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Landing Party: 1905
... taking place? Landlocked Not growing up near an ocean, could someone explain the roped-in purpose? Was that a safe zone? Were some ocean days more dangerous to swimmer's than others? Thanks! [The ropes ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 10/22/2016 - 1:30pm -

The Jersey Shore circa 1905. "In the surf at Asbury Park." Having a wonderful time; wish we were still here. 8x10 inch dry plate glass negative. View full size. Interesting Observations1. All the females seem to have their hair covered even though this is not a swimming pool where caps are required (or perhaps they are?). 2. The females are wearing swimming suits that have more fabric than modern full fashion dresses. Did they know about skin cancer way back then? [Their garb was in accord with the concept of public decency prevailing at the time. -tterrace] 3. Those are some really nice curlers (waves) but yet no surfing taking place? LandlockedNot growing up near an ocean, could someone explain the roped-in purpose? Was that a safe zone? Were some ocean days more dangerous to swimmer's than others? Thanks! [The ropes were for bathers to hold on to to keep from being washed out to sea by the undertow. -tterrace] No shirt?Is the young boy in the upper right not wearing a shirt? The ropes were also there to serve the beach goers that couldn't swim. I grew up in Paterson, NJ and I was surprised at how many kids (and adults) couldn't swim. When I joined the US Navy, half my company couldn't swim and none of the guys from New York could. (The Gallery, DPC, Swimming)
Transit Hub: 1906
... Trust Building. This vantage point is looking east (the ocean in Atlantic City is to the south of the island). A Shorpy view of the ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/15/2012 - 4:16pm -

Circa 1906. "Atlantic City, N.J., hotel busses at P.R. depot." 8x10 inch dry plate glass negative, Detroit Publishing Company. View full size. A Domed AffinityThe wonderful domed structure is the Guarantee Trust Building. This vantage point is looking east (the ocean in Atlantic City is to the south of the island). A Shorpy view of the same building, from the east looking west. I have an affinity to the building as it is where I began work as an attorney in Atlantic City way back in 1983. My window was the second to the left of the plume of steam on the first visible floor. The building still stands sans the clock, the dome or the plume of steam. HorsepowerHorse, horse, horse, horse, horse, horse, horse, horse, and wait a minute. That's one of those newfangled horseless carriages. Wonder which hotel sent THAT. Such aristocratic horses!Most of them must be hitched to buses from the finest hotels. They are obviously appalled by the knock-kneed nag at right pulling a bus not permitted in the high-class lineup, and that appears to be the only one gauche enough to have "soiled" the premises. Now We KnowWhere the term "station wagon" came from. Where's your horse?Who is going to ride in that bus with no horse? It's one of those new auto-mobiles. They won't last. Layoffs are comingNote the horseless carriage! Yesterday's hotel buses and todays...It makes perfect sense, but I had no idea that hotel buses were a concept that went back this far. When I think of today's transportation hubs (airports mainly) and the hotel buses and vans, I remember the many late nights when I have waited endlessly on windswept traffic islands for the next "express bus" to appear from my chosen hotel. It appears in years past, hotel buses actually waited for clients and not the reverse. How quaint! (The Gallery, Atlantic City, Cars, Trucks, Buses, DPC, Horses)
Miami Beach: 1941
... "Raleigh Hotel. Collins Avenue, Miami Beach. Pool, to ocean from balcony. L. Murray Dixon architect." Rustling those palm fronds, the ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 01/31/2013 - 1:47pm -

March 5, 1941. "Raleigh Hotel. Collins Avenue, Miami Beach. Pool, to ocean from balcony. L. Murray Dixon architect." Rustling those palm fronds, the winds of war. Large-format acetate negative by Gottscho-Schleisner. View full size. Only the time line was wrongSolo was right about the ships occasionally being torpedoed off shore -- but only after the war had started. I know: I lived in Fort Lauderdale at the time. Ships heading North would use the Gulf Stream to help them along, so the Krauts knew where they would be. Beaches were patrolled and watch towers were built beachside to track aircraft. Nervous time for all. Still therehttp://www.raleighhotel.com/explore/the_pool/ Looks very much the same, today! From Bing Aerial View: http://binged.it/WDClE7 Ringside Seats for the Slightly SurrealThough the US was still months from having an active role in WWII when this photo was taken, one could have grabbed a parasol-festooned fruity libation of an evening and watched blazing cargo vessels sinking just a few miles off the beach as German U-boats plied their trade against British shipping. Actually Not YetSolo's assertion that the patrons of this hotel could watch blazing cargo vessels from the comfort of the pool before the US entry into the war is wrong. For one thing most of the ships carrying cargo and oil from the Gulf ports were American and would join up with the Anglo-Canadian convoys at Halifax or Sydney. Both Hitler and Admiral Donitz who commanded the U-Boat fleet believed that US intervention in World War I had led to the failure of the German submarine blockade of Britain during World War I. They were anxious to keep from provocative incidents that would bring the US into the war, although with US ships convoying merchant vessels in the North Atlantic sometimes made that difficult. Wide Leg PantsComing of age in the late 90s, there was a ridiculous fad of outlandishly wide-legged jeans, for girls in particular. I didn't realize that the predecessor to that fad could be found with our grandparents (or at least with that woman in the center foreground.) [Very popular at the time. - tterrace] (The Gallery, Gottscho-Schleisner, Miami, Swimming)
Tierra del Fuego: 1900
Circa 1900. "The beach at Old Orchard, Maine -- Ocean Pier and Hotel Velvet." Which, following the curiously inevitable destiny ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 11/04/2016 - 11:18pm -

Circa 1900. "The beach at Old Orchard, Maine -- Ocean Pier and Hotel Velvet." Which, following the curiously inevitable destiny of beach resorts surrounded by ashtray-grade sand and literal oceans of water, "burned like oil" in the Great Fire of 1907. 8x10 glass negative, Detroit Publishing Co. View full size. Re: BathsA cold saltwater bath was probably warmer and more relaxing than bathing in the frigid Maine surf. As for hot baths, I can only wonder what happened to those. Saltwater is very therapeutic, and a hot salt bath sounds most rejuvenating. I wouldn't be surprised if they make a trendy comeback in beachfront spas. PiersMy guess, based on living in towns that took pride in their piers, is that they were used for fishing. It was also nice to just stroll out to the end of the pier and not jump in. BathsI bet the "Cold Salt Water Baths" advertised were just a joy to be partake in. [Hot also available. -tterrace] Always the same endingSo when did it burn? [Funny thing about the captions for these photos... - tterrace] Old Orchard Beach PierHaving spent many summers of my youth in Old Orchard I got to see a few different phases of the Pier. The one that remains there now is only about 5oo feet in length, the original was over 1600 feet long. Like many old beach resorts in the north east the combination of fire and storms are often the merchants of change. Pier attractionSo many of the pictures of seaside hotels, resorts, etc have long piers extending a long way out to sea. What was the attraction? the firePhoto here. Out on a limbThe lady sitting all alone in the foreground, head bowed. [Those are two women. -tterrace] (The Gallery, DPC, Swimming)
Pause ... Drink: 1939
... A Dr. Kilmer made Swamp Root in Binghamton, NY, along with Ocean Weed and any number of other priceless patent medicines. The company was ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 07/22/2012 - 2:46pm -

Chatham County, Georgia, circa 1939. "Fahm Street, west side, Savannah. Row houses built about 1850. Torn down 1940 for Yamacraw Village housing." 8x10 inch acetate negative by Frances Benjamin Johnston. View full size. "Confectionery"A glorious word from my childhood. Beat him to itI can imagine Johnston grabbing this shot while Walker Evans stood by, patiently waiting for the shadows to clear. So long agoIn my mind, I can still hear the announcer's voice advising us to "Snap back with Stanback!" Thanks for another memory. Signs of distressIn addition to Coke and Nehi, we have Stanback ("for headache and neuralgia") and Swamp Root ("Kidney and Bladder Diuretic"). A Dr. Kilmer made Swamp Root in Binghamton, NY, along with Ocean Weed and any number of other priceless patent medicines. The company was in business there until the 40's. According to one web page, "Swamp Root contained Buchu leaves, Oil of Juniper, Oil of Birch, Colombo Root, Swamp-Sassafras, Balsam Copaiba, Balsam Tolu, Skullcap leaves, Venice Turpentine, Valerian Root, Rhubarb Root, Mandrake Root, Peppermint herb, Aloes, Cinnamon and sugar and contained approximately 9 to 10-1/2% alcohol." I think the last-named ingredient explains the huge pile of Swamp Root bottles I once found thrown over a bank behind a former parsonage not far from here. (The Gallery, F.B. Johnston, Savannah, Stores & Markets)
Networking: 1905
... this is a typical scene. The small sailboats dotting the ocean, the wooden summer houses right by the beach, and the weather-beaten, ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/21/2012 - 12:36pm -

Gloucester, Massachusetts, circa 1905. "Fisherman getting ready for a trip." 8x10 inch dry plate glass negative, Detroit Publishing Company. View full size. Mr. Fish SticksHe looks like the guy on the package. Trust himIt's the Gorton's Fisherman! Old Man and the SeaHow perfectly this picture embodies the fishing lifestyle of New England and in particular "Glossta" (with my best Massachusetts accent). I could imagine this photo being used on a label for "Fisherman's Fish Oil" or colorized and hung in many fish n' chips restaurants. Having grown up mostly in New England this is a typical scene. The small sailboats dotting the ocean, the wooden summer houses right by the beach, and the weather-beaten, solitary old fisherman mending his equipment is still something you can see around coastal towns today. Perhaps the equipment and clothing styles have changed but this picture brings me right back home. I can almostsmell it from here. Classic.What's so great about Shorpy is that so many timeless images strike a chord in different people in different ways. To me, this one is simply iconic in its representation of a classic, old East Coast fisherman doing it "the hard way." Must have been some great stories locked up under that slicker. We're gonna' need a bigger boat!**cue Jaws music** (The Gallery, Boats & Bridges, DPC)
Stripes and Solids: 1905
... b) all bunched together. Nowadays if anyone goes into the ocean, they pretty much keep their distance (unless you are related-and surely ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 07/19/2012 - 12:55pm -

New Jersey circa 1905. "On the beach at Atlantic City." A lively group seen earlier here. 8x10 inch glass negative, Detroit Publishing Company. View full size. Gym, tan, laundry.Gym, tan, laundry. Family TraditionI could weep as I look at this, the life and pleasure of the young who are now all more than 110 years old. This was my grandparents' generation. They loved to visit Atlantic City and 20 years later my father and his three older siblings would be dancing and performing on the Million Dollar Pier, which I believe is pictured here. The stories of my father's boyhood years, summers in Atlantic City, "the playground of the world," and especially the sights and sounds of the Million Dollar Pier, are among my favorites of his. Perhaps like the people pictured here, his family would come by train from Philadelphia (well, they had to cross the river by ferry into Camden and then get the train). The family-- grandmother, uncles, mother and children, would come for the summer, while my grandfather remained in the city, working in the foundry, earning money to keep them there. [This photo shows the Steeplechase and Steel piers. - Dave] Shore fast lineMy grandparents would have ranged in age from toddlers to teenagers at this time. They were more likely to have spent summer holidays in Wildwood, though one pair of grandparents rarely missed the Miss America Pageant, which originated at Atlantic City and remained there until it was moved to Las Vegas for reasons that remain a mystery to this writer. Reading Railroad passengers from Philadelphia took the ferry to Camden's Reading Terminal for trains to Atlantic City but after 1896, Pennsylvania Railroad passengers had the choice of through trains that crossed the Delaware River at the Pennsy's Delair Bridge. Early in the Depression, the joint Pennsylvania Reading Seashore Lines railroad was formed and the Pennsy lost its monopoly on the Delair bridge. Those women must have been rather uncomfortable in such voluminous bathing costumes. Anyone?I have never understood why, in these shots of Atlantic City in the early 20th century, seemingly everyone is a) in the water and b) all bunched together. Nowadays if anyone goes into the ocean, they pretty much keep their distance (unless you are related-and surely all these people weren't) Was it just considered the social thing to do then? I am truly curious. [I'd say it's because of a) hot weather, and b) the sheer quantity of people. - tterrace] About ten years laterMy grandfather Harry A. Fox (far right in both images) and fellow sailors from the _USS Indiana_ on the beach at Atlantic City in 1918. In the second image they are clowning with some local children. (The Gallery, Atlantic City, DPC, Swimming)
Incognito: 1942
... These days people don't dress up even for a plane or ocean cruise. Greyhound memories I can remember many scenes like this ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 03/28/2013 - 9:53am -

September 1942. "New York, New York. Boarding interstate buses at the Greyhound terminal, 34th Street." En route to Asbury Park, safe from the paparazzi. Photo by Marjory Collins, Office of War Information. View full size. History Lesson?I was wondering if even in NYC, this African American lady was boarding first, if they were boarding from the back to the front. Was there segregation on Greyhound buses at that time in NYC? 34th Street TerminalI found a photo of the old terminal, with Penn Station in the background, on Wikipedia. That block is now home to a large K-Mart and a Duane Reade, among other things. I know this because I stand there every morning on 34th and 8th, waiting for a private commute bus. The Bolt Bus picks up passengers one block down, between 8th and 9th. The terminalManhattan's Greyhound terminal was a stylish Art Moderne structure directly across from Penn Station on Seventh Avenue. Built in 1935, it was gone within 30 years. Having been rendered largely superfluous by the opening of the enormous Port Authority Bus Terminal in 1950, it was demolished around the same time as the old Penn Station in the early 1960's. Dressing upIt's remarkable to see how well dressed these people are to "hop the dog," as we used to call taking the Greyhound. These days people don't dress up even for a plane or ocean cruise. Greyhound memoriesI can remember many scenes like this from childhood while traveling with my grandmother in the late 1950s and early 1960s. This driver is not wearing his uniform jacket, which was, like the pants, gray wool, and I seem to recall had blue piping and gold embroidered insignia, with a matching airline-style hat. It was very impressive to a child still in single digits. I thought they looked like a Confederate general. The boarding queue was not segregated, everyone fell in line in no particular order, but, being below the Mason-Dixon line (South Carolina), after punching each African-American passenger's ticket, as the driver returned the receipt portion, he said, "Step to the rear of the bus, please." This all seemed very routine and matter-of-fact to me at the time. It was just the way things were done. There were no on-board restrooms back then, and you had a clear view of the bench seat that extended across the very back end of the bus, and I remember one trip when I made up my mind that I wanted to ride back there. Both sections were really crowded. My grandmother kept whispering, "No, hush, you can't ride back there," and as I got louder and louder with my demands, everybody started giggling, especially the black passengers, at the little white boy who was being told he couldn't ride in the back of the bus. And I was pitching a tantrum over it. Finally, an older black man, on that enticing back bench, said, "Let him come on back, it'll be all right, if the driver don't care." The driver didn't care, he was probably glad to get me pacified, so I ran down the aisle and they made room for me on that back seat. It didn't take long for me to realize that I couldn't see anything from there, and I went back up front. Not certain -- but the bus looks like a Yellow Coach 743. RestrictedNew York was not segregated, but many places like hotels and restaurants were "restricted". That is no Blacks or Jews allowed. This held true until the sixties, when things started to change. Greyhound uniformsHad this been a bit later, '50s-'60s, my aunt would have been able to claim she had had her hands in the driver's crotch! She loved saying that - her job at the uniform factory where all Greyhound uniforms were made was to do that fussy stitch at the bottom of the zipper. (The Gallery, Cars, Trucks, Buses, Marjory Collins, NYC)
Thompson's Tug Office: 1908
... office and or boats located there. I thought they only had Ocean liners but apparently the sailed the Great Lakes as well. [There ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 06/18/2015 - 2:21pm -

Port Huron, Michigan, circa 1908. "Steamers at pier." At right, the sidewheeler City of Alpena. 8x10 glass negative, Detroit Publishing Co. View full size. Fender Bender?I suspect the hanging wooden shapes are fenders, and some have seen hard wear keeping the ships from shattering each others' more delicate upper structure. Does anyone knowDoes anyone know what those items hanging from the second deck on both ships are for? They look like wooden blanks. Bumpers to protect the ship? The ship in frontThe ship in front looks like the White Star Lines steamboat Tashmoo which operated between Port Huron and Detroit. SS City of AlpenaThe City of Alpena is depicted on the 1901 "Fast Lake Navigation" Pan-American Exposition commemorative postage stamp. Fender BoardsYou see that the dock has large wooden vertical pilings holding the waterside edge up, these give the boat something soft to ride against while docking. When the boat is at a concrete dock face or the concrete lock approaches these fenders protect the hull from abrasion which was important for wooden hulls. Also, they could be used to make up for dock to hull elevation differences. White Star LineTake a look to the upper left of the photo. There is a sign with a big star on it. In the middle of the star are the letters W S L. If you look closer you can see the star in on a waving flag. This would indicate to me that White Star Lines of Titanic fame had an office and or boats located there. I thought they only had Ocean liners but apparently the sailed the Great Lakes as well. [There was no connection between Detroit's White Star Line and the British company that operated the Titanic. -tterrace] 1893-1957The City of Alpena was launched along with her sister ship, City of Mackinac, in 1893. In 1921 she was taken off the Coast Line and renamed City of Saugatuck. In 1957 she was scrapped. Info from here. Detroit and ClevelandI like the Detroit and Cleveland Navigation company logo (D & C) over top of the smokestack. Looks like some pretty fancy metal work. (The Gallery, Boats & Bridges, DPC)
At the air show
... being fired from an F-4 in front of the crowd out over the ocean. Flying Guppy This Guppy was also flown into Huntsville, Alabama. ... 
 
Posted by mhallack - 12/25/2008 - 8:55pm -

This was back in 1972 or 1973, that's my dad in the middle, I'm on the left suffering from a headache or needing a V8, my brother on his right. I think this air show was at Point Mugu near Camarillo, California. Or at Van Nuys Airport. Despite my unhappy look I loved these shows as a kid. Can anyone help with what kind of cargo plane that is in the background? NASA Super GuppyNASA "Super Guppy" transport. NASA Super GuppyThe Super Guppy, the smaller Guppy, the civilian Stratocruiser and its military counterpart the C-97 were all based on the WWII Boeing B-29 Superfortress bomber. The B-29 had four Wright Cyclone R-3350-R23 turbocharged engines. The early Guppy was equiped with four Pratt & Whitney R-4360's, the Super Guppy is Allison 501-D22C turboprop-powered. It's a Supper Guppy.It's a Supper Guppy. - Mike [As opposed to the earlier, less successful Breakfast Guppy. - Dave] The earlier GuppyThe previous Guppy was the Pregnant Guppy which I saw at the airport in Long Beach, California, sometime shortly after it made its first flight in 1962. Aero Spacelines used surplus KC-97 Stratotankers for the basic building blocks. The PG was really something to see taking off. The Long Beach airport at that time was still a major aviation center and one of the busiest in the world, but today nobody wants an airport in their backyard (so don't buy a house near the airport!) S-IVB TransportNASA used this plane to transport the third stage of the Saturn V, called the S-IVB, from the plant to the Cape. It was the only stage small enough to be flown - the first and second stages were moved by barge. StingerThe Formula 1 racer in the foreground looks like Art Williams's "Stinger" race plane. It would have been only about a year old at the time the photo was taken. Pretty sure it is in a museum now. I think its last racer-owner was astronaut Deke Slayton. More InfoMore info on The Stinger (and a strange tale featuring Deke Slayton's ghost) can be found here. I was there too!Yes, it was either 1972 or 1973. A bunch of us from Northrop Tech in Inglewood drove out to that show. I clearly remember the F-14 parked next to the Guppy, it was the first time I had seen both aircraft in person. There was a live fire display at the show, with missiles being fired from an F-4 in front of the crowd out over the ocean. Flying GuppyThis Guppy was also flown into Huntsville, Alabama. It flew the Instrument Unit built by IBM to the Cape. It was a real sight to see it take off. You'd think it wasn't going to make it. (ShorpyBlog, Member Gallery)
PBY Blister Gunner: 1942
... Adrian Marks disobeyed standing orders not to land in open ocean, and rendered the craft unflyable, but ultimately saved the lives of ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/05/2012 - 10:55am -

Another shot of AOM Jesse Rhodes Waller and machine gun in a PBY Catalina at Corpus Christi Naval Air Base in August 1942. View full size. 4x5 Kodachrome transparency by Howard Hollem for the Office of War Information. Earned its keepA PBY-5A Catalina was instrumental in rescuing 56 crewman of the torpedoed USS Indianapolis. Navy pilot Adrian Marks disobeyed standing orders not to land in open ocean, and rendered the craft unflyable, but ultimately saved the lives of those men who were able to clamber aboard. (The Gallery, Kodachromes, Aviation, Howard Hollem, WW2)
Clark's Corner: 1937
... River and about 8 miles from Cocoa Beach and the Atlantic Ocean. - Ken] Pop. 120 As described in Florida: A Guide to the ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 02/13/2014 - 5:47pm -

January 1937. Brevard County, Florida. "Roadstand near Cocoa." Photo by Arthur Rothstein for the Farm Security Administration. View full size. Cocoa Beach!Just wait another thirty years, give or take. A bottle will wash up on the shore, to be discovered by an astronaut on a training exercise. [No bottles will be washing up in Cocoa, which is on the Indian River and about 8 miles from Cocoa Beach and the Atlantic Ocean. - Ken] Pop. 120As described in Florida: A Guide to the Southernmost State (Federal Writers' Project, 1939): "INDIAN RIVER CITY, 50.9m (19 alt., 120 pop.) formerly called Clark's Corner, consists of a few stucco houses, filling stations, and a post office, overlooking the broad reaches of the river. Indian River City is at the junction with State 22 (see Tour 9). South of Indian River City dense growths of palms and pines flank U.S. 1; palmetto thickets and low green shrubbery add to the beauty of the water views." In Color!Corner of (now) SR50 and US1. Postcard from the State Archives of Florida, (Florida Memory). I HAD to look it upa TEMPLE is a bright orange red colored fruit, oval shaped, easy to peel and a cross between an orange and a tangerine, it has lots of seeds and a bitter orange flesh under the skin. TitusvilleThis stand was about 20 minutes away from Cocoa and 30 miles from Cocoa Beach. The corner is in Titusville (I live within walking distance of it). Indian River City was consolidated with Titusville back in the 60's. Today if you look across that river you can see Kennedy Space Center. There is nothing left of the buildings in the post card. It's now a busy intersection with a Walgreens and a gas station. The temple orangeThe temple orange originated in Winter Park Florida, developed by Louis Hakes and named after W. C. Temple, both residents of Winter Park. There's a Temple Drive and Temple Trail in Winter Park, the latter leading into the neighborhood in which I grew up. (The Gallery, Arthur Rothstein, Eateries & Bars, Florida, Stores & Markets)
Bien Venido: 1897
... this photograph is looking generally southeast with the ocean way out beyond Anastasia Island where the Lighthouse stands. The waterway ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 07/18/2012 - 7:06pm -

St. Augustine, Florida, circa 1890s. "The Alcazar and Cordova from the Ponce de Leon." Three of Henry Flagler's landmark Florida hotels, with a welcome spelled out in Edison lights. 8x10 negative by William Henry Jackson. View full size. Still looks lovely.I'll spare everyone the cliche; Like stepping back in time! Bing Birds-Eye view: http://binged.it/LimZBh Looks like a good place to winter. Assuming 'winter' can be used as a verb. (which I do) The Nation's Oldest City!All three of these buildings remain open and very extensively used today, although only one is still a hotel. In the immediate foreground are the entry gardens of the Ponce, now Flagler College. Though not seen in this photograph, the Ponce's original ornate ballroom is the dining hall for today's students. The Alcazar is on the right behind the full-block sized gardens, which are also still there and kept up very well, thank you. Today the Alcazar serves as both St. Augustine's City Hall and the Lightner Museum where you will find preserved many "Splendors of the Gilded Age" as they put it. On the left is the Cordova, now known as the Casa Monica Hotel, and it is as beautiful as ever. My wife and I stayed there for an anniversary just a few years ago. Don't forget that St. Augustine is home to many historic sites including Castillo de San Marcos National Monument, or "The Old Fort", a 17-century Spanish bastion. And coming up in 2015 is St. Augustine's 450th Anniversary! (Take that, Santa Fe!) Did Not Burn Down!Amazingly, these buildings are all still there. One is still a hotel, one is now city hall and one is used by a college. St. Augustine Lighthouse in distanceIf you at the top of the left-hand tower of the Cordova (now the Casa Monica Hotel) what looks like a small spire of some kind is not on the hotel roof at all. It is the St. Augustine Lighthouse in the distance, across the Matanzas River on Anastasia Island. Built in 1874, The Lighthouse still stands today, too, with its unique black and white spiral paint job and bright red framework for the beacon housing. A museum now fills a reconstructed Keeper's House at the base of the tower and the tower itself is open for tours daily. The Lighthouse remains as proud a landmark for locals as The Old Fort, The Bridge of Lions and Flagler's hotels. By the way, this photograph is looking generally southeast with the ocean way out beyond Anastasia Island where the Lighthouse stands. The waterway in the middle distance is the Matanzas River, also called the Matanzas Bay, with some tidal marshes visible off to the south (to the right in the photo). The Matanzas River is part of the modern Intracoastal Waterway system. Mostly still thereI was just there and was amazed to see how much is still there today. You can take a quick walking tour of Flagler College (which owns the courtyard below), then stroll over to Hotel Alcazar. Be sure to see Cafe Alcazar where the large indoor pool was (you'll find pictures of it here on Shorpy). Here's a 360 of the entryway at the bottom left of this picture. Why They Did Not Burn DownAll three hotels are built of mass concrete (without any steel reinforcing), with a coquina shell aggregate found in the neighborhood. The two St. Augustine churches built by Flagler, Grace United Methodist Church and Memorial Presbyterian Church (both designed by Carrere & Hastings, architects of the Ponce de Leon and Alcazar Hotels), are also built of this material. A large number of the 19th-century hotels that burned were built of wood. Flagler dorms nowMy friend went to college here, and had a dorm room you can just about see in this picture! Amazing. Still beautifulProving once again youth is wasted on the young as an 18 year old college freshman I ate my dinner in the Flagler College dining hall, the old Ponce's ballroom surrounded by the world's largest collection of Tiffany stained glass and gorgeous murals and hardly noticed. http://www.flagler.edu/campus-life/interactive.html (The Gallery, DPC, Florida, W.H. Jackson)
Gingerbread Hotel: 1904
... Velvet, Old Orchard, Maine." The seaside resort and its ocean pier. Three years later, in a denouement that Shorpyites can recite in ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 11/02/2015 - 8:19pm -

1904. "Hotel Velvet, Old Orchard, Maine." The seaside resort and its ocean pier. Three years later, in a denouement that Shorpyites can recite in their sleep, the place burned to the ground. 8x10 inch glass negative. View full size. Added information of the fire.The great fire of 1907 actually burned the entire beachfront including this hotel. http://www.harmonmuseum.org/local-history Is he riding a giant pickle?or is that some other native flora from Maine? [Mr. Peanutine. - Dave] It's a giant peanutI can't find much about Peanutine on the interwebs, but it appears to have been a peanut confection sold in Maine from these charming peanut-shaped donkey carts in the early part of the 20th century. We Sell Peanutine from this Wagonhttp://digitalcommons.library.umaine.edu/spec_photos/766/ History Repeats itselfWe were there on vacation on July 19, 1969 when the pier burnt. Golly, what a nice day.A mile of balcony and nobody sitting outside. Lousy fires. I have a strong feeling that most of these old structures would have been torn down regardless. Most unfortunate because they truly are wonderful buildings. (The Gallery, DPC)
Bleak House: 1901
... "The Boardwalk and Auditorium Pier, Atlantic City." At Ocean Avenue, George Coryell's Bleak House hotel. View full size. The ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 01/03/2019 - 11:06am -

The Jersey Shore circa 1901. "The Boardwalk and Auditorium Pier, Atlantic City." At Ocean Avenue, George Coryell's Bleak House hotel. View full size. The Jersey ShoreCirca 1901 BK (Before Kardashians) What the world needs.Right there under the billiards sign. It has to be a good one of course. No litterbugs allowedWhat caught my eye was the cleanliness of both the boardwalk and the beach. No sign of litter. Bleak HouseNot recommended for the depressed. If you've ever been to Atlantic CityWATCH the tram car, please. Bad branding, quickly addressed"Bleak House," Charles Dickens' biting satire of the plodding operation of England's chancery courts, was a better book than a brand. Within two years, this hotel reopened under a new name (Hotel Lenox). What? Not one "Going Out of Business" shop.As a youngster in the '50s we were annual visitors to Atlantic City and while walking the Boardwalk I noticed that the same shops in the same locations which were going out of business in 1950 were also going out in 1951, 1952, 1953, etc. The same owners were selling the same merchandise as the year before. The first year I always bugged my parents to stop since we surely could get some great bargains but, being wise to the world of merchandising, they just kept on walking by as I did the following years. (The Gallery, Atlantic City, DPC, Stores & Markets, Swimming)
Radio Highlights: 1957
... ascent to over 100,000 feet, blood cell research, and deep ocean exploration.” WTOP “20th Century: Vertijets” examines the ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 06/02/2017 - 12:50pm -

December 1957. Washington, D.C. "Man with broadcast listings; woman tunes radio." The console set, seen earlier here, is evidently a portable, or maybe this is a two-radio household. News Photo Archive 35mm negative. View full size. Military family?That Turkish tray and the camel saddle could be found in the living room of almost any U.S. Army or Air Force family back in the '50s and '60s that had spent time in Germany. They sold those things by the thousands in base exchanges all over Germany. My wife and I, both military brats, both have the camel saddles our parents bought back then. Turkish DelightThis couple has visited Turkey - or loves Turkish accessories. The first photo had a Turkish tea tray mounted on the wall; this photo has a "camel saddle" seat. Radio/TV December 1, 1957: Cold War, Classics, Comedy, & SportsSome of the Washington, DC television programs that the newspaper Washington Star recommended for viewing for Sunday, December 1, 1957: WTOP “Red Telephone: A first look at the heart of this country’s powerful retaliatory striking force - the underground command post of the Strategic Air Command.” WRC “Omnibus: Composer Conductor Leonard Bernstein with highlights from the stage production of “Mary Stuart” and a narration of his musical tour through Israel.” WTOP “Conquest: Eric Sevareid narrates with his customary perception the story of a balloon ascent to over 100,000 feet, blood cell research, and deep ocean exploration.” WTOP “20th Century: Vertijets” examines the attempt to construct a plane that can take off and land without an airstrip and some of the weird airplanes that the Air Force has tested. Interesting Show.” WRC “Ted Mack’s Amateur Hour: features talent from Albania and Yugoslavia.” WRC “Dinah Shore Show: features Jimmy Durante and Italian film star Rossano Brazzi.” WTOP “Ed Sullivan Show: features Polly Bergen, Douglas Fairbanks Jr., and as much rock and roll as any group should be expected to take, Sam Cook, Bobby Helms, and Ray and the Crickets.” Washington DC radio highlights included: “Invitation to Learning: David Hume’s Inquiry Into Human Understanding.” “Concert Hall: works by Haydn, Brahms, and Bizet.” Washington Redskins versus Chicago Bears and Baltimore Colts versus Los Angeles Rams “Fact the Facts: Belated kudos to the late Senator Joseph R. McCarthy - Developed in retrospect, how his Senate Investigating Committee instigated house cleaning in Government.” “Hillbilly Hit Parade: Don Owens plays top ten songs.” “Meet the Press: Guest Dr. Simon Rymo, chief scientist for the Air Force Ballistic Missile Organization.” “Leading Question: Basic Soviet foreign policy is discussed by Professors Buce C. Hopper and Robert C. Tucker.” Bursting your bubbleAngus, Hate to burst your bubble but these people were not world-travelers, just stylish. Those camel saddles and trays were extremely popular and were mass-produced right here in the U.S. of A. Antique malls are full of them. Also, I doubt they were a two-radio family. One of the popular pass-times for bored housewives was re-arranging the furniture. My mother used to get up and re-arrange the furniture in the middle of the night if she couldn't sleep. Not popular with my bare-footed dad the next day when he stubbed his toe on chairs that had mysteriously moved overnight. Better location for the pricey radioIt was blocking access to part of a bookcase and jutting out into the doorway between the living room and dining area in the previous photo. Newspaper radio logsOne can look up the radio programming for any day from 1930-1960 at this website: http://www.jjonz.us/RadioLogs/ And it may just be an artist with a similar technique, but that caricature looks like an Al Hirschfeld. Casual Friday?Because everybody lounged around the house in 1957 dressed it sport coats, skirts and high heels. (Technology, The Gallery, D.C., News Photo Archive)
Pony Boys: 1905
... the sun sets such that shadows grow long toward the ocean. As autumn nears, the setting sun seems to almost set in the south on ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/13/2012 - 6:56pm -

The Jersey Shore circa 1905. "Ponies on the beach -- Atlantic City." In the distance, the Steeplechase and Steel piers. 8x10 glass negative. View full size. What fun!Now these are some "Jersey Shore" kids that I could stand to hang out with. I wonder why no one adjusted the stirrups for the boy on the pinto pony. Off RoadingI guess this was the 1905 equivalent of having your Jet Ski or Dirt Bike at the Shore. Messy BeachesAs if the beaches are not clean enough, you need to have horses walking around on them all day. It must have been like a minefield out there. This was not a case of the good old days. My guess isn't that theseMy guess isn't that these kids are out for a fun morning. It's more likely that they hired the ponies out, taking paying passengers for rides on the beach. This would have been taken at the start of their business day, early in the morning before the tourists came down to the sand. The kids with little traps would drive and the passengers would sit behind. The mounted kids probably led their ponies around, with the paying passengers riding. That's why the kid on the pinto has his stirrups so long. Time of Day, Year.Is it morning or afternoon?? In summertime, the sun sets such that shadows grow long toward the ocean. As autumn nears, the setting sun seems to almost set in the south on certain beaches in New Jersey, turning the shadows north toward Brigantine. If I had to guess, and judging by the heavier coats worn by four of the boys, the picture was taken on a late afternoon in October. Not a tourist in sight. (The Gallery, Atlantic City, DPC, Horses, Swimming)
Great Southern: 1906
... This picture makes me want a room facing the East, ocean view please. Gone but Not Forgotten... I grew up on the ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/03/2012 - 10:19am -

Gulfport, Mississippi, circa 1906. "Great Southern Hotel." Built 1902-03; demolished in 1951. Panorama of three 8x10 glass negatives. View full size. People count I count 9.... two on each of the "wing" porches or entries, the two on the right, one on same side just behind the building, somewhat blurred.... The ladder man, the seated man, and one in the window to the seated man's left, ground floor.Several geese and a dog! Next pleaseI hope the library will eventually yield to us a view of what's holding up all those masts just barely visible on the opposite side of the hotel. [Possibly some of these out in the harbor, from a shot made around the same time. - tterrace] I wish Shorpy's was a time machineI would pick a picture and be transported, at least for a little while. I wouldn't like to be the man on that ladder, though. Eight and countingI see seven people without to "maybe" person in the carriage: two walking on the right side of the hotel, two lounging on the right porch, two on the left porch, the ladder man and one on the far left covered walkway. Are there more? There's just one word for this photo......"Spectacular!" A Fine Southern HostelryI don't know how exceptional the fire proofing of this hotel was for the time but it appears to have paid off. A somewhat-rare example of an old hotel on Shorpy not lost to fire but to the wrecker. The St. Louis Lumberman, January 1910. A Fine Southern Hostelry. We present a picture herewith of a hotel of which it has been well said that it is “fit for a king; good enough for a commoner.” Our reference is to the Great Southern Hotel at Gulfport, Miss., a splendid bit of architectural designing and a fine example of comfortable, if not luxurious, furnishing. This well-known hostelry fronts beautifully on the Gulf of Mexico over a space of 350 feet, is three stories high and has 250 guest chambers. Two wings of the building extend backward to a park, cared for by a landscape gardener. Though a frame structure, such ample precautions against fire have been taken in its designing and construction as to practically do away with fire risk, The roofing is tile; the floors are double, with asbestos between each floor; the lathing is steel wire, and cement plastering has been used throughout the building. The house being heated by steam and lighted by electricity, no lamp is used in any part of it, and no fire of any character in any exposed position. In addition to these safeguards, the heating and cooking plants are segregated; there are standpipes on all floors, and an organized and well-drilled fire brigade is ready for service at almost a moment’s notice. The supply of water comes from a well 850 feet deep, and according to a chemist has curative properties for rheumatism and for kidney and other troubles. Every guest chamber is equipped with a private telephone, hot and cold water and a private bath. The lobby and parlors are spacious and elegant. and the sun parlor fronts the sea. The large dining room is finished in Flemish oak, and looks out upon the Sound. The cuisine is directed by a chef who is famous for his productions, and the larder is stocked with the markets’ choicest products, including seafoods and luscious fruits. The climate around Gulfport is a delightful one in winter, and there are many outdoor amusements to which the visitor can turn his hand, including fishing and boating. One can hardly find a more ideal place to spend a winter vacation than at and around Gulfport. 7 Humans?I can spot 6 people for sure. But is that a person in the horse drawn carriage or some other object? This picture makes me want a room facing the East, ocean view please. Gone but Not Forgotten...I grew up on the Mississippi Gulf Coast and although the Great Southern was torn down a year after I was born, there are still those down there to this day who speak of it in hushed tones (they're getting fewer and further between!). US Highway 49 runs east and west about where the south side of the building is in the picture and the gravel road on the left side of the picture is now the main street of downtown Gulfport, 25th Avenue and also US Highway 49. When the hotel was torn down in the early 1950's, the developers built an entire block of "modern" commercial buildings that housed chain stores like Learners and TG&Y and some local businesses. All of these buildings were devastated in 2005 by Hurricane Katrina. After the hurricane, they leveled all the debris and the site was a vacant lot. Interestingly, the smokestack on the right side of the picture was the edge of the Great Southern power plant. Although modified, it still stands and up until the early 1990's was a Ford dealership for many years. For any of those who want to colorize, the building was a deep green with white trim. It had a red terra cotta tile roof. This picture was taken shortly after it was built, but after several years, the grounds of the Great Southern were covered with lush vegatation -- azaleas, palms, live oak with fountains (pictured here) on both sides of the building. The water in front of the hotel is the Mississippi Sound, which opens into the Gulf of Mexico. Those tall ship masts you see right behind the hotel are at the fledgling Port of Gulfport, which had only been established around ten years earlier, thus the name of the city "Gulf Port". As homage to the past, a local bank built a new office tower in the 1980's about two blocks from this site and established a members only private club on the top floor, which is called The Great Southern Club. (Panoramas, DPC)
Over the River: 1905
... "barge captain" in charge. In these days of sealed ocean shipping containers which are trans-loaded only as a unit, it's difficult ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 02/23/2017 - 1:27pm -

Hoboken, New Jersey, circa 1905. "Holland America Piers with view of Manhattan across Hudson River." 8x10 inch dry plate glass negative. View full size. More on the ArlingtonOne of three identical propeller driven double-deck ferries, the Arlington was the first launched on November 21, 1903 at the Burlee Dry Dock Co., Port Richmond, Staten Island, NY. The other two boats were the Tuxedo, and the Goshen. Each was built by a different shipyard. They were 224 feet long, 64 feet wide, and drew 16.4 feet of water. Powered by two 1200 HP compound engines with steam supplied by two Scotch boilers at 150 PSI. The Arlington was the first launched and the last in service closing out Erie Railroad ferry operations on December 12, 1958. Was at 5th Street.The Hoboken Holland America facility operated from 1882-1963, and was a backdrop for much of the filming of the classic On the Waterfront. Nowadays, all of the Hoboken waterfront is park land with commercial shipping moved to Port Elizabeth and Port Newark. Brooklyn & Manhattan shipping is gone as well due to lack of rail access. Yes, you read that location correctly, Frank Sinatra Drive, named for the famous resident. Midtown from HobokenTaken in 2010 from Frank Sinatra Drive. (With apologies to TimeAndAgainPhoto for the imprecision.) Cunard has a ship inI don't remember if we arrived at pier 51 or 52 when immigrated here, coming over on the Queen Elizabeth in, as my mother called it, steerage, more politely called tourist class. Because the Cunard ship has three tall masts, it is probably either the Umbria or the Etruria, the last Cunard liners with auxiliary sails, built in 1884 and scrapped in 1910. Over the TopShorpy has done it again. This photo has it all from laundry hung out to dry, men in rowboats, the Uneeda Buscuit sign, oodles of wooden barrels with who knows what inside them, great Manhattan skyline, boxcars, boats, but no Brando. Bravo Shorpy! The "Railroad Fleet"Out of the huge fleet of barges, lighters, car floats, pier floats, ferries, tugs, etc. once owned by the railroads that served NY harbor, very few remain. To my knowledge, only ONE covered barge, formerly owned by the Lehigh Valley, is still documented as an active vessel in the Hudson: Lehigh Valley #79, now owned by The Barge Museum and used as an exhibition and performance space. The identity of the Erie ferry in the background could be a subject for some sleuthing. The word "Erie" on the side of the ship is probably just an owner's mark: the name of a double-ended ferry is usually on nameboards under the pilothouse windows. It's washday aboard the New York Central covered barge; you can see a line of clothes drying. In those days, many barges had a live-aboard "barge captain" in charge. In these days of sealed ocean shipping containers which are trans-loaded only as a unit, it's difficult to grasp that it was once economically possible to trans-load loose freight between ships, barges, and railcars, including "less than carload lots," which might have to be transloaded multiple times before reaching their destination. They were different times. Re: the Erie FerryI believe that the vessel's name is "Arlington" and that it is (was) owned by the Erie Railroad system. The "E" in the diamond was the logo for that rail line and one I used to see often in western New York when I was a kid. SS Potsdamseems to be the liner to the right. She met her end in 1944, scuttled by the Germans in Cherbourg harbor. (The Gallery, Boats & Bridges, DPC, NYC, Railroads)
Luggage Lugged: 1936
... of the oncoming war, they would be as anachronistic as an ocean liner today. Trunks When I moved halfway across the country in ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 07/01/2020 - 3:16pm -

Washington, D.C., 1936. "Bus transportation -- loading baggage on motor coach." 4x5 inch glass negative, Harris & Ewing Collection. View full size. And they put up a parking lot... last seen here. The sunset of an ageThe 1930s was the last decade where old fashioned trunks were still widely used for luggage. They were already going out of style and by the end of the oncoming war, they would be as anachronistic as an ocean liner today. TrunksWhen I moved halfway across the country in 1977 to go to a different university, I took a trunk that my mom had used in earlier days, and I travelled by train since the weight allotment was so much higher than a plane. I used that trunk for many years as a coffee table or bedside table, and it currently resides in a corner of my bedroom, under a table, filled with precious documents and mementoes. My sister used an old steamer trunk of our grandmother to move to England in the 1980s. When you stood it on its end and opened it up, there were drawers on the left and a mini closet with hangers on the right – in essence, portable, miniature bedroom furniture. Protection from the ElementsAfter the luggage was placed on the top of the bus was it covered to protect it from rain & snow? The Age of (in)ConvenienceBack then they had porters for their trunks. I'm sure that was a job that was hard and didn't pay very well. Something in this photo just gives me that idea. These days the trunks come with trolley wheels and collapsible handles. And everybody except for a few very wealthy are their own porters. Haul-your-own. Carry what you pack. If you want to haul less, then pack lightly. Only the canvas bags have been replaced by cling wrap. I disagreeI don't agree that trunks were gone by the end of WWII. I bought one in the mid 1960s to pack for college, and lots of other kids did, too. (The Gallery, Cars, Trucks, Buses, D.C., Harris + Ewing)
Nice Tie: 1941
... naval installation was 35 miles away and nowhere near an ocean. High-speed Crane The Crane Naval Depot still exists along with ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 06/12/2020 - 1:56pm -

June 1941. "Surveyors at work in Martin County, Indiana, where naval ammunition depot is being constructed on 42,000 acre tract. 160 families will be displaced." Medium format acetate negative by John Vachon for the Farm Security Administration. View full size. Honest six packNot a gym rat, I'll wager. Tell that RodmanPlumb that rod if you want an accurate reading. On MY crew, you wouldn't last a week! Not so buffThat sledge he is holding weighs at least 10 pounds. If he has had this job for a while i would expect his forearms to be more Popeyesque. Getting preparedWe've seen several Vachon photos of workers who were building another large ammunition plant, in Radford, Virginia. This while the U.S. was still officially staying out of World War II. Despite strong opposition to involvement, the Roosevelt administration was taking increasingly specific steps, most visibly Lend Lease and Selective Service registration. Photographing military preparedness was surely a stretch of the Farm Security Administration's remit, which likely explains the caption emphasizing displacement of rural families. Within a year things morphed into the Office of War Information and Vachon was working there. The facility in Indiana is still operating. I spent several years in Bloomington and never realized that the world's third largest naval installation was 35 miles away and nowhere near an ocean. High-speed CraneThe Crane Naval Depot still exists along with the town of Crane about 35 miles south of Bloomington, the home of Indiana University. Besides Martin County, parts of the property extends into two other counties. If it has anything to do with electronic warfare, they do it at Crane. Not to put to fine a point on itThat birdhouse will be displaced. Oh c'monYou missed "Honest Abs"? Shame! (The Gallery, John Vachon, Railroads)
Old North Bridge: 1910
... to keep the past upon its throne Unheard beyond the ocean's tide, Their Mother England made her moan." I have always been ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 07/10/2015 - 11:42am -

Circa 1910. "Bridge to Revolutionary War monument, Concord, Mass." The Old North Bridge and Daniel Chester French's 1875 statue "The Minute Man." 5x7 inch glass negative, Detroit Publishing Company. View full size. The Redcoats are coming!This reminds me of the difficulty I had in eighth grade when our very strict and demanding teacher required us all to memorize Longfellow's "The Midnight Ride of Paul Revere" in its entirety. (To the youngsters among us, school was much more difficult in the olden days). It was probably the hardest assignment I ever had up to that time. I know this is the Old North Bridge and not the Old North Church, but it is reminiscent of that time in my memory bank. Seems rather quaint, charming and home-towney in this picture but as a kid the Revolutionary War details were drummed into our heads and we had to know it by heart. I suspect my old teacher may have been involved in it as she was a very old and proud Yankee. Ralph Waldo Emerson said it bestBy the rude bridge that arched the flood, Their flag to April's breeze unfurled, Here once the embattled farmers stood, And fired the shot heard round the world. - From his poem "Concord Hymn" Gettysburg etc.In response to you having to remember the Longfellow poem, we had the joy of remembering and then standing in front of the class to recite the Gettysburg Address in its entirety. Where's Waldo?Somebody could screw with our heads by suggesting there's a squirrel in that foliage. Hasn't changed much!I live only about 40 minutes away, but as usual when you live close to something, the only time we visit is when relatives or friends come. Except for the crowds, I don't notice any overwhelming changes. We too had to do quite a bit of memory work on Emerson's poem, and "The Midnight Ride of Paul Revere" and the Gettysburg Address. That was in Indiana schools, a looong time ago. I'll have to make sure my granddaughter has some memory work to do, too...if I live that long. Not as well knownThere is, next to the bridge, a marker memorializing three British soldiers who died that day: "They came three thousand miles, and died to keep the past upon its throne Unheard beyond the ocean's tide, Their Mother England made her moan." I have always been impressed by this marker, which, if I recall correctly has flowers and Union Jacks beside it and is well cared for. A memorial to the (likely) unwilling conscripts attempting to retain the colonial status quo. Contemporary viewOctober 2013, when the National parks were closed down (The Gallery, Boats & Bridges, DPC)
The Continental: 1902
... period must have been insuring Hotels against fire. Wood, ocean breeze,and enclosed groups of people were apparently not a good idea. ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 05/17/2014 - 11:35pm -

1902. "Hotel Continental -- Atlantic Beach, Florida." Henry Flagler's massive wood-frame hostelry opened in 1901 and burned in 1919. 8x10 inch dry plate glass negative by William Henry Jackson, Detroit Publishing Co. View full size. You never come out aheadI think the most risky business during that period must have been insuring Hotels against fire. Wood, ocean breeze,and enclosed groups of people were apparently not a good idea. Replace all divots.From FloridaMemory.com, "Golf links and palm trees, Continental Hotel - Atlantic Beach, Florida". Postcard postmarked July 1 1906. The beach is definitely the place to be in July in north Florida. Show Me The MoneySweet! I love Henry Flagler! Thanks for posting one of his masterpieces. He had many. Feel free to post more! (The Gallery, DPC, Florida, W.H. Jackson)
Wartime Rail: 1942
... the fullest efficiency and speed. Loss and diversion of ocean carriers which served our seaboard cities have thrown an enormous burden ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 12/29/2017 - 12:06pm -

September 1942. The Kroger warehouse in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. "Freight car movements. With transportation assuming vast new importance in wartime America, movement of freight cars must be accomplished with the fullest efficiency and speed. Loss and diversion of ocean carriers which served our seaboard cities have thrown an enormous burden upon the railroads." 4x5 inch nitrate negative by Ann Rosener for the Office of War Information. View full size. Another view of the Kroger warehouseHere. Not just freight cars.But refrigerated box cars. A great detail shot of a "Reefer's" ice hatches. Put A Cork In It, SonNearly all of the tracks in the foreground are long gone except for a couple of the old Allegheny Valley RR that ran right down the middle of Railroad Street. The Kroger warehouses are also gone but larger and looming in the distance of the old photo is the still extant twin buildings of the huge Armstrong Cork Co. now turned into loft style living for those wanting an historic pad with a river view in the Steel City. Strip District dazeThis looks like the strip as viewed from the 16th Street Bridge. I believe the church on the far right is St. Stanislaus that faces down Smallman Street. Quite a jointAre those reefers the walker is inspecting? (The Gallery, Ann Rosener, Pittsburgh, Railroads, WW2)
Eat Velvet: 1900
... circa 1900. "The beach at Old Orchard -- Hotel Velvet and Ocean Pier." The roof of whose "Big Casino" urges us to "Eat Velvet, Drink ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/03/2018 - 1:42pm -

The Maine shore circa 1900. "The beach at Old Orchard -- Hotel Velvet and Ocean Pier." The roof of whose "Big Casino" urges us to "Eat Velvet, Drink Moxie." Panorama made from three 8x10 glass negatives. View full size. Wait, wait, don't tell me.The hotel's basement was known as "The Velvet Underground," right? Current Day A lot shorter now.Winter storms and fires have taken their toll. The pier was built in 1898. The original length was 1,825 feet. It lost a few hundred feet the first winter it faced. The large casino at the end used to host big band music during its heyday. I remember in the 1960s there were many photos of the famous bands hanging on the walls. At that time the casino building housed a miniature golf on the first floor and a small Aquarium on the second floor. The casino building itself collapsed into the sea in the famous Blizzard of 1978. The pier now is under 600 feet in length and at low tide is often completely out of the water. More on its history here http://www.oobpier.com/history.html Yet another flaming emberThis may come as a surprise. The Hotel Velvet burned down on August 15, 1907. All about the slopeOne needn't look too close to see the difference between Atlantic and Pacific beaches with this photo. The Atlantic beaches feature more gradual sloping, which produce larger tidal shifts and warmer/shallower swimming waters, while Pacific (think Santa Monica, etc.) beaches have colder waters, bigger surf, and fewer storms. There's more at play, of course. Velvet Ice Cream?http://bid.grandeestateauctions.com/VINTAGE-VELVET-ICE-CREAM-METAL-SIGN_... [The Velvet Kind, a popular ice cream brand around the turn of the century, has made multiple cameos here on Shorpy. -Dave] (Panoramas, DPC, Swimming)
Naval Gazers: 1943
... before taking off on a patrol flight over the Atlantic Ocean." 4x5 nitrate negative, Office of War Information. View full size. ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 06/15/2016 - 1:03am -

January 1943. "A blimp of the U.S. Navy is led onto the apron of an East Coast lighter-than-air station before taking off on a patrol flight over the Atlantic Ocean." 4x5 nitrate negative, Office of War Information. View full size. Hangar No.1, Lakehurst NAS, New JerseyBuilt for the dirigibles Shenandoah and Los Angeles. At 966 feet long, 350 feet wide and 224 feet high, with a floor area of 211,434 square feet, it could house them side by side. It could shelter six of the K Type blimps shown in the picture. When I was a lad we went there for the annual Armed Forces Day open house and rode to the top of the hangar in a hot air balloon. Today it holds a full scale mockup of an aircraft carrier deck that is used for training. This image shows the Hindenburg approaching during its first visit about a year before it would crash there: Airship In The BackgroundLooks like the USS Los Angeles (ZR-3). Up up and awayIn the late '50s, my dad was stationed at NAS Glynco, Brunswick, Georgia, which was a blimp base. I remember the huge wooden hangars. When the base finally closed, it morphed into the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center, known better as FLETC. National Park Service, Border Patrol, and other LE-types train there now. A few years ago, my son, a Border Patrol agent, took a boat helming course there. Sure brought back some memories for me. AKAOmphaloskeptics. (The Gallery, Aviation, WW2, Zeppelins & Blimps)
Gray Gardens: 1911
... The dinning-room is so constructed that a full view of the ocean may be had from every table. The bedrooms are so arranged that a suite of ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/02/2012 - 7:40pm -

Atlantic City circa 1911. "Hotel Strand." And a vista of manicured monochrome greenery. 8x10 inch glass negative, Detroit Publishing Co. View full size. And it's dang hardto grow grass on the beach. Completely misunderstood"Hey Charlie, I lined up a couple of hoers back at the hotel." Replace your divots!Looks like the ghosted gent on the left is swinging away. I wonder what their task is here, surely not a path, maybe a garden area. The gents in the distance behind the hedge may have clippers in their hands. The Saratoga looks like a bow tie affair. The Strand at the BoardwalkThe Strand at the Boardwalk and Boston Avenue was bought by Steve Wynn for $8.5 million and torn down. In 1980 he built Golden Nugget Atlantic City casino at a cost of $140 million. It closed in 1987 and is now Atlantic City Hilton. Fireproof Fun in the SunThis hotel was at Pennsylvania Avenue (now Danny Thomas Blvd) on the Boardwalk, right at the famed Steel Pier. The hotel claimed to have a fireproof garage and baths supplied with running saltwater, similar to the saltwater pool at New Jersey's Palisades Amusement Park high atop the Palisades north of New York City. "The Hotel Strand is a modern, fireproof building, constructed of steel, brick and granite, and having a capacity of about 350 guests. It is situated directly on the oceanfront of Pennsylvania Avenue, the most prominent and widest thoroughfare of Atlantic City. The dinning-room is so constructed that a full view of the ocean may be had from every table. The bedrooms are so arranged that a suite of two or three with a private bath and parlor communicating can be secured." -NY Times, January 4, 1903 However, the fireproof boast caught fire fifty years later: "Mrs. Esther Schoenthal, 63, is the first of four persons to be rescued by firemen after being trapped on the 7th floor ledge of the blazing Hotel Strand at Atlantic City. Two other guests and a maid were trapped on the ledge for more than an hour as smoke boiled about them during the million dollar fire." -AP, April 1, 1953 It was eventually knocked down, and today the Trump Taj Mahal. (The Gallery, Atlantic City, DPC)
Sailing on the Sand: 1903
... 100 years ago than now. We walked on the beach and in the ocean while there. The beach is much narrower now, even at low tide and they ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 10/15/2012 - 9:26am -

Circa 1903. "Sailing on the beach at Ormond, Florida." An interesting looking character at the controls. 8x10 glass negative, Detroit Publishing. View full size. Major Hoople Au Bord de la MerA fez and a wool suit, Florida weather -- and Arrid won't be invented for a few years yet. The pilot looks as if he's calculating whether he can run over the photographer before the latter can gather up his tripod-mounted view camera and skedaddle (they still did that back then). [Our captain would be bundled up against the chill -- Florida was a winter resort. -Dave] In the Midwestthet thar is known as a "prairie schooner." Boat For HireIt appears that one could buy rides on that contraption. Similar to the present day's hang gliders. In the background we see a couple of bicycle people movers. Appropriate PhotoI just returned from my 50th High School Reunion in Daytona Beach (on the south edge of Ormond Beach for those that don't know). Everything is a lot different now than it was back then although I think it was better 100 years ago than now. We walked on the beach and in the ocean while there. The beach is much narrower now, even at low tide and they now charge a fee to drive on the sand. Great photo and I have enjoyed this one and the other photos of Daytona Beach shown on this site. They bring back memories of a time that will never come again. Thanks a lot. (The Gallery, Boats & Bridges, DPC, Florida)
Brighton Beach: 1903
... ahead of her on the boardwalk. Moving Day The ocean was eroding the beach, and was almost lapping at the front porch. In a ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 04/24/2019 - 12:01am -

Brighton Beach, N.Y., circa 1903. "Brighton Beach Hotel and boardwalk." 8x10 inch dry plate glass negative, Detroit Photographic Company. View full size. Two couplesI like those two couples on the right, the way one person in each duo is glancing up. With regard to the man couple, the fellow is definitely checking out the photographer (in what I take to be a fetchingly bemused manner), and with the woman couple, I can’t tell whether the lady is also checking out the photographer or the man couple ahead of her on the boardwalk. Moving DayThe ocean was eroding the beach, and was almost lapping at the front porch. In a bold move that was costly, but highly publicized, Engelman had the entire enormous building raised up on tracks and moved further inland. 120 railroad cars were used to support the hotel, and three pairs of double engines slowly pulled the building 600 feet inland. It took over three months, but they did it, and the hotel was saved. Not even a window pane was broken.* *Source: Brownstoner Magazine Fill in the Blank (Sign)Willing to bet the bleached-out sign says "Keep Off the Grass". Either that, or "Fire Hazard". Mobile HotelQuite a story on several websites how they had to move this entire hotel due to beach erosion. But no record of it burning down. It did burn down did it? I mean, since the advent of fire insurance, didn't all such wood structures burn down? Lots of history herehttp://www.heartofconeyisland.com/brighton-beach-coney-island-history.ht... Elegant livingWow! What beauty and elegance. I would love to be there -- strolling on the boardwalk, taking my paints down to the beach and doing some sketches, back to the hotel for a delicious dinner and retiring to my room to read a book before bed. (The Gallery, DPC)
Life on the high sea
... sheltered locations where they didn't have to deal with ocean storm waves. Their real nemesis (besides the USCG, which tended to remove ... 
 
Posted by Samuel1940 - 09/20/2011 - 8:50pm -

Location: Unknown. Date: Unknown. This home appears to be a true light house. One can imagine it didn't last many storms. View full size. A Screw-Pile LightThis is an example of a screw-pile lighthouse, of which indeed only a few remain. The did indeed screw the pilings into the bottom. They were particularly popular in the Chesapeake Bay region, but they saw use in NC and along the gulf coast too, and there are a number of monster versions along the Florida coast. They were actually pretty tough in the face of storms, particularly since they were mostly used in more sheltered locations where they didn't have to deal with ocean storm waves. Their real nemesis (besides the USCG, which tended to remove the house once they became automated) was ice, which would ride up the piles and push the house off the foundation. There were several instances in which the house ended up being carried down the bay, occupants and all. I can't identify this particular light with any certainty, but it might be the Lower Cedar Point Light on the lower Potomac River. Croatan Shoal Light, NCIt's the Croatan Shoal light in North Carolina. Click for info. I know you saidit was waterfront property but this is rediculas. [We used to summer at Rediculas. - Dave] (ShorpyBlog, Member Gallery)
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