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Semmes Motor Co.: 1925
The parts department of Semmes Motor Company in Washington circa 1925. National Photo Company ... take them off several times during the winter. Admiral Semmes The only Raphael Semmes I'd heard of before reading this was the former US Navy commander who ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 09/04/2012 - 4:00pm -

The parts department of Semmes Motor Company in Washington circa 1925. National Photo Company Collection glass negative. View full size.
Tell me the truthDo these pants make my butt look big?
[Or could it be the other way around? - Dave]
The guy on the left... missed a belt loop.
Obey that Impulse!At the first drop of rain, put on your Weed Tire Chains! 


Profitable Biz?...cause that looks like the mother of all cash registers.
Getting snubbedGotta love the details in this picture. The Dodge mechanic's run-down heels, the radiator just sitting at the counter, the flower vases next to it on the counter. Then there is the gorgeous display for Snubbers. You gotta wonder what it is even selling. Makes your car drive better when passing playful bulls? Turns out that a snubber is a device used to suppress ("snub") voltage transients in electrical systems, pressure transients in fluid systems, or excess force or rapid movement in mechanical systems. No bull.
Touch of eleganceDon't overlook the bud vases for sale on the right end of the counter. Not something I see at AutoZone these days.
On the right counterIt's the flower vase for a New Beetle. 
Give me your finest frammis...It's for my Nash. And hurry up about it!
Gabriel Snubbers


Bring back the FlowersMy uncle had a 1930s sedan with flower vases that my aunt kept full. They made us feel really special. I can't remember another thing about the car (except that it was black, of course) but that stuck with me.  Better yet, another uncle had a coupe with a rumble seat no kid would forget and which we all fought over.
VasesThe presence of the vases on the right of the counter make me wonder if cars back then had a flower vase option like modern VW Beetles.
SnubbedThe Gabriel Snubber, the first automotive shock absorber, was introduced in 1907.  
http://www.gabriel.com/DisplayTab.aspx?tid=6
In 1900, Claude Foster, a pioneer in the automotive parts industry, founded a company in Cleveland that was named after its first product, the Gabriel carriage horn. Foster later developed the first shock absorbing device, the "Snubber," for which he was granted the first U.S. patent for a direct-acting shock absorber in 1907.

Counter objectWhat are the things the men are examining on the counter? Those don't look like auto parts.
Bud vases!Popular with the ladies. Often hung from the roof pillars or back-seat sail panel inside closed cars.
D'you like my flat?The Tire Mica and Tire Paint are telling of both the poor road conditions and fragile tires of the time. Tire Mica would have been used as an anti-friction agent, both to ease mounting & to prevent chafing between tube and tire.
Highway KnobberyCheck the fancy shift knobs.
Akro Agate Gear Shift KnobsI love the Akro Agate gear shift knobs in the counter case, just in
front of the guy in the striped pants. It is very hard to find an
original one today. You could replace the factory ones, always
black, with a very colorful new knob, they just screwed on and off.
They came in many very beautiful colors, looked like a giant marble.
It was an inexpensive way to fancy up you car or truck. These were
for vehicles with a floor shift transmission. Very Fancy....
re: Counter objectThose machines the clerks are using are early versions of the three-part receipt systems that became common in the 1940s, 50s and on -- until computers took over. As a local printer, we made up and stocked many such forms. Businesses used them widely in our community.
That's the ticketThose ornate-looking boxes on the counter are receipt machines. Counterman wrote out the ticket, then pushed down on a lever that ejected the receipt and pulled the next one into place. 
WinterfrontThat's not a radiator on the counter. It's a winterfront, an early thermostatic device that was installed over the radiator. The louvers opened and closed depending on engine temperature. They were popular in the colder states.
Some things never change...Even nowadays, some dealers still have under-counter display cases, highlighting everything from oil and air filters to die-cast collectible cars.  Lots of interesting things in this picture, from the cans of Ditzler paint on the shelf, to the display of flashlight bulbs, to the AC spark plugs.  The Gabriel Snubbers appear to be friction-type shock absorbers, using a wind-unwind principle (like a clock's mainspring). The more things change, the more they stay the same.
Sales Receipt MachinesThe customers are watching the clerks write up their sales on sales receipt machines with Art Nouveau style cases. The devices held rolls of multi-copy sales receipt forms, and, when completed, the turn of a handle peeled out one copy for the customer and one or more for the store. Here's two later "streamlined" versions, probably from the 1950s.

DroolworthyThis one scores high on the drool scale for automobilia buffs like me.  I would kill for the Gabriel Snubbers sign.  Lots of goodies here, like the "marble" gearshift knobs in the display case.
Gabriel SnubbersWhat an evocative name! What a gorgeous sign! The contrast in shoe shine on the two customers is marked.  You don't even need to see their outfits to figure out their relative socioeconomic status.  The one on the left has shiny shoes, while Mr. Dodge's are dusty and cracked.
[He's a mechanic. His street shoes could be just as nice as the other guy's. - Dave]
Check out the ChainsWhen I was a kid (in 70's) we had to put chains on our farm truck when we had snow and Ice. I remember they were a pain. Sometimes we would put them on and take them off several times during the winter.
Admiral SemmesThe only Raphael Semmes I'd heard of before reading this was the former US Navy commander who joined the Confederate States Navy and became a famed commerce raider, rising to the rank of Rear Admiral.  Though he called Mobile, Alabama home, Semmes was a Maryland native.  Do I assume correctly the owner of this dealership was one of his descendants?
Heavy liftingNotice the display of jacks on the right end of the counter. These look like a short version of the bumper jacks that were common until the 1980s and the advent of plastic bumper covers used today. The black tubes standing in the center are the jack handles that fit into the ratcheting mechanism of the jack.
A tall mechanic?How do you suppose those greasy hand prints got onto the beam over the counter?
(The Gallery, Cars, Trucks, Buses, D.C., Natl Photo)

Semmes City: 1926
Washington, D.C., 1926. "T.A. Cannon Co. truck at Semmes Motor Co., Florida Avenue N.E." Dealer in Dodge Brothers cars and Graham ... façade design. Well done. The Semmeses Raphael Semmes, president of the Semmes Motor Co., was born 1889 in D.C., one of six ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 06/22/2018 - 11:28am -

Washington, D.C., 1926. "T.A. Cannon Co. truck at Semmes Motor Co., Florida Avenue N.E." Dealer in Dodge Brothers cars and Graham Brothers trucks. National Photo Company Collection glass negative. View full size.
NICESimple, straightforward façade design. Well done.
The SemmesesRaphael Semmes, president of the Semmes Motor Co., was  born 1889 in D.C., one of six children, to Christopher Columbus Semmes (1844-1911) and Symphronia Coombs Bryan (1847-1918).
The 1910 Census lists 21-year-old Raphael still living at home at 336 10th Street working as a manager of a garage. He married Mary McClearon (b 1895) in 1911; their first child, Mary Jane, was born in 1914.
By 1930 Raphael is president of the company, living at 336 Raymond Street in Bethesda, Maryland, with his wife, four kids and mother-in-law.
1940 sees him as a real estate salesman in Miami Beach, with most of his children still with him, but no mother-in-law.
Mary died in 1963 and Raphael in 1972, both interred at Congressional Cemetery in D.C.
And Dave, honest, I am not making these names up!
Handsome BuildingNot so sure its later replacement at 1424 Florida Ave. NE is an architectural improvement.
ConnectionsMr. Semmes was well connected, I believe, the grandson of a Confederate admiral and a chum/colleague of George Patton in the two World Wars.
Or else I don't have my Semmeses straight.
Is there more to this?I'm no old-time car buff, beyond admiring them. I was, ahem, captured by the title, Semmes Motor Company, of Washington, D.C., and started speculating. Raphael Semmes, former U.S. Navy officer, born in nearby Maryland, switched allegiances in the Civil War and captained the famous commerce raider CSS Alabama, which was finally sunk in a French harbor after creating havoc to Union shipping on various oceans. Whether that Semmes was any relation to the motor company family, I have no idea, but it's not a common name. Half the fun of Shorpy is the speculation that it creates in me. 
More on the SemmesesAs far as I can tell from this, the maritime and the auto Semmeses don't appear to be related. Admiral Semmes' book is here.
(The Gallery, Cars, Trucks, Buses, D.C., Natl Photo)

Semmes Motor Co.: 1927
Washington, D.C., circa 1927. "Cross trucks, Semmes Motor Co." Headquarters for Good Used Cars. National Photo Company glass ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 09/13/2011 - 8:26pm -

Washington, D.C., circa 1927. "Cross trucks, Semmes Motor Co." Headquarters for Good Used Cars. National Photo Company glass negative. View full size.
Love the car and garage picturesYour pictures of vintage cars are excellent.
MORE please.
Not tired of DC, Thank you very muchNot the least tired of the DC photos.  Basically, I'm enjoying all the photos that you're willing to take the time to clean up and share with us.  
George J. Cross, jr.

Washington Post, Oct 8, 1929 


Cross Funeral Today

Funeral services for George J. Cross, jr., 39 years old, proprietor of a plumbing business at 636 Pennsylvania avenue southeast, and president of the Southeast Business Men's Association, who died Sunday at the residence of his parents, 152 Thirteenth street southeast, will be held at 10 o'clock tomorrow morning in St. Peter's Catholic Church. Burial will be in the Cedar Hill Cemetery.
Mr. Cross came to Washington from Morrisville, N.Y., and received his education at the public schools in this city.  He established a plumbing business on Eleventh street southeast fourteen years ago, and later moved to the Pennsylvania avenue address.  He was a member of the Board of Trade.  He is survived by his widow, Mrs. Lillian Cross; his parents, Mr. and Mrs. G. Jefferson Cross and a sister, Mrs. Ada J. Veeland.

Rolling paint  job"We Paint While You Ride"
I'd like to see that.
Auto DealersHaven't we seen enough of DC auto dealers?  For that matter, the site is too DC heavy.
Larger than lifeWell, almost--there's a 10-foot high blowup of this photo, colorized, in the lobby of a bank at the corner of 15th St & P NW. I wondered if it would show up on Shorpy as it was so clearly a National Photo Company picture. Blows up just great--try that with your digital camera.
Not enough photos... of flugelhorn shops in Minnesota... I think there must be a conspiracy afoot.
DC Auto Pix --Keep 'em comin'.
More Power!With Lightning Motor Fuel you'll get more power!  I daresay that the combination of lightning and motor fuel WOULD give you more power ... briefly.  
Not tired of auto dealers eitherTo me, the pleasure of Shorpy comes from the period and not necessarily the place. There is something to be enjoyed from each picture, and something to learn as well. Keep up the good work and ignore the knockers.  
Not tired eitherOne of the sources of these photos is a collection from a DC based news photo service so there is necessarily going to be a lot of photos taken in DC.  I am not tired of them either and am also grateful for all the photos that get posted here.
Union GarageAnother view of the Union Building, which was on G Street:
https://www.shorpy.com/node/5330

Cross truck apparatusAnyone know what the hoop-like device on the driver's side of the truck is?
[Spare tire holder. - Dave]
I love carsand I love DC.  Keep 'em coming Dave!
Enjoyour unheated customer waiting lounge (on right) where you apparently will be forced to sit on pipes.
Love Dealership PhotosI too enjoy the auto dealership photos.  Please keep them coming.  They are such a reflection of the period.
Really!Some jerk has the nuts to complain about the pictures on Shorpy being too DC and automobile oriented?  Get a life or invent your own site.  I visit Shorpy every day and am never disappointed. 
Car DealersPhotos of the nascent automobile "Garages" or dealerships are as much a part of Americana as is the spinning wheel.
One small request?I love how we can see how Washington has changed over the years, so I don't think this site is too D.C. heavy. It is so intresting, I think anyway, to see how Americas love of the automobile grew and changed with the times, so I really have no great complaint with that. However..., could we maybe, kinda, once in a while, see more Train pictures? We railfans would love that!
["Once in a while"?? Mayhaps time for an eye exam. - Dave]
Keep the Cars Coming!I too love the car and truck pics!
Yes Dave, I think the hoops on the side are for mounting the demountable rim and spare tire.
(The Gallery, Cars, Trucks, Buses, D.C., Natl Photo)

In the Shop: 1926
"Semmes Motor Co. garage, Washington." The LOC says 1916 or 1917 but the nearest ... is really a guy standing there. Full Service Semmes Motor Company was a very busy place. They had thier own radio station, ... They sold Dodge trucks, too. Ideal Auto Service The Semmes brothers (Raphael and Charles W.) opened the Congressional Garage at 623 ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 09/11/2011 - 1:59pm -

"Semmes Motor Co. garage, Washington." The LOC says 1916 or 1917 but the nearest car has a 1926 license plate. View full size. National Photo Company.
PoseurAt first I thought, "Whoa! That's some incredible photorealistic painting that somebody did on the side of that truck!" Then I realized that the words "The Hecht…" are on the side of the panel truck that's behind a pickup style truck, and the "photo" is really a guy standing there.
Full ServiceSemmes Motor Company was a very busy place. They had thier own radio station, WHAQ (AM 833). In the late teens they ran a bus service. They sold Dodge trucks, too.
Ideal Auto ServiceThe Semmes brothers (Raphael and Charles W.) opened the Congressional Garage at 623 Pennsylvania Avenue SE in 1910.  Originally dealers for Wilcox trucks, they later became the major dealership for Dodge trucks and cars in Washington. They also ran several bus lines between Washington and southern Maryland.
The level of service appears quite progressive in regards to customer relations and standardized costs as evidenced by the following article:

Washington Post Nov 23, 1919 

Ideal Auto Service
Semmes Motor Co. Plans Up-to-Date Methods for Breakdowns.

When alterations now under way and those under contemplation on the new Semmes Motor Company Service building at 613 G street [NW], purchased last week by C.W. Semmes, are completed, it is said the building will be one of the most complete of its kind in the country.
Six stories in height, it is fireproof throughout. Each floor contains 18,000 square feet of floor space.  The two top floors are a present occupied by the government.  The remaining four are occupied by the Semmes Motor Company, as a service station for Dodge cars, with the exception of a limited amount of space on the first floor, which is used by the Semmes Motor Line.  A car owner can bring his car into this building, and no matter what he wishes to have done to it, his request can be complied with, without having to send the machine or any part of it out of the building.
The idea of service is perhaps carried a little further by this company than any other in Washington.  On the first floor there is a finely appointed waiting room and information desk, as well as cashier. The owner brings his car into the building, is met by an employ to make note of what he wishes to have done to the car.  At the same time the customer is informed just how much each job on the car will amount to.  The cost system of each job on a Dodge car has been arrived at after careful study of the various kinds of work that is to be done on one of these machines.
...
The cost of parts of materials, if any were necessary, was known in advance, and the computing of the price to the customer for what he wanted done to his car has been worked out that is today a simple matter.  If the task can be finished in a few minutes the customer can wait in the courtesy room, where he will find newspapers and magazines to help pass the time more quickly.  If unable to wait, or the task is one that takes time, if he or she wishes, they will be sent home or to any part of the city they wish to go in a Dodge limousine, a courtesy car it is called the Semmes Motor Company.  When the car is finished, if the customer wishes, the courtesy car is sent to bring him to get his or her own machine.  The completed car is brought to the door of the courtesy room and the customer can be on his way.
For the services of the courtesy car no charge is made. Once in the building, the floor to which the customer's car is sent depends entirely upon the work to be done.  The second floor is given over largely to heavy work, while on the third floor is the paint and trimming shop.  The fourth floor contains the stockroom and the repair and adjusting departments.  On the far side is located the blacksmith shop, a radiator department and test block for working on motors that have been overhauled and consequently very stiff.  On the third floor is also an employees' lunchroom, where coffee is furnished free and other edibles furnished at actual cost.  This is a facility that every employee and even C.W. Semmes, president of the firm, avails himself of.
...
The building is the largest service station in Washington and one of the largest for an individual car in the United States.
(The Gallery, Cars, Trucks, Buses, D.C., Natl Photo)

Duncan Place: 1901
Mobile, Alabama, circa 1901. "Duncan Place and Semmes monument." 8x10 inch dry plate glass negative, Detroit Publishing ... View full size. It's still there Raphael Semmes was captain of the CSS Alabama. The monument is still there, just a ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 10/26/2011 - 12:09am -

Mobile, Alabama, circa 1901. "Duncan Place and Semmes monument." 8x10 inch dry plate glass negative, Detroit Publishing Company. View full size.
It's still thereRaphael Semmes was captain of the CSS Alabama. The monument is still there, just a little more tired.
Coffee SaloonCan we wager that Irish Coffee would have to be on the menu.  And if you have an accident, there's a convenient Chinese laundry just across the way.  Nice.
Wires everywhereThe statue is still there; now it sits atop the Bankhead Tunnel. Unfortunately all of those buildings are lost, maybe to the fire of 1919.
Aerial?Pardon my ignorance, bur what's that large erection in the grass for? Too early to be a radio transmitter I think.
[Some sort of signal mast using lights or lanterns. As far as radio goes, this was around the time when wireless marine telegraphy ("the Marconi") was getting its start. - Dave]
Not exactly still thereThe statue has moved up and down Government Street a couple or more times in the last twenty or so years.  Never moved very far though. Maybe a hundred yards back and forth. 
I'll attach a photo of a photo I had hanging on the wall of where the statue was a dozen or more years ago. It has since moved West about a block on the same strip of land as shown in the original old photo.
(The Gallery, Civil War, DPC, Mobile)

Treasury Truck: 1925
... be surprising to the general public,” said Raphael Semmes , local Dodge Bros. dealer, “but not to us nor to those who are ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 09/12/2013 - 7:23pm -

Washington, D.C., circa 1925. "Graham Bros. truck at Treasury -- Gen. Serp Corn." Which is how some overworked archivist at the Library of Congress has transcribed the label on this glass plate. National Photo Co. View full size.
Impressive and unimpressiveIt looks good, but, no spare tire - just a rim?  Also, look at that wimpy driveshaft, but then I'll bet it's solid, rather than tubular.  A lot of wood there, especially the risers for the stake bed, atop the frame.  No rust worries, just rot worries.  And, you'd be disgruntled, too, if you had to drive a truck with a non-synchro gearbox.
General ShorpyThat truck is calling out to be reassigned to the General Shorpy Committee! Is there a sign painter in the house?
Good enough for government work?Not much to talk about here except that the driver did a poor job of affixing the stake sides (see left rear; the hooks are not properly engaged).  
Spiffy!Then as now, your tax dollars at work -- brand-new and super shiny, looking like a $50K restoration from an automotive reality show on cable. (Even the leaf springs are perky!) A real treat, complete with an authentic accessory -- a disgruntled and uninterested government contractor behind the wheel.
Wanna Buy a Truck?My guess is that this is the new Dodge Brothers version of the Graham, and this photo was basically an ad to sell Graham trucks, possibly sent out in the form of a press release.
"Ray, Joseph and Robert Graham were born into an Indian farm family. They got their start in the auto industry by converting Ford cars into one-ton express or stake trucks using a rear axle of their own design. They soon graduated to the manufacture of truck bodies for passenger car chassis and were offering their own line of trucks by 1920. Their success attracted the Dodge Brothers who were looking to enter the truck market. Through a deal signed in 1921, the Grahams built trucks solely wîth Dodge engines and drive trains, for sale exclusively through the Dodge dealer network.--
Source - AACA Museum
Rag top commercial truck?There are not many folks alive today that can say they remember that!!  And how about the spare RIM in the back...no tube or tire, but at least the guy has a rim to ride on should one of his rims crack!
Graham Brothers , Dodge, & ChryslerGraham Brothers was not bought by Dodge until October 6, 1925, but even after that date the large trucks were still labeled as Graham Brothers (look at the hub caps).  The underslung rear spare tire carrier indicates that this truck was built after June 23, 1925.  Firsts for these models included all steel construction, crank operated windows, automatic windshield wipers, and a tray for manuals, books, etc. above the windshield.
The Treasury Department truck cost about $1600 in 1925.  Adjusted for inflation the cost today would be about $21,500 (MSRP of a base 2013 Dodge Ram pickup is about $23,500).  The 1 1/2 ton truck had a wheelbase of 158 inches which allowed a full 12 feet X 5 feet of storage space in the bed.
The stake sides are properly engaged.  The rear-most section of stakes is warped/not square.  Notice how the posts for this section are leaning to the right, and that there is a gap between the center section and the rear section of stakes (with a wider gap at the top than the bottom).
The design of the sides is such that the center section can be lifted out while leaving the other side pieces in place.  This permits loading and unloading from the side of the vehicle which was a common practice in the day - especially in narrow alleyways.
As for the driver, you might be a little disgruntled too if everyone was telling you where to go every day.
Without Ostentation


Washington Post, May 10, 1925.

Rank First in Sales in 1½-Ton Trucks


Official figures from Detroit for the first quarter of 1925 show that Graham Bros. rank first in the world in the production and sale of 1½-ton trucks. In the 1-ton and 1½-ton truck fields combined they were surpassed in volume only by Ford.

 “The information may be surprising to the general public,” said Raphael Semmes, local Dodge Bros. dealer, “but not to us nor to those who are familiar with the performance of Graham Bros. trucks and with their rapid ascendancy in the industry during the last three years. Their advance has been without ostentation. There has been no blare of trumpets, no exaggerated claim. It has been a steady, wholesome growth, based entirely upon the trucks' performance.”

Less than three years ago Graham Brothers were in twentieth position. Now they are manufacturing trucks at the rate of over 100 a day, marketing their entire output through Dodge Brothers dealers. … 
(The Gallery, Cars, Trucks, Buses, D.C., Natl Photo)

Candy Man: 1926
Washington circa 1926. "Semmes Motor Co. John Fisher truck." The more you look at this, the more you'll ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/05/2012 - 5:48pm -

Washington circa 1926. "Semmes Motor Co. John Fisher truck." The more you look at this, the more you'll see. National Photo glass negative. View full size.
GumdropThe little girl in the window may also be wondering where the candy man is. Special delivery?
[Very good. What else do we notice? - Dave]

Daddy's HomeIs the address on the truck the same as the house? If so, that's one lucky kid. The family dentist must have made a mint off of them.
The address on the vanThe address on the van matches the number on the house? So the girl in the window is probably little Ms. Fisher.
Little Miss FisherI'd say she was the candy man's kid.
[Good. What are some other points of interest? - Dave]
PointsHe's quite protective of his spare tire.
If that thing behind the truck is fire plug, he might be parked illegally.
FireplugIs that a fire hydrant?  Never saw one like that.
[That was the first thing that drew me to this photo. -- the Mysterious Pygmy Hydranty Thing. There's a similar one here. Maybe it was some sort of shutoff valve for a water line, or a sewer cleanout. - Dave]
What?!? Daddy's HOME????As Mr. Fisher neglected to mention the midday appointment he had with the National Photo guy, at this moment there's an awkward scene taking place in a back room between Mr. Fisher, Mrs. Fisher and the mailman.
1008 Florida Avenue N.E."Capitol Hill Premium Cigars & Tobacco."
View Larger Map
DetailsLooks like the truck has sliding cab windows, which must have contributed to an "interesting" entry or exit. Is the house a double? That might explain the placement of the ever-so-neatly trimmed hedge.
[Very good. The truck has a two-part door, the upper section with sliding glass. - Dave]
Hurry!I betcha he stopped by to use the can. He left the door wide open. A quick dash and back to work. I can't figure out how those windows work. Does anyone think that they're attached to the door? It's the only truck of that era that I've seen on Shorpy that has a fully enclosed cab.
[The door is in two parts, upper and lower. You would have to open each one separately. - Dave]
The lock on the spare tire.There is a chain and padlock on the spare tire, presumably to prevent someone from walking off with it.
The ThingLooking at the Google street view, it's rather distorted, but you can make out the top part of a new fire hydrant at what appears to be the same location as that pot-bellied old one. So I'm voting for that being a fire hydrant which must have had the valve on the side we can't see, because that sure isn't a valve on top of it. Unless perhaps that top flipped open and there was a valve down inside. If so, you could say for certain they don't make 'em like that anymore.
[It looks way too short to be a fire hydrant. - Dave]

HydrantIf you move one blip to the SE in the Google street view, then pivot around to the left and zoom in all the way, you can clearly see the current hydrant. I found a site that specializes in vintage hydrants (it would be foolish to think that such a thing did not exist) and sent an inquiry. We'll see if we can stump the band.
If that was a two-family dwelling, the family on the left is lucky—they have that nice little porch.
Here's the hydrant geek's reply:
That's a great photo. Is it a fire hydrant? I don't know. It is possible that it is the cover to a fire hydrant of an earlier type. If so, this would be the first documentation for this style fire hydrant in Washington, D.C., we've seen. 
Take a look at the Curran hydrant on this page. 
This style hydrant is short and is normally hidden beneath the protective cover.
In your photo there appears to be water on the sidewalk and curb near the mystery object, suggesting this is some type of water device. 
Could it be a street washer? Street washers were small hydrants used to fill water wagons, for wetting down dusty streets. It's a possibility.  
I think this is a matter for an historian or museum in DC to help sort out. Further photographic evidence, such as a hydrant in use with the same style cover sitting next to it would help.
Do let us know if you find out anything more out about this thing. I think that 1926 would be a late date for such an early covered fire hydrant, but you never know.
Either that or somebody left a pony keg on the curb.
The dark sideThe left half of the building looks darker than the right. The line goes from the hedge up to the roof. Could these have been built at separate times? Or is it a trick of the shadows?
[The bricks seem to be painted a different color on each side. Or maybe painted on just one side. - Dave]

Da DoorMany times on delivery vehicles, people would enter and exit from the right, (passenger), side. If you look closely you can see there is no sliding window on the passenger side. There probably isn't a seat on that side and maybe no door either.
The FenceComparing this against the Google street view image, it looks like the delicate iron fence in front of the property survived. This is a minor miracle.
Thanks to gcreedon for posting the Google Street View image. This is always fascinating.
The Candy TruckThe Dodge truck is approximately 1923. Dodge made a lot of commercial units at that time, basically used an open car front cowl and windshield and doors, and modified the back body to suit the use.
You can see "DB" (Dodge Brothers) on the hubcaps. The left rear fender is quite battered. Spare on the left side, with lock, and a neat fender light on the rear at the top, sort of a red and blue marker lamp.
The roadster or touring style left door has an extra sliding window attached, made with a wood frame. Presumably the driver left that affixed, and entered and exited through the curb door.
Urban ArchaeologyI can't shed any light on what the device at the curb is, but I can say that this is one of those things that keep me coming back day after day.  I love these little urban archaeological mysteries.  This post has a second feature I always find fascinating, which is a modern day comparison shot. Thanks again for the adventures.
John William Fisher Jr.Articles about Mr. Fisher in The Washington Post are rather scarce - perhaps because his business was wholesale rather than retail. The 1920 Census lists John W. Fisher, age 32, living at 1008 Florida with his brother, Edward, age 31, and sister-in-law Rosina.
From the Post, we can learn that the house was originally owned by his father: John W. Sr., who passed away in 1914 at age 49. His mother, Christine, was heir but nothing more is reported on her.  Two years later the Real Estate Transfers reveal that the brothers split ownership of the house.
Edward G. Fisher died in 1957 and merited an obituary which reveals that John W. was still living at the 1008 Florida Avenue address at this time. The confectionery business was originally started by John Fisher Sr. and both brothers worked at it after their father's death.  
As to the child in the window, Edward and Rosina had at least two children (according to his obit): Elise R. Fisher (who never married) and Edward G. Fisher Jr. (who became a Lutheran minister) - No information on their ages but they seem to have been born after the 1920 Census.
John W. Jr. died Sept 20, 1972, survived by Rosina, Elisa, Edward Jr. and 8 grandnephews.  There is no evidence of John having been married or having children.  Rosina died Feb. 29, 1980.
The Thing-SpotI see that the place where The Thing once resided now has some metal covers for what look like shutoff valves.

Dark Side of 1008 TodayThe Google Street View also shows evidence of the previously mentioned dark side/light side divisor down the bricks. I note Google has upped the resolution with their new street views. The older ones, like in San Francisco, rapidly turn to mush when you zoom in.
[I would say it's kinda scary-sharp. How long will it be before Google puts a "year" pulldown next to the zoom icon? - Dave]
Looks like a duplexThe hedge centerline seems to match the lighter/darker line, and the very bottom bricks on the left side are painted white, but not on the right side.
[It is a duplex. 1006 on the left, 1008 on the right. - Dave]
Body By FisherCan't help but thinking "Body By Fisher" would be an apt term for any customers rendered portly by overindulging in Mr. Fisher's wares.
Fire HydrantThe item in question is indeed a fire hydrant. They used to be all over the City. I do know where one is now in the Northwest section. Underneath the cap were two 2½-inch outlets with valves. 
-- Coz
[Where exactly is it? - Dave]
HydrantThe hydrant is located on the grounds of the Soldiers Home. To clarify what is under the cap. There are two male threaded outlets, each with a hand wheel valve. I have pictures of it but I don't know how to post them here. 
Jekyll & HydrantMany thanks to Cosgrove for these photos of the gnomelike hydrant with a hidden personality:

I know this girl!The girl in the picture, the daughter of Edward Fisher Sr., is 89 years old. She is in fact on the way to this very location at this very moment, having just seen this photo courtesy of her niece. She is my aunt, and Ed Fisher Jr. was my dad. Next time I talk to her I'll ask about the hydrant.
Re: Aunt LizDear Aunt Liz,
It is wonderful to hear of your personal connection with this photo and to read that you were able to return to the actual site and visit with the current residents. 
Not to be too nosy, but ...

 Do you have any memories of the time when this photo was taken or of your experience living at this house?
 If you took any photos of your return visit, I am sure the Shorpy community would love to see them.
 Would you be willing to share additional thoughts or emotions on visiting the house and neighborhood now?


with gratitude and respect,
             Stanton Square

I'm the Girl in the WindowI was thrilled on Friday to see a picture I had never seen before. I drove out to the house with my nephew (one of the eight grandnephews) and niece who were visiting from Vermont. I had a great visit with the present occupants. Thanks for the memories!
[Dear Liz: We are all very happy to meet you! - Dave]

Candy Man's Daughter 2009Miss Fisher, the girl in the window, returned to her old home in December 2009.
Welcome home, Aunt LizI think I speak for all of us when I say, "Wonderful to meet you!"
It continues to amaze me how we keep finding people with connections to so many of the old photos Dave shares with us each day.
MEMORIES OF 1008YES, I REMEMBER THE HYDRANT.  WAGONS CAME TO GET WATER FOR STREET CLEANING.  SOMETIMES THEY FLUSHED IT OUT INTO THE STREET.  THAT WAS FUN.
AND YES, THE HOUSE WAS A DUPLEX BUT WE DIDN'T USE THAT TERMINOLOGY IN THOSE DAYS.  WE CALLED IT SEMI-DETACHED.  I THINK OUR SIDE WAS PAINTED MORE OFTEN THAN THE OTHER SIDE.  HENCE THE DIFFERENT APPEARANCE.
FLORIDA AVE WAS A BUSY STREET.  THE OTHER SIDE OF THE AVENUE WAS OUT OF BOUNDS FOR ME BECAUSE CROSSING WAS DANGEROUS.  EARLY MORNINGS IN SUMMER THE STREET WAS BUSY WITH FARMERS WAGONS, LATER TRUCKS, HEADED FOR THE FARMERS' MARKET AT FIFTH STREET. WE USED TO GO UP TO THE GALLAUDET FARM TO GET MILK, VEGGIES IN SUMMER AND BEDDING PLANTS FOR MY MOTHER'S GARDEN.  AND MY BROTHER AND I PLAYED MAKE-BELIEVE OUT IN GALLAUDET'S OPEN FIELDS. 
I WAS BORN (IN THE UPSTAIRS FRONT BEDROOM) IN JULY 1920.  I JUST MISSED THE 1920 CENSUS! WHEN I'M 90, I'D LIKE TO VISIT AGAIN TO HAVE MY PICTURE TAKEN WITH MY THREE WHEEL WALKER TO COMPARE WITH A FAMILY PHOTO IN SUMMER 1921 OF ME IN SHIRT AND DIAPER, HOLDING ONTO THE FENCE, WITH MY TEDDY BEAR AND MY KIDDY CAR, ALSO THREE WHEELS. AND I'LL SURELY HOLD ONTO THE FENCE WHICH IS NEW BUT REPLACED ONLY RECENTLY, WE WERE TOLD.  
Thanks Aunt LizThank you Aunt Liz for your recent photo and memories of living on Florida Avenue.  I used to live a few blocks south of here and really appreciate your accounts of what the neighborhood was like.
H Street Heritage Trail!!This photo will be on a board along the H Street Heritage Trail.  The board will stand across the street so everyone will know this building's history.  The trail is scheduled to open in March of 2012. 
(The Gallery, Cars, Trucks, Buses, D.C., Natl Photo)

Union Garage: 1924
... 1917 Auto Show . In July 1917 it was taken over by the Semmes Motor Company, offering 24-hour repair service as well as showrooms for ... owners. Converted to garage in 1915 and purchased by Semmes Motor Company in 1919. The address range seems to be 613-621 G street. ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 09/12/2011 - 12:06pm -

Washington circa 1924. "Union Garage." The Union Building on G Street, venue for the 1917 Auto Show. In July 1917 it was taken over by the Semmes Motor Company, offering 24-hour repair service as well as showrooms for Dodge and Hudson cars. National Photo Company glass negative. View full size.
Union BuildingWow, so much to see in this photo.  I love the old skyline shots.
The Union Building was erected in 1892-93 at the suggestion of the Postmaster General, who wanted space for a new city post office.  It was initially run by a private company and rented to the federal government.  Congressional investigations in 1911 revealed that the government was being ripped off by exorbitant rent for the building and suggested this might be due to political connections of the buildings owners. Converted to garage in 1915 and purchased by Semmes Motor Company in 1919.  The address range seems to be 613-621 G street.
Elsewhere on Shorpy: The interior is also seen in this  photo of the Semmes service department.  Also an article on Semmes plans to update the building as a "modern" service station.
And that rhymes with "P"How convenient - you can play a game of pool next door while you're waiting for your flivver to be fixed!
Market BuildingIs that the old market building, later the wax museum in the Mount Vernon triangle, peeking up above the garage in the background?
[You mean the Liberty Market at Fifth and K? Yes it is. - Dave]
Union Garage: 1924What cemetery is that in the background, and what's the huge building far away with the colonial tower?
[I see a lot of tents in the background. Maybe Camp Meigs. I'm not sure about a cemetery. - Dave]
Adverti$ingThomas Cusack was quite the entrepreneur. Started in 1875, with nothing but a paintbrush and ambition, and now the company is worth $26 million.
Verizon HorizonThis whole block is now the Verizon Center, where the Washington Wizards and Capitals play. On the right is my church, St. Mary's. It used to serve the German Catholic Population in Washington. It was still a German-speaking parish when this photo was taken. The building immediately to the right of the church is the old school and to the left is the rectory.  I believe the domed building behind and just to the left of the Union Building  (partially obscured) is the historic 6th and I synagogue.  Most everything else is gone.
(The Gallery, Cars, Trucks, Buses, D.C., Natl Photo)

Volley of the Dolls: 1943
... dozens of photos of Sally. Her father was John Harrison Semmes Dessez, a captain in the US Navy, and her grandfather was noted ... architect Leon Emil Dessez . Leon's wife Eliza "Bessie" Semmes was the daughter of prominent DC businessman John Harrison Semmes ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 03/04/2015 - 9:16am -

October 1943. Washington, D.C. "Sally Dessez, a student at Woodrow Wilson High School, playing a tennis match." Along with This Girl. Photo by Esther Bubley for the Office of War Information. View full size.
Real Men... avoid the two-handed backhand, and so does this comely blonde!  Of course, that innovation hadn't yet been devised.
Double takeAt first glance I thought "This Girl" was Madonna given her hair & glasses.  The sweater and skirt confirmed it isn't her though.
Miniskirt in 1943?I didn't know that. Now, I'm impressed!
SwingtownIt's no accident that Esther Bubley took dozens of photos of Sally. Her father was John Harrison Semmes Dessez, a captain in the US Navy, and her grandfather was noted Washington-area architect Leon Emil Dessez. Leon's wife Eliza "Bessie" Semmes was the daughter of prominent DC businessman John Harrison Semmes (1823-1898). In short, these were people of substance.
Before there were miniskirtsThere were tennis dresses.
[The appear to be pleated shorts. -tterrace]
(The Gallery, D.C., Esther Bubley, Sports)

Men in White: 1923
... Dodge Bros.' Power Plant. Fleet of Trucks Delivered by Semmes Motor Company to Fussell-Young Ice Cream Company ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 09/13/2011 - 11:15am -

Washington, D.C., circa 1923. "Fussell-Young Ice Cream Co. trucks." I scream, you scream, etc. National Photo Co. Collection glass negative. View full size.
Oh, relaxThat's just Rondo Hatton at his day job.

The Bad Humor ManMr. 32 looks to be a pint or three short of a load. Yikes.
#32Hey!  That's my Uncle Luigi!
Above ZeroThe thermometer next to the window under that sign would be almost impossible to read.
Location, location, locationThe address on the sides of the trucks looks to be 1310 Wisconsin Avenue. Interesting that the trolley here didn't have the underground conduit but rather overhead lines. I thought nearly all the DC Transit lines used the conduit within the downtown areas.
[This is Georgetown, not downtown. Now the site of the Georgetown Inn. - Dave]
What are those?Nice trucks! They must have been the newest adittions to the fleet, considering how shiny and new they still look. I wonder what make they are.
[Graham Brothers. - Dave]
Ice SquadThat's one sinister looking bunch of ice cream peddlers. The suits look like they're packing tommy guns under those pea coats and the drivers look like the muscle.
Christmas plans 1923Ah yes, first stop off at the ice cream parlor and get some Fussell Young ice cream. Then next door to the billiard parlor for a buffet lunch.
And what would happen to their fleet of delivery trucks if one of them had a flat tire? Usually you see a couple tires stored on the fender, to mount on the rim in place of the tire that went flat. Here you see an extra rim with no tire there. 
I'm also having trouble seeing how these trucks deliver ice cream during the months when ice cream is popular. It would be fine to cart around ice cream in open trucks when it was freezing. But aren't the hot months of July and August the best times to sell that stuff? Wouldn't ice melt just as fast as ice cream in August?
It is clear to see why Good Humor and Dolly Madison became household names, and Fussell's did not.
[America's first ice cream factory was founded by Jacob Fussell in 1851 in Baltimore. Fussell's expanded into a huge operation and was a very successful business for well over a century. Below, how the company's trucks looked after being equipped for delivery. - Dave]

See Your Ice Cream MadeA cropped version of this photo appeared in the February 25, 1923 Washington Post.  The caption states:

Graham Bros.' Trucks with Dodge Bros.' Power Plant.
Fleet of Trucks Delivered by Semmes Motor Company to Fussell-Young Ice Cream Company



See Your Ice Cream Made
Fussell's Real Cream Ice Cream,
Public Inspection Invited.

Some Like it ColdThe photo reminds me of the movie "Some Like it Hot," in which a funeral home is the cover for a speakeasy.  I think these guys were selling more than ice cream.
Father of the Ice Cream IndustryJacob Fussell is known as "father of the ice cream industry." A hundred years after it was founded in 1851,  his company went through the first in a series of mergers and acquisitions that saw it taken over by Arden Farms Dairy, which had almost half a billion dollars in sales in 1962. Today the Arden Group owns the Gelson's supermarket chain in California.
Creepy!That driver moonlights as a graverobber.
Just before the heist"So these mugs will meet us at the back of the bank, right Boss?"
The new Dodge trucksThose trucks are Dodges, brand new, and they didn't come with a spare tire, only a spare rim. They are 1 tons so they can haul a heavy payload.
[These are, as noted below, Graham Brothers trucks. - Dave]

A 92 year old still remembers!My mom, who is now almost 93 and lives (alas, far away from Georgetown) in Maine, still talks about the ice cream at Fussell's. She was born in a house around the corner on P Street NW in 1920 and still compares all ice cream to what she remembers from Fussell's as a child.
(The Gallery, Cars, Trucks, Buses, D.C., Natl Photo)

Mayo Man: 1926
Washington, D.C., circa 1926. "Semmes Motor Co. -- Gelfand's truck." There is of course dignity in all work. ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 02/08/2019 - 2:31am -

Washington, D.C., circa 1926. "Semmes Motor Co. -- Gelfand's truck." There is of course dignity in all work. But still, I'm glad I don't have to tell people that "I drive the mayonnaise wagon." National Photo glass negative. View full size.
"Say cheese"And doesn't he look pleased about having his photo taken?
Servicing the Mayonnaise TruckWhen it was time for a valve job, would they take it to the Mayo Clinic? 
UnmodernizedNot sure if I would want that title either, but this was in the day when grocery stores would get individual deliveries, opposed to what we have today where one truck pulls up and has everything on it.
Mama always said"You gotta watch out for the mayonnaise man."
I Drive the Mayonnaise WagonYou wouldn't have to tell them anything, David. The things you do to keep body and soul together are none of their business.
Gelfand's Mayo

Washington Post, Oct 16, 1925 


The Home of Gelfand's Quality Products

Fifteen years ago while conducting a delicatessen stand in Lexington Market, Baltimore, Simon Gelfand prepared Mayonnaise from a special recipe for the customers who patronized his store.  The product sprang into instant popularity.
Today Gelfand's Mayonnaise is made in a modern factory, flooded on all sides with sunlight surrounded by a well kept lawn in the suburbs of Baltimore.  Automatic machinery draws the olive oil as it arrives in tank cars, mixes the product, fills, caps and labels the glass jar containers.
To insure the utmost cleanliness and healthful conditions, employees of the factory are required to undergo medical examinations at stated intervals, each employee is furnished with a clean uniform daily, and shower, baths and recreation rooms are provided.
Distributing branches for Gelfand's products are located in points as far west as Los Angeles, as far north as Boston and Detroit, and as far south as Tampa, Fla.  Harry Carpel, with headquarters in Washington, conducts branches in Philadelphia, Boston and Pittsburgh.  Mr. Carpel has been associated with Mr. Gelfand since the founding of the business.
Mr. Gelfand is now preparing for a trip to the coast where he is going to make arrangements for the establishment of a branch factory, to take care of the rapidly growing business out there.  A branch is necessary because of the inconvenience of shipping in carload lots from Baltimore.




Harry L. Carpel Obit
Washington Post, Jul 18, 1956 


Harry L. Carpel, Food Merchant

Harry L. Carpel, pioneer Washington food distributor, who continued in business and public life though stricken blind six years ago, died yesterday.  He was 60.
Mr. Carpel who often put in 14 or 16 hours a day traveled frequently to Chicago, Florida and Georgia to conduct his business.
In 1917, he was one of the first to distribute package cheese and mayonnaise, which was made in Baltimore.  In 1938 he started marketing the Carpel brand of frozen foods.
Mr. Carpel fought a diabetic condition for 20 years before his eyesight began to dim.  He became totally blind in 1949.  He said that the loss of his sight only sharpened his memory.
He became well known for his charitable acts.  He loaned money to many small grocery men to get them started in the business.  He was a sponsor of the Albert Einstein College of Medicine at Brandeis University and Haifa Institute of Technion in Israel.
In March, 1954, he was honored at a testimonial dinner by friends of Bar Ilan, a university in Tel Aviv.  The university presented him with a scroll symbolizing the dedication of the Harry Carpel Building of Chemistry. [It's still there!]
After losing his fight against blindness, Mr. Carpel sold the controlling interest in his business and began to move toward a forced retirement. But within a few weeks he went back to work for the new owners and in September, 1953, he repurchased his controlling interest and went back to work as owner and chief executive. Mr. Carpel explained it saying, he had too much time on his hands.  He said he learned it didn't pay to quit.
He is survived by his wife, Anna; two sons, Albert J. of Chevy Chase, and Jack of Washington; two brothers, Samuel L. and Joseph M. Carpel, both of Washington; two sisters, Rose Geller of Washington and Sophia Gumenick, of Richmond, and five grandchildren.
Funeral services will be held at the Beth Sholom Congregation, 8th and Shepherd sts. nw., Thursday at 1 p.m. Burial will be at Beth Sholom Cemetery.  The family asks that flowers be omitted.
The truckGraham Brothers.  
Submarine sandwichRemember when Harry Carpel drove the truck into the Potomac? It was Washington's first Sinko de Mayo.
I Hate MayoEver since the day (I was about 9) that I swallowed (but not for long) a HUGE tablespoon of what I THOUGHT was Marshmallow Creme, just the thought mayonnaise is ghastly enough to make me profoundly ill.  It's taking effect just by writing this. The picture of this truck takes it to a whole new level. 
If I taped a picture of the Mayonnaise Wagon to the fridge, I could cut down my food costs by roughly 100%.
Mr. Carpel was also honored... with an underground passage between the Harry Carpel Building of Chemistry and another campus laboratory. Surely you've heard of the Carpel Tunnel.
(The Gallery, Cars, Trucks, Buses, D.C., Natl Photo)

The Great Race: 1915
... the old mark. The car in the middle is the circa 1914 Semmes Special with Raphael "Ray" Semmes at the wheel, but Lew Gibson, the man to his left, was the driver at ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 07/12/2012 - 10:44am -

May 1915. "York, Pa., auto races -- start of Washington, D.C., cars." Please ignore the mold. National Photo Company Collection glass negative. View full size.
First or NothingThe American spirit - I love it!
Who won?Anybody?   The guy with the bicycle?
Beefy No. 13Fat tires, heavy suspension, and trimmed down to fighting weight. (no lights for these racers, they pack just the essentials!) One can only imagine the engine under that loooong hood. And, by the license plate, it's street legal! It looks like these boys have done this before!
Watch out, boys!Right after crossing into Maryland on I-83, look out for radar traps. And then 695, the Baltimore beltway, has construction zone cameras for you speeders.
But seriously, most likely they took York Road through Towson, then maybe Charles Street into downtown Baltimore where they grabbed U.S. Route 1 somewhere south of town en route to D.C.
[They're in D.C., about to leave for Pennsylvania. - Dave]
Oh, drat. Yes, of course. OK then, new GPS info for everyone! "When possible, make a U-turn."
 #6They're going to have to pedal hard to keep up.
I wonder...how many hats made it across the finish line.
Did AAA sponsor this race?The car behind race car #3 doesn't look like a race car and doesn't have the white thing across the hood with the car # on it.  It does have what appears to be the AAA logo on the radiator.
No PedalsThe car on the far left is an Argo made in Jackson, Michigan between 1914 and 1918 that has been stripped of most of its body work and accessories.  This one is from 1914 - 1916 as the later models were more conventional and cost more than $400. A Ford Model T Runabout cost about $345 in 1916. 
The Argo had a 4 cylinder 12 horsepower engine, shaft drive, weighed 750 pounds, with a 44 inch tread width, 4 gallon gas tank, an expected 35 - 45 mpg, could go up to 40 mph, and two forward speeds and one reverse gear.  It came equipped with tools, but if you wanted your top, windshield, generator, and headlights attached you had to pay $20 extra.
An extract from a LOC photo of an Argo and a close-up of the logo is shown below.  The Argo was previously seen on Shorpy here, https://www.shorpy.com/node/11292, and here, https://www.shorpy.com/node/4332, and several other posts.
American Automobile AssociationThe car in the background with the AAA badge carries the officials of the race.  The AAA became the official sanctioning body for auto racing in the US in 1902.  They formed the United States Automobile Club in 1955 and turned over all sanctioning to them after the Le Mans tragedy caused them to rethink their goals.  All racing during this period, including the Indy 500, was officiated by the AAA.
This is the same body that banned women from racing shortly after Joan Newton Cuneo won the amateur national championship.
Lexington Not Made Near ConcordThe car on the far right appears to be a 1910 - 1913 Lexington automobile which were originally made in Lexington, Kentucky and then Connorsville, Indiana from 1909 to 1927.  A little more than 38,000 Lexington cars were built during that time.
Lexington won the Pike's Peak hillclimb in both 1920 (first and second places) and 1924 (first, second, and third places).  An amazing performance for a tiny company.
Pictures of Lexington's are not easy to come by.  The radiator emblem on this car is similar to the Lexington emblem in the color plate section of Jack Martell's book Antique Automotive Collectibles.  
A picture of the a Lexington car that was in the Glidden Tour is shown below along with another picture.  Note the radiator with the same shape (but no emblem on the radiator, just the company name in script).
The Streets and Sanitation truck behind the Lexington is also interesting with paper piled up inside, bags hanging off the back, and a mustachioed driver looking directly at the photographer.
At least one Lexington survives.
A day at the racesThese cars are not racing the ninety-miles to York—they are traveling there to participate in the July 5, 1915 series of five-mile races on the York half-mile dirt track.  Nearly all of the contestants were from the Washington D. C. area, and had been expressly invited by the York Motor Club, under whose auspices the meet was held.  While BradL is correct in his assessment of the AAA, this particular event was not sanctioned by them.  In fact, the event was being held for the Washington drivers who had been suspended by the AAA on June 18 for driving in another non-sanctioned race at the York track on the previous Memorial Day.  Irvin Barber and Don Moore—along with their cars—were "disqualified and suspended" for one year, and six other drivers who were not AAA members were placed on the ineligible list for a similar length of time.  Although they were not named on the list of ineligible non-members, Walter Smith and Milo Burbage didn't join the AAA until the first available date after the ban was lifted on June 1, 1916.  At the time Smith was still recovering from a self-inflicted gunshot wound received in February, 1916 in a suicide attempt.
This photo shows eight of the twelve cars that were going to race at York.  It was taken on Saturday July 3, 1915 shortly before noon, and is a bit of a homecoming for Shorpy readers, as a few of these people have graced these pages in the past.  They are gathered by I. T. Donohue's auto parts store at 14th and I Streets in Washington D. C.—that's Franklin Park to their left—ready to start out at 12 o'clock sharp for a (non-competitive) 90-mile run to York where, as planned, they arrived in time to participate in the 8:00 p.m. automotive parade.
Irvin Donohue was quite the race booster and in his store he had on display the Batavla tires and Rayfield carburetor that had been on Irving Barber's car May 31 at York, when he took first place in a 5-mile free-for-all, and second place in a handicap free-for-all (after skidding off the track, spinning completely around twice, and driving back onto the track).  Donohue, himself a racer and an AAA member, went along this trip and served as pit crew for the drivers.
The cars and drivers, as near as I can identify them, are (front row-left to right):
The red and white 1915 Argo Speedster with Walter L. Smith (middle initial is not "F" as the news photo has it), the 22-year old owner of the Smith Motor Sales Company, at the wheel.  Next to him is, I believe, his father Ulysses Grant Smith who was born in 1865 (naturally), and served as the private secretary to the Secretary of Commerce.

Next car over is Irvin C. Barber  in his bright red 90-hp Carter Brothers-built 1914 Eye-See-Bee (ICB) Washington-based race car (and below is a shot of it in racing trim two months later at the Benning race track in Maryland, just outside of Washington):

When the car was first built in the spring 1914, it was shipped to Indianapolis to participate in the Memorial Day 500-mile race as the "Washington Special" (with Batavia tires furnished by Donohoe).  Backed by a wealthy New York broker, the car was to be driven by Mel Stringer, with Barber as relief driver.  Although they could hit 90 mph on the straightaways, their 77.680 mph qualification lap wasn't good enough to land them a spot in the starting lineup. 
On November 27, 1916 Miss Eleanor Blevins (also known as Peggy and by her married name Betts) used the Eye-See-Bee to break the Philadelphia-to-Washington speed record.  With Bailey Gish as her riding mechanic, she made the dash in 3 hours and 15 minutes actual running time (exclusive of all necessary stops)—shaving 35 minutes off of the old mark.
The car in the middle is the circa 1914 Semmes Special with Raphael "Ray" Semmes  at the wheel, but Lew Gibson, the man to his left, was the driver at the event (below is same car at speed two months later at the Benning track):

The second car from the right is a circa 1914 Case owned by Don Moore, although G.E. Feeney (in the seat to Moore's left) drove the Case at York, while Moore drove a Mercer owned by Milo Burbage.
The car on the far right is a circa 1912 Stoddard-Dayton driven by William DeKowski.
Back row-left to right:
This appears to be the circa 1913 Cole that was driven by C. Cleveland "Cleve" Campbell.
The car in the middle of the back row is a circa 1911 Warren-Detroit, raced by H. B. Sharp.  It was an older car, and had been Barber's before he had the Eye-See-Bee built.
The last car on the right is Paul Miner's 1914 Buick.  He too was a member of the AAA (hence the badge), but hadn't raced in May.
The drivers/cars that were at the race but not shown in the picture were: Harry D. Myers/Marquette Buick; Milo C. Burbage/Mercer; and Robert M. Clendening/Oakland; and Frank Stewart/Reo.
On Sunday most of the drivers prepped their cars for Monday's race.  This would entail the removal of some or all unnecessary appendages and body parts—if they hadn't already been removed before they left Washington.  This could result in quite the menagerie of styles as seen in the photo below of the Labor Day races at the Benning track two months later.  The #2 Chevrolet Series H Royal Mail roadster nearest the camera retains it full body minus headlights, while the next two cars (#18 and #15) are stripped to the bare bones.  The #17 car is a full bodied speedster with headlights mounted, while the #12 Ford on the far side has a custom body for racing.

Walter L. Smith's Argo Speedster was already stripped down, so Smith took the opportunity of the off day to drive a sixty-mile round-trip to Lancaster and back.  On Monday he arrived at the track ready for the light car event, but when no other cars in his class showed up, that match was scrubbed.  Undaunted, Smith promptly entered the diminutive Argo in a five-mile scratch race for cars up to 301 cubic inch displacement—putting it against the Mercer, Semmes Special, Cole, and the Buicks.  The Mercer won in 7:06 with Don Moore at the wheel while, astonishingly, the Argo beat out two other cars—coming in at 7:58 for a fourth-place finish.  The five-mile scratch race for cars from 301 to 450 cubic inch displacement was won by Barber in his Eye-See-Bee at 6:35.  The five-mile free-for-all was won by Barber/Eye-See-Bee at 6:24, and the five-mile Australian pursuit race was won at 6:24.5 by Moore/Mercer.  An Australian pursuit race is where all the cars begin the race in motion and evenly spaced around the track.  When the flag drops the race starts and as soon as you're passed by a car from behind, you are out of the race.  Obviously, it goes until there is only one car left.  In the case it was Milo Burbage's Mercer, driven by Don Moore.
More was expected of Harry Myers' Marquette-Buick which, with Ted Johnson driving on Nailor's Hill, held the hill-climbing record of Washington D. C., but it did not win any races at York.  Myers owned Riggs Garage at 1467 P Street in Washington.  The only downside to the day was Frank Stewart's crash at speed in his Reo.  He walked away, but the car was totaled.

It wasn't that bad of a loss however, as the Reo was one of the oldest cars in the race and due for retirement.  In a few years Frank Stewart would found the Standard  Automotive Supply Co.
Most of this group kept racing, most notably at Benning's in Maryland, but the AAA doesn't appear to ever have suspended any of them again for driving in non-sanctioned contests.  In fact, it seems to have dropped the penalties for the AAA members, as both Barber and Moore drove in the AAA sanctioned race at Benning's in September.  Eight months after the York race Paul Miner went into business with George and Charles Rice and opened The New Garage at 1323 H St. NW, in Washington.

This business soon expanded to 1317-27 H St. NW as the Geo. C. Rice Co.  Their address overlapped with the Hotel Hudson.

Cleve Campbell left for Europe the next year and worked for the American Volunteer Motor Ambulance Corps in France, then spent a year in London fitting artificial legs to wounded soldiers.  Milo C. Burbage was a bricklayer from Ohio who made it big as a contractor in Washington.  Today his house in on the Prince George's County (Maryland) Historic List. 
(The Gallery, Cars, Trucks, Buses, D.C., Natl Photo)

Turville Hardware Radio: 1927
Washington, D.C., 1927. "Semmes Motor Co. -- Turville car, Connecticut Avenue." A Graham Brothers van in ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 07/27/2012 - 10:51am -

Washington, D.C., 1927. "Semmes Motor Co. -- Turville car, Connecticut Avenue." A Graham Brothers van in Chevy Chase at Turville Hardware. Note the Texaco gas pump next door. National Photo Co. glass negative. View full size.
RazorbackThe Hudson at the curb's sharp body lines earned its style the title of razorback. 
Tubes, tubes, tubes,Radio Tubes and Inner Tubes all on the same block.
Let's both driveInstead of a "backseat driver," this vehicle has two front-seat drivers.  Could it have been a driver's ed car?  Or maybe just a way to keep the little woman quiet?
[The other one is in a car parked at the curb. Note that it's seen through the right-side window of the van. - tterrace]
What's it?The strap's interesting - wonder what purpose it served?
[Holding a spare tire. - tterrace]
Radio Demonstrations


Washington Post, February 27, 1927.

Lawrence Turville to Open New Store


Lawrence Turville, who has maintained a hardware and household utensil store at 5536 Connecticut avenue, Chevy Chase, will open an additional store Tuesday, March 1, at 3307 Connecticut avenue. The new store is the only completely equipped hardware store in the Cleveland Park area; a delivery service will cover the residential streets included within the territory north of the Connecticut Avenue bridge and east of Wisconsin avenue.

For several months Turville has stocked and demonstrated radio sets and sold accessories in his Chevy Chase store, a service which will be made available to the public in the new store, the stock comprising standard sets and equipment.

WoofI like the little doggie looking out the window longing for a ride!
Graham Brothers TruckPictured is a 1927 Graham Brothers panel truck showing the spare tire in place. The three Graham brothers began building trucks in the early 1920s and were bought out by Dodge in 1925.
What a difference five years makesLook at the Hudson Super Six at the Curb compared to the Hudson photographed in DC just just five years earlier, this one is beat to death.
Second Steering WheelThe shadows do not indicate that another car is at the curb.  Who is that ghost driver?
[The other car's windshield, as well as the top of its hood and radiator ornament are all visible in this shot. - tterrace]
HDREI never would have thought that to mean "Hardware". O.K. I'm just an alien. The captions also are sometimes a bit of a puzzle to me as a foreigner: "A Graham Brothers van in Chevy Chase at Turville Hardware." Do I get it right that the "pointe" is: "a van in chase at hardware"? But then I would have expected "in chase for (or after)," so I am afraid I don't get it really.
[And I can barely understand your question. Chevy Chase is where the photo was taken. - Dave]
White Dot TiresWhat is the purpose of the circle with white center on those Goodyear balloon truck tires?
(The Gallery, Cars, Trucks, Buses, D.C., Gas Stations, Natl Photo)

Mead's Model Market: 1927
Washington, D.C., circa 1927. "Semmes Motor Company. Mead Market truck." National Photo Company Collection ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/08/2012 - 12:47pm -

Washington, D.C., circa 1927. "Semmes Motor Company. Mead Market truck." National Photo Company Collection glass negative. View full size.
GBThe truck is a Graham Brothers. The company purchased major components from the Dodge Brothers to build its trucks. Bought Paige-Detroit and renamed it Graham-Paige and began building cars until they went under in 1941.
Sweet rideLooks like a Graham Brothers sedan delivery. A wonderful vehicle, except for those no front brakes--they'd be along in a year or two. It can't be very old, for all the tires (including the spare) to match, and the two-tone paint to be so shiny.
Trivia for those not in DCYou won't find Nichols Avenue SE on Google Maps today.  Why not?
Gone now, but......there appears to be an old brick storefront remaining at 2241. Maybe it's the place next door.
LIncoln 8219My grandparents' telephone exchanges were Gilbert and Liberty.  I would venture a guess that "Lin" is Lincoln.
Also, the detail is fascinating on this scan....  Down to the Goodyear on the sidewalls of the tires.  Nice.
What is that?It may be an optical illusion or maybe my cataracts are growing faster than I thought, but what is that cluster of what looks like curly, fuzzy fur or hair next to the truck driver?  Is it an out-of-control hairy dog, an overly affectionate, tousle-haired friend or some sort of display set up in front of the store?  I was certain someone would have commented on it.  I really need to know what that is if I expect to sleep tonight.  Thank you.
[A pile of turnips. - Dave]
MLK AveNichols Avenue SE was renamed Martin Luther King Avenue SE decades ago.  Nichols Avenue SE was named after the first medical superintendent of St. Elizabeths Hospital,  Charles H. Nichols, which is located on that street.  The address now is an empty lot (it's about at the intersection of Maple View Place SE).
Alice & Elgar Mead

Washington Post, Jan 7, 1981 


Businesswoman Alice A. Mead,
Ran Food and Liquor Stores

Alice A. Mead, 82, a Washington area businesswoman who had owned and operated food and liquor stores for 60 years, died of cancer Sunday at Doctor's Hospital in Lanham.
Mrs. Mead was born in Washington. She graduated from St. Cecilia's Academy and later attended the old Washington Business School.  While still in school, she worked in Shelby's, a general store in Anacostia that was owned and operated by her family.
In 1919, she and her husband Elgar C. (Buck) Mead, established their own grocery store, Mead's Model Market.  In 1933, following the repeal of Prohibition, the market became a liquor store. During the 1940s, the couple developed a shopping center on South Capitol Street.  In the 1950s, they moved their business to Oxon Hill, where they opened a new store and shopping center.
After her husband's death in 1957, Mrs. Mead continued to operate the Oxon Hill store and remained active in the business until a year ago.
...


In 1956,  Elgar C. Mead, a local pioneer in the questionable business of the "brew-thru," successfully fought an injunction allowing his new liquor store to operate a drive-in window.  "Judge Marbury noted that the facilities at Mead's [Oxon Hill Liquor Store] through which motorists can buy liquor without leaving their cars are an integral part of the building.  The merchandise, cash register, and salesman  all are inside the building where the sale is made."
EmptiesIt's funny that in this one and the recent photo of Hendrick's garage that for the first time you see milk bottles not cooling on urban window ledges but as discarded street trash. I'm sure there are collectors out there trying to see if these bottles are embossed with desirable long gone D.C. dairy names.
Mead's dateThere was indeed a Thursday, October 27, in 1927.
(The Gallery, Cars, Trucks, Buses, D.C., Natl Photo, Stores & Markets)

Where's the Fire: 1926
"Semmes Motor Co." Washington, D.C., Fire Department car (a Dodge) circa 1926. ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/09/2012 - 7:26am -

"Semmes Motor Co." Washington, D.C., Fire Department car (a Dodge) circa 1926. View full size. National Photo Company Collection glass negative.
No. 8 EngineHey Dave, could you give us a close-up on that street sign?  It looks to my eyes like "No. 8 Engine" but hard to be sure.
Thanks!  No. 8 Engine Company, founded ca. 1889, was located at 637 North Carolina Ave. SE, adjacent to Eastern Market.  The company used horse-drawn equipment until June 1925, so this photo would have been soon after the controversial (What if the motor doesn't start?!) conversion to motorized transport.

Charming BlockWhat a charming block of fine old homes with iron fences and plenty of shady trees.  I hope it's still intact.

The D.C. Fire Dept. Dodge inThe D.C. Fire Dept. Dodge in the foreground appears to be a circa 1916 - 1923 model.  The lack of any hood louvers is the clue to these early Dodge models along with the hubcaps.
The D.C.F.D. Fire Marshall car behind it looks like a circa 1918 Buick.
The fire truck is a Seagrave pumper circa 1921 - 1926.  This truck has the wider grill and hood that was introduced in 1921.  Note also the intricate grapic on the side of the raised hood between the two sets of hood louvers.  Could that be George Washington in the center?  Many fire departments used this space to place some design, company letter, or engine number.
The lack of any fire, smoke, water, damage, or firemen in action (outside of those in the cars and the possible exception of the guy leaning against the tree) makes me wonder what is happening here.  The hose coming out of the fire truck to the curb in front of the fire marshall's car is pretty short and does not look like it has any water in it at all (it looks flat).
Every day at workZcarstvnz. Please note the other comments. The buggy is on Eng 8's apron . The fire engine that's hooked up to the hydrant is testing hose or drilling. No fire. 
Chief's BuggiesThe cars used by Chiefs in the DC Fire Department have always been called "Buggies". Still are.
(The Gallery, Cars, Trucks, Buses, D.C., Natl Photo)

Vegetarian Nut: 1926
Washington, D.C., 1926. "Semmes Motor Co. -- Schindler's truck." From an interesting if moldy series of ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/05/2012 - 5:56pm -

Washington, D.C., 1926. "Semmes Motor Co. -- Schindler's truck." From an interesting if moldy series of pictures showing Washington delivery trucks in their natural habitat of side streets and back alleys. Note the different varieties of "Wantmor" peanut butter sandwiches. National Photo Co. View full size.
Nuts to you!Inside:


Thanks, Dave!
BTW, In 1937, Ardil, peanut fibre, was created as I understand by separating the white inner layer from the shell and creating the fibre. Somewhere, I have a sample which my mother got, probably in 1946 when a plant was built in Dumfries, my mother's home town by Imperial Chemical Industries. I can recall it being a slightly yellowish white. It is now brownish and somewhat brittle.. Ardil production ceased in 1957.
http://www.pca.com.au/ardil-the-forgotten-fibre.php
LintelsPlease note the different lintels in the brick openings. The cut-stone lintel in the center is undoubtedly part of the original brick wall. As other openings (right and left) were needed, brick was cut away and I-beams, iron or steel, were used: not of the same character as the cut-stone.
DetailThe stone lintel over the entryway.  The initials are a nice touch.  I wonder whose?
[WAC = Washington Athletic Club. - Dave]
Man, that was good p-butter!Schindler's Nut Co. expired in the 1990s, I think. They supplied peanuts to the Baltimore baseball parks for many years.
But I remember them for their peanut butter. In the '50s, the only place that sold it was the mom-and-pop neighborhood groceries, no chains (at least none my mom shopped in).
I swear, you could lay block with that stuff, but I have never found any p.b. anywhere that tastes as good. About 20 years back, I got to wondering if they still made it, and called their office in Baltimore. The lady who answered the phone told me, "Sir, I've worked here for twenty-five years, and we haven't made peanut butter since I've been here." Yeah, and it wasn't delivered in a rig like this one, either.
Animal WritesIt's always interesting to see that the idea of a meatless diet is hardly a recent trend.  Even the term Vegan goes back well into the 1940s.
[Writes with ... a pig pen? - Dave]
Perhaps a quill feather pen, this lettering looks pretty fancy.
Nutty Business

Washington Post, Jun 14, 1913 


Stock Issue Authorized

The Vegetarian Food and Nut Company was incorporated yesterday, with a capital stock of $45,000, divided into 2,250 shares of the par value of $20 each.
The concern, the plant of which is located at 1307-15 South Capitol street, will acquire the business that has been conducted by Mrs. Belle Coleman, and continue the manufacture of vegetarian food products. Mrs. Coleman, W.H. Coleman, Miss F.M. Coleman, 1804 Riggs street northwest; J.H. Bilbrey, 1207 N street northwest, and A.L. Bowen, 742 Newton place northwest, will constitute the board of five directors that will manage the business the first year.




Advertisement, Washington Post, Jul 16, 1914 


Vegetarian Food and Nut Company
W.H. Coleman, President,
Largest Exclusive Manufacturers of 
Peanut Oil Products in America
General Offices and Factory,
South Capitol and N Streets
Conceded by Food Experts the Finest Made.
Sold by Nearly 2,000 Washington Grocers.


Specialties: Dr. Schindler's Peanut Oil Butter, Pure Sugar Syrup (maple flavor). Salted Peanuts.
Cable Address: Vegetarian, Washington, Long Distance, Phone Lincoln 2112.




Washington Post, Aug 14, 1921


Peanut Business Sold

The plant of the Vegetarian Food and Nut Company, manufacturers of Dr. Schindler's peanut butter, has been sold to Harry Rose, S. Sherry Stein and Louis Becker, who will continue to operate the plant. In addition to manufacturing peanut butter, salted peanuts are among the other products of the firm, which operates from a three-story plant located on South Capitol and M streets southwest.




Washington Post, Mar 12, 1933 


Old Athletic Club, Now Plant, Burns
Peanut Butter Factory Fire Rages Next to 15,000 Gallons of Gasoline.

Having withstood the grunts and groans of wrestlers when it was the Business Men's Athletic Club more that 40 years ago and many years of use as Schindler's Peanut Butter Factory, one of the old Washington landmarks, at 1339 South Capitol street, succumbed to flames yesterday which seriously injured two firemen and endangered the whole neighborhood by their proximity to 15,000 gallons of gasoline.
…
The fire was said to have been started by a peanut cooker  which was found in operation.  Gas flames under it were thought to have boiled the peanut oil over the cooker and started the blaze.




Washington Post, Oct 21, 1956 


Peanuts Hold High Rank with T. Earle Bourne
Schindler Concern Handles 4 Million Pounds a Year.

T. Earle Bourne is one man who won't complain if you tell him his business is peanuts. He feels it's "the nuts" in a big way — almost four million pounds of nuts a year, in fact.
Bourne is president of Schindler's Peanut Products, Inc. and has been since he roasted his first peanut in a commercial way in 1924.
The great Negro scientist George Washington Carver, proved that man could make more than 200 products out of peanuts, but Bourne is content to make just one thing — money.  Schindler's does more than $1 million worth of business a year, which every will agree isn't … well, but it is.
Schindler's was started around 1900 by a Washington doctor name Schindler who called the business the Vegetarian Food and Nut Co. It had an extremely practical purpose in those days. The good doctor manufactured raw peanut butter which he ladled out in large doses to constipated patients with excellent results.
Bourne took over in 1924 when the owner, William S. Coleman, died.  Bourne had been working with his father, James F. Bourne, in a Baltimore food brokerage business and also was fresh from a job with the Pet Milk Co. in Pittsburgh.  The business then was located at 1339-41 South Capitol st., in the old southeast Athletic Club building. Bourne kept it there until 1941 when he bought land at 18th and Bryan sts. ne. He wanted to build there but wartime difficulties changed his mind and he decided to buy a ready-made building.  He could find nothing to suit his wants in Washington so he bought a building at 500-26 S. Fulton ave. in Baltimore.  There the peanut plant has remained. However, Bourne has always maintained his business headquarters in Greater Washington and moved into his present offices at 3711 Rhode Island ave., Mt. Rainer, in 1954.
New equipment was purchased for the Baltimore plant during and after World War II and an addition to the plant was constructed in 1944. The expansion decreased the warehouse space, so Bourne stores his peanuts in Suffolk, Va.
Schindler's buys peanuts from shelling and cleaning plants located near the peanut farms in Florida, Alabama, Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina and Virginia. These nuts, plus cashews, filberts, almonds, pecans, Brazil nuts, English walnuts and black nuts come flooding in to the plant in Baltimore and go out as salted peanuts, peanut butter and peanut butter sandwiches (in cracker form). Most of the nuts, except peanuts, come from abroad through wholesale dealers and importers.  Filberts, for example, come mostly from Turkey.
The nuts are sold to vending machine operators, chain grocery and drug stores and other retail outlets in bags, vacuum tins, and in 30-pound bulk boxes.  Schindler's market includes 10 states on the Eastern Seaboard, Puerto Rico, Bermuda and the Panama Canal area.
Bourne also sells raw nuts to candy makers and does a thriving by-product business by dispensing the peanut hearts to wholesale feed dealers for wild bird food and to oil mills for peanut oil, a high quality vegetable oil.  Farmers buy peanut skins for stock feed.
The 59-year-old Bourne didn't think much about peanuts after graduating from Baltimore Polytechnic Institute in 1915.  He went to work selling beds and then enlisted in the Navy in 1917.  He emerged in 1919 as an ensign and went to work for his father.
[Notes: In 1921, Dr. Schindler's Peanut Butter sold for 21 cents a pound.  Schindler's stopped manufacturing peanut butter about 1968.]
RE: detailI saw this logo on a truck yesterday and realized I had seen it here.  I think this building must have been part of Central Armature Works.
(The Gallery, Cars, Trucks, Buses, D.C., Natl Photo)

Meat Wagon: 1926
Washington, D.C. "Semmes Motor Co. -- Krogmann & Sons truck, 1926." National Photo Company ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 09/04/2012 - 9:38pm -

Washington, D.C. "Semmes Motor Co. -- Krogmann & Sons truck, 1926." National Photo Company Collection glass negative. View full size.
Star on the wallAnyone know if the (iron?) star on the wall serves any function? It might be just decoration, but I'm guessing it is a decorative dressing for a bolt through the wall.
[Veteran Shorpyites will recognize that bit of hardware as a turnbuckle anchor, or "turnbuckle star." - Dave]
Poor guyYears of sausage delivery seem to have taken their toll.
A complete meal.He's frustrated because he can't find the egg truck or the potato truck.
I wonderDoes he carry souse and scrapple?
Spooky!How appropriate for Halloween to see a ghost in the window.
Herman!Fred Gwynne - the early years.
"Get some pork on your fork"We had a catchy TV advertising jingle Down Here (Australia) back in the 1970's which always sounded just a little bit risque. It would look pretty cool splashed across the side of that van. Far cooler than "The Best by Test"!
"Less Fatty in the Patty"was the slogan for Jesse Jones' sausage down here in the Tar Heel state.  Didn't work for link sausage.
(The Gallery, Cars, Trucks, Buses, D.C., Natl Photo)

D.C.F.D.: 1922
... Washington, D.C., circa 1922. "D.C. Fire Dept. car for Semmes Motor Co." National Photo Company Collection glass negative. View full ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 07/13/2014 - 5:22pm -

Washington, D.C., circa 1922. "D.C. Fire Dept. car for Semmes Motor Co." National Photo Company Collection glass negative. View full size.
ShinyWhat a high polish on the Dodge!
Is that a La France fire appliance with solid tyres in the doorway?
Engine Company No. 8This engine company, on North Carolina Avenue S.E., was in operation from 1889 to 1964. The structure is no longer there.
Nice carI wonder if it's red.
Two BellsI find the bell mounted on the running board quite interesting. Do
you suppose it is rung by the mechanism behind it striking it on
the outside rather than the usual clapper and rope arrangement seen
on the other car? 
Dodges of No. 8 Engine Co.Shorpy previously featured a circa 1926 photo of another Dodge Fire Dept. Car in front of No. 8 Engine Company.
Car 5"Serial No. 5." Lovely!
1922 Dodge Touring CarThis is a 1922 Dodge Touring Car, DCFD Serial No. 05, assigned to the Superintendent of Machinery. The DCFD Repair Shop is in the background next to Engine Co. 8 quarters. The American LaFrance in one of Engine 8's apparatus bays may be a 1920 750 gpm pumper DCFD Serial No. 125 which was assigned to Engine 8.
Note the letteringAnd it's all freehand, those were the days of real sign painters.
(The Gallery, Cars, Trucks, Buses, D.C., Natl Photo)

Butter Eggs Cheese: 1925
Washington, D.C., circa 1925. "Semmes Motor Co. -- National City Dairy Co. trucks." National Photo Company ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/05/2012 - 1:12pm -

Washington, D.C., circa 1925. "Semmes Motor Co. -- National City Dairy Co. trucks." National Photo Company Collection glass negative. View full size.
Many topicsWhat an interesting building; when was it torn down in the name of 'progress'?  Is that a U.S.Army car just after the subject trucks?  The one marked "USA 17574"? The building has a real New Orleans feel to it with that balcony.  Nice picture.
[Center Market was torn down in the 1930s to make way for the Constitution and Declaration of Independence. - Dave]
View Larger Map
Well, OkehThat's perfectly acceptable, it was in a very good cause!
Golden SheafI like a nice sheaf of butter on my morning toast.
Federal touring carThe first car to the left of the Golden Sheaf vans is painted on the back with the legend "U.S.A. 17574." Was that a federal car license number? Did that exempt it from needing a license plate for each state it was driven in?
[U.S.A. = United States Army. - Dave]
Golden Sheaf Butter

Washington Post, Apr 11, 1906 


Company Incorporates

A $200,000 concern was yesterday incorporated by certificate filed with the recorder of deeds.  The name of the corporation is the National City Dairy Company, formed for the purpose of carrying on a general commission business.
The incorporators are Edward O. Whitford, George L. Whitford, Shipley Brashears, Jr., Henry V. Tulloch, Arthur A. Birney, Fred B. Rhodes, and Samuel W. Curriden.  The company will be located at No. 6 Wholesale Row, of the Center Market.


Always Fresh



Samples Will Be Served

Dodge TrucksAll of the trucks shown are Dodges, the first two are 1927 models, the next two date from 1925/26, and the very last is from 1923/24. note the changes in roofline, windshield and fenders over time, the oldest truck has thinner tires as well, as balloon tires were adopted industry wide during 1924-26
(The Gallery, D.C., Natl Photo, Stores & Markets)

Cinco de Mayo: 1925
Washington, D.C., circa 1925. "Semmes Motor Co. -- Hellmann's truck." Back when mayonnaise delivery was a ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 05/05/2017 - 9:41am -

Washington, D.C., circa 1925. "Semmes Motor Co. -- Hellmann's truck." Back when mayonnaise delivery was a thing. 8x10 inch glass negative. View full size.
HAMQuite an elaborate antenna on the one house,....must be a Ham radio operator lives there!
Bet you've been waiting a while to post this one today!Also, I wish mayo home delivery was still a thing.
Mayonnaise to your doorNice and warm.
The DC stuff was okayBut I always preferred Virginia Mayo.
Truck IDDodge Brothers.
The urns are still thereRight behind the truck is 1107 Buchanan St NW. 1109 Buchanan to the left. Alley and garage on the right still there too.

Store-door deliveryFrom a 1944 Hellmann's ad:
There can only be oneThe only REAL mayo is Duke's Mayonnaise. If your store doesn't have it, you need to move more southeast 8-) All other mayo pales in comparison, even home made.
(The Gallery, Cars, Trucks, Buses, D.C., Natl Photo)

Maryland Hennery: 1926
Washington circa 1926. "Semmes Motor Co., Maryland Hennery Association truck." A hennery being a place ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 07/12/2011 - 9:18pm -

Washington circa 1926. "Semmes Motor Co., Maryland Hennery Association truck." A hennery being a place where hens are raised. My Shorpy GPS (Guessing Possible Street) says this might be the back of a building that faced Pennsylvania Avenue. National Photo Company Collection glass negative. View full size.
I'm Hennery The Eighth, I am...Hennery the eighth, I am, I am.
IllusionIt's interesting how the little spots, which are obviously some kind of growth on the film emulsion, do not appear in the open windows giving the vivid illusion that they are splatters on the wall.  Of course the emulsion is thickest where black appears so the dots on the film have no effect.  Let's see how many viewers fall for the illusion.
[It's the other way around -- the thickest emulsion is on the lighter parts of the positive image, which are the darker parts of the negative. The effect of mold on these glass negatives is to make the more opaque parts completely opaque -- on the positive image gray and whitish turn totally white. There are no spots on the black parts of the positive (around the man in the window, for example) because there's no emulsion there for mold to grow on -- on the negative those are the clear (white) parts. Although if mold did grow there, it would be the most noticeable -- white dots on a black background. - Dave]

Green AcresForty years later, Mr. Haney was peddling his wares to Lisa & Oliver Douglas from this truck.  Imagine, from Washington to Hooterville in only 40 years.
Window PlotterYou just know that fellow in the window is planning the best trajectory for dropping eggs on the trucks below.
Dodge truckAn early 1920's dodge screenside pickup. Dodge made a lot of these bodies for commercial use. Notice the screens on the side with roll up canvas covers. Commercial users of these units preferred Dodges because they had an all steel body. Note the steel tool box, mounted to the running board.
Ah say, ah sayI can almost hear the mellifluous Southern tones of one Foghorn J. Leghorn saying, "I say get thee, I say get thee to a hennery, son!"
[Foghorn's "son" was named Henery -- Henery Hawk. - Dave]
Ourisman ChevroletIt's interesting to see that even in 1926, auto dealers were putting that annoying "bought from" tattoo on the cars they sold.
[Although it is on a tire cover, not the car itself. - Dave]
(The Gallery, Cars, Trucks, Buses, D.C., Natl Photo)

Rolling With the Punches: 1926
1926. "Semmes Motor Co. truck, Walter Brown & Sons." Another from National Photo's ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 09/14/2011 - 4:55pm -

1926. "Semmes Motor Co. truck, Walter Brown & Sons." Another from National Photo's series of Washington, D.C., working trucks. This Dodge's battered body notwithstanding, motor trucks were a relative newcomer to a workaday world where dray wagons and horse teams had long dominated. View full size.
Adam Weschler AuctioneerIt's nice to see the truck in front of Weschler's Auction House (warehouse?) now at 909 E Street NW.
http://www.weschlers.com/ 
Lord Baltimore's White ArchAnyone have any idea about the arch on the right, what's written above it, and what's in the space--fire fighting apparatus of some sort?
[It's a Lord Baltimore filling station. The thing sticking up is the glass globe atop an "American Strate" gas pump. - Dave]
Dave, thanks for answering this.  -lesle
Butcher BrownWalter Brown was a butcher at Center Market. The location is the north side of C Street NW, now the National Archives.  We see here the rear of buildings which faced on to Pennsylvania Avenue. Adam A. Weschler Auction House was at 920 Pennsylvania Avenue. Lord Baltimore Filling Station  No. 1 was at 912 Pennsylvania Avenue.
The Shorpy post, Street View: 1922, shows an aerial of the larger area.  The burned-out furniture store at 910-912 Pennsylvania Avenue would become the Lord Baltimore Filling Station.
In contrastit looks like a brand new, shiny 1926 Model T Ford behind the beat up old Dodge.
Weschler FireThis spectacular three alarm fire was reported in the Washington Post 26 March 1915 on page 5. I have a copy of the WaPo article if anyone is interested.
I am so grateful for a photo of this fire damage! My great great grandfather's hotel and saloon, Bessler's Hotel, was next door at 922 Pennsylvania Ave. NW. Bessler's hotel and saloon was also extensively damaged due to the fire and had to be completely evacuated. 
The fire may have been linked to a growing dislike of the hyphenated Americans as tensions mounted pre World War I. Bessler's Hotel had a hall where many German-American citizens gathered and on 26 Aug 1914 one of these groups declared themselves loyal to the fatherland (Germany). That must have caused some strong feelings, IMHO.
(The Gallery, Cars, Trucks, Buses, D.C., Natl Photo)

Weaver Hardware: 1926
Washington, D.C., 1926. "Semmes Motor Co. -- Weaver truck." And, perhaps, Mr. Weaver. National Photo ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 07/08/2014 - 12:30pm -

Washington, D.C., 1926. "Semmes Motor Co. -- Weaver truck." And, perhaps, Mr. Weaver. National Photo Company Collection glass negative. View full size.
GeorgetownThe neighborhood has changed a bit, but a W.T. Weaver & Sons sign still hangs on Wisconsin Avenue in Georgetown at what appears to be the same location judging from the buildings across the street.
View Larger Map
1208It appears that 1208 has been replaced (as well as two buildings across the street). The alley is in the same spot and the turreted building up the street is unchanged except for a lick of paint..
Must be upstairshttp://www.weaverhardware.com/
More help!This photo is another example of Shorpy assisting me in my model railroading.  I wondered whether or not chain link fencing would be appropriate for the era of my layout (set in 1941).  Well, looky there -- chain link fence gates in the back of the truck.  And 15 years before "my" time.
W.T. WeaverThe store was renovated into a Bennetton store in the late 1980s or early 90s. There is still a small second floor showroom for architectural hardware, fittings and such operated by W.T. Weaver, in keeping with the definition of "hardware."
(The Gallery, Cars, Trucks, Buses, D.C., Natl Photo)

The Candy Kid: 1926
Washington, Sixth and L streets S.W., circa 1926. "Semmes Motor Co. J.W. Hurley truck." National Photo Co. Collection glass ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/07/2012 - 10:29pm -

Washington, Sixth and L streets S.W., circa 1926. "Semmes Motor Co. J.W. Hurley truck." National Photo Co. Collection glass negative. View full size.
Long GoneView Larger Map
From the look of things everything in this photograph was torn down long ago.  Even the intersection itself was obliterated.
Ohhhh...So the rim clamps onto the spoked part of the wheel? Gotcha.
I learn something new everyday around here. Thanks Dave!
Dings and dentsLooks like this truck had a few scrapes with some eager kiddies! I always wondered about those spare tires without rims. How where you supposed to change that along the roadside? Wouldn't you need a tire machine, and air pump? Was the extra tire just for use when you were towed to the garage?
[This spare is already on a rim. - Dave]
Fortified TreesI'm surprised the trees are gone, they appear to be well protected in their fortifications. Also I remember the iron fencing from my childhood in Philadelphia.  We used to jump over the fences in the alley, occasionally our pants would get caught on the post and rip. It didn't hurt as much as explaining to our mothers how our pants ripped.
One more question for Dave, is the lady or brand advertised on the poster in the window identified? [Afraid not. - Dave]
Thank you for another glimpse into American Life.
Aaah! The Candy man!When we were kids my grandfather owned a small grocery store. He sold mostly  penny candies from a large glass display in front. If you had a nickel, it might take 10 minutes to decided exactly how to spend it all. There was a candy man named Ralph. He would show up every two weeks with a station wagon full of candy to restock the display. My sister and I and our five cousins knew when Ralph was due to return. I remember dancing around yelling "The candy man's here!" when Ralph's station  wagon pulled up to the store. Ralph would have us kids try all his new candies. We became his trusted panel of candy judges. Grandpa usually bought his candy based on our opinions. I'll bet this candy man had similar candy judges on his route.
(The Gallery, Cars, Trucks, Buses, D.C., Natl Photo, Stores & Markets)

The Auto Show: 1917
... in 1915. In July 1917 the building was taken over by Semmes Motor Co., which sold Dodge and Hudson cars as well as Wilcox and Vim ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 09/12/2011 - 12:05pm -

"Washington, D.C., auto show. March 3-10, 1917." A display of Chalmers and National cars. National Photo Co. Collection glass negative. View full size.
Big cars in D.C.In these pictures of Washington, one thing that stands out to my eyes is the preponderance of BIG and expensive cars.  Caddies, Packards, Pierces.  Very few Fords in sight.  In contemporary pics from other cities, even prosperous oil towns in Oklahoma, the only cars visible are Ford T's with perhaps an occasional Dodge.
Auto Shows Auto shows prior to WWII were a different venue than we've gotten used to in these past 60 years. Because there were very few purpose-built exhibit halls anywhere in the country, auto shows were usually held in industrial loft buildings similar to the one shown in the photo. Consequently, exhibit promoters had to do their best to turn a sow's ear into a silk purse with the sort of decorations shown. On very rare occasions, well-connected promoters could wangle permission to use a high ceilinged downtown armory.
[The Washington Automobile Show was held on the third and fourth floors of the Union Building downtown. There was an orchestra and dancing. - Dave]

Union GarageThe first person who lived in my house bought a Chalmers in 1917 from the Union Garage, which started as a place where the smaller automakers could get together to sell their cars and not have to spend big bucks on building their own showrooms. I believe that Ford used space there. The Union Garage as such didn't last long, though the building was still standing in the 60's. Today, the lot is covered by the Verizon Center. The Army Air Corps used part of the building during WWI, but moved out quickly as the air was too foul from all the exhaust.
[Below, the Union Garage in 1915. In July 1917 the building was taken over by Semmes Motor Co., which sold Dodge and Hudson cars as well as Wilcox and Vim trucks.  - Dave]

Granny's ChalmersI once asked my paternal grandmother what the first car she remembered riding in was and she told me it was her father's 1917 Chalmers!  My great-grandfather was a well-to-do man in a small town in North Carolina. (He distilled and bottled legal liquor). My grandmother told me that a salesman brought the car out to their house and sold it to him and someone came out to pick up the salesman.  She said that eventually her older brother, Sanford, "destroyed the thing and drove it right off its frame!"
Spoken ForInteresting that both these cars have a sign on the windshield stating that they've already been sold. Wonder if this is the same Chalmers that manufactured tractors under the 'Allison Chalmers' name?
[You're thinking of Allis-Chalmers. - Dave]
(The Gallery, Cars, Trucks, Buses, D.C., Natl Photo)

Barber and Ross: 1926
Washington, D.C., 1926. "Semmes Motor Company. Barber & Ross truck." National Photo Company ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/08/2012 - 1:09pm -

Washington, D.C., 1926. "Semmes Motor Company. Barber & Ross truck." National Photo Company Collection glass negative. View full size.
ReflectionsWow! Beautiful building reflecting in the hardware store windows. They sure don't make them like that anymore.
Trash LoversI can hear their radio ads now: "Let Barber & Ross fulfill all your wastebasket wishes." They also appear to be really into crocks.
My father worked for Barber & RossMy father, Marty, worked as a salesman for Barber & Ross from the mid-50's til the early-70's.  This was after they expanded into the building supply and millwork business.
My family are DC area natives from the 1870's.  Wilson and McKinley Tech graduates.  My father graduated from GW.  
Most of my childhood and early adulthodd was spent in Silver Spring and Kensington MD.
This is a great site.  I wish my folks were alive to see it.
(The Gallery, Cars, Trucks, Buses, D.C., Natl Photo, Stores & Markets)

Fancy Fruits: 1925
Washington, D.C., circa 1925. "Semmes Motor Co. George K. Chaconas & Co. truck." A Dodge delivery van for ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/07/2012 - 2:38am -

Washington, D.C., circa 1925. "Semmes Motor Co. George K. Chaconas & Co. truck." A Dodge delivery van for the grocery owned by George Chaconas. National Photo Company Collection glass negative. View full size.
Strange NeighborhoodNotice the dude on the roof of the Standard Fish & Produce warehouse.  Also note the second-floor door on the building on the right. Also, a lot of the upper story windows are broken  The cursive lettering on the Chaconas & Co. Dodge is exquisite.
[Also the odd corrugated metal bay tacked onto the building. It looks like two elf-size floors crammed into one. (Reminds me of Dr. Lester's office on the 7½ floor in "Being John Malkovich.") And to the right, chickens in crates. - Dave]
Just how "fancy"?Whenever I see a sign like this I think: What did they mean by this statement?
Just how fancy were their fruits & vegetables?  Did they dress them up in little outfits complete with hats, gloves & spats?  Maybe "fancy" meant that these fruits & vegetables "knew the right people" and had "connections". Or perhaps their fruits & vegetables were "fancy" because they had an education and thought they were better than the other fruits & vegetables!
LocationLooks like this is located on old Indiana Avenue.  you can see the old post office pavilion tower in the background, and Indiana Avenue was one of the few in the District with center parking (landscaped median).  Now the location of Federal Triangle.
(The Gallery, Cars, Trucks, Buses, D.C., Natl Photo, Stores & Markets)

Big 4 Candy: 1926
1926. "Semmes Motor Co., Schrafft's truck." A Dodge truck in Big 4 Candy livery at 608 ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/05/2012 - 5:51pm -

1926. "Semmes Motor Co., Schrafft's truck." A Dodge truck in Big 4 Candy livery at 608 E Street N.W., Washington. National Photo glass negative. View full size.
Brick BondsThis side of the Atlantic, this pattern is usually referred to as "Common Bond" or "American Bond." The vast majority of 1800s brick buildings in Washington (including my house) use this bond.
Scottish Bond Alert!The brick laying pattern is Scottish Bond: five layers of "stretchers" - or, long brick and one layer of "header" - or, the end of the brick. I would never have known about this if I had never browsed the archives here. Who says that this site isn't educational? For the remainder of my life I'll be noticing brick patterns - something I have never given a moments thought to before. A tip 'o' the hat to the commenter who first brought this to my attention in a photograph taken behind a Civil War hospital. 
What's in a name?As a retired graphic designer in corporate marketing, I am always intrigued by trade names and visual treatments. The name is spelled out on the truck - but with a numeral 4 logo treatment for the text to wrap around - yet the sign over the entrance only employs the numeral (definitely not a space issue there). Being a wholesaler, the name has no need to appeal to the consumer, but does it refer to the number of owners, categories of confections, or is it merely arcane? The sign painter knew a thing or two about compressing (condensing) fonts to fit the space and enhance the flow (note "wholesale" as opposed to "confectioners"); this was a common period design feature that began in Victorian graphics but was soon to disappear from the scene as advertising typography became more austere as images began to carry the message between the great wars.
Nice hanging gate to the alley/courtyard -- and no using both entrances at the same time! The fence to the right uses whatever board width came to hand.
(The Gallery, Cars, Trucks, Buses, D.C., Natl Photo)

Butter Eggs Cheese: 1926
Washington, D.C., 1926. "Semmes Motor Co. National City Dairy truck." A dented Dodge. National Photo ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 07/08/2014 - 12:49pm -

Washington, D.C., 1926. "Semmes Motor Co. National City Dairy truck." A dented Dodge. National Photo Company Collection glass negative. View full size.
Looking along 8th StreetWith the Old Patent Office (now the National Portrait Gallery) at Eighth & F Streets NW in the background.  
[It could also be the identical north facade at Eighth and G but I think you're right, as this photo seems to have been taken near the Center Market at Eighth and Pennsylvania. Kudos for correctly identifying the building as the Patent Office and not the Treasury. - Dave]
Sleek, manApart from the damaged fender, this vehicle has a sleek look accentuated further by that spare tire.  Fabulous material for a hot rod in later years.
The ViewYes, Odie is right. I'm sitting a couple of blocks from there right now. The building you can see behind the truck, through the trees, is the old Kann's department store on Pennsylvania Avenue between Seventh and Eighth streets.  
(The Gallery, Cars, Trucks, Buses, D.C., Natl Photo)

Dodge Screenside: 1920
Washington, D.C., ca. 1920. "Semmes Motor Co. -- Dodge Bros. truck." At the Sanitary Grocery. National Photo ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 07/12/2013 - 12:08am -

Washington, D.C., ca. 1920. "Semmes Motor Co. -- Dodge Bros. truck." At the Sanitary Grocery. National Photo Company glass negative. View full size.
Mr. GillMust have only sold house paint.  He apparently did not carry automotive paint.
7th and Pennsylvania SoutheastGeorge Gill's paint store was at 640-642 Pennsylvania Ave. S.E. There were dozens of Sanitary Grocery locations including one on the corner at Seventh and Pennsylvania S.E. The building is gone but the angle of the corner and the presence of a median appears to match. 



Washington Post, April 13, 1919.

Geo. R. Gill
Paints, Oils, Glass
Painters Supplies
Orders Taken by Phone
Goods Delivered Anywhere
640-42 Pa. Ave. SE.
Phone Lincoln 2649


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Obligatory car spotter responseSlide that date up a tad -- the coupe visible past the Dodge's windshield is a 1926 Ford.
(The Gallery, Cars, Trucks, Buses, D.C., Natl Photo)
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