be. Who knewThat Hans und Fritz were closet aristocrats?!? The Giant CoasterApparently the roller coaster in the background was moved, and it's still in operation at Six Flags America, Largo, Maryland (now called "The Wild One"). Dreamlands BabyThis reminds me a lot of Dreamland Park that was on Coney Island, especially the big tower. Mini Dreamland! Johnstown Flood funhouseCan I get an idea of what that building housed (bottom left)? Maybe some debris, a log flume? That place looks like fun, even a bit ghoulish. I'm seeing itRiding a sidewheeler. Walking on a beautiful beach while looking at a distant lighthouse. Going to a beautiful amusement park and riding the roller coaster. I am looking at heaven. Intermodal transportI see a train platform next to the park and it's also just a short walk from the pier with those cool sidewheel steamers with the walking beams. E-Z access, indeed. Now all I have to do is drag my time machine out of the garage and find my straw boater. Cottage LotsAre there still any cottage lots remaining? I'll take one. Waning daysThat's Hingham Harbor to the left. As a child in Hingham in the late 1950s, I was aware of dilapidated Paragon Park but don't retain any vivid memories of it. I do remember collecting sea glass along more-stony-than-sandy Nantasket Beach. Just out of frame is World's End, a peninsula where my family often walked and flew kites: beautiful hillsides, groves, and a few gravel roads lined with stately trees. For 20 years I remembered it as Arcadia, nature at its most harmonious...then learned that it had been landscaped by Frederick Law Olmsted for a luxury housing development that didn't pan out. Partly Burnt: 1916 The Standard, Jun 10, 1905. Boston and New England. Paragon Park Buildings Insured for $100,000. … Paragon Park, which is operated by the Eastern Park Construction Company of Boston, is said to be the largest amusement park in New England, comprising twenty acres of land and containing thirty distinct shows. The amusement buildings surround a large lagoon, and are one and two stories in height and of frame and plaster construction. Two-thirds of the interior finish, however, is of compressed steel, and certain of the exterior walls are also of compressed steel. The palm garden, which is the largest of the buildings in the enclosure and upon which $12,000 of the insurance is placed, is considered well cut off from the other structures, and in event of fire in other sections of the park, it is not thought that this building would be exposed. The power house and the electric light plant are located at the extreme end of the park near the main entrance. Municipal Journal, Sep 21, 1916. Fire and Police Summer Resort Swept by Fire. Paragon Park, a popular Nantasket summer resort is partly destroyed as the result of an early morning fire which swept through its pleasure buildings doing $50,000 damages. The big Palm Garden, the principal building of the park, had been saved, but the dance hall, the old mill, the moving picture theatre, the entrance, the sand bumps and a portion of the roller coaster, as well as other buildings were destroyed. Several firemen were injured, but none seriously. The fire starting in the sand bumps about 1 o'clock, from unknown cause, swept eastward, toward the other structures. Fanned by a heavy wind, the flames were carried across the park, destroying the power station, and many telephone and telegraph poles were also destroyed. A huge water curtain thrown in front of the Palm Garden saved it from destruction, while firemen from Hull, Cohasset, Hingham, Scituate, Quincy and other near-by towns checked the flames after they had seriously threatened to destroy the Nantasket hotel, the pier of the Nantasket Steamboat Company, 100 or more cottages in the residential section of Rockland Hill and other buildings. At 2.30 o'clock the fire was under control. While the fire was in progress, thousands of persons arrived in automobiles and other conveyances to watch the spectacle. Chief Frank F. Reynolds, of the Hull police, fire chief John Mitchell of Hull, and chief Charles Bickford of the Metropolitan park police will conduct a probe. As an indirect result of the fire, a lineman employed by the Weymouth Light & Power Company, was probably fatally injured when he was thrown from the company truck when it skidded. Wheeler and other members of a repair crew were responding to a hurry call from the park to repair a live wire which had fallen from a burned pole. Just MagicalThis image is so magical and otherworldly. The landscape of water and hills, dotted with isolated homes -- the lighthouse to the far right, the paddlewheel ships - is as enchanting as the amusement park itself. The artificial world of the park, and the real world of the park's environs, are both so dream-like and compelling that it is hard to tell where one ends and one begins. An entire world of fantasy within a single image. (The Gallery, Boats & Bridges, DPC, Railroads)
Seven Bridges: 1912
Pittsburgh circa 1912. "Coal barges at 'The Point' -- Confluence of Allegheny ... it was destroyed some time ago, if you Google photos of Pittsburgh in the 1950s, you will see it was still in use then. Little ... this? -tterrace] (The Gallery, Boats & Bridges, DPC, Pittsburgh) ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/28/2017 - 7:17pm -

Pittsburgh circa 1912. "Coal barges at 'The Point' -- Confluence of Allegheny and Monongahela at start of Ohio River." A bounty of seven spans for you bridge identifiers out there. 8x10 inch dry plate glass negative. View full size. Remains of a pierattached is a picture of the remains of the bridge pier from the end of the bridge closest to the camera in the image Construction at the JunctionThey are constructing the concrete arch approaches to the North Side Point Bridge (also known as the Manchester Bridge), completed 1915 and demolished 1970. The construction of the 2 Pratt Through Truss spans over the Allegheny River was substantially complete before the construction of the approach spans. RE: Construction or Destruction?The train trestle on the left was under construction at the time. Although it was destroyed some time ago, if you Google photos of Pittsburgh in the 1950s, you will see it was still in use then. Little remains from this photoThe T.J. Keenan Building, previously seen here, still stands. It's hard to appreciate its beautiful red dome in a black-and-white photo. This photo would have been taken from the top of the Duquesne Incline, one of the two surviving funiculars of more than 20 that existed at one time. The view is just as spectacular! Construction or Destruction?The bridge in left foreground has no approaches. Is it going up or coming down? Not present in the modern view posted by kozel. There doesn't seem to be any equipment or activity surrounding where the approaches should be. [Like this? -tterrace] (The Gallery, Boats & Bridges, DPC, Pittsburgh)
Kroger Depot: 1941
... June 1941. "Carloads of fruit and vegetables at terminal. Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania." Medium format acetate negative by John Vachon for ... the DD1 containers: (The Gallery, John Vachon, Pittsburgh, Railroads) ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 09/03/2020 - 3:33pm -

June 1941. "Carloads of fruit and vegetables at terminal. Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania." Medium format acetate negative by John Vachon for the Farm Security Administration. View full size. In the vicinity of 21st & Railroad Street In the Strip DistrictPittsburghers know the Strip as the place to find the best cheese, coffee, pasta, meat, pizza, sandwiches -- just about anything you can eat and some things you can't eat. I'm getting homesick just thinking about it. Not your father's Strip DistrictThe Strip District is much different than Sewickley likely remembers it. This site shows just how much the area has changed over the years. Primanti's is still there, though, and surviving the pandemic quite well. The second picture shows the old Kroger warehouse and the upscale apartment building that is there now. Refrigerated BoxcarsCan you imagine the amount of ice needed for those cars. I Found The Locomotive!It was hiding among the fruit cars. If the lids are up- - -the "reefers" are empty. Things that are still there (sort of)The bluff across the river is known as Troy Hill. The cluster of dark brick and light stone buildings on the left of the bluff is definitely the old North Catholic High School. The school has moved to the affluent suburbs of Butler County, but the buildings remain and houses a charter school. The darker buildings farther to the right on the bluff is most likely the church and school of Most Holy Name of Jesus parish, but I can't find any good photos to confirm my guess. Reefer roof hatchesThe roof hatches are opened to circulate cold air across the load, and to cause the ice to melt, to release cold (actually absorb heat). Salt was also frequently sprinkled on the ice in the "bunkers" so it would melt faster, releasing more cold air. The melted saltwater was drained next to the rails, which is why railroads used to run annual work trains to spray oil on the sides of the rails, to reduce rail and spikes rusting from all that salt water. The oil then combined with traction sand and cinders to make a gunky mess that you never see these days. Other techniques frequently used were a circulating fan, belt driven from an extended car axle end, and top icing, ie blowing chipped ice on top of the fruits or vegetables. Meat reefers were entirely different, they had monorail tracks under the roof to handle hanging sides of beef or pork. The tracks connected to tracks at the warehouses and packing plants. The railroads had massive ice making plants spaced along the line, (100 or so miles) with elevated platforms to allow sliding the heavy ice blocks into the bunkers without having to lift them. Workers at the ice platforms also handled adjusting the roof hatches for temperature regulation, sprinkling salt on the ice, and refreshing the top ice when specified. I remember the big NKP ice plant in Bellevue Ohio. It was all very complex, and employed many people. Camera PositionPhotographer was standing on the 16th Street Bridge looking northeast up the Allegheny River. re: Reefer roof hatchesThese would be empty cars or cars about to be emptied. The hatches are open to dry out the car. You would not be icing cars at their destination. I assume this is a canning plant that gets fruits and vegetables from the West. Early container on flatcar. On the fifth track from the right are two cars of PRR containers that were put into operation in the early thirties. The idea was to pull LTL freight from the highways and back on the rails. It was a good idea that proved to be impractical. The biggest problem was persuading connecting lines to build the terminals needed to handle the containers. The Great Depression affected freight traffic on all railroads and after ten years or so the little containers were repurposed into tool sheds and line-side electrical cabinets. One of These Cars is Not Like the OthersAmong all these boxcars are a couple of oddballs. Roughly centered in the image there is a car that looks like five modules with lifting hooks on the roof. Three cars behind there is another that we can see more clearly (far left lower in the photo). What is that? Edit: my question crossed with the answer below; thanks Rob. I found a clear photo of one of these Pennsylvania RR FM flatcars carrying the DD1 containers: (The Gallery, John Vachon, Pittsburgh, Railroads)
Old Spanish Inn: 1937
... work in the early 1980s and returned to grad school in Pittsburgh we moved into a place a lot like this. She was not a happy camper. ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/30/2012 - 11:00am -

Circa 1937. "Spanish Inn, 43 George Street, St. Augustine, Florida. Dr. Chatelain's photographs. P.A. Wolfe, photographer." Also known as the De Mesa-Sanchez House. Safety negative, collection of Frances Benjamin Johnston. View full size. Been thereTraveling in remote regions of the Southwest, I rented rooms not much better than this. Now it reminds me of my post-divorce days. Jail might seem more agreeable. Waiting RoomThis is a room just waiting to be restored! Love it!!! AmenitiesThe free breakfast included with this suite was one of the first to feature the now microscopic blueberry muffins. But back in the day, when this was shot, you needed two hands to lift them to your face. Hotelsdot com complaints department please. Yes, I will hold. Creepy, in a literal wayThis room makes me itch. It may look like a mess nowBut we're sending Norman over with a broom, Miss Samuels. Here's the bath if you'd care to freshen up ... Hello, Maid Service?We have a little problem up here in #13. Knock knock. HousekeepING!Yes, please. Do come in. Towels? Si, si. Life certainly was simpler then.You didn't have to worry about electric irons, air conditioning, indoor plumbing, elaborate ceiling fixtures, or vacuum the floors. I've been cozened so much by modern conveniences that I'd probably get heat rash staying in the Spanish Inn for more than one night. The photograph is gorgeous, though. What an eye! What an artist! What a woman! How wonderful it would be to have a large-scale retrospective of her work at the National Gallery. Improvements"Old Spanish Inn, 43 St. George Street. One of St. Augustine's oldest surviving buildings, it has been restored to resemble an early 18th-century inn in Spain. Nine rooms are furnished with authentic Spanish pieces brought from Madrid, Toledo, Seville, Granada, and Barcelona." In the latest MobilguideThis place was rated one Dangling Bulb. A bit sparse, butIf they have reliable wi-fi I'll take it. I can sleep in the rocker. Mod ConRemove the bulb, and 100 years fall away. If this is a placeYou pay to stay, I can't like it! Looks to beA smoking room. ShorpyvisionWhat a cool, retro-look mount for a Flat-Screen!! That would be a great way to study all the photos here on Shorpy. All the amenitiesOnly the top rated hotel rooms come with an ironing board although they usually also include a bed. Nice antique washstand though. MemoriesWhen my wife and I quit work in the early 1980s and returned to grad school in Pittsburgh we moved into a place a lot like this. She was not a happy camper. We traded home improvement labor for rent and greatly improved the row house which at one time had been a house of ill repute. The things the youthful will do. (The Gallery, F.B. Johnston, Florida)
Street Life: 1941
June 1941. "Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania." Medium format acetate negative by John Vachon for ... a 10-year-old car. Not Sad I grew up in several Pittsburgh neighborhoods similar to this one. They were communities, where ... in photos like this. (The Gallery, John Vachon, Kids, Pittsburgh) ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 06/07/2020 - 4:05pm -

June 1941. "Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania." Medium format acetate negative by John Vachon for the Farm Security Administration. View full size. Is that old car so old?I just realized that, if the two newer cars in this picture were from roughly 1941, and the old car was from the mid-1920s, the old car is as "old" as my own car is to 2020 cars. But, compare 'em. The old and new cars in the picture are dramatically different. My car? You need to know cars to know it's "old". Sad ViewWhat a misrable vista. That would be a poor area for a kid to grow up on. Can't see all of it but it looks like there is no room even for a street stickball game. Dealer, I've Got 3 of a Kind-- along with a 9 and a Joker! That old carThe old car to the right is a 1930 Model A Ford Coupe. But your point is well-taken. An 11 year-old car today is hardly noticeable, due to the bland styling of modern automakers. But much of that seeming lack of imagination is the result of complying with much stricter rules about safety and fuel efficiency. Not that oldModel A Ford, the radiator shell type and the silver Ford emblem would make it a 1931 model. So it's only a 10-year-old car. Not SadI grew up in several Pittsburgh neighborhoods similar to this one. They were communities, where neighbors talked to and depended on each other and we kids played with the other kids. We were poor together. We went to school together. We walked and talked together. There were vacant lots for make up baseball games. We didn't need the streets for stickball. They were for sledding in the winter. I was happier in these neighborhoods than when my mother moved us to the suburbs, where none of those activities existed, or exist to this day. Please don't be tempted to impose modern values on the past. There aren't that many of us left to defend it. Safety firstThe fatality rate in 1931 when the "old" car was built was 14.79 per billion miles traveled. In 1941, when the picture was taken, it had fallen to 11.43 -- a 23 percent decline in just one decade. In 2018 it had fallen by more than another factor of ten, to 1.13. (Mileage and performance have likewise drastically improved.) You might say that cars today are boring in a good way. Tough Life. When this photograph was taken, the Great Depression had dragged on for a decade. That Model A was very reliable and cheap and it got a lot of people through the Depression. (What make is the other car?) I wonder how that young lad felt. He would only have known the Depression all his life. He lived in a cramped neighbourhood. In a few months the U.S. would be at war and his father or uncle or older brother might be serving. My generation had grandparents who went through all of that and they talked about it to us. Life was tough and I see that in photos like this. (The Gallery, John Vachon, Kids, Pittsburgh)
PbSE: 1904
Circa 1904. "Pittsburgh Stock Exchange, Fourth Avenue." 8x10 inch dry plate glass negative, ... there. Where's the Rest of It? Perhaps some Pittsburgh historian can fill us in on why this grandiose but petite building ... Pope Roman Revival blockhouses. (The Gallery, DPC, Pittsburgh) ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 12/02/2016 - 9:08pm -

Circa 1904. "Pittsburgh Stock Exchange, Fourth Avenue." 8x10 inch dry plate glass negative, Detroit Publishing Company. View full size. ATM Prototype...And with a bank right next door! DelightfulConfection. Hope it's still there. Where's the Rest of It?Perhaps some Pittsburgh historian can fill us in on why this grandiose but petite building only filled part of the lot. Were they planning to add more later? A hole in the groundGoogle Streetview shows a construction site at the address in question. There's still a bank next door, but it's a different building: one of those John Russell Pope Roman Revival blockhouses. (The Gallery, DPC, Pittsburgh)
Party Girl: 1942
... bedtime to take part in the fun. Allegheny-Ludlum Steel, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania." View full size. Medium format negative by Alfred ... - Dave] (The Gallery, Alfred Palmer, Kids, Pittsburgh, WW2) ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 09/11/2011 - 11:34am -

August 1942. "George Woolslayer celebrated the visit of the soldier and sailor with a party at his home. Friends, relatives and fellow workers made up the list of guests. No ordinary party, this one will be remembered by the Woolslayers for years to come. Festivities started at 8 p.m. and lasted well into the next morning. Proudly seated on Sergeant French L. Vineyard's knee is Woolslayer's 8-year-old daughter, Georgia Ann, who stayed up long past her bedtime to take part in the fun. Allegheny-Ludlum Steel, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania." View full size. Medium format negative by Alfred Palmer for the Office of War Information. Strange lookSergeant French L. Vineyard has a strangely predatory look in his eyes, I wonder what he just said to little Georgia Ann that has her smiling in such a coquettish manner. This photo is a little creepy, actually. Take a second look.This picture reminds me of myself a lot. When I go to other friends' places, their kids just seem to flock to me. They climb on my lap and make themselves comfortable. I give them the look – What do you think your doing? The more I growl the more they seem to like me. These two are just getting along fine and that is all that is going on. Sgt. F.L. VineyardFrench Vineyard is one of the most unGoogleable names I've ever come across. A Model SoldierThere is a small photo of Sergeant Vineyard (who looks much nicer than in the one at the party) in the Washington Post of March 11, 1942. His collar is undone and he has pulled his shirt open, like Superman. The caption reads, "Sergt. French L. Vineyard shows how American soldiers will wear two identification tags bearing the soldier's name, serial number, religion, blood type, date of tetanus immunization and the person to be notified in case of emergency. The new tags, of stainless and rustproof monel metal, replace the aluminum disk used by United States troops in World War I, which did not contain the valuable medical information." The article does not say, but I understand that there were two "dog tags" so that if a soldier was killed, one could be taken for record keeping and one could be left with the body for identification when it was recovered later. Sgt. VineyardVineyard's a bit of an unusual name. There is a listing for Sgt. Louis R. Vineyard of Oklahoma, of the 743rd Bomber Squadron, 455th Bomber Group (heavy) on the American Battle Monuments Commission web page for WWII burials overseas. He died on 20 December 1944 and is buried at the Sicily-Rome American Cemetery in Nettuno, Italy. Brother, perhaps? [There are over 1,400 Vineyards in the Social Security Death Index. Including one Frank L. Vineyard, 1921-1998. - Dave] (The Gallery, Alfred Palmer, Kids, Pittsburgh, WW2)
Big John: 1942
... didn't give no lip to big John November 1942. "Pittsburgh (vicinity). Montour No. 4 mine of the Pittsburgh Coal Company. Coal miner waiting to go underground." Medium-format ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 01/16/2017 - 10:26am -

Every mornin' at the mine you could see him arrive He stood six-foot-six and weighed two-forty-five Kinda broad at the shoulder and narrow at the hip And everybody knew ya didn't give no lip to big John November 1942. "Pittsburgh (vicinity). Montour No. 4 mine of the Pittsburgh Coal Company. Coal miner waiting to go underground." Medium-format nitrate negative by John Collier for the Office of War Information. View full size. Big Bad JohnI must have listened to that 45 hundreds of times with my brother on the old hi-fi. Jimmy Dean and Johnny Horton singles giving us stories of other places and times. Good times when we were young and not jaded by everyday life. He Loaded Sixteen TonsYet owes his soul to the company store and is just another day older and deeper in debt. It's all in the name.Could there have been a more appropriate photographer? (The Gallery, John Collier, Mining, Pittsburgh)
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