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A Dickey Christmas: 1919
"Dickey Christmas tree, 1919." The family of Washington, D.C., lawyer Raymond Dickey. 8x6 inch glass negative, National ... I read they lived at 1702 Kilbourne NW in Washington DC, it can be found on Google Street View. I wonder what it looks like inside ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 12/20/2023 - 3:27pm -

"Dickey Christmas tree, 1919." The family of Washington, D.C., lawyer Raymond Dickey. 8x6 inch glass negative, National Photo Co. View full size. It's Not Christmas Without The DickeysAlways look forward to the latest Dickey Christmas picture. If someone made a book of all the pictures I would buy it. They intrigue me, despite their gloominess! I would love to see what they looked like smiling. I read they lived at 1702 Kilbourne NW in Washington DC, it can be found on Google Street View. I wonder what it looks like inside there now. Happier than they look.I would bet they aren't nearly as gloomy as their pictures suggest. Clearly this is a family that loved Christmas enough to get a tree that all out of proportion to the room, decorate it haphazardly and have the most unflattering portraits made of themselves. This is not the picture of a rigid, organized, disciplinarian father with an iron fist. Children of the DamnedI think the younger Dickey boy is attempting to will them out of yet another Dickey Christmas with yet one more rotund tree. Judging from the molecular disturbance around Dad and Sis, I think his efforts at quantum phase-shifting just might be working. We'll know for sure when the gunboat disappears. Well of course they're upsetThats a Marklin "La Dague" Steam powered Torpedo Boat worth between $18,000 and $20,000. And someone has already broken off one of the smokestacks. I would be upset too! Dickeyensian ChristmasThey may well have been the most pleasant of families, but their consistently disturbing Christmas portraits always seem to hint at some dark, Stephen Kingesque, ongoing abuse; something along the lines of "Sybil." Unanswered prayersKid at center: "Please don't let the mold eat me like it has the rest of the -- oops, too late!" Obviously a lawyer ahead of his time.He and his family are already thinking "This will eventually be Public Domain". Good and EvilThe younger brother's Christmas prayer is that his evil sister and her voodoo doll will leave home and never return. While their older brother, Emilio Estevez, keeps his distance from this entire clan huddled beneath the Griswold family Christmas tree. The doll fits in with the family well.The eyes have it. Meet the DickeysDoing a quick Google on Raymond Dickey, I found that there was a Raymond R. Dickey who was a political intimate of William Casey, late head of the CIA and a "Republican Party Stalwart". He died somewhere in the second half of the Twentieth Century (one of the sons?) Also there is a J. Raymond Dickey (grandson?) still practicing law in the Washington area. Marklin ShipActually the ship is a Marklin USS New York. Count the rear portholes at rear; in the picture there are about 6, the other ship proposed has nine visible. What do you mean? Smile? I *am* smiling. Xmas Lesson #1When the tree is too tall, cut at the bottom, not at the top. The weight of the world -- or something -- seems to be pressing down on this family. Is it the tree? The ceiling? Dickey family informationI found the Raymond Dickey family in the 1910 and the 1920 US Census. In 1910 Raymond and Rose lived at 1358 Otis Place NW with two children, Granville and Alice, and two servants, a 33-year-old woman and her 16-year-old son. The son also worked as a laborer in a store. When the house last sold in 2003, it was 4 bedrooms, 2.5 baths, 1,776 square feet. In Street View below, 1358 is the house to the right, trimmed in blue and white. In the 1920 Census Raymond and Rose lived at 1702 Kilbourne Place NW with four children (welcome John and Raymond Jr.) and four women lodgers, all in their early 20s, two were sisters. One was a stenographer and three were clerks. When the house last sold in 1996 it was 5 bedrooms, 2.5 baths, 2,631 sf. In Street View it is the house painted white. Raymond was born in Maryland and Rose in Indiana. Why they chose such an unusual Christmas tree each year is still a mystery. Bah, humbugThe Dickey family's collective ponder of father's comment regarding the cost of photography has been captured for the archives. A good son will pray that he doesn't blur the investment. Remnants of the Kaiser's army may have returned to the toy factory, but shell shock has impacted quality control. Regardless, Marklin models must have been a difficult get in 1919, even for wealthy Americans. The toy museum is worth a visit if you go to Goppingen. I have a treasured photo of my father's Christmas tree circa 1919-1921. The cast iron carbide cannon under the tree now sits on my living room end table. The tree is decorated with dozens of unlit candles in clip-on candle holders. Scary! Six years too early for the Office PartyI thought, by digitally adding some color, that it might would improve their holiday outlook ... but then I realized their real problem. No doubt, they are despondent over the fact that they are six years too early for the Office Christmas Party-1925! Trite but trueI've said it before and I'll say it again, with no judgment or unkindness intended, but merely as an observation: Mrs. Dickey is hammered. More Dickey family informationSome years are a little off, but I think I have the correct family members. Raymond Dickey wed Rose Maxwell in 1901 when Raymond was 23 and Rose was 21. Her father, the Reverend John A. Maxwell performed the ceremony in Washington. Raymond died in 1940 at the age of 62 and is buried in Cedar Hill Cemetery, Prince George's County, Maryland. Rose died in 1967 at the age of 87 and is also buried in Cedar Hill. It appears she did not remarry. Granville was born in 1902. In 1924 he graduated from the College of Journalism at Northwestern University in Chicago, where he was a member of the varsity swim team, and in his senior year was named a member of the all-American swim team. In 1928 he married La Verne Carnes and the couple settled in Chicago where Granville was an advertising manager for a large wholesale house. By 1942 he was living in Maryland and employed at the U.S. Conservation Corps in DC. The move may have been due to a divorce and remarriage. He divorced in 1941 and an Evening Star death notice said Granville’s second wife passed away April 5, 1945. Granville died in 1948 at the age of 45 and is buried in the same cemetery as his parents. His obituary references his surviving sister as Mrs. Alice Beaton. I could not find Alice. Raymond Jr.'s 1981 obituary referenced survivors included his sister, Mrs. John Beaton of St. Croix, Virgin Islands. I did not find a grave or obituary for John. But in the 1940 Census I found a 28yr old J. M. Dickey, attorney, born in DC. Divorced, he was living at the Stonewall Jackson Hotel in Clarksburg, West Virginia. I did not find anyone who might be John in the 1950 Census. He was referenced as a survivor in Granville's 1948 obituary, but not of Raymond Jr. in 1981. Raymond Jr. became a very influential Washington D.C. lawyer. His first law firm was Dickey and Dickey in which he was a partner from 1940 (when he was 22) to 1942. This would seem to be with his father or brother, except his father died in 1940 and his brother was in West Virginia. Married three times, twice divorced, Raymond died of cancer in 1981 at the age of 63. A place of internment was not given. AgonyOur family went thru the agony of Christmas pictures every year. Since we lived overseas, my folks would have the pictures taken in September. That gave my mom enough time to get the prints, write the annual missive, and get them in the mail in October. She mailed them via surface mail (would take just about two months to get to the US) since in those days air mail was too expensive for the number of folks the missive went to. I was so thankful one year that I was going to be leaving home in July. I thought I would not have to go thru the agony. Nope, the folks just took the pictures a week before I left. And the following year, when I was not home, my folks had my grandparents take a photo in July and mail the negatives home. I tried to find out when the Dickey photos were taken. Curious as to whether these photos were taken early to share with friends or taken in December just for the family. Unfortunately, at LOC, all I could find is the year taken, no month. Poor Mrs. DickeyHammered or not, she has to put up with Mr. Dickey. And there’s less speculation about his consumption habits, because we’ve seen the outline of his flask in other years. (The Gallery, Bizarre, Christmas, D.C., Kids, Natl Photo, The Dickeys)
Washington Noir: 1926
"Pennsylvania Avenue at night." A wintry Washington, D.C., scene circa 1926. View full size. National Photo Company ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 07/17/2012 - 10:14pm -

"Pennsylvania Avenue at night." A wintry Washington, D.C., scene circa 1926. View full size. National Photo Company Collection glass negative. Creme de la CreamVelvet Kind was involved in a trademark dispute between Chapin-Sacks Manufacturing and Hendler Creamery. Chapin-Sacks is likely the owner of this electric sign. They had the Washington market. Hendler was out of Baltimore, and took up the "Velvet" name and much of the product identification, but in Maryland. Once Chapin-Sacks expanded out from D.C., the lawsuits flew. Wallpaper NoirThis is another of the "Shorp" shots that I am putting in my wallpaper rotation. I would be curious about how many people around the world have distinctive wallpapers due to your hard work Dave? I thank you once again. The Willard's fraternal twin The tall building on the north side of Pennsylvania is the Hotel Raleigh, which along with the Willard Hotel (behind the camera) was designed by Henry J. Hardenbergh. Built in 1911 and demolished in 1964, it must have been caught up in the JFK-initiated renewal of the Avenue. It's one more reason why I wish the historic preservation movement had arrived a decade or so earlier. (The Gallery, D.C., Natl Photo)
Iron Horse: 1923
Washington, D.C., circa 1923. "Bethlehem Steel -- Washington Terminal Co." ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 07/31/2012 - 2:56pm -

Washington, D.C., circa 1923. "Bethlehem Steel -- Washington Terminal Co." National Photo Company Collection glass negative. View full size. USRA switcherThis is a USRA (United States Railroad Administration) standard design from World War I. Still available as a model. Really CleanDid they give the turntable operators shack a coat of paint just for this photo? The gravel area in the foreground looks to have been groomed for the photo too. In today's world I would expect to see a lot of clutter and trash. [It looks fresh because it's new. - Dave] Word ChoicesWhat's an "iron" horse doing in a steelyard? [The yard is Union Station in Washington. - Dave] Dressed for the job!Love how the fireman is dressed with overalls and and a bowtie! People took their jobs seriously back then. Spot the signExcellent venue to advertise Coca-Cola! Spinning on the big wheelLove the train photos - thanks Dave. Did a little looking around - this is probably one of 255 0-6-0 switcher locomotives built to USRA specifications starting in 1916. Washington Terminal received three. The man in the loco driving seat is most likely not the engineer, but the hostler who moved locomotives at roundhouse turntables. Looks like a roundhouseDo railroads still use those? Can't say as I've ever seen one. [A roundhouse is a building. This is a turntable -- what would be in a roundhouse. - Dave] Ah! I have a turntable in the entertainment room but I can't fit a steam engine on it. It only plays records. Anyone remember what a 'record' is? Bethlehem is the brandThis is obviously a shiny, new turntable; it doesn't show any dirt, let alone grease or rust.The pit looks like newly-cured concrete. WT's number 34 may well be the first hog to ride this table. This table is electric powered; note the power source above the center of the bridge. The mechanism is under the operator's cabin. Washington Terminal has had at least two turntables in modern times, and I'm trying to figure out which this is. One was located at Ivy City, site of WT's engine facility; the second is almost under the station trainshed. I'm betting this is the latter, though it looks quite different without the former Railroad Express building which would be along the background today. Oh, this is likely a Bethlehem Steel turntable, and Washington Terminal is today operated by Amtrak. [Washington Terminal was the company that owned and operated Union Station. Bethlehem Steel was the client that commissioned the photo. - Dave] Put them on the pitTurntables have long been a thing of the past, as is the routine need to turn an engine. As a practical matter, steam locomotives usually only ran nose first, which frequently required a locomotive to be "turned" before being sent down the main. (An exception was the B & O practice of running their locomotives backward through tunnels out east, to spare the head-end crew the effects of breathing trapped engine smoke.) Most power consists today have engines on each end facing opposite directions, so no matter what the assignment, a controlling engine will be "first out," pointed forward. In the rare event a engine needs to be turned, they're usually passed through a wye. Not insideDave, the turntable wouldn't be inside the roundhouse. Picture a roundhouse as part of a circle (an arc at the perimeter of a circle). The turntable would be located at the center point of the circle. [In other words, "in the roundhouse." The same way football players play "in a stadium." The roundhouse includes the turntable, which can be covered or not. - Dave] Washington Terminal OperationsI would guess this photo was taken at the Ivy City yards looking eastward. The rise in the background could either be Brentwood or Mt. Olivet. Dave, not all turntables were located inside roundhouses. Often the roundhouse circled around the turntable but the turntable itself was not covered. An example is the still-functioning roundhouse and turntable at the Steamtown National Historic Site, Scranton Pa. [The turntable is in the roundhouse. The roundhouse goes around the turntable. Moving right along. - Dave] Was this a turntable solely for "heading" engines or is the photo taken after the first stage of a construction project which would see a new roundhouse and radiating tracks added around this turntable? Washington Post, Jan 13, 1947. ‘Fire-Knocker Horses’ Have Hefty Job at D.C. Roundhouse. The Washington Terminal roundhouse here abounds in “fire-knocker horses,” and if you find that confusing, you should visit the place. Located near 12th and New York ave. ne., it is a lustly, bustling, smoke-ridden place where whistles hoot and the smell and sound of railroading is in the air. With the greatest of ease they are currently giving some 200 locomotives a “going over” daily, and during the holiday season the upper the ante by about 40. That means they are often shunting the big engines out every few minutes, ready to highball over the hills and far away. Boucher Explains ‘Huffin’ and Puffin’’ Edward F. Boucher, who bosses the place, a railroader for 42 years, and there since the place opened on November 11, 1907, yesterday explained what the Huffin’ and Puffin’ was all about. First you must realize that when a train comes into the city, whether from the Pennsylvania, Baltimore & Ohio, the Southern, the Richmond, Fredericksburg & Potomac of the Chesapeake & Ohio, after the passengers are unloaded, the engineer still has a few chores to do. And, incidently, he isn't really an engineer, says Boucher, but an “engiineman,” pronounced “in-jine-man,” not to be confused with either the “inside” or “outside hosteler.” The big locomotive rolls from Union Station northwards, passing through the “T street coach yards” to the “Ivy City Engine House Yards,” near the roundhouse. First Stop is at Inspection Pits First stop is at the “inspection pits” where four inspectors clamber aboard. The “in-jine-man,” fills out a form telling any defects he may know about which developed during his trip, then he checks out. As required by law, the inspectors mark other items that need to be fixed on the same form. Boucher says that almost all the locomotives need some “running repairs” when they come in, tightening up and so on. Others need major overhauls from time to time. With an “outside hosteler” at the throttle, the engine moves from the inspection pits down to the “fire tracks” where the “fire knocker horses” take over. These oddly named men, in the case of steam engines, “clean or draw” the fire. When a fire is “drawn” it is “knocked out,” and when it is “cleaned,” it is about the same as cleaning your own furnace. Horses Put on Coal by Gravity All this goes on over what is called the “ash pits.” Next stop is the “coal wharf,” where the “fire knocker horses” put on an average of six of seven tons of coal aboard the locomotive by a gravity device which does the job in about five minutes. The “coal wharf” itself holds 1200 tons. The tanks are willed with water, anywhere from 8000 to 20,000 gallons, and the locomotive then moves to the turn-table where an “inside hosteler” takes over to move into one of the “engine pits” in an engine house. Actually there are two turn-tables, each 100 feet long and capable of supporting 300 tons, which take the locomotive aboard and spin it in the direction necessary for it to enter the proper “engine pit” in the roundhouse. 25 Engine Pits in Each Roundhouse The roundhouse itself is divided into two parts, the East roundhouse and the West roundhouse, each with 25 engine pits. Around 400 men, representing every trade and some special ones, like a “rod cup man,” work there. Inside the roundhouse the giant engines are very much like an automobile over a grease-pit. There they are lubricated and repairs are made. Once repaired and marked up as “ready for a run,” the engine moves out of the roundhouse, on to the turntable, where it is “headed” and placed on a “ready track,” from which it goes back up the yards to where its train is being made up. Electric trains follow the same general principles. However, because they may operate from either end, there is no need for them to visit the roundhouse, except in the case of major repairs. Still goin' 'round!I work at the Morris Park facility of the Long Island RR. The place dates to the late 1800's and yes we still have a turntable and a roundhouse, both in regular use. Lots of PRR influence in this TT. There are lots of Pennsylvania Railroad influence on this brand new turntable. Notice the PRR standard 2 pipe railing stanchions, and the power arch. I love the PRR standard yard lamps with the ? shaped mounts. The switcher may be USRA but it has a PRR headlight and tender lamp. Maybe someone can research this and see if it was carried on the PRR roster as a leased unit. Not surprising. The PRR was one of the owning roads that shared the WT. (The Gallery, D.C., Natl Photo, Railroads)
Overturned: 1921
... below. Overturned by Big Truck The Evening Star (Washington, D.C.) of March 10, 1921, page 12, details the accident that is ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/12/2011 - 9:15am -

1921. "Washington Rapid Transit Co. wreck." More vehicular mayhem in the nation's capital. National Photo Company glass negative. View full size. Heated StairsLooks like the extra exhaust plumbing goes into the stairs. Probably to keep the ice off of them. There are holes in the bottom of the steps to let the exhaust fumes escape. PlumbingThat's an interesting assemblage of pipes on the right side of the vehicle from just in front of what appears to be a muffler. The cleanliness of the underside makes me think the vehicle hasn't been in service long. The extra pipeI see what appears to be an exhaust pipe coming from the engine and going into the muffler. What is the pipe that looks to be tee'd off of the exhaust, prior to the muffler, running to the area behind what are probably steps to get into the driver's seat? [The driver's seat is on the other side. The steps are for the passenger entrance. - Dave] Re: The extra pipeI hate to think it's a heater feed, but that's all that comes to mind! External plumbingVery clean undercarriage. Interesting plumbing on the exhaust, very curious. Heater Pipe?I've seen asphalt trucks run their exhaust into the cargo area to keep hot stuff from freezing in winter. Judging from the way the spectators are dressed it was cold that day. Wondering if this wasn't some form of heater. The mufflerIt seems to be a closed tank. Perhaps it is tuned to reflect the exhaust pulses 180 degrees out of phase to muffle the sound. Heat for interior radiatorJust a guess: the piping appears to be too heavy a gauge for exhaust fumes. Perhaps it conveys water to a radiator within the interior, and located by the exit, where the cold air enters the bus. JanusThis section is my favorite in the entire photo: Here's Your ProblemYou don't have any front brakes. This thing pretty much has the suspension of a covered wagon and a two ton tank engine. Slippery When WetThe undercarriage is incredibly clean, especially considering the condition of roads (and occasional lack thereof) at that time. It's like someone took it out for a test drive right of the dealer's lot! "Yeah, I don't think I'll take this one -- it feels a little lopsided." Okehed Transportation Advertisement, Washington Post, Sep 26, 1921. Washington Motor Bus System Comparatively few people are as familiar as they should be with the very marked and singular success of the Washington Motor Bus System. So we wish to give you some of the plain, honest facts about the way all Washington has okehed this most convenient, safe and practical means of transportation. Yet, in pointing out the success of the motor bus system, we do not for one minute wish to convey the idea that the motor bus is going to supersede the street car. No, indeed. The street car has its place, and a mighty important one. So has the modern; properly organized and efficiently managed line of the motor buses! But we do wish to let Washington know what only a part of it already knows — that is, the Washington Rapid Transit System has become a prominent factor in the daily transportation of tens of thousands of Washington folks. This Motor bus system was started only six months ago! Yet in that short time it carried over three-quarters of a million passengers, and mind you, this was when Washington was comparatively empty. How many of you have stopped to realize what enormous profits there are in a properly organized, efficiently managed municipal motor bus system? For example, are you familiar with the facts in connection with London, New York, Detroit and Chicago? In London, even during the war, they paid over a million dollars a year in dividends. New York is the best "at home" example we have. Here they have carried over 40,000,000 passengers a year. … Less than six months ago the first properly organized and efficiently managed system of motor buses was introduced to Washington. The first installation consisted of a fleet of ten motor buses, and they operated on Sixteenth street northwest. So popular were they with the public that April 20th we had to put for new buses on! … So insistent has the demand been for more buses and additional routes that we have decided to expand the system, and will install sixteen brand-new buses. Ten will go into operation during the next three weeks, the balance soon after the first of November. On account of the growing popularity of this splendid motor bus service, the Federal Utilities Commission has granted us two new franchises, which require the installation of these additional buses, First route, starting from Eighth and Pennsylvania to Twelfth street, to Massachusetts avenue, to Sixteenth street northwest, to Harvard street, to Thirteenth street, to Park road, to New Hampshire avenue, to Grant Circle, and return (Petworth Division). Second route, starting at Eighth and Pennsylvania avenue, to Twelfth, to Rhode Island avenue, to North Capitol street, and return. … Washington Rapid Transit Company Fourteenth and Buchanan Streets N.W. Telephone — Columbia 4026 In 1933, Washington Rapid Transit merged with the Capital Traction Company and Washington Railway and Electric Company to form the Capital Transit Company. Route Map of Washington Rapid Transit Company with examples of double-deck and single-deck buses operated by WRT, "Fare 10 Cents" (via): 16th and VLooks like the apartments at 16th and V Street NW. 16th and U is still a pretty treacherous intersection. View Larger Map The Line UpBelow are a photo of the new buses lined up from a Library of Congress photo, and a close-up of bus Number 2. "Built For Business"I turned the original photo from the LOC sideways and it is possible to read, "THE DUPLEX," at the top of the radiator: Another picture from the LOC shows that the entire set of words on the radiator is actually "THE DUPLEX LIMITED." The Michigan State University Archives & Historical Collection states, "The Duplex Power Car Company was founded in 1909 and produced mostly trucks and truck related machinery until it was reorganized into the Duplex Truck Company in 1916. The Duplex Truck Company was a prominent builder and supplier of trucks to private companies as well as government agencies during the years between 1916 and 1955. In 1955 Warner and Swasey Company purchased the Duplex Truck Company and the Duplex division closed in 1975." A picture of a Duplex radiator, their logo, and a truck, all from another LOC photo, are below. Overturned by Big TruckThe Evening Star (Washington, D.C.) of March 10, 1921, page 12, details the accident that is shown in the photo. The Washington Herald, on the same date, page 1, states the ambulance on the way to the accident scene was also involved in a mishap. The full Evening Star article and an extract from the Washington Herald story are below. Other information found confirms that the Washington Rapid Transit Company purchased 20 chassis and bus bodies from William P. Killeen who was the Duplex Power Company (truck) distributor for the D.C. area. Service with these buses began on March 1, 1921 which is probably why the bottom of the bus is in such good condition. The bus fare was eight cents on the route. (The Gallery, Cars, Trucks, Buses, D.C., Natl Photo)
The Alarm Desk: 1943
January 1943. Washington, D.C. "Firehouse Station No. 4, one of the separate Negro units in ... picture. The Hornet's Nest Although Washington DC had Black firefighters as far back as 1868, Engine Company No. 4 was ... U Street “Black Broadway”. Burton Westbrook Johnson, DC’s first Black Fire Chief (1973), came up through the ranks from Engine ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 02/02/2024 - 1:03pm -

January 1943. Washington, D.C. "Firehouse Station No. 4, one of the separate Negro units in the District. Lieutenant Mills on duty at the alarm desk. Two firemen in the rear quiz each other on the quarterly examinations they must take during their probation period." Acetate negative by Gordon Parks for the Office of War Information. View full size. Paper tapeHere's an explanation of that paper tape alarm reporting and recording tape that's seen at the bottom of the picture. The Hornet's NestAlthough Washington DC had Black firefighters as far back as 1868, Engine Company No. 4 was organized in 1919 after a petition from all minority members of the force (three of them), who found career advancement lacking. Gordon Parks took this photo three years after the unit moved from Southwest Washington to 931 R Street NW, where its coverage included the U Street “Black Broadway”. Burton Westbrook Johnson, DC’s first Black Fire Chief (1973), came up through the ranks from Engine Company No. 4. (It was Johnson who appointed the first female firefighter, in 1978.) Like other companies, No. 4 had a nickname: “The Hornet’s Nest”, which is emblazoned on the firehouse (moved a mile north) today. There are various theories about the nickname's origin. Smoke 'em if you got 'emAnd the chief clearly did. CigarsNice catch, leightonwalter. That’s one of the many advantages of a cigar over a cigarette: it goes out when you put it down. Say you’ve just lit a cigar, as the chief here has done, but something comes up, and you’ve got to put it down for a while. The cigar will conveniently go out and wait for you till you come back. (The Gallery, D.C., Fires, Floods etc., Gordon Parks)
Washington Union Station: 1912
Washington, D.C., circa 1912. "Union Station plaza and Columbus fountain." 8x6 ... 25 years, when I was a communications consultant in the DC area, my partner and I would meet with clients in Union Station for meetings ... Kodak Carousels projected a continuous slide show about DC and its monuments and attractions. I watched the show several times, or ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 12/10/2022 - 9:24pm -

Washington, D.C., circa 1912. "Union Station plaza and Columbus fountain." 8x6 inch glass negative, National Photo Company Collection. View full size. A beautiful and functional place todayBelow is the original ground floorplan for Union Station. Here are some photographs of the original interiors. Like nearly all train stations, Union Station went through a decline. The two events which stand out in my memory both involve the main waiting room. Around 1967, in an effort to look more modern and deter transient sleepers the mahogany benches were removed, thrown on the depot's scrap pile, and replaced with individual plastic seats mounted on rails on posts bolted to the floor (similar to what you see in bus stations). Around the same time the station was repurposed as a Washington visitors center and in the early 1970s a giant hole, nicknamed The Pit, was dug in the waiting room floor to create a sort of amphitheater. The floor was restored during restoration of the station, which concluded in 1988. Unfortunately, the benches are long gone. Click to embiggen RentalsRental vehicles are returnable around the right corner of the building. I remember the other hole in the floor.The 1953 Pennsylvania Railroad GG1 sized one, that resulted from one of said locomotive class (PRR 4876) overrunning the platform area, entering the concourse and coming to rest in the basement. The entrance on the far right in the frontal and floor plan views used to be called the "President's and Ambassadors Entrance", good thing the GG1 didn't try to go in there. The only private citizen ever officially privileged to use it was supposedly Kate Smith. SoThat building held like, what, 5 people? A more perfect UnionOne of the earliest and most visible examples of the District's transformation from a slow Southern town to a City Beautiful, the Station - which is both a terminal and thru-station (see plan below) - replaced an earlier one situated on the Mall. Although picturesque and conveniently located, it became unpopular - President Garfield particularly disliked it - with the movement to restore the capital along the lines of the L'Enfant Plan. Horses to the left of me, autos to the rightI'm wondering about the horse/horseless divide. Could it have been designed to: > keep the horses calm? > make it easier for passengers to chose their preferred mode of transportation? > protect, in some small way, a dying trade? More 1908 PhotosI remember once seeing a photo of a table set in a private dining room in Union Station. It had something like seven stemmed glasses of various sizes lined up for different beverages and I don't remember how many different forks. I didn't find it again, but I did find a labeled floor plan, below, so you can see where the lunch room was, and a photo of the lunch room. Also, another photo of the main waiting room, where you can see recessed areas at the end of each bench for placing a spittoon where it can be used but not accidentally kicked. And the station under construction. Click to embiggen Blueprints aplentyHundreds of these on the LOC website. If you're into that sort of thing. Rocking chairs -- "Pay closets" -- ColumbiaNice to see that cultural Marxism has not destroyed this historical landmark yet. Bouncy!Back 25 years, when I was a communications consultant in the DC area, my partner and I would meet with clients in Union Station for meetings or working meals. It was a beautiful place, no doubt, but after years of being in rock bands and almost daily scuba diving, my hearing was shot. All the hard surfaces in that joint caused the worst reverb I ever experienced. Hearing aids couldn't help. I had to really be on my toes to understand what was being said. Finally, I put my foot down and insisted on meetings at the Post Pub or Sign of the Whale or Ben's Chili Bowl or anywhere other than Union Station. Bicentennial EmbarrassmentI worked for the National Park Service for 25 years, including the Bicentennial era, and remember the National Visitor Center with great embarrassment and remorse. What happened to Union Station in 1976 is still a blemish on the NPS' image. Planning for a National VC began in the late 1960s, but construction didn't really begin until 1974, which was too late to pull off many of the planned attractions in Union Station. The worst feature was an infamous multimedia theater excavated into the floor of the Great Hall -- a literal pit with stand-up "seating" where a bank of 100 Kodak Carousels projected a continuous slide show about DC and its monuments and attractions. I watched the show several times, or rather tried too, but a sizable number of projectors always seemed to be out of sync. And the clacking sound of a hundred 35mm slides being changed simultaneously was hugely distracting. I'm attaching views of the original Great Hall and the Bicentennial "Pit." Thank god the multimedia pit was removed during subsequent restorations of the Station. D.H. Burnham & Co.At the bottom right on the plan provided by Doug Floor Plan is the name of the architectural firm that designed this building. This Chicago-based company also happened to design the 1893 Columbian Exhibition that I happened to read about in the book, "Devil in the White City." Burnham was not the devil. (Panoramas, D.C., Natl Photo, Railroads)
Dupont Circle: 1905
Washington, D.C., circa 1905. "Dupont Circle at Connecticut and Massachusetts ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 01/25/2024 - 2:08pm -

Washington, D.C., circa 1905. "Dupont Circle at Connecticut and Massachusetts Avenues N.W. White building at left is Patterson House, 15 Dupont Circle." Not to mention all those pedestrians. 8x10 inch dry plate glass negative, Detroit Photographic Company. View full size. Cast of CharactersClick twice to embiggen. No Exhaust FumesSeeing old photos here dating to 1905-1907, it is clear how very quickly motor cars overtook horse-drawn transport. Here there are no automobiles yet, so no gasoline fumes, just the earthy smell of life, especially in the intersection. The Patterson placeThis building with all the horses started as the Patterson Mansion. It was designed by Stanford White, and had just been completed a couple of years before this photo. The Patterson family only occasionally stayed there and often lent it out. President Calvin Coolidge lived there during White House renovations; Charles Lindbergh used it after his transatlantic flight. It also spent ~60 years as the Washington Club, before being converted to apartments in the 2010s. SurprisedOne feature of note for me is that there are bars on all of the ground level windows. Something I guess I have allowed myself to not notice in my naive thinking that so far back times would have been more honest. Ah ...... the earthly smell of life. So that's what that was. I thought it was low tide. Level of detailI’m very impressed by the level of detail in the embiggened slice that Dave has provided. Once I opened it, I embiggened even more and was further impressed by the facial detail in the old woman crossing the street (center) and the mother and daughter walking towards us (right). Then I noticed the bricks, the leaves, the grass ... amazing. 135I walked a foot-beat here once in the late '70s. The cast of characters included One Armed Johnny and Bad Feet Sam. Fun times. (The Gallery, D.C., DPC, Horses)
The Fed: 1937
Washington, D.C., circa 1937. "Federal Reserve Building, Constitution Avenue. ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 02/14/2024 - 12:53pm -

Washington, D.C., circa 1937. "Federal Reserve Building, Constitution Avenue. Front and right side." 8x10 inch acetate negative by Theodor Horydczak. View full size. "I want to talk for a few minutes ... about banking"Thus began Franklin Roosevelt's first broadcast fireside chat, eight days after his inauguration. FDR's response to the banking crisis was codified in the Banking Acts of 1933 and 1935, which centralized the Federal Reserve System -- and led to this building. The design was chosen in a 1935 competition which -- as can be seen -- resulted in the most grounded, solid-looking building imaginable. Very much part of what, it has been plausibly argued, saved American capitalism. Is Cret in?The building is officially named the Marriner S. Eccles Federal Reserve Board Building after Franklin Roosevelt's Chairman of the Federal Reserve. It was designed by Paul Philippe Cret, a Beaux Arts trained architect (Pan American Union building, Detroit Institute of Arts). He later applied modern sensibilities (e.g. reduced ornamentation) to classical forms to come up with buildings like this, the Univ. Texas Main Building and the Folger Shakespeare Library. The style is called Stripped Classicism or Greco Deco(!). If it looks familiar, it was the style used by many of the building built by the New Deal/WPA. It lost popularity, though, when both Nazi Germany and the Soviets under Stalin made it their preferred style. (The Gallery, D.C., Theodor Horydczak)
Marines vs. Army: 1924
November 1, 1924. Washington, D.C. "Devil Dogs vs. Infantrymen. McQuade makes gain for Marines ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 01/23/2024 - 6:49pm -

November 1, 1924. Washington, D.C. "Devil Dogs vs. Infantrymen. McQuade makes gain for Marines against Fort Benning at American League park." Jack McQuade, former University of Maryland football star, in a game that saw Quantico's Leathernecks mop the field with Army in a 39-0 rout. 4x5 inch glass negative, National Photo Company Collection. View full size. You take out that big guy. No, YOU take him out.The Army player with no helmet looks a little long of tooth but the guy's a mountain. As every sports buff knows, the Jarheads went 7-0-1 that season: 33-0 Catholic, 13-13 Vanderbilt, 6-0 Georgetown, 39-0 Ft. Benning, 14-0 Dickinson, 28-0 Detroit, 3-0 Carnegie Tech, 47-0 III Corps. Vanderbilt must have been a powerhouse. No one else even scored against the Marines. Not much of a chance... for that running back to get the ref to call a "facemask penalty" on the defender. You made my day!I was born in the US Naval Hospital, Quantico, VA, 30 years after this football game took place. My father did not retire from the Marine Corps until I was 30 years old so, of course, I am not the slightest bit surprised that the Leathernecks clobbered nearly everyone they played that year! Great sports shot by any standardsPhotographers spend thousands on gear to get shots this good nowadays. I wonder what sort of camera/lens combination was used here. Rails to TrailsThe "Fast Electric Trains" of the WB&A gave way to a nifty bike trail. http://www.wmata.com/rail/maps/map.cfm CamerasIt's amazing how in focus this picture is. Now we have all the digital cameras that are so easy to use, but back then a photographer had to really know how to get a great shot. HeadgearI wondered because there are two guys without - just wondering. It Still HurtsWhen I went to my first duty station after boot camp I was recruited to play in the Annual Navy Marine touch football kegger game. I was only two years out of high school and since I had played varsity for two years as a lineman (offense & defense -- we were a tough breed then), I figured it would be a nice afternoon of sport. I soon found out why no sailor who had played the year before was on the squad. Those Marines were like a team possessed and I still count it a blessing I survived the game. However the beer and bull session post game was well worth the agony. (The Gallery, D.C., Natl Photo, Sports)
Made for Walkin': 1937
... junior high. Try 800 days Distance from Caracas to DC is a little over 2000 miles. At 25 miles a day it would take 800 days to ... I received an interesting letter from a young man I met at Washington, D. C., while attending the National Scout Jamboree. This man was ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/27/2012 - 7:10pm -

June 16, 1937. "Walk 800 miles to attend Boy Scout Jamboree. Two Venezuelan Boy Scouts, Rafael Angel Petit, left, and Juan Carmona, examining their boots after tramping 25 miles a day for two years in order to attend the Boy Scout Jamboree in Washington. They left Caracas Jan. 11, 1935, arriving in Washington today." Harris & Ewing Collection glass negative. View full size. A math problem800 divided by 25 is only 32 days. Either they walked 8,000 miles, or they only walked one day every three weeks or so. [A news item in the Washington Post (which gave Rafael's last name as Betit) didn't say anything about mileage, although it noted that the boys planned to make the trip home by air in two and a half days. - Dave] I want those boots!Does anyone know where to find boots like these? I've been wanting a pair like that for as long as I can remember. Back in the dayI had lace-up boots like Rafael is wearing. It's just that I wore them with miniskirts, and the farthest I walked in those boots was from the bus stop to my junior high. Try 800 daysDistance from Caracas to DC is a little over 2000 miles. At 25 miles a day it would take 800 days to travel. Also Jan, 1935 to Jun, 1937 is a little over 800 days. [Hm. Might want to check your math, Levi. Next! - Dave] Wow!I bet they had some amazing stories. DescansarA few numbers: Jan 11, 1935 to Jun 16, 1937 is 886 days which works out to an average of about 9 miles per day for a 8,000 mile trip. That seems reasonable given the following description of hacking through jungles for part of the trip. Washington Post, Jun 17, 1937 2 Boy Scouts End Long Hike, Ready to Rest Pair Finish 8,000-Mile Hegira From Venezuela to Washington. Descansar. In Spanish that means rest, which is what Rafael Angel Petit and Juan Carmona are going to get plenty of, now that they've completed their hike from Caracas, Venezuela, to Washington. The two Rover Boy Scouts, who had been en route since January 11, 1925, puffed across the Key Bridge a few minutes before noon yesterday to reach the end of a trail that led through snake and malaria-infested jungles, head hunters' camps and brigands' hideouts. They were greeted near the city's entrance by a reception party of Boy Scout officials, legation attaches and motorcycle police but politely declined an invitation to ride. "No, thank you," said Juan, 26, and quite handsome with Valentino sideburns, "we've walked every step of the way to this point, except when we crossed rivers on handmade rafts. We want to walk all the way to the Capitol." At the Capitol were waiting the Venezuelan Minister, Dr. Diogenes Escalante, and Director General Leo S. Rowe, of the Pan-American Union. Much handshaking, newsreel and photograph shooting, more handshaking and South American gesticulating followed. A few hours later the boys were telling a radio audience what it's like to hoof some 8,000 miles apiece without ennui. (The actual distance may be far less but Rafael and Juan often had to take the long way around, not the crow's route.) Hardships were plentiful on the trip but the boys arrived fit and sound, save for a few vanishing malaria symptoms. Carmona was hit the worst and, through an interpreter, said he is going to look up a doctor here. At times the heat was so bad the hikers nearly despaired of continuing. The tropical sun killed a dog companion and another perished of snakebite. Two thousand miles, or about one-fourth, of their journey was through dense jungles. One of them, the Choco Colombiano separating Panama and Columbia, had never before been traversed by civilized man. "We had to cut our way through this territory," the scouts said, "with machetes, not being able to take one step forward through unbelievably luxuriant vines, trees, grasses, without first clearing our path. "We were forced for many miles to lay a constant bridge before us of tree trunks in order to avoid quicksand and quaking marshland. For nearly six months we were wet constantly, as the normally difficult crossing of this jungle was further complicated by our striking it at the rainy season." Malaria, dampness, snakes, insects and heat plagued them. Often they slept in hammocks swung high about the ground for safety. Usually, however, they made their beds on the earth. In Panama they were feted by the San Blas Indians who, more often than not, are hostile to strangers. A few of them spoke a Spanish dialect, which helped. The natives gave a banquet in their honor, featured by a beverage called chucula. "This drink was bad enough by itself," the adventurers said, "but we had to watch the women prepare it, and that nearly finished us. It is made of green plantains, grain and coconut, all chewed up personally by the women, mixed well with saliva and left to ferment." Juan and Rafael said they had a hard time explaining their way out of the clutches of Honduran bandits, then when they were liberated the police placed them under arrest, until their credentials were verified with the Venezuelan government. It was pretty discouraging, too, when they arrived at Laredo, Tex., only to be halted because of passport difficulties. The scouts had to walk all the way back to Mexico City to get their entrance papers in order. The sojourners averaged 25 miles a day, wore out 24 pairs of shoes, and passed through Columbia, Panama, Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Honduras, Guatemala and Mexico. Carmona and Petit will make their Washington headquarters at the Roosevelt Hotel. This morning they will be received formally at the Pan American Union Building by Dr. Rowe. Alternate Alliterative Appellation:Sole Searching Scouts? Big BoysOkay, I get Boy Scouts staring at them. But where the heck did they find the sailor!? I wonder what these guys did when they grew up. Although they look quite manly already. Bootsl have a pair that are the same made by Harley Davidson. but if you go on ebay and look up logger boots lm sure you will find what your looking for. Amazing in any ageThat trek would be no less amazing if it was executed today. The regions through which these men walked are still rife with dangers of the same sort, from isolated tribes to snakes to drug lords to marsh and impenetrable jungle. Very cool! I had to wonder though, how is it they didn't have anything better to do than walk all day? Scouts indeed! Try that on your privileged suburbanite boys today! Susan >> I had lace-up boots like Rafael is wearing. It's just that I wore them with miniskirts ... Photos, please! Musical MomentThis is just before everyone launches into a chorus of "Y.M.C.A.," right? The Return TripAnybody know how they got home? Can't imagine the end of the Jamboree a week or so later. Everyone says so long and adios, these fellows look at each other, look southward down the road, then both start crying uncontrollably. [As noted below, they flew back. - Dave] What a story!What a story! Thanks to Stanton Square for finding the article. Imagine backtracking from Laredo to Mexico City to fix your passports! And the sailor looks like he popped right off of a box of Cracker Jack. Jaguars & BanditsAnother accounting of our young amigos adventure comes to us from the student newspaper of the State Teachers College, La Crosse, Wisconsin. The Racquet, Dec 5, 1937: Vol 30, No. 8 Venezuela Scout-Head Writes Exciting Letter Several days ago I received an interesting letter from a young man I met at Washington, D. C., while attending the National Scout Jamboree. This man was Juan Carmona, a scout-master from Caracas, Venezuela, South America, who had hiked with a companion, Rafael Petit of Maracaibo, Venezuela, from Caracas through South America, Central America, Mexico and the Southern part of the United States to Washington. The trip took them two years; they covered over ten thousand miles and each wore out twelve pairs of hiking boots. Three started originally but one turned back. They went through jungle territory never before seen extensively by white man, some days they were able to make good progress; on others the dense jungle growth and swamp bogs limited them to three miles a day. Poisonous snakes and wild animals forced them to be constantly on guard. At night they had to sleep in trees to escape prowling animals. Once they were awakened by a scratching sound. As the scratching came closer they both aimed and fired their rifles in the direction of the sound. It was so dark that they were unable to distinguish a thing about them. At the sound of the shots the scratching ceased and something crashed to the ground beneath the tree. Unable to sleep further they waited for daylight, which revealed a large jaguar lying dead at the base of the tree. For three days the dead beast's mate stalked and followed them; one was required to keep guard against attack while the other cut and broke the trail. Finally the animal left and they were free to advance more rapidly. In the southern part of So. America they were taken captive by savages, the chief of which treated them royally but would not permit them to leave. Finally, he was persuaded to allow them to continue their journey. As they traveled through Central America they were made prisoners of revolutionists (it seems there is always a revolution down there). None of the soldiers could read their letters or credentials and they were kept in prison until the revolutionary general returned, read their identification papers and set them free. In Mexico they were robbed of their rifles and money by bandits but finally after many other interesting and exciting adventures, they crossed the U.S. border and reached Washington, D.C. They have many valuable stamps, seals, letters, pictures and papers from notables of the various places through which they passed. It took them two days to fly by plane back to Caracas. They crossed territory through which they had passed on their two-year journey. The letter I received was written in Spanish as Juan does not wish to attempt a letter in English even though he understands, and speaks it. Mr. Lairx helped me to translate the letter. At the present time Mr. Carmona is writing a book of the experiences and adventures of the trip he made with his companion Petit. Our friendship began at Washington and will be continued through our correspondence. I hope to visit Mr. Carmona some time, and he, in turn, has promised to visit me the next time he comes to the United States. Several scouts of the troop of which I am scoutmaster are establishing correspondence with boys of his troop. Cracker JackThe sailor standing on the right is actually a Sea Scout, as the Scout badge on his cap testifies. For one so young he certainly does have the air of an old salt. Mapquest por favor"In the southern part of So. America they were taken captive by savages"... They made a serious wrong turn if they left Venezuela headed to the USA and ended up in the southern part of South America! [They seem to have roamed a bit before heading north. One news item noted that the Scout Jamboree "was not their original objective." - Dave] A little more of this storyMy name is Carlos Uzcategui Petit, am a member of the Petit family, the history of this pair of young to mid-30 is worthy of pride and admiration of many generations, but to me that for years was a member of the Scouts Venezuela, I am happy to know that today there are those who somehow remembered this story. The ThirtiesThey went when the going was good, a better time than now. I once thought the 'thirties were a dull, dishonest decade, but have since come to think better of it. It was a fine time to be young, a world full of wonders and adventures and you could get there on foot. The law was becoming a bother, but not the villain it has since become. And when they went in wild places they were able to go armed: Heaven forfend. And how nice that some of their descendants remain to remember their excellent adventure. (The Gallery, Boy Scouts, D.C., Harris + Ewing)
Chariots of Firemen: 1943
January 1943. Washington, D.C. "D.C.F.D. Engine Company No. 4 firehouse. Fire trucks." 4x5 ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 01/27/2024 - 6:36pm -

January 1943. Washington, D.C. "D.C.F.D. Engine Company No. 4 firehouse. Fire trucks." 4x5 inch acetate negative by Gordon Parks for the Office of War Information. View full size. Engine House 7/4Checked google maps and found the firehouse is still there. [Sleep like a fireman for $757 a night! - Dave] Somebody Must Know ...What that barrel-shaped device is behind the bumper. Perhaps a winch, generator for the siren, part of the front suspension friction dampers? That barrelI suspect that is simply sheet metal designed to cover the frame and bumper lowering weldment. Many cars of the 1920s-30s share this form of sheet metal cowl. The handle you see is for the 275 lb musclebound super fireman who can hand-crank that beast in case of starter failure. (The Gallery, Cars, Trucks, Buses, D.C., Gordon Parks)
Washington Monuments: 1922
May 5, 1922. Washington, D.C. "Vista of Monument from Lincoln Memorial." National Photo ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 07/17/2012 - 10:34pm -

May 5, 1922. Washington, D.C. "Vista of Monument from Lincoln Memorial." National Photo Company Collection glass negative. View full size. Brand new and timelessThis photo was taken shortly before the dedication of the Memorial on May 30, 1922. Robert Lincoln (79) was there. The Reflecting Pool is not yet in place, though it was part of the original design and was finished the next year. Ironically, if you go to the Memorial today, you'll find bare dirt again while the pool is being renovated. The buildings glimpsed to the left along Constitution Avenue. are no longer there; from the same vantage point today you would see part the Vietnam Veterans Memorial. Still, if there's a timeless vista anywhere in the United States, this is it. Timeless, IndeedIf there's ever a listing of the top 100 photos ever taken this must be on that list. Thank you. Speaking of the Reflecting PoolIsn't that where -- oh my God! -- they killed Kenny? Main NavyThe buildings along the left (north) side of the Mall are the "Main Navy and Munitions" buildings. Built as temporary quarters for the Department of the Navy and the Department of War in 1917, they were torn down in 1970. The Old Post Office tower is behind them. Into the MistOn a warm October evening in 1992, I sat with a girl on the top steps right in front of the columns on the left, and looked down the long vista of the Mall, with the Reflecting Pool in the foreground, the Washington Monument glowing behind it, the beautifully lit dome of the Capitol in the far distance, and a big, full moon hanging overhead. She was from California and had never seen any of this before. After a few moments of quiet, she said simply, "Thank you for showing me this." And my heart was hers. I'd relive that moment in a heartbeat. How do you delete a comment?How do you delete a comment? (The Gallery, D.C., Natl Photo)
Washington Shopped Here: 1913
And Lincoln, too. Interior of the Apolonia Stuntz toy store on New York Avenue, seen from the outside in the previous post. View full size. The Newspaper ...on the ceiling fixture. At first I thought it was put there by the photographer ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 09/12/2011 - 12:26pm -

And Lincoln, too. Interior of the Apolonia Stuntz toy store on New York Avenue, seen from the outside in the previous post. View full size. The Newspaper...on the ceiling fixture. At first I thought it was put there by the photographer to dampen the light for his exposure. But it is a gas fixture. Seems a little dangerous. Otherwise, I LOVE the photo. A real toy store, with real toys. No electronic do-dads. And a whisk broom for every occasion!No home should be without one! Nice to see that they haven't changed a bit through the years! They're simple, effective, practical and inexpensive little gizmos; just the thing for cleaning off dirty children. Just lookingWhat a joy to be able to glimpse inside Stuntz's toy store. The cupboards spill over with toys that only needed imagination to provide fun: dollies in fancy dresses, their furniture and tea sets, push toys that clink and clank, horse heads on a stick to ride upon, and drums. Not a video game in sight. Mrs. Stuntz's CounterWashington Post, May 26, 1901 Tales of the Town Famous Penny Counter There's many a Washington man now drawing nigh to the time of life which necessitates the occasional letting out of a link the waistband, and many a Washington woman creeping along to the period when she anxiously scans her hair in the hand glass for the first gray ones, who must have experienced a tender, if not mournful, flood of memories when the announcement was made in the papers the other day that old Mrs. Stuntz, of New York avenue, had died. For a good deal more than a generation this good old lady had kept a little toy and candy store on New York avenue. Only the quiet old folks of Washington are able to remember when Mrs. Stuntz did not preside over this establishment. And perhaps even the quiet old folks cannot remember when Mrs. Stuntz herself was not a quiet old little lady. Mrs. Stuntz made a specialty of her penny counter for the young ones. On this counter she exhibited an almost unbelievable number of wondrously beautiful articles - some to eat and others to behold and to fondle — for a penny. The young ones of the days long ago would line up with wide eyes in front of those windows and play "choosins," whether they had the requisite penny or not. Sometimes it would take actual hours for those who had wheedled pennies out of the parents to decide how to invest the same. No sooner would a shaver in possession of a penny decide upon a horse-cake — one of those big, brownish affairs, from which it was the custom to bite the head, tail and legs first, reserving the body for the climactic gormandizing — than he would be torn with doubt as to whether a black licorice "nigger head," with red eyes, would not, so to speak, be a better money's worth, because it was an affair to be sucked, thereby prolonging the penny's worth of happiness. Many a little pig-tailed girl — now a mother of children — has stood first on one leg and then on the other in front of old Mrs. Stuntz's window, racked with doubt as to whether she ought to invest her penny in a tiny wooden churn or washtub, or in one of those little paper dolls of olden time, with red or blue tissue paper skirts much spread out. There was always at Mrs. Stuntz's counters the struggle between appetite and the embryotic artistic sense of the patrons. There was something powerfully satisfying in a cent's worth of Mrs. Stuntz's jujube paste, or in one of her hunks of yellow taffy on a stick, or in the three neatly wrapped, old-fashioned chocolate caramels, or even in the two little cakes of pure white sugared chewing gum that tasted like a combination of tallow and wax — and was good at that. Put all these fine things alongside such permanencies as 1-cent glass taw allies, or those exceedingly diminutive and hopelessly nude china dolls, or the terrifying bean-blower, or the ear-splitting tine whistle, or the cute little paper parasol — and the struggle between a yearnful, youthful appetite on the one side and an equally strong youthful desire to get something to have and to hold on the other, often drove the young ones of a past generation to something mighty like distraction. And the worst of it was that when all the doubts had been dispelled and then penny purchase had been made the purchaser almost immediately experienced a feeling of gloom over a sudden conviction that, after all, the wrong thing had been bought. The degree of patience which the kindly little old woman displayed in the many years she dealt with the children is well remembered by her customers who have arrived at an age to apprehend these matters. The penny-clutching, doubting young one was never told to "hurry up" by Mrs. Stuntz. The younger one was privileged to feast his or eyes on the marvelous penny bargains until such a time as a decision was reached, no matter how long it took. Such humiliations as the children of other years ever encountered in Mrs. Stuntz's shop they brought upon themselves. There are memories, for example of a nice red wagon in the window of Mrs. Stuntz's shop, and of an exceedingly little chap who, having been a penny customer of the little old woman's for some time, coveted the wagon, imagining that it couldn't possible cost more than a cent, for the simple reason that he had never bought anything from Mrs. Stuntz of greater value than that. The very little chap got hold of a penny and pranced boldly into Mrs. Stuntz's and announced that he was about to buy the red wagon. Mrs. Stuntz took it out of the window, and the little boy handed her over his cent. "But, sonny, the wagon is a dollar and a half," remarked the little old lady, smiling. The little chap took back his penny, his face flaming, and marched out of the store. It is likely that he has never at any subsequent time felt so utterly cheap as he did at that moment. There was many an eye that, losing the focus and becoming blurred, saw away beyond the newspaper, and far back into the yester-years, over the announcement of the death of Mrs. Stuntz, of New York avenue. Smoke AlarmI believe the paper hanging on the gas heater is a 1913 smoke alarm. If the paper starts on fire, well -- there you go. Light controlThe paper on the gas lamp is hooked on the lamp knob, and is just to control the amount of illumination in the back. The paper was safe as long as it didn't touch the globe. The wall-papered ceiling is a really nice job, an artisan's work for sure! There are several Restaurants and antique shops in my area (upper NY) that look exactly like this, only more cluttered. (The Gallery, D.C., Harris + Ewing, Stores & Markets)
War Kitchen: 1941
... Bernard Jr. are in the 1940 census, living in Washington DC, where Bernard Sr. is an insurance agent. All 3 were born in Pennsylvania. ... as "Tool Rpr". In 1950, they are back in Washington DC, where Senior is manager of a service station. Lenore works for the Federal ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 06/21/2022 - 10:31pm -

July 1941. "War housing. Mrs. B.J. Rogan and her small son, Bernie, in the kitchen of the Rogans' new war home at the Franklin Terrace housing project in Erie, Pennsylvania. Mr. Rogan is a drill press operator at a nearby plant which is working three shifts on war contracts. The Rogans pay about twenty percent of their income for rent." Medium format acetate negative by Alfred Palmer for the U.S. Office for Emergency Management. View full size. Light bulb in the trash canThat used to be a familiar sight, as manufacturers held to highly inefficient--thus highly profitable--incandescent bulbs long after alternatives were possible. It took an act of Congress (Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007) to phase out incandescent bulbs that typically lasted 750-1000 hours, as opposed to today's LED bulbs which won't need replacing for 25,000 hours. That CoffeepotWas my worst enemy after visiting my father-in-law's house for the first time for an overnight stay and being asked by my wife to "make coffee." Of course I had no idea how to make coffee in that kind of pot. We had only been married a year and I had been in the US for the same. Needless to say, I greeted everyone to breakfast with the best coffee sludge a newbie could make. Still thereThe Franklin Terrace apartments are now called the John E. Horan Garden Apartments. The old kitchen was tiny but charming; now, not so much. https://www.hace.org/housing-info/hace-rental-properties/john-e-horan-ga... https://www.hace.org/about-us/revitalization/ Snack TimeIt's about 2 pm according to the clock on the wall. I am just wondering what he did to get a snack at 2 pm. When I was his age, I didn't dare ask for a snack that soon after lunch. I usually waited until about 3 pm. Chances were 50/50. If if got to be 4 pm - it was too late - 'dinner is soon'. There's a busted light bulb in the trash bin. I wonder what wattage it was. Looks peaceful to meEverything spic and span and in its place while Mrs. Rogan whips up something tasty for her family, but I'm sure it reflects accurately on the home front during wartime. Those Servel gas refrigerators always seemed to produce a faint odor, but they did work using a science I never understood of how to make cool with a gas flame. Between 1955 and 1960 with I was in Boy Scouts, we'd spend Memorial Day weekend at a deer lease in the Hill Country of Texas between Kerrville and Medina. The first thing our Scoutmaster did upon entering the asbestos sided cabin was light the Servel refrigerator and that odor lingered throughout the weekend, but we had a lot of fun. [Fun fact: Servel is a contraction of "Serving Electricity." - Dave] Movin' on upIt's new, nice, clean, and not an attic nor a small travel trailer still on wheels. I couldn't find the Rogan family in the 1940 Census, but did find this description of their living arrangement progress: "Defense housing, Erie, Pennsylvania. Mr. and Mrs. B. J. Rogan and their small son, Bernie, at home in the living room of their new defense home in Erie, Pennsylvania. Mr. Rogan is a drill press operator at the nearby General Electric Company plant. He earns $42.50 a week, and pays about twenty percent of his income for rent. Before moving into a newly constructed defense home at the Franklin Terrace housing project, he lived in a remodeled attic, and then a trailer. For the latter he paid 6 dollars a week, including all utilities." I'm pretty sure the B. stands for Bernard. The Franklin Terrace housing project is now the John E. Horan Garden Apartments. Horan was/is the director of the Erie Housing Authority. These units are now public housing. PercolatorI suggest Baxado ought to retry the percolator for making coffee. I still have my parents' percolator which is used extensively on camping trips. Makes a great cup of coffee, but be careful of the grounds! Encyclopedias, The seat of knowledge Loco ...... motive on the table. 1941, huh?Since The U.S. didn't enter the war until December, why was this family living in "war housing?" [Yes, huh. Some googling might provide enlightenment. Keywords: Lend-Lease, Battle of Britain. - Dave] Found 'em Bernard J. Rogan, Sr., wife Lenore, and son Bernard Jr. are in the 1940 census, living in Washington DC, where Bernard Sr. is an insurance agent. All 3 were born in Pennsylvania. In 1948 they are living at 2130b Gladstone Ct., Erie PA. Occupation was listed as "Tool Rpr". In 1950, they are back in Washington DC, where Senior is manager of a service station. Lenore works for the Federal Power Commission. Senior died in about 1983. Lenore died in 1992. Junior died in 2016. Let there be (free) light."Light bulb in the trash can" reminded me that here in Detroit (and I assume other cities) the Edison Co. would exchange light bulbs (burned out for new) at no charge. That went on for years until some local store owner sued Edison for restraint of trade because he wanted to sell more lightbulbs. And won! What a yutz. Monday ... is laundry day. And this kitchen appears to have a combination kitchen sink and deep laundry tub. If Mrs. Rogan was lucky she would have an electric wringer washer, otherwise it would be the old washboard. It would lean against the angled portion of the laundry tub. My 1928 house still has its original double concrete laundry tubs. There were also refrigerators that operated on kerosene. Re: Snack Time by Soda_PopGiven his age, the social conventions of the time regarding raising children, etc., it's highly likely that Junior had a relatively early lunch - between 11:30 and noon, followed by a nap. Upon rising from said nap, he could have had a regular snack, followed by playtime in the yard all afternoon. Dad may have been at work until 3 or 3:30, and walked home by 4. Dinner may not have been until 5, so a 2 o'clock snack for Junior wouldn't have been out of place. Kids' stomachs are smaller than adults are, and their metabolism is generally higher. (The Gallery, Alfred Palmer, Kids, Kitchens etc., WW2)
Washington: 1918
September 30, 1918. "Fourth Liberty Loan." Crowds gathered for a war-bond rally on Pennsylvania Avenue with the Capitol in the distance. View full size. A smoggy day Those old cars certainly did belch. Looks like LA! Car-cophany ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/28/2012 - 3:53pm -

September 30, 1918. "Fourth Liberty Loan." Crowds gathered for a war-bond rally on Pennsylvania Avenue with the Capitol in the distance. View full size. A smoggy dayThose old cars certainly did belch. Looks like LA! Car-cophanyCough! Nothing in the photo remains today Except the Capitol building: people, cars, buildings are all gone. [Not so. The Willard Hotel is still very much there. - Dave] Cough CoughRally for the American Lung Association to follow immediately. My ChoiceI don't know what kind of vehicle it is but I'll take the sporty model in the center with the fine wire wheels and dual porthole rear windows. Anybody know what make that one is? Waiting for Sousa? Washington Post, Sep 30, 1918 SOUSA TO HELP LOAN Band of 300 Pieces Here Today for Parade and Concerts Banks Will Remain Open Tonight and Tomorrow Night Until 9 O'Clock to Encourage Early Pledges - Part Payments of $5 and $10 Monthly on $50 and $100 Bonds Will Be Taken by Banks Led by John Phillip Sousa, the famous Great Lakes Naval Band, which includes more than 300 pieces, will give a series of concerts today to help subscriptions to the fourth liberty loan. The band is bigger and better this year than ever, and will be turned over to the liberty loan committee of the District for the entire day and evening. The band will head a big parade through the streets this afternoon, will give two concerts during the day, and will provide a musical climax for the evening at a mass meeting to be held at 7:30 o'clock in Liberty Hut. ... The Sousa Band will arrive early this morning on a special train, which is used throughout the country on behalf of the fourth liberty loan ... The band will proceed along B street west to Pennsylvania avenue, west along Pennsylvania avenue to Fourteenth street to H, west on H to Nineteenth street and Pennsylvania avenue, then east on Pennsylvania avenue to East Executive avenue, and south on Executive avenue to the south steps of the Treasury were a second big concert will be given at 4:30. To offer every facility to the people for entering their subscriptions early all banks will remain open until 9 o'clock tonight and tomorrow. Every bank will help persons of small means own a liberty bond by accepting $5 cash and $5 a month on a $40 bond and $10 cash and $10 a month on a $100 bond. ... Several buildings are still aroundIn addition to the Willard on the far left, the Evening Star Building, a sliver of which is visible just behind the Raleigh Hotel, still stands (at least its facade does). Farther down the street in the mist you can make out the twin spires of the Apex Building, also still standing. On the right side, turrets of the still-standing Old Post Office building appear just above the large tree. Such a Great PhotoI am sure I am not alone as one who has forgone the endless drivel of the day's news to venture into the past with Shorpy, Dave, and the wonderful comments and observations of viewers which lead me to explore things I would have never questioned otherwise. This photograph is one of endless wonderment as there is so much to see and ponder. A short list of what pops into my brain on viewing would include many unfit for comment and some that may be. At first glance I thought it seemed a George M. Cohan production without enough flags. How many people can I find in the crowd obviously aware of the photographer? And of course the cars and trolleys. I am always taken by the lack of front wheel brakes on the autos of this period as I was in later years with the American designers painfully slow adoption of the disc brake and radial tire. Today I explored brake history and found this: http://www.motorera.com/history/hist07.htm As Shorpy was voted one of the best 100 sites this year it indicates that the appreciation for a quality undertaking has not been lost despite all evidence to the contrary. Thanks Shorpy. Ike?I could not help but be struck by the resemblance of the Army officer at the right side of the photo to that of Dwight D. Eisenhower during this time period. I have spent the past couple of days looking up information and find he could well have been in Washington on that date. He commanded Camp Colt, Pa., but was reporting to Washington twice a week to the commander of the Tank Corps, who had his HQ there. I attach a photo of Eisenhower about three years prior to the Shorpy photo. (The Gallery, Cars, Trucks, Buses, D.C., Harris + Ewing, WWI)
Fairview Hotel: 1916
... built again, giving the Plant of the Corby Baking Co., Washington, D. C. building its present size. The article even has ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/27/2012 - 1:21pm -

Washington circa 1916. "Fairview Hotel, 1st Street and Florida Avenue." The proprietor is former slave and "colored philosopher" Keith Sutherland. See the comments below for more on him. Harris & Ewing glass negative. View full size. Room comes with outside bar.I wonder if he ever tried to patent his Pepecual Motion machine? Soup to GoTake a good look at the wooden cart. It has a kerosene container with a tap. It looks like it goes under the "soup" pot. Maybe Mr. Sutherland took his cart around and sold food as a vendor. He has a counter on both sides! Amazing. I don't know why......but I have sudden craving for a delicious CORBY CAKE™. Gold Dust Twins"I will agree with you sister why do they want to break up Fairview for" Cryptic sign. One might assume the city wanted to tear down the, um, stately Fairview Hotel. I can't imagine this was seriously a room for rent, unless it's just the check-in. Looks more like a ramshackle lunch stand. Fair View?Why, I'd say it was better than fair. It's downright byootyfull. Gold Dust Twins"Fairbank's Gold Dust Washing Powder - The Many Purpose Cleaner. Gold Dust products were represented by the Gold Dust Twins, two African-American children surrounded by gold coins. The orange box with the universally recognized twins practically jumped off the shelf. In fact the twins were one of the best known trademarks of the 19th century. Let the Twins Do Your Work was the tag line. The back of the box shows the twins tackling several household chores as well as a list of 34 cleaning jobs made easier by using Gold Dust. http://www.the-forum.com/advert/golddust.htm Wow!Now this is one of the most interesting photos posted on Shorpy in a long time. I would love to know the story behind the "I will agree with you sister..." sign. This Quaint StructureWashington Post, September 3, 1916. PLEAD FOR QUAINT HOTEL Hundred Neighbors Sign a Petition To Save Sutherland's "Fairview." A petition eight feet long, signed by about 100 neighbors of the Fairview Hotel, First street and Florida avenue northeast, will be introduced as evidence against the condemnation and closing of this quaint structure when a hearing is held at the District building Tuesday to determine whether the property shall be razed for sanitary reasons. Keith Sutherland is the aged colored proprietor, and he hobbled to the District building last week and appealed to Daniel Donovan, secretary to the board of commissioners, to save his place. Since filing his appeal the health department has investigated the property. Its report has been turned over to Commissioner Brownlow, and will be heard at the hearing. Fairview is a one-room hotel, opposite the Baltimore and Ohio freight yards. On the spotless whitewashed walls the proprietor, Sutherland, has written some quaint bits of philosophy for the edification of his customers -- truck drivers and employes about the yards. Corby - Washington's Biggest BakeryArticle from October 1915 issue of Bakers Review courtesy of Google Books: The largest bakery in Washington--and model one, too, in every sense of the word--is that owned and operated by the Corby Baking Co., one of the most progressive baking concerns in the United States. The firm was organized twenty years ago, when they started a little bakery down town. In 1902 they bought out a baker at 2305 Georgia Ave., (where their present plant is situated), and then built the first addition. In 1912 they built again, giving the Plant of the Corby Baking Co., Washington, D. C. building its present size. The article even has pictures! Say!I think I stayed there one year Thursday night! Roof GardenFor me a most entertaining aspect of the photo is the three rusty tins being used as planters on top of the shack:     FAIR     VIEW     HOTEL And the whiskey bottles on the stand tell a lot about this place. Those signsKeith Sutherland's quaint signs would qualify today as genuine folk art. Gold Dust TwinsFred Lynn and Jim Rice were known as the Gold Dust Twins in 1975. I figured the name came from somewhere, but I didn't know it was from washing powder. Sage DiesWashington Post, Feb. 21, 1933. Sage Dies Former Slave Prophesied Voters' Landslide for Roosevelt. Keith Sutherland, colored philosopher and prophet whose political forecast won him the thanks of President-elect Roosevelt, fulfilled his final prediction Sunday when he folded his hands about a Bible and died at his home, 1640 Eleventh street. The former slave felt the approach of death Friday, his children said. He called his family together and instructed them to prepare a funeral, saying that he would die on the Sabbath. Last August Sutherland dreamed of a great voters' landslide for Franklin D. Roosevelt. The dream was so "clear" that he wrote Mr. Roosevelt a description of it. Mr. Roosevelt responded with a "thank you" note saying he found the prediction "very encouraging." For the past half century Sutherland has kept a restaurant in Washington where the walls were posted with his prophecies, many of them showing unusual foresight. He was 79 years old. Funeral services will be held tomorrow at 1 p.m. at the P.A. Lomax funeral home, Fourteenth and S streets. Interment will be at Harmony Cemetery. He is survived by four children. The Real McCoyIt actually looks like Grandpappy Amos McCoy's apple cider stand. Hostelry Spared Local News Briefs Upon recommendation of both the health officer, William C. Woodward, and Building Inspector Hacker, the District commissioners decided not to condemn "Fairview," the famous hostelry at First street and Florida avenue northwest , owned by Keith Sutherland, colored philosopher. About a month ago complaints reached the health office that "Fairview" was insanitary and a menace to the health of the city. The commissioners decided to investigate, but before they were ready to take action, an eight-foot petition signed by hundreds of residents of the northeast section, asking that "Fairview" be allowed to remain, was presented to them by Sutherland. Washington Post, Sep 9, 1916 District Building Notes Keith Sutherland, the aged colored proprietor of the Fairview Hotel, at First street and Florida avenue northwest, impressed city authorities so much last week with a plea for the retention of his property, which had almost been condemned to be razed, that it is likely the "hostelry" will be allowed to stand. Sutherland hobbled to the District building and presented a petition for his place signed by about 200 neighbors. Health Officer Woodward investigated the property and it is understood reported favorably on letting it remain. The building inspector, Morris Hacker, has the matter now under consideration. Sutherland is famous throughout his section of the city for his bits of philosophy, with which the walls of his establishment are painted. Washington Post, Sep 10, 1916 Alley Cook-ShopsWashington Post, Jan. 1, 1897. LICENSES FOR ALLEY COOK SHOPS. Judge Kimball Decides They Are Liable To a Fee of $25 a Year. The alleys of this city are filled with colored cook-shops, which heretofore have paid no license fee. Judge Kimball said yesterday, however, that every one of them must pay $25 a year. Only the police and the people who visit the numerous alleys and little streets of the city know how many of these cook-shops exist. The colored people generally resort to these places for pigs' feet, meat pie, and substantial provender prepared by the old mammies and quaint old colored men who run them, and cook dishes to the taste of the people of their race. The police yesterday brought into court, as a test case, Keith Sutherland, who has conducted a cook-shop for many years at 1111 R street. He was released on bonds after he took out a license, and as the matter has now been tested the police will bring all the proprietors of unlicensed cook-shops to the Police Court. Into the FutureThe descendants of Keith Sutherland's little counter 100 years ago were still going strong when I moved to Washington in the 1980s. I was directed by my new colleagues to explore the alleyways around our offices at M Street and Connecticut Avenue for (legal) hole-in-the-wall eateries for lunch and breakfast. It didn't take long for these places to become favorites of mine. I've been gone from D.C. for 20 years now; I'm wondering if these establishment still exist. Sutherland Family 1880 Census 1643 Vermont Avenue Sandy Sutherland, 54 Rach Sutherland, 57, (wife) Webster Sutherland, 12, (son) Keith Sutherland, 25, (son) Hattey Sutherland, 22, (daughter-in-law) Mary Sutherland, 6, (daughter) Willie Sutherland, 4, (son) 1900 Census 1112 R St Keith Sutherland, 46 Hattie Sutherland, 44, (wife) Arthur Sutherland, 3, (son - adopted) Webster Sutherland, 32, (brother) 1920 Census 104 Seaton Place Northeast Keith S Sutherland, 65 Hattie D Sutherland, 64, (wife) Webster Sutherland, 52, (brother) ???, 14, (daughter) Arthur L., 21, (son) Cora, 15, (daughter-in-law) Pinkey ???, 52, (mother-in-law) Just like India of todayHere in India, we still have thousands of "hotels" just like this one. I can walk to the end of the street here and find three of them that in black-and-white wouldn't look so different. Many are even on wheels (carts with bicycle wheels). Most have similar folk-art signs complete with misspellings. And similar records of cleanliness. I always thought it was interesting that restaurants in India are still called hotels. Now I see it's not odd, just archaic. Corby BakeryIt later became a Wonder Bread bakery (last time I was by there, the old "Wonder Bread" sign was still in place). The Corby buildings are still there (east side of Georgia just north of Bryant Street) and now house a strip of retail shops and fast food places. "Arbiter of all Brawls""Keitt" Sutherland was getting towards the end of a colorful life here. Washington Post, February 4, 1900. EX-KING OF THE BOTTOM Once Dominated a Notorious Section of the City. WHERE CRIME AND EVIL REIGNED. Reminiscences of "Hell's Bottom," Which Formally Kept the Police Department Busy, Recalled by "Keitt" Sutherland, the Odd Character Who Figured as Self-appointed Arbiter of all Brawls –- His Curious Resort in Center of that Section. KEITT'S. I, am, going, to, put, my, name, above, THE DOOR. The above legend with its superfluity of commas, inscribed on a piece of board about a foot square, nailed above the door of a tumble-down building at the intersection of Vermont avenue, Twelfth and R streets, marks the abode of the “King of Hell’s Bottom.” The structure thus adorned is the pool room of “Keitt” Sutherland, overlord and supreme ruler of the negroes in the vicinity. Although the encroachments of modern dwellings, increase in the police force, and other accompaniments of growing metropolitan life have somewhat shorn him of his feudal rights and curtailed his former realm, “Keitt” is now, and always will be, monarch of all he chooses to survey. It is still within the memory of the present generation when “Hell’s Bottom” was a fact and not a memory. The swampy, low-lying ground bred mosquitoes, malaria, and – thugs. It was the quarter set apart for and dominated by the tough element of the colored population. A white man with money in his pocket studiously avoided the locality after dark, or else set a fast pace to which he adjusted the accompaniment of a rag-time whistle. Half a dozen saloons congested within the radius of a block served the barroom habitués with whisky as hot as chile con carne and as exhilarating as Chinese pundu. Fights arose approaching the dimensions of a riot, and the guardians of the law had all they could do to quell the disturbances. A policeman or two was killed, and that, together with the growth of the city, led to the rehabilitation of “Hell’s Bottom.” Now it is interesting mainly in its wealth of reminiscence. “How did I happen to put up that sign?” Keitt repeats after the inevitable query. “I’ll tell you. You see my folks used to own that property, and they was sort o’ slow dyin’ off. I knowed I was going to come into it some day, an’ I thought I might as well let people know it. About that time a show came along, and they sang a song somethin’ like this: “I am going to put my name above the door. For it’s better late than never. An’ I’ll do so howsomever.’ It gave me an idea. I just put that sign above the door. After while the folks died, an’ I got the property.” Queer Sort of Place. Guided by the much-be-commaed signboard, the visitor goes to the door of the poolroom and inquires for “Keitt.” He finds the room filled with colored youth of all sizes, the adults of which are engaged in playing pool at 5 cents a game. The balls on the table are a joblot, the survivors of the fittest in many a hard-fought game. The cushions are about as responsive as brickbats. But the players do not seem to care for that so long as they can drive the balls into the pockets and make their opponents pay for the sport. An ancient, dingy card on the wall informs the reader that he is within the precincts of the “Northern Light Poolroom.” The same placard also gives the following warning: “Persons are cautioned against laying around this building.” “Where is Keitt?” inquires the intruder, who finds himself regarded with suspicion. “Two doahs down below. Jest hollah ‘Katy,’ an’ he’ll show up,” is the answer. “Keitt” on inspection justified the right to the title of “king.” He is a giant, weighing 250 pounds, well distributed over a broad frame six feet and one inch in height. He looks like a man who would not shun a rough and tumble fight. He does not have to. A registered striking machine off in the corner shows that he can deliver a 500-pound blow. He might do better, but unfortunately the makers of the instrument did not figure that a man’s fist was a pile driver, and 500 pounds is as high as the machine will register. Many are the tables told of his prowess; of how he whipped in single combat the slugger of the community, a man who had challenged any five to come on at once; of how when only a bootblack in the ‘60’s, he sent three bullies about their business with broken heads and black eyes; of how he used to suppress incipient riots in his saloon by means of his strong arm and without the aid of the bluecoats in the neighborhood. Indeed, the police used to say that “Keitt” was as good as a sergeant and a squad with loaded “billies.” But “Keitt” (the name is a popular conversion of the more familiar “Keith”) has not won his way entirely through the medium of brawn. He is a man of intelligence, and has a keen eye for business. He is the magnate of the neighborhood, with property in his name, money in the bank, and a good comfortable roll about his place of business. He can go down in his pocket and bring out more $50 bills than the average man caries about in the $5 denomination. If one hints robbery or burglary “Keitt” simply rolls his eye expressively, and enough has been said. No one cares to tamper with his till. Plenty of Local Color. The saloon on the outside looks like a combination coal and wood shed. “Keitt” apologetically explains that it was formerly a stable, and that he has not had time to fix up much. Nevertheless, the fish, beans, sandwiches, and other eatables are so tempting that the frequenters of the place do not pay much attention to external appearances. The magic of the proprietor’s name draws as much custom as he can attend to, and fully as much as the customers can pay for. There is a charm about the old haunt that cannot be dispelled by police regulations or the proximity of modern dwellings. On Saturday night the place takes on something of its old glory. In the smoke-begrimed room – hardly 12 by 12 – are found thirty or forty men eating and talking. Through the thick clouds of smoke the lamps throw out a dim gleam, and the odor of frying fish and the fumes of the pipe struggle for the mastery. The crowd gets noisy at times, but any attempt at boisterousness is quieted by a word from the dominant spirit of the gathering. If any one gets obstreperous he is thrown out on the pavement, and it makes little difference to the bouncer whether the mutinous one lands on his head or not. This is the negro Bohemia. They who live from hand to mouth love to come her. The boot-black with a dime receives as much consideration as the belated teamster with a roll of one-dollar bills. Business is business, and “Keitt” is a business man. Consequently there is very little credit given. “Five or ten cents is about the limit,” says the autocrat. But “Keitt” is something of a philanthropist., although he makes his charity redound to his personal benefit. An illustrated placard, done in what appears to be an excellent quality of shoe blacking, has the figure of a man sawing wood. It bears the following words, “Just tell them that you saw me sawing wood at Keitt’s for a grind.” The term “grind” is synonymous with mastication, the wood sawyer thereby being supposed to do a stunt for the recompense of a square meal. This does away with the tearful plaint that is ever the specialty of the hungry and penniless, gives employment to the idle, and increases the size of “Keitt’s” wood pile. The latter is sold to the negroes of the neighborhood at prevailing prices. “Keitt” figures that his method is wiser than giving unlimited credit, and he is probably right. “Keitt” is a mine of reminiscence. He has been in Washington 1862, when he came from Charles County, Md., where he was born a slave. He was a bootblack around the Treasury building, and he remembers seeing Lincoln’s funeral pass by, with the white horse tied behind the hearse. His history of the rise and fall of “Hell’s Bottom” is quite valuable from a local standpoint. Divested of dialect, it is as follows “’Hell’s Bottom’ began to get its name shortly after the close of the war in 1866. There were two very lively places in those days. One was a triangular square at Rhode Island avenue and Eleventh street. It was here that an eloquent colored preacher, who went by the name of ‘John the Baptist,’ used to hold revival services, which were attended by the newly-freed slaves. The revival was all right, but the four or five barrooms in the neighborhood used to hold the overflow meetings, and when the crowds went home at night you couldn’t tell whether they were shouting from religion or whisky. “Then there was what was known as the ‘contraband camp,’ located on S street, between Twelfth and Thirteenth. The negroes who had just been freed stayed there waiting for white people to come and hire them. They got into all sorts of trouble, and many of them settled in the neighborhood. Money was scarce and whisky was cheap – a certain sort of whisky – and the combination resulted in giving the place the name which it held for so many years. The police force was small. There was no police court, and the magistrates before whom offenders were brought rarely fixed the penalty at more than $2. Crime and lawlessness grew terribly, and a man had to fight, whenever he went into the ‘Bottom.’ “The unsettled condition of the locality made things worse. Men used to shoot reed birds where Corcoran street now is. I have caught many a mud turtle there in the 60’s. I saw a man get drowned in the creek at Seventh and R streets. At the point where the engine-house is now located on R street a man could catch all the minnows he wanted for bait. Tall swamp grass afforded easy concealment for any one who wanted to hide after a petty theft or the robbery of some pedestrian. Consequently, it is small wonder that the law was defied in those days. Many Disorderly Rowdies. “A white man never wanted to cross the ‘Bottom’ after dark. If he did he had to keep stepping. Just how many crimes of magnitude were committed there no one can tell. The life of the negro was far from easy. If a fellow took a girl to church, the chances were that he would not take her home. A gang of rowdies would meet him at the church door as he came out. They would tell him to ‘trot,’ and he seldom disobeyed. They escorted the girl themselves. It was impossible to stop this sort of petty misdeeds. “At times the trouble grew serious. I have seen 500 negroes engaged in a fight all at once in ‘Hell’s Bottom.’ That was during the mayoralty elections, and the riot would be started by the discovery of a negro who was voting the Democratic ticket. I have had big fights in my old saloon, but there was only one that I could not stop with the assistance of two bouncers I had in those days. There were fully fifty men in the saloon at the time, and most of them were drunk. They began to quarrel, and when I could not stop them I blew a distress call. About fifteen policemen came, for in those days it was useless to send two or three to quell a disturbance around here. When word came that the police were after them the last man of them rushed through the rear part of the saloon, and I’ll give you my word that they broke down the fences in five back yards in getting away. Not a man of them was captured. “Ah, those were the days. Things are quiet around here now, but sometimes we have a little fun, and then the boys go to the farm for ninety days. I keep ‘em pretty straight in my place, though, let me tell you.” (The Gallery, D.C., Eateries & Bars, Harris + Ewing)
Washington Slept Here: 1925
Washington, 1925. "Ford Motor Company. Capitol bedding truck." In a rare stab ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 09/04/2012 - 1:01pm -

Washington, 1925. "Ford Motor Company. Capitol bedding truck." In a rare stab at whimsy or wit or whatever you want to call it, National Photo shot this Capitol Mattress truck in front of the actual Capitol. Tee hee! View full size. Ford Motor CompanyLovely, brand new, truck, but it's not a Ford. [Ford Motor would have been the client who commissioned the photo. The truck is a Dodge. - Dave] Perpendicular ParkingTypical, even in 1911 these truck drivers think they can park right in the middle of the road! East Capitol MattressPhotographed on East Capitol Street- view today is very similar. An ad from 1919 Washington Post reveals that Capitol Brand Mattresses were locally manufactured and distributed through many local stores including S. Kann Sons Co., 8th and Market Space The Hub Furniture Co., 7th and D Sts. Lansburgh & Bro., 420-430 7th St. Sachs Furniture Co., 8th and D Sts. R.W. Henderson, 1109 F St. Sanitary Bedding Co., 903 G St. W.E. Miller, 7th and E Sts. S.W. Hopkins Furniture Co., 415 7th St. Diamond Bedding Co., 739 7th St. Wilson, Proctor & Co., 717 7th St. Nelson Furniture Co., 508 H St. N.E. Cut Rate Furniture Co., 937 7th St. Palais Royal, 11th & G Sts. The Hecht Co., 513-517 7th St. National Furniture Co., 633 H St. N.W. Julius Lansburgh Furniture Co., 512 9th St. P.J. Nee, 7th and H Sts., N.W. Walker-Thomas Co., 1015 7th St. Cornell's Wall Paper Co., 714 13th St. Baum Furniture House, 2004 14th St. People's Dept. Store, 8th and Pa. Ave. S.E. Globe Furniture Co., 1012 7th St. Thompson Bros., 1220 Good Hope Road Hutchison Bros., 1814 14th St. N.W. Faint praise"Serviceable?" That seems perilously close to damning with faint praise. "Why, yes, our mattresses are deeply adequate!" CleanSanitary is always a good quality when it comes to mattresses. I didn't know you had a choice? Questions, QuestionsI was getting ready to launch a comment about how this isn't a Ford, but fortunately calmed down long enough to read the comments and see it had already been mentioned. I do wonder, though, why FoMoCo wanted the portrait of a Dodge Truck. Comparative study? Also, it looks like the truck driver backed right up to large tree that would block unloading. Lastly, I'll just say I love that old iron fencing in the yard to our left. Fine letteringThe high point of this pic is the lettering on the truck. This was an expensive job rendered by a highly skilled signpainter. Look at the split-blended shading on the main copy, and the detail in the Capitol image. Graham Bros 1½ TonThis photo appeared in the May 10, 1925 Washington Post, captioned: "Graham Brothers 1½-ton truck on 158-inch wheel base with body designed to carry bulky goods." It still makes no sense why Ford would commission the photo. Perhaps a transcription mistake occurred later. [The transcription is correct. Graham Bros. manufactured the chassis. The powerplants were supplied by a third party, generally Dodge or Ford. In 1926 the company was bought out by Dodge Bros. - Dave] How Much?What did a Tempur-Pedic sell for in '25? (The Gallery, Cars, Trucks, Buses, D.C., Natl Photo)
Washington Rabbit: 1911
Washington, D.C., 1911. "Mrs. J.R. Band with pet rabbit." Happy Easter from ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/18/2012 - 5:49pm -

Washington, D.C., 1911. "Mrs. J.R. Band with pet rabbit." Happy Easter from Shorpy! Harris & Ewing Collection glass negative. View full size. LocationWas this taken at Thomas Circle? That looks like the base of the Thomas statue in the background. The church steeple in the distance also looks familiar. On a leash?I've had pet rabbits growing up, and this rabbit is completely trusting enough to slip a leash over its head, or it was put on while it was drugged. I can also see it trying to hop off after seeing a dog go after it and choking itself. Some rabbits allow it...Not mine, however. I've got two, and they'd both go for my throat if I so much as waved a harness and leash near them...they like being petted, but try to pick them up and all bets are off. But I have seen rabbits happy to be on a harness and hopping about, though they usually go around the neck and chest to avoid that choking risk. RabbitryYou have to start with a harness when they're young, and be willing to follow where they hop - they will never learn to walk like a dog. The bun I got as a baby liked it well enough; the one I adopted as an adult freaked out and was like watching a wild piece of ever-popping, furious and furry popcorn on the end of the string. I was covered in angry red scratches by the time I could hold him still long enough to get the bunny harness off and pack it away forever! :) The key to bunnies making good pets is they have to be housepets and have interaction with you every day. Fashionable purseI'm impressed by Mrs. Band's purse. It looks quite modern! I had no idea they used such small purses back in the day. Compact purseShe had less to carry. It would take too much space to list what ladies carry today compared to then so I list what I believe they did carry. To wit: Powder compact with mirror, a handkerchief, a coin purse, her house key and perhaps a comb. Sagacious Bunny Washington Post, Oct 31, 1911 Has the Newest Fad in Pets Mrs. J.E. Band Adopts Dainty White Angora Rabbit, Adorned With Pink Collar. "Oh, look mommer; look! Isn't it just too perfectly seweet?" Mother and small daughter were passing Thomas circle. "Mommer" looked at a bunch of fluffy white wool decked out with pink ribbons which was disporting itself on the grass. The bunch of "fluff" is the latest fad in the pet line, and its owner, Mrs. J.E. Band, calls it "Bunny." But it's not a common rabbit; it's an angora, with the most attractive long white hair imaginable. Mrs. Band lives at the Iroquois apartment house, and is often seen giving "Bunny" an airing in the circle. And a most picturesque pair they are -- she in her trim walking suit and big white felt hat and "Bunny," as white as snow, with a shirred pink ribbon collar, embellished with bunchy rosettes of pink baby ribbon under each ear, and attached to his mistress by a long pink ribbon "lead." Mrs. Band is very proud of her pet. She has had "Bunny" since it was 3 weeks old. She says "Bunny" is very sagacious. She certainly is as full of little tricks as a dog can be. She protests with funny little grunts -- the only sound she is able to make -- if she finds that her mistress is going out without her. She wakes people up in the morning when she thinks they have slept long enough of or is tired of her own society. She stands on her hind legs and begs when her mistress or Mr. Band has anything that she wants. As for Mr. Band, he is a busy man, but does not dare come home in the evening without something in his pocket for "Bunny." She expects it, and goes through his pockets looking for it, and he says he can't stand the reproach in her ruby eyes if he has in the press of business forgotten her. He simply has to go out and get something for her ladyship. Mrs. Band, who is well known locally as an equestrienne and lover of fine horses, finds "Bunny" a much more practical pet then either a dog or cat. Landlords don't object, because "Bunny" makes no noise and never loiters around the halls. Everybody in the big apartment building is interested in the unusual pet and nobody is afraid of it. There is no license to be paid on it. On the whole, in these days when the authorities are making life a burden to dog owners, the new fad has obvious advantages. OK, see that photographer...KILL! Church of the Ascension and Saint AgnesI believe that is their spire in the background, completed 1875. View Larger Map Bunny in Thomas SquareFor those (such as me) whose browsers have difficulty with the previous NPR link, here is the direct link to the fantastic now/then embedded photo of Mrs. Band and Bunny in Thomas Circle. Kudos to Jason E. Powell for inspired creativity, excellent technique and attention to detail. Thomas CircleThis photo was featured in an article titled "Time Travel on the Cheap" and you can see Thomas Circle then & now. Check it out! (The Gallery, Animals, D.C., Easter, Harris + Ewing)
Town and Country: 1913
June 28, 1913. Washington, D.C. "Massachusetts Avenue Heights." Woodland Drive at 32nd Street ... and $8.3 million. http://www.trulia.com/for_sale/Washington,DC/38.923526,38.928033,-77.066... Posh Digs This neighborhood was ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 09/11/2011 - 4:16pm -

June 28, 1913. Washington, D.C. "Massachusetts Avenue Heights." Woodland Drive at 32nd Street NW. National Photo Co. glass negative. View full size. Woodland & 32ndThat corner's crying for a 7-Eleven. [And a Starbucks! - Dave] Would crySpeakin' of cryin', I would do so with delight if someone out there could produce a photo that shows what this sylvan intersection looks like today. Thank you. Washington MonumentThat property corner marker labeled "LOT 1" is the biggest monument I've ever seen a surveyor use. We have a piece of rebar poking up half an inch out of the ground on each corner of our lot. Woodland at 32nd TodayWoodland and 32nd. Click to zoom. Slow down!Are those speed bumps laying on the road or did Batman just leave the Batcave? Re: Slow downLying on the road. Not "laying." [Another Shorpy Teaching Moment! - Dave] Tony Neighborhood Today!Two homes on the market: $6.5 million and $8.3 million. http://www.trulia.com/for_sale/Washington,DC/38.923526,38.928033,-77.066... Posh DigsThis neighborhood was exclusive from the start. The Washington Post reports that Rep. Martin B. Madden (Republican, Illinois), chair of the appropriations committee, lived at 3201 Woodland Drive in the 1920s. A tragic location 102 years later.This is the same intersection where the premises on Woodland Drive were the location where on May 13-14, 2015 a quadruple murder took place. Three members of one family were killed along with a housekeeper. Mass killing and then an arson attempt to cover evidence. A suspect was found guilty and sentenced to four consecutive life-without release terms. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2015_Washington,_D.C.,_quadruple_murder_in... (The Gallery, D.C., Natl Photo)
Washington Pork: 1925
"D.D. Collins." Another circa 1925 scene from the O Street Market in Washington. Who wants ham? National Photo Co. Collection glass negative. View full size. Market Basket Everyone has one! I went shopping last night for groceries, brin ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/05/2012 - 7:54pm -

"D.D. Collins." Another circa 1925 scene from the O Street Market in Washington. Who wants ham? National Photo Co. Collection glass negative. View full size. Market BasketEveryone has one! I went shopping last night for groceries, bringing along my reusable bags -- what I really like about them is that they carry a lot and decrease the number of bags I have to lug home. Everything old is new I guess. I love your title -- that's Washington pork that I approve of! Maybe some good Virginia ham, hmmm. How can this be?Whites serving Blacks? Whites standing in line behind Blacks? Blacks and Whites smiling? All seemingly getting along? What gives here? Re: curing hamAh, dry-cured ham! If you've only ever had the wet-cured (likely brine injected) variety, do yourself a favor and splurge on a dry-cured ham. They're absolutely delicious. Thank You Sylvan GoldmanIn 1937 an Oklahoman named above dreamed up the first design for a shopping cart on wheels with two wire baskets, one high and one low. It was patented on March 15, l938. His hunch was that people would buy more if they had an easier way to get their groceries to the checkout counter and that proved to be 100% accurate. Later, other people got patents for their version of a similar object, but Sylvan was first. He was born in 1898 and lived to the age of 86 (1984). This WILL BE on the test. Achh! The smell of that aroma!Just by the way the photo looks the smell of all that beautiful meat brings tears to my nose! It's almost like walking past a house in the wintertime and someone is burning cherry wood in the fireplace. You just have to stop for a few moments and absorb the smell. Aunt IzzyYes, my Aunt Izzy had a smokehouse out back where she cured hams and sausage here in Georgia. Very tasty, and wonderfully low-tech. Kosher? No.Yummy? YES! (The Gallery, D.C., Natl Photo, Stores & Markets)
Washington Rubber: 1942
May 14, 1942. Washington, D.C. "Filling up with gas on the day before rationing starts." 4x5 ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 09/05/2022 - 5:34pm -

May 14, 1942. Washington, D.C. "Filling up with gas on the day before rationing starts." 4x5 inch acetate negative by John Collier for the Office of War Information. View full size. 1940 Studebaker CommanderI don't know my Chevrolets that well but the car facing us, with its driver signing for something, is a 1940 Studebaker Commander sedan. Under the Hood (and under the table)Less than a year later, this station would be charged with violating rationing regulations on numerous occasions!! The apartment building(s) in the background are still there, occupying the whole south side of the 1300 block of Clifton. I need some airI really like the Eco Tirefloater Model 40 from the '30s underneath the Hood Tires man. [It's a Tireflator, not "floater." Because it's an inflator of tires! - Dave] Gee, our old LaSalle ran greatThe man signing something is not at a pump, so not sure what he's signing for. But it brings back memories of when you had to have a separate credit card for each brand of gas. This Conoco did not take a Shell card. After the nice man gave you the amount of gas you requested, cleaned your windshield, and checked oil, tires, etc., you handed him your gas card, which he took inside to swipe in a credit card imprinter (they still sell those things?). He returned to your car with your card, a pen, and a receipt for you to sign. Afterward, he tore off one of the carbon copies for you to have for your records and thanked you for your business. By 1998 that system was all in the past. When my father died that year, my mother had never put gas in a car. And she did not want to learn. The CatwalkIn automotive design terms during the 1930s, the "catwalk" was the area between the front fenders and the hood. "Catwalk cooling" referred to the insertion of air intakes in those areas. Virgil Exner designed that Studebaker while working in Raymond Loewy's studio. Exner later went on to create the huge tailfinned land yachts for Chrysler in the late 1950s. Rationing rationaleMake It Do – Gasoline Rationing in World War II https://www.sarahsundin.com/make-it-do-gasoline-rationing-in-world-war-i... Gas was rationed primarily to save rubber, because Japan had occupied Indochina, Malaysia, and Indonesia. There was a shortage of gas on the East Coast until a pipeline from Texas was constructed to replace the transport of crude oil by sea, which during the early years of the war made it vulnerable to attack by German submarines. In the vault of the National Postal Museum there are a few of the almost five billion gasoline rationing coupons which were produced in response to the 1973-74 gasoline shortage at the direction of the Federal Energy Office. The government had proposed nationwide gasoline rationing, as had occurred during World War II, but national gas rationing never happened and the coupons were never used. https://postalmuseum.si.edu/collections/object-spotlight/gasoline-ration... Neon Flags in MotionThis gas station has a wonderful neon sign. The neon glass tubing is installed so that the uniformed man up on the corner of the building would appear to be waving two flags. The Hood Tires neon flags alternating would really attract attention at night. The Hood Service ManGo to this link. It has everything you would ever want to know about the guy in that sign on the middle of the building. http://diposit.ub.edu/dspace/bitstream/2445/126382/153/39.pdf B.F. Goodrich "Speed Warden" (The Gallery, Cars, Trucks, Buses, D.C., Gas Stations, John Collier, WW2)
Shulman's Market: 1942
... store. One thing that puzzles me (I live just outside of Washington, and work downtown) is there is not, as far as I can tell, a Union ... to walk at night without tripping. This 1897 map of DC shows This 1897 map of DC shows that Union St SW ran from M to O in ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 04/27/2017 - 4:25pm -

        This large-format Kodachrome by Louise Rosskam from 1942 first appeared on Shorpy some 20,000 posts ago, back in 2007. 1942. "Shulman's Market at N and Union Street S.W., Washington." View full size. 4x5 Kodachrome transparency by Louise Rosskam. Alternate view. In one of the many comments for this post, an alert FOS (Friend of Shorpy) points out the posters of Axis leaders Mussolini, Hitler and Admiral Yamamoto in the window. Along the bottom of each it says What do YOU say America? The smiling windowLook closely at the window and you'll see two swirls at the top that appear to be eyes and grinning mouth at the bottom. It's a happy store. WowI am really loving these pictures, especially the color ones... Its amazing how dirty things were back then. Do you think it was just the subjects the photographer was capturing, or was there less focus on public works back then? Same Store?I was hoping I had a newer photo of that same store, but it appears the one I took--though similar and also on N St--is not the same one. Here they are compared. Same Store?Thanks for the detective work! Here is another view of the store. One thing that puzzles me (I live just outside of Washington, and work downtown) is there is not, as far as I can tell, a Union Street in the District. The street sign clearly says N and Union (the S or N in SW or NW is broken off). The street number behind the bars above the door is 485½. I notice that the windows on both the store and car have been soaped. Harry ShulmanThere seem to have been several Shulman's Markets in D.C. An archive search shows there was one at 1349 Sixth St. NW in 1958, in addition to the one in the picture, and one on O Street NW. Harry Shulman died in 1984. From his obituary in the Washington Post: "Harry Shulman, 85, a grocer in the Washington area from the time he moved here in 1928 until he retired in 1971, died of a liver ailment May 15 at the Washington Hospital Center. He lived in Rockville. Mr. Shulman moved to Boston from his native Lithuania in the early 1900s. When he moved here, he opened Shulman's Market, which he operated at O Street NW for 39 years before closing it in 1967. He worked for several other grocers until he retired four years later." There are about 250 mentions of addresses on Union Street SW in the Washington Post, with the last one in 1959. The ones I found are in the 1200 block: houses at 1255 and 1271 Union St. SW, the Lincoln Market at 1212, etc. Either it got renamed or disappeared in some kind of redevelopment. (There are 51 hits for Union Street NW, with the last mention in 1990. Those may be mistaken references to Union Court NW.) In 1908 there are a couple of ads listing merchants who would redeem Sweetheart Soap coupons. One was E. Cockrill, whose store was at 485½ N Street SW at Union. Re: all the dirt. A coupleRe: all the dirt. A couple ideas: 1) these are pretty rough, poor places. 2) The country was at the end of a very long and difficult depression that made many people poor. Routine maintenance is one of the first things you cut back on when money's tight, and money was very tight. I sent this site to my grandma, and she told me how they used to love playing with mud during the depression. :) wonderful siteI am enjoying this site VERY much. I, too, particularly like the color photographs because they provide a certain immediacy and timelessness. I don't THINK of 1941 as being "in color" (having been born 13 years later). Anyway, keep up the great work. It's a pleasure to visit here. More like this one, please!Street scenes like this one are just fascinating to me because the level of detail enables me to imagine that I'm actually walking down the street in 1942. At first glance it doesn't appear all that much different than today, but then you notice all the little details, such as the posters in the window of what I presume to be Hitler, Tojo, and Mussolini! this siteI've only just found this site and am loving it. thank you for doing this...lisavc (from australia) Window postersYikes. I figured they were baseball players, but you are right. They are Mussolini, Hitler and Admiral Yamamoto (see comment with poster links below). I added your observation to the caption along with a blowup of the posters. Thanks! And thank you, too, lisavc in Australia! dirt or soot?Did US homes use coal for heating in the 40s? Britain used to be black with soot. CoalYes, lots of buildings and homes had coal furnaces in the 1940s. I would say the balance tipped in favor of oil (kerosene) heating sometime after World War II. Although I am not sure where people are seeing dirt here. The yellow paint is soiled from where people have been leaning against or touching the wall. You can see the same thing on either side of the doors in this picture. Window Posters... where Hitler Says: "We shall soon have our Storm Troopers in America!" And Yamamoto: "I am looking forward to dictating peace to the United States in the White House at Washington." And Mussolini: "We consider peace a catastrophe for human civilization." Great site! Poster LinksAmazing. I am shocked and awed! Thank you, Anonymous Tipster! AmazingI love the site, especially pictures like this. The colors are so vivid, the image so clear, that it almost takes away the time barriers. I could imagine myself walking right up to those people as if they were still alive today, looking now as they did then. As for this comment... "Its amazing how dirty things were back then." Come take a trip to Philadelphia; the level of filth is exactly the same in 2007. Re: "Amazing How Dirty Things Were Back Then"Really? That is a very funny statement. When I first saw the photo, I thought it could be from anyhere on the Hill or in Georgetown today. Aside from a few neighborhoods, The city really isn't much cleaner. In fact, the brick sidewalks are actually flat. Now there are so many roots pushing them up that it's difficult to walk at night without tripping. This 1897 map of DC showsThis 1897 map of DC shows that Union St SW ran from M to O in between 4 1/2 St. (which seems to have been where 4th St. is now) and 6th St. If you look at a current map of DC, there's no trace of the former Union St. in the midst of a bunch of large buildings. If you plug in 485 Union St. SW Washington into Google Maps, though, it does show it being about where Union St. was. 1897 MapThank you so much! Click here for a closeup of the map (which is quite beautiful). Union Street is toward the bottom. Another mystery solved thanks to Anonymous Tipster. Southwest WashingtonSouthwest D.C. was probably the most destitute parts of town at the time this photo was taken. Union Street SW no longer exists because this part of town was almost completely leveled by eminent domain in the 1950s, in one of the country's first urban renewal projects. Prince AlbertLooks like Shulman's has Prince Albert in a can... ;-) Seriously, though, it is absolutely amazing how well these Kodachrome images have held up for all these decades. Kodak's scientists came up with a magic emulsion which has never been bettered... Ninth StreetMy grandparents lived on 9th Street S.E. There was a corner store with the same yellow paint job just down the street (300 or 400 block.) I'm guessing it was also owned by Shulman. As for the soot I'm sure it was from coal, their house was heated with coal until my grandmother sold the house in 1960. Bernard ShulmanAccording to the 1942 Polk Directory, 485½ N Street S.W. was Schulman's Grocery. That's how it was spelled in the directory. Bernard was listed as the owner. He lived at 1412 K Street S.E. His wife's name was Clara. Across from Shulman'sI lived directly across the street from Shulman's Market from 1946 to 1949. We shopped there all the time, and not only were the houses all heated with coal (we had a large shed in the back yard to hold it), but most all of us had ice delivered in huge blocks for our iceboxes. Hardly anyone around there had a refrigerator. My mother, who is now 90, remembers discussing the Old Testament with the owner often. They were both very religious. Union Street SI live at Union and N Streets, SW. Technically. After the redevelopment of Southwest DC, Union Street was replaced by apartment/coop buildings. The streets that still remain off M Street are 4th and 6th. I bought the print with the old car in front of the market for nostalgic sake. Great PhotosThis series of photos was what first got me looking at Shorpy. Been hooked ever since. Sad Little GirlThe Commentators so far seem to have skipped over the sad looking little girl sitting under the window. Beautiful child. The Washington CanalI compared the two maps and managed to trace the route of the Washington Canal. Looks like the canal came down Independence Ave along the Mall, veered a slight right Down Washington/Canal street, Right on South Capitol, another slight right at the RR tracks onto Canal again perpendicular to Delaware Ave, slight left down Third Street to the river. The Fort Meyer complex absorbed and changed Third Street to 5th Avenue. If you go down M Street from South Capitol SW (west), take a left on 4th Street SW, go to N Street, the right on N would go to Union and N Street. Of course the canal was filled in due to outbreaks of disease attributed to the terrible things dumped into it, the likes of which you aint never seen. [Take a right on what again? -tterrace] I recall the area vaguelyI was 6 years old, and lived near an old deli (Snyder's?) on the corner. I recall Miss Minnie's candy and variety store I think on the same block. I was able to walk to Bowen school from the "Jefferson Gardens" white 2 story deco building courtyard we lived in. I believe I lived near K and I streets. There were super-old abandoned red brick buildings across from me. Windows removed, and facing the demolitions to come like a tempest. 1953 or so, and then we moved. Later we went back and saw the barrel roofed buildings that emerged. I recall the vegetable man taking his horse cart through the alley. (The Gallery, Kodachromes, D.C., Louise Rosskam, Stores & Markets)
Hidden Washington: 1923
... & Ewing plates showing the alleys and backstreets of Washington, D.C. The subject here is a Chaconas grocery wagon. Who can ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 04/20/2013 - 9:15pm -

"Produce wagon in city, 1923." One in a series of Harris & Ewing plates showing the alleys and backstreets of Washington, D.C. The subject here is a Chaconas grocery wagon. Who can identify the dome? 4x5 glass negative. View full size. Time capsulesI love these vintage "back alley" urban street scenes The little details. What's cool is that these back alleys pretty much retain all the architectural details ( windows, gutters, cast iron, masonry) even to this day. If you wander down any old urban area alley-ways it's as if going back in time. Shades of my childhoodThe ragman cometh! Window AlterationRight above the double doors to the right of the car there's an arched window that appears to have been closed after the building was built. But the upper floor door/window must have been there from the start which makes me think this was a correction during construction and not after. I wonder if the upper floor was originally designed with a smaller window but a last minute requirement changed that. Portland FlatsThe dome appears to be that of the Portland Flats apartment building that stood at Thomas Circle bounded by 14th Street and Vermont Avenue, NW. Alley Shot From Last MonthThis photo is fascinating. On another forum I belong to, we were discussing alleyways of Washington. Here's a photo I took right off Thomas Circle, behind the modern office building I was working at that month, just off 14th Street and Vermont Avenue, NW. Evidently this old carriage house is now a bar. Building on rightYes, the dome does indeed appear to be the Portland Flats, which is often called Washington's first luxury apartments. The only extant building in the photo are the stables on the extreme right, which is currently a bar called the Green Lantern. Headlight lensThe V in green was unique for early-1921 on the Ford truck. Looks FamiliarI'm pretty sure the building on the right with the double doors is the Krazy Kat. Hucksters and arabbersI see in a previous posting, that such a wagon was referred to as a "huckster wagon". This reminds me of the Baltimore "arabbers" who drove throughout the city selling fruits and vegetables. I don't think most of the arabbers were affiliated with any grocery store - just independent businessmen. As a youngster in Balto during the 1950s, I would see wagons full of watermelons or bananas - unloaded from the docks, and straight to the far-flung neighborhoods. Arabbers were still doing business in Balto at the turn of this century, but lost their city-provided stables. Related to this type of business, I remember men carrying grinding wheels on their backs - offering to sharpen ypur kitchen knives. Times have changed. Hidden IndeedI am sure I just have not paid any attention to it before. But after looking at around 175 images so far, you would think that I would have seen how that horse is being tied in some other image here as well. I am thinking almost for certain that is a portable device and not one that is affixed to the ground, and just the weight of that object is enough to convey to the horse that is it indeed securely tied and has not chance of moving. A simple device that the makers of even took the time to give a distinct shape and form, when any random object of similar weight would do. One of the reasons I Love this site, is seeing things like this that were common place from that time, and are now extremely rare to see again that the everyday practical use. That dynamic for me is so clearly demonstrated in this wonderful image. [There is a "horse weight" in at least one other image here, although I don't remember which one. - Dave] Hee HawJudging by the animal, I would guess this was a Democratic ward. Horse WeightsThere is one found here: https://www.shorpy.com/node/9523 Re: Hidden IndeedRegarding the horse weight, it was noted in this image previously: https://www.shorpy.com/node/5130 Juxtaposition/ Transitionof/from the old and to the new, the horses/wagons in the front and the Model T truck to the right. Move over, guys, horseless is the way to go. Horse WeightYou will find one in this image- https://www.shorpy.com/node/14793 "Horse, Buggy, Tether, Hitch etc. Weight"Weights came in many shapes, styles and heft. Usually always connected, they were simply lifted by the long chain or rope and placed at the drivers feet when not in use. You can actually see one in use by a Doctor in a popular move but I'll be darned if I can remember which one. When the Doctor parks his buggy, he steps off, grabs the rope attached to the weight from the floorboard, walks to the horse and plops the weight on the ground. About that blocked upper doorThat building probably was a horse stable. Those upper doors were where hay was loaded into the building. There would have been a hole in the upper floor inside the building down through which the hay was tossed when it was Dobbin's feeding time. +93Below is the same view from May of 2016. (The Gallery, D.C., Harris + Ewing, Horses, Stores & Markets)
Washington Maytag: 1926
Washington, D.C., 1926. "Maytag Co. display at Industrial Exposition." 8x10 ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/05/2012 - 5:26pm -

Washington, D.C., 1926. "Maytag Co. display at Industrial Exposition." 8x10 glass negative, National Photo Company Collection. View full size. Gasoline drivenI remember seeing a number of these with a kickstart gasoline engine still running in the 40's ModernI bet those Maytags made the housewives swoon!!! The latest in 1926 technology. Love these pictures and this site - keep 'em coming! Thanks for the history lessons. RingersI remember my grandmother still had a ringer washer in the 1950s. I wondered why my mom's Bendix didn't have one of those neat roller things. My mom was probably glad her's didn't since I was much too interested in that finger smashing contraption. [Unless there's a built-in telephone, they're called wringer washers. Not "ringer." - Dave] Yes, I spotted that as soon as I saw it posted. Guess my thinker wasn't fully in gear. It's getting pretty old too. :-( Maytag and MeMy great aunt Beullah lived in an apartment house in Tulsa in the late '40s and kept her Maytag in the basement garage. There was a drain in the middle of the garage and after helping her wring out the clothes I got to hold the hose over the drain to let the water out. Gasoline MaytagHey, I have one of those gas powered Maytag washers sitting on my carport. Single cylinder Model 92 engine plus I have a Maytag twin cylinder engine, but no washer to go with it. Maytag in My Living RoomWhat I wouldn’t give to find one of those electric Maytag signs some day. That would look swell in my living room. Beautiful. Industrial ExpositionMore images from this exposition, please! The company next to the Maytag display is advertising "we resilver mirrors" and they've got some pretty art nouveau examples on display. The NuGrape sign is nice, too. Somebody's offering free Park and Tilford candy with each membership to...something. And exactly HOW do car owners save money on gas, oil, repairs and accessories? This photo is giving me sensory overload! That reminds me.......I need to do the laundry. *sigh* More NuGrapeDave, the product placement in this site has gotten pretty shameless. Now, never mind the electric sign - that "thoroughbred" poster is glorious. So very bold, so timeless and certain. Dave, could you provide a close up, please? I promise to buy a case of NuGrape next time the truck comes by. [Mmmkay. - Dave] Through the WringerMy Mom used a wringer well into the fifties. My little brother put his hand through the wringer once and broke his arm. He got so much attention (rare in my six kid family), I tried to do the same. Got mocked and slapped as I didn't have the commitment necessary to complete the task. Best part of this photo is the car though, rather have that than clean clothes. Arm in the wringerI am glad to hear that I was not the only one to put his arm through the wringer. I was fortunate that I didn't break my arm, but my mother broke the wringer getting my arm free. I still have a scar on my right biceps to remind me of the incident. Model TThis could be a 1925 or 26 Model T Ford Roadster pickup. This was probably repainted from the factory black by the Maytag people. Staring in 1928 Ford would paint the truck line to any color the customer wanted for their fleet use. Maytag AutomobileSince Fred and August Duesenberg were building cars for Maytag, is this a Maytag car on this picture? Maytag WasherI just recently had a chance to buy a complete working Maytag just like this one for $75. I didn't have the cash on me at the time though. T-ruckThe car is a 1926 Model T Roadster pickup. It's probably painted the blue/grey color of the Maytag washers. Model T's were offered in colors from 1909 to 1913, "black only" from 1914 to 1925, then colors were again offered in 1926 & 1927. The odd thing about this car is that it has an aftermarket pickup box, not the one that Ford offered. Any 1926 Maytags in your possession?If anyone still has a working Maytag like the ones pictured above please contact me as soon as possible. I'm interested to know how you use it? (jtrejo@peppercom.com) Thank you! Worked Great!My best friend's mom had one of these, and it was running great in the 1960s! I think I would like one of these better than the ones today. They had a huge tub, the agitator was a monster, and the wringers worked perfectly. The best part though, is the tub was higher, and you didn't have to dig down into it, to get to the clothes. The tub was also very wide, and held a LOT of clothes. Her machine had the drain that went into the sink too, so it may not have been exactly like these, but pretty close for sure. We had to do the wash for all the kids if we wanted to go to the local drive in Mighty Mo and watch the cars pass by about a hundred times, it was a weekend MUST do. I had not thought of that in years! A word you don't hear every day"Gyrafoam." (The Gallery, Cars, Trucks, Buses, D.C., Kitchens etc., Natl Photo)
Zip It Garage: 1919
District of Columbia, 1919. Willard Service Station, Washington Battery Co., 1623 L Street. The sign: "We respectfully request customers to refrain from talking to workmen. Any information desired will be cheerfully given out by floor superintende ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 09/11/2011 - 4:24pm -

District of Columbia, 1919. Willard Service Station, Washington Battery Co., 1623 L Street. The sign: "We respectfully request customers to refrain from talking to workmen. Any information desired will be cheerfully given out by floor superintendent." National Photo Company glass negative. View full size. Old-tyme mannersIs this the 1919 equivalent of a sign on the side of the garage that says: "Car repair: $75/hour. Car repair if you want to help: $150/hour." -- If at first you don't succeed, skydiving is not for you. Willard Batteries "Willard" may refer to a brand of batteries rather then the name of the service station. Washington Battery Company, originally located at 1621 L street expanded in 1918. In addition to car batteries they sold batteries for radios and farm appliances. Washington Post, Feb 17, 1918 Due to increase in business the Washington Battery Company has found it necessary to enlarge its quarters on L street by taking the building next door, at 1623 L street, which is now being remodeled. Washington Post, Mar 2, 1924: Advertisement A Punch When You Need It Willard "A" Batteries give better voltage characteristics, last longer then average "A" battery. Ask your Radio dealer - he carries them in stock. Washington Battery Co. 1621 L Street N.W. Washington Battery GarageOver at the Hemmings blog, Kit Foster identified the two cars as a Scripps-Booth and a Stearns. He also noted the two license plates on the latter and offered an explanation. StearnsThe car on the left is a circa 1916 Oakland, on the right we see a circa 1917 Stearns Knight, and possibly the smaller four cylinder model, a larger six cylinder car was also offered. Known as "The Car With the White Band Radiator," Stearns was formed in 1898 as the Stearns Motor Car Company. Stearnses were built as quality cars from the get-go. In 1911, Stearns became the first US manufacturer to feature the Knight Sleeve Valve engine. In 1925 Stearns Knight was purchased by the Willys Overland and marketed at the top of the Willys range. Slow sales put an end to Stearns Knight after the 1929 model year. (The Gallery, Cars, Trucks, Buses, D.C., Natl Photo)
Saplings: 1925
December 1925. Washington, D.C. "W.W. Lodding (tree & son)." Scion of Walter W. Lodding, ... and -- in contrast to his peripatetic childhood (New York, DC, Atlanta, Chicago) -- seems to have spent the rest of his life in ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 12/22/2023 - 7:52pm -

December 1925. Washington, D.C. "W.W. Lodding (tree & son)." Scion of Walter W. Lodding, of Office Xmas Party fame. 4x5 inch glass negative, National Photo Company. View full size. Fatherland ExpressThat little 0-gauge clockwork train has already covered quite a distance -- all the way from Germany, to be precise. It's been made by Bing, a major German toymaker back then. It's not completely surprising that Mr. Lodding decided to buy a Bing train instead of one manufactured by Lionel, Ives or American Flyer -- after all, Lodding is a German name. Not far from the tree, in two sensesThis charming boy is growing up to look just like his father. The boy’s futureI wonder what the future held for this boy? I’m guessing his direction may have changed 16 years after this photo was taken. We’ll probably never know, but it’s interesting to reflect. [More like 15 years. - Dave] Formidable-looking Dad ... ... darling little boy. That sweet smile warms my heart. Now I want to know how his life unfolded. Happy Holidays, Shorpsters! The Ears Ahead.Toys now -- he was 3 here (but like his father, looked older) -- girls later. In between (1943) was the WWII service wondered about (below). He became a Mason, and -- in contrast to his peripatetic childhood (New York, DC, Atlanta, Chicago) -- seems to have spent the rest of his life in Illinois.(He died in 1982, outliving his mother by just nine years). Ham and Sam on HandBehind the trike's left wheel I think I spy Ham & Sam the Minstrel Team tin windup... (The Gallery, Bicycles, Christmas, D.C., Kids, Natl Photo)
This Won't Hurt a Bit: 1928
"Washington Sanitarium. Takoma Park, Maryland," circa 1928. View full size. National Photo Company Collection glass negative. The doctor will see you now! Clank Just ignore that chain on the floor. We only use it after the ether kicks ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/12/2008 - 4:19pm -

"Washington Sanitarium. Takoma Park, Maryland," circa 1928. View full size. National Photo Company Collection glass negative. The doctor will see you now! ClankJust ignore that chain on the floor. We only use it after the ether kicks in. Special DeliveryIs that a cradle with a hot water bottle in it on the left? ScaryLooks like something from an old horror flick... compared to today that is. Delivery room?Is it safe to say that this is a delivery room, with the cradle and a mirror positioned for the mother to see the birth? Why chain the table in place? Even ScarierA hundred years from now, I wonder what people will think when they see a photo of a 2008 operating room? Scare the hell out of them, I bet. GroundedAs you can see to the left of the table, ether was the anesthetic of the day and the patient was supported with the anesthesia machine on the right. The tanks are most likely oxygen, nitrous oxide and air. Since ether is highly flammable, everything in the OR (even shoes) must be conductive to prevent sparks from static electricity. The chain is probably to ground the table. A. Nobody Lamp ModerneNow we must ALL respect the very forward industrial design of the overhead lighting fixture. Just grand! I want this for my front room! PuzzlerWhat are the two roundish looking things under the mirror? OR thingsWhat are the two roundish looking things under the mirror? Surgical instrument sterilizers? Puzzler ReplyHow close are you standing to the mirror? Unpuzzled?I'll bet that they hold hot and steamy towels for cleanup. Cans are there and sterile towels brought in and interchanged with new hot cans of towels or brought in one of the many available bowls in the room. This being a rather military setup, we must remember it is Washington D.C. and that would be the way things would be done. Thing 1 and Thing 2My guess: Instrument holders shaped to fit in a drum autoclave. Washington SanitariumPatrick wrote: "This being a rather military setup, we must remember it is Washington D.C. and that would be the way things would be done." Actually, it's Takoma Park, Maryland ... and it's the Washington Sanitarium, privately founded and owned by the Seventh-Day Adventists. Given the church's position of noncombatancy (at least since its resolution from the church's Fifth General Conference in 1867), I doubt emulating the military was the primary motivating factor for the setup. In fact, this year Pastor Jan Paulsen, president of the global Seventh-day Adventist Church, stated, "This has, in broad terms, been our guiding principle: When you carry arms you imply that you are prepared to use them to take another's life, and taking the life of one of God's children, even that of our 'enemy,' is inconsistent with what we hold to be sacred and right." The hospital is now Washington Adventist and having outgrown Takoma Park after a century, it plans a new facility in the White Oak/Calverton area of Montgomery County near the border with Prince George’s County. Fortunately, the hospital plans to retain the original campus for healthcare and other community services. Here's a Washington Post feature from last year. And a 2005 feature from gazette.net Here's a PDF of Adventist Hospital's first 100 years. Labor and Delivery RoomYou know. The more I look at it (I'm no expert, I don't have kids) this room looks like it's setup for mothers giving birth. Of course, in those days, the father wouldn't be in the room, so it would be doctor, nurse and mother. I'm thinking mother would be looking in the mirror and the doctor would be down low to get the baby. Cider House RulesThe ether mask reminds me of the one used by Michael Caine in "Cider House Rules." L&D roomI agree, I believe it is a delivery room. You can see the stirrups for Mom's feet hanging from the bed. The water bottle in the cradle would be to keep the baby warm after birth. (The Gallery, Medicine, Natl Photo)
Washington Drank Here: 1913
Washington, D.C., 1913. "Mullany's Saloon, 14th & E Sts. N.W." More about ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 10/05/2013 - 2:09pm -

Washington, D.C., 1913. "Mullany's Saloon, 14th & E Sts. N.W." More about this venerable watering hole here. Harris & Ewing glass negative. View full size. Telltale SignI like your ad up there on the National Engraving sign. Looks like it was actually there, or did you go back in time and put it there? Love these old pictures. [Shorpy got around. - Dave] Shorpy & Co.National Engraving Co. sign apparently painted by Shorpy & Co. Is it a common practice to hide a Shorpy reference in the signs, a la Alfred Hitchcock's cameos? If so, I've been totally missing them. [Watch for when the bus pulls up. - Dave] Quiet DrinkersNext door at 502 Fourteenth St. NW, Jerome Mazzocchi's fruit stand and cigar store. Washington Post, December 1, 1929. By-Paths of the Nation's Capital By Buck Bryant … Dennis Mullany had a small, unpretentious place, south [sic] of Pennsylvania avenue, on Fourteenth street. He did not cater to an eating crowd but knew his liquors. Every man with an educated taste for strong drink found his saloon and liked it. Quiet, modest and businesslike, he appealed to the fellow who sought a beverage but no conversation.… (The Gallery, D.C., Eateries & Bars, Harris + Ewing)
Washington Yard: 1917
Washington, D.C., circa 1917. "U.S. Capitol dome from rail yards in Southeast ... the Southern RR yards located in the Southwest section of DC. The view of the Capitol is the West Front with the Library of Congress ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/28/2012 - 5:59pm -

Washington, D.C., circa 1917. "U.S. Capitol dome from rail yards in Southeast section." Harris & Ewing Collection glass negative. View full size. Dangling thingsPlease tell me what the dangling things are off of the pole in the left center of the picture and what purpose they served. [Overheight telltales for any brakemen on top of the cars. To let them know that a bridge, tunnel etc. is coming up. - Dave] Fallen FlagsI find it very interesting that out of all of the railroads represented by these freight cars only the Florida East Coast still exists with the same name. Team TracksThe brick paving and the variety of railroads represented leads me to believe these are what were known as "Team Tracks," or "Public Tracks," meaning cars (mainly boxcars) were spotted on them for loading and unloading by shippers using their own "teams" (as in teamsters) without railroad employee assistance. Team Tracks were ubiquitous in the pre-highway era, and they didn't completely disappear until around 1970. A large percentage of carload freight shipments were handled this way. The shipper obtained a lower rate, and you were not required to have your own rail spur ("Private Track"). This service was available to anyone, including individuals. When my great-grandparents were moving between cities in the early 1900s, they ordered a boxcar to be placed at a local Public Track, arranged to have their household belongings loaded into it, and then reversed the process at another Public Track at their new town of residence. Of course, for more prosperous clientele, moving or transfer companies would take care of all that for you, and such companies probably would have their own warehouse and private tracks. This was how transportation worked before paved roads. For train loversThis doesn't have much to do with this photo specifically, but I think the train enthusiasts who are likely to like this picture will also very much enjoy this link. This is a sort of documentary made in the 40's about the Southern Pacific Railroad. It gets shown on a cable access station here quite a lot (probably because Tucson has a large rail yard and some of the film was shot here), and I always find myself getting sucked into watching it when it's on. "This Is My Railroad," Part 1: http://www.archive.org/details/ThisIsMy1940 Part 2: http://www.archive.org/details/ThisIsMy1940_2 It's a great record of the attitudes and mindset of the period (though it comes across as laughably sexist at times!). Southern Railroad yardsThis is the Southern RR yards located in the Southwest section of DC. The view of the Capitol is the West Front with the Library of Congress dome to the right of the Capitol. The passenger line from the south ran under the mall in front of the West Front of the Capitol to Union Station Horse headPeeking out at the very end of the longest line of freight cars. Maybe there to take a load of something off the waiting cars. Making a mark on societyThankfully, the spray can hadn't been invented yet. Ninth and DThis would not be the Southern yards, which were in Alexandria. This is a small PRR (I believe ex-B&P) yard that occupied the land bordered by Ninth and D streets SW. This Google Street view is as close as one can get to the photographer's vantage looking north east. By the time of this photo, Washington Union Station had been open for nine years. The passenger train is headed that way on the present elevated alignment which was built concurrent with Union Station. View Larger Map About the B&P RailroadWhile I don't think the yard pictured was owned by the B&P, that railroad did have facilities nearby at one time. Attached is a bit of an 1886 map showing the pre-union station arrangements. Note the B&P station between 6th and 7th streets on the north side of the mall. An d of course, the B&P did eventually become part of the PRR. The yard in the photo is in th eblock marked 386, right at the left edge of the map snippet. About those dangly things and ownershipI sinned, in that I submitted a too wide image. This is a repeat of the message, with a suitably edited copy of the image. I apologize. I found a panoramic drawing on the Library of Congress web site, dated 1921 which shows the area in question, but looking in from the east south east, I've attached an snippet from that view. I believe the photographer was standing on the 10th Street SW overpass, and that bridge was the reason for the telltales seen in the photo. As to the owner of the yard/team tracks, the panorama marked the tracks approaching the area as "Southern Railway System." Look between 6th and 5th streets. There is another such notation just out of the frame on the top. The dome peeking out between the bare tree and the three story building appears to be the Library of Congress building, what they now call the Thomas Jefferson Building. SwaybackMost of the boxcars in this picture had wooden frames. To help support the center of the 40' long cars, two to four metal rods were run between the ends and below "queensposts" at the center of the car. The rods were called truss rods as they provided support similar to the trusses of a bridge. One rod is visible below the "Georgia" car. The rods had turnbuckles at their centers to provide some adjustment of their tension. Many years of heavy loads and hard use overcame even the ability of the truss rods to defy the law of gravity, and cars gradually developed the swayback appearance seen here. Iron, and later steel, underframes and sides eliminated the sag in all but the most abused cars. Model railroaders who model this period spend many hours building that sway into brand new models. (The Gallery, D.C., Harris + Ewing, Railroads)
Thompson Dairy: 1927
Washington, D.C., circa 1927. "Thompson Dairy wagons." National Photo Company ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 09/13/2011 - 11:56pm -

Washington, D.C., circa 1927. "Thompson Dairy wagons." National Photo Company Collection glass negative. View full size. Horsepower vs horse powerA nice display of horse-power on both sides of the street. I am actually surprised that a whole company was still using horse-drawn wagons as late as 1927. I would expect it of a lone farmer or single vegetable merchant, but not a commercial concern that could use the investment in new trucks as a tax deduction. My mother (born in late 1929) tells of a produce salesman who used a horse cart to travel through the streets of Brooklyn shouting "watermelons, 5 cents a pound" and whatever else he had that day. He was still around when I was a child (1960s), still shouting the same songlike advertising chant, but in a very old truck (1946 or 47 vintage) by then. Wonder when Thompson Dairy went to motorized vehicles, or if they did have some by 1927, and only took the photo of the remaining horses, knowing these were the last horses the company would have. Got Milk?Sorry, I couldn't help it. Where milk came fromWhen I was little, living in a freshly-minted development west of Laurel, we got milk delivered from Thompson's; you can still see "THOMPSONS DAIRY" painted on the roof of the old King Farm barn on Rockville Pike. By the time my parents and I moved in, the future was already running, right around the corner: the mammoth Md. & Va. Milk Producers plant on Leishear Road. Lost WashingtonLost Washington: Thompson's Dairy. The wall today.Größere Kartenansicht Urban Legend Is it true the horses would remember the routes? The supply chainCow milk being delivered by horses for consumption by humans. I'm not sure what to think. Health in Every BottleAnyone know the location? Is that The Cairo in the background? Washington Post, Feb 18, 1924 "Health in Every Bottle" The most careful handling of our milk from the cow to the consumer guarantees a very wholesome and healthy product. Our Health Department rating has been above 93 for several months. Guaranteed Quality and Service Thompson's Dairy Established 1881 2008-2026 Eleventh Street N.W Phone North 5996 or 5997 A Thompson's Dairy Wagon Passes Your Home Every Morning Before Breakfast Great Wall of FloridaThis was taken from Florida Avenue, where that wall still exists. You can still see the same building on the corner in the distance today. Cardozo (Central) HS in the background. Re: LocationI'm a bit stumped on the location as well stanton-square. The wall looks a bit like the wall in the Lower Senate Park, but I don't think it is. Lasted a long timeIn my home city in the Midwest, we still had a horse-drawn milk wagon up until almost 1970. The driver would bail off the wagon with milk for several houses and the horse would keep going until the next stop where he would wait for the driver to catch up to him. Yes - the horses did know their routes. Skip Clever HansThe horse learns the route and the stops, is one of the advantages. The driver becomes a passenger most of the time. Hans, of the "Clever Hans Fallacy," was a milk truck horse. Where?I think it's Meridian Hill Park at W St. CardozoIt looks like that is the 1200 block of Florida Avenue NW, looking northwest toward the Cardozo High School football field. You can see the top of the school building in the distance behind the balustrade. LocationI'm stumped as well, but the building in the background looks like a school, if that helps. Mr T must have been old fashioned. By 1927 most businesses were using motorized transportation. Mr Thompson, or his son, must have liked the way things were done in 1881, and saw little reason to keep up with the times. I am curious about how much longer they were in business. [The dairy used both horses and motor trucks. Below, a Thompson delivery van circa 1925. - Dave] The chocolate milk was the best!It was the best tasting milk ever! And the freshest. They have been gone for a long time now and I still remember the glass bottles. Horses were quietI remember reading years ago, I forget where, that dairies and ice houses persisted in using horse-drawn vehicles long after most businesses had moved entirely to motorized vehicles, because they made their deliveries early in the morning, and they were afraid of waking someone up with an ill-timed exhaust backfire. They are said to have been early adopters of rubber tires for the same reason, but these wagons appear to have steel tires. There were horse-drawn dairy and ice wagons until World War II, according to some sources. Bat DayThompson Dairy sponsored "Bat Day" for kids at D.C. and then renamed RFK Stadium in the 1960's for The Washington Senators Baseball Team. Each baseball season, children 12 years of age and under entering the ballpark on a specified date would receive a wooden baseball bat engraved with The Washington Senators and Thompson Dairy names on the spot where a players name would be engraved on the bat today. I still have one of my bats from those days. Nav systemIt's true. My grandpa was a milkman in Connecticut during the 20s and 30s -- and used a horse to pull the wagon. At each house he'd take the products off the wagon and deliver to the porch. By that time the horse had already walked up to the next customer's house and they'd repeat. He really missed that part of the system when he bought a truck. Gone?If you had asked me, I would have sworn we were still buying Thompson's milk at the store today! City Park DairyIn the 1940s, the City Park Dairy in Denver CO delivered milk by horse drawn wagon. I can remember looking out the window of my bedroom and seeing the milkman coming in the back yard from the alley. Horses - semi-autonomus vehicles of the dayYes - horses do lean the route, and a good one could be trusted to walk and wait as appropriate while the milkman zipped up to the address. They were also quieter during pre-dawn rounds compared to the no muffler trucks of the time. The narrow wagons also were better for use in tight mews-style alleyways, and over the unpaved rights of way behind row houses. Horse Trumps Horsepower From "City Milk Supply" 1917; Use of Motor Vehicles in Collecting and Delivering Milk "They (motor vehicles) have been tried for regular house-to-house retail delivery but have usually failed in this field because of the continual starting and stopping, because two men are required for reasonable speedy delivery, and because they cannot move unattended from door to door as the ordinary intelligent horse does, while the driver is delivering bottles." Milk HorseSaskatoon is considerably smaller than Washington but the largest dairy here was using horses on some routes as late as 1962 or 1963. Their old horse barns were still standing into the early 1970s. The horses knew their accustomed routes and they worked them on a daily basis. We didn't take milk from that particular company but as a young child I would see a milk horse in the neighborhood on a daily basis. Thompson Dairy is deliciousThe wall is at the base of Cardozo High School. Thompson's was on route to the pool for us, If a milk man was outside we would beg for milk, sometimes it worked, most of the time not. This was so long ago I hope im remembering right. After all we begged everybody, watermelon man, fruit man, milk man etc. You can no longer put milk in a box outside and expect it to be there when you get back. High Dairy stores also delivered quits a blow to the home milk industry. (The Gallery, D.C., Horses, Natl Photo)
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