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Shenandoah: 1938
Schuylkill County, Pennsylvania, 1938. "Shenandoah. House fronts in a mining town." Medium format acetate negative by Sheldon Dick. View full size. Pennsylvania is for Lovers Lotta love on the ground floor, lotta lovers' ... land company laid out the town. The beginning of the coal industry brought English and Welsh miners, followed by Irish. Subsequent ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 10/15/2018 - 7:33pm -

Schuylkill County, Pennsylvania, 1938. "Shenandoah. House fronts in a mining town." Medium format acetate negative by Sheldon Dick. View full size. Pennsylvania is for LoversLotta love on the ground floor, lotta lovers' leaps above. Passive-Aggressive AA Intervention LeagueThat's the building where they house the town drunks, and the only Muzak playing is the Waits/Richards cover of Shenandoah. IdlersIf you have time to loaf, you have time to paint! From the WPA Guide on PennsylvaniaSHENANDOAH (Ind. daughter of the skies), 2.5 m. (1,300 alt., 20,782 pop.), is crowded into a comparatively small area in the center of a valley. Washington Avenue is locally called the 'Sunken Street,' because it has settled several feet; in some places houses are propped to prevent collapse. On March 4, 1940, a cave-in affecting a 16-block area damaged the homes of 4,000 persons, broke gas and water mains, and opened wide cracks in streets. Shenandoah was first settled in 1835; mining on a large scale began in 1862 when a land company laid out the town. The beginning of the coal industry brought English and Welsh miners, followed by Irish. Subsequent immigrations brought Germans, Poles, Lithuanians, Russians, and other nationality groups. A fire in 1883 virtually reduced the town to ashes. The first Greek Catholic parish in the United States,St. Michael's, was organized here in 1884, and the church was erected three years later. Although the principal industrial activity is mining, the town has three textile mills and two meat-packing plants. If ever there was a crooked manI think we've found his house. Big Band Brothers' BirthplaceShenandoah is the birthplace of big band leaders Jimmy and Tommy Dorsey, born in 1904 and 1905, respectively. (The Gallery, Mining, Sheldon Dick)
Candy, Cigars, Souvenirs: 1920
... glass negative. View full size. 12th and Pennsylvania Based on ads in the Post, the location appears to be the ... neighborhoods. I think it was the burgeoning supermarket industry that did them in, just as with the home milk delivery boys. Obviously, ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 09/11/2011 - 7:17pm -

"Standard Engraving Co., Minster Building, 12th Street N.W." circa 1920. National Photo Company Collection glass negative. View full size. 12th and PennsylvaniaBased on ads in the Post, the location appears to be the southwest corner of 12th and Pennsylvania Ave, NW. - across the street from the Old Post Office and now site of Federal Triangle. Minster's Corner was operated by Samuel D. Minster. Washington-Virginia Railway was located at 1202 Pennsylvania. Washington Post, Mar 30, 1902 I have purchased the old reliable and long-established business of H.A. Seligson; 1200 and 1202 Pa. ave. nw., and have added to the already superb stock of Wines, Liquors, Cordials, and Cigars... One of the distinctly new features of the establishment will be the attendence of lady clerks for the ladies' trade. Eldorado Wine Co., Samuel D. Minster, Prop., S.W. Cor. Pa. Ave and 12th st. N.W. Washington Post, Jun 30, 1904 The National Association of Stationary Engineers, No. 7, met at its hall, at Pennsylvania avenue and Twelfth street northwest, Tuesday night ..... Stationary EngineersTo head off the inevitable questions, stationary engineers supervise engines in a fixed location such as in power plants, factories, mines, water pumping stations and so forth, as opposed to marine engineers or locomotive engineers. I believe the current union calls itself "Operating Engineers" which includes what we used to call building supers. Your Weight and FortuneIs that a fortune-telling, penny weight scale outside the door of the Fussel's ice cream store? No wonder the place went out of business. Stationary EngineersFor those of you who live in the country or exurbia and maybe even suburbia, a stationary engineer, to those of us city folk, is usually the building superintendent, or as we know him (or her), "the super". Electric carsVery interesting to find out that, even in such a late time as the 1920s (when this photo is dated), there was still possible to get a ride on an electric car. One can only wonder what would have happened if those had caught on for public transport; maybe we wouldn't be choking in as much smog as today. [They did catch on. They were called streetcars. In this instance, "electric cars" were the interurban trolleys of the Washington-Virginia Railway, departing from Mid-City Terminal at 12th and Pennsylvania. - Dave] Bon-AmiWhen I was growing up in NYC back in the '50s, it was common for landlords to apply a film of Bon-Ami window cleaner to their rental store's front windows and door whenever it was vacant or during refurbishing, as is the case in this photo. I've not seen it used in years and don't even know if Bon-Ami is still sold. Thanks for jogging a nice bit of wistful memory for me. Bon-AmiYes, Bon-Ami is still available. It is the only scouring powder we use. I buy it at the grocery store. Non-IntoxicatingReif's Special was a short lived non alcoholic beer type drink. Non alcoholic sodas gained in popularity after prohibition in 1916. Reif's Special, described as "A Pure Liquid Food", was manufactured in Chattanooga, TN by Martin Lynch in 1917. [advertisement text] Reif's Special Serve Cold It Is Not A Compound Here is the triumph of man's inventive genius - just what the world has long been awaiting - a beverage that has all the snappy flavor and foaming goodness of the hops with the alcohol left out. That's done by a patented process. We are the pioneers. Beware of imitations. At soft drink places - in bottles or cases. Martin-Lynch Co., Distributors Carrie Nation's FrolicMinster's Corner was once the focus the famed Carrie Nation's ire. Washington Post June 14, 1907 Mrs Nation fined $25 Saloon Smasher Pays Up After Temperance Lecture to Judge Mrs. Carrie Nation's frolic in front of S.D. Minster's store, at Twelfth street and Pennsylvania avenue northwest, Wednesday night, cost her $25 in Police Court yesterday. Incidentally, and as a self-administered balm to her outraged feeling, the former Kansas hatchet wielded read from the witness box passages of Scripture touching upon intemperance. Blackstone, as interpreted by Judge Mullowny, did not appeal to Carrie. Neither did her Scriptural readings to the judge, whose calm, judicial reasons was: "I find you guilty of disorderly conduct, as charged. Twenty-five dollars fine, please." Mrs. Nation's friends made up the $5 additional to the $20 which she deposited in the First precinct station for the appearance in court. The saloon wrecker departed, after discoursing freely as to the evils of strong beverages and cigarettes. Mount Vernon RailwayThis building was the office and station of the Washington, Alexandria and Mount Vernon Railway, an interurban road that had a loop terminus in front of George Washington's Mount Vernon estate. The circular concrete drive in front of the main gate was once the railway right-of-way. Electric interurban cars pulled up alongside the awning in the photo for passengers. Frank R. Scheer, Railway Mail Service Library Carrie NationThe Washington Post article cited below is dated June 14, 1917, and the story appears to be reported as current news. Yet all three links for more Carrie Nation information give her date of death as 1911. Hmm... Once again Shorpy piques my interest, and I learned something today about the history of the temperance movement and Mrs. Nation. [The date on the news clip was a typo. It's from 1907, not 1917. - Dave] Holmes PiesIs that Holmes Pies any chance the precursor of the Helms Bakery trucks with the slide out trays of bread, donuts and pastries which I recall roaming the neighborhoods of my youth in the western states? They disappeared in the 60's or 70's, as I recall. [I don't know about Helms. But Holmes Bakery had its own fleet of trucks [Link 1] [Link 2] [Link 3]. - Dave] No Sherlock, HolmesIt just dawned on me that it was the Helms Bakery that had those panel trucks that went around the neighborhoods. I think it was the burgeoning supermarket industry that did them in, just as with the home milk delivery boys. Obviously, a Sherlock I was not when it came to Holmes Pies... (The Gallery, D.C., Natl Photo, Stores & Markets)
Manda: 1905
... the Pittsburgh Steamship Company. It is at the New York, Pennsylvania & Ohio (NYPANO) dock on Whiskey Island along the old riverbed ... in his comment is a fascinating look at American heavy industry. Ship lifespans Commercial ships operating exclusively on the ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 09/08/2024 - 3:50pm -

Circa 1905. "Freighter Manda unloading ore, Cleveland, Ohio." 8x10 inch dry plate glass negative, Detroit Publishing Company. View full size. Half the tonnage at the NYPANO dockThis is the barge Manda, constructed in 1896 for the Pittsburgh Steamship Company. It is at the New York, Pennsylvania & Ohio (NYPANO) dock on Whiskey Island along the old riverbed of the Cuyahoga River. Unloading can commence or resume once some empty hoppers or gons are spotted under the four clamshell bucket sets. The cable system between tracks will move along the freight cars. The clamshells will be replaced by two Hulett unloaders that will last until Conrail is created. The new carrier finds no use for the cramped, old facility as the massive C&P dock on the lakefront can easily handle the business. Obsolete by then.By the time of this photo, amazing Hulett ore unloaders were being constructed to unload much larger ships in far less time. Below is a video from as late as 1992 showing these machines in operation. Sadly, these newer school machines have now been replaced by shipboard unloading systems. A little after 2 minutes the video takes you to the operator's cab located just above the clamshell bucket. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1RJfnk2S330 If they made a movie of itWould they call it the Manda Ore-ian? Iron AgePhare Pleigh's video posted in his comment is a fascinating look at American heavy industry. Ship lifespansCommercial ships operating exclusively on the Great Lakes have far longer lifespans than oceangoing ships as their hulls aren't exposed to the corrosive effects of salt water. (The Gallery, Boats & Bridges, Cleveland, DPC, Railroads)
Mantrip: 1942
November 1942. "Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania (vicinity). Westland coal mine. 'Mantrip' going into a drift ... Part Miners are a rare breed of men. The U.S. coal industry was instrumental in the war effort both at home and on the front line. ... program pays tribute to the West Virginia coal mining industry with the “Mountaineer Mantrip” before each home game at Milan ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 03/31/2024 - 5:20pm -

November 1942. "Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania (vicinity). Westland coal mine. 'Mantrip' going into a drift mine." Acetate negative by John Collier for the Office of War Information. View full size. Not Space MountainThis ride is "Descent Into Darkness" Not A Fun RideThat doesn't look like much of an amusement park ride! Doing Their PartMiners are a rare breed of men. The U.S. coal industry was instrumental in the war effort both at home and on the front line. The West Virginia University football program pays tribute to the West Virginia coal mining industry with the “Mountaineer Mantrip” before each home game at Milan Puskar Stadium. https://wvusports.com/sports/2017/8/2/mountaineer-mantrip.aspx Patrick I get your driftI pictured the cars going into the mine and then careening down a hill, roller coaster style. That would be a slope mine. Because this is a drift mine, they are entering the side of the hill and rolling on a horizontal path - much less exciting. This diagram helped me: (The Gallery, John Collier, Mining, Railroads)
No Peanuts: 1942
November 1942. Lititz, Pennsylvania. "Small town in wartime. Peanut stand next to the Lutz butcher ... get peanuts since the war started. Peanut oil is needed in industry." Acetate negative by Marjory Collins for the Office of War ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 01/30/2024 - 2:25pm -

November 1942. Lititz, Pennsylvania. "Small town in wartime. Peanut stand next to the Lutz butcher shop finds it hard to get peanuts since the war started. Peanut oil is needed in industry." Acetate negative by Marjory Collins for the Office of War Information. View full size. The Original Educator Crax Cracker ...With the Baked-in-Flavor! Crax, not CrackerJackCrax crackers, "The Original Educator" https://clickamericana.com/topics/food-drink/crax-the-most-imitated-crac... Lutz’s Meat Market ... was founded by B.F. Lutz in 1895 in the rear of 15 East Main Street. The bank drive-thru lanes were the site of a farmer’s market operated by Lutz. In 1927 Lutz’s sons, Ben and John, joined in the business and it was relocated to 53 East Main Street. - lititzlibrary.org I Spy ... Ms. Marjory CollinsIn reflection to the left right of the "No Peanuts" sign. A metric wall ??I don't think I've ever seen brickwork before with headers (only) every tenth row (every five or six is the most common). Crax and a crankWhat be crax, I have to ax. Nineteen cents, at any rate. And that's a doozy of an awning crank there. "Hygiene" textbookThe New Healthy Living Series: The Habits of Healthy Living, by Winslow and Hahn, 1932. This is a well-used copy, although it does not sound like the sort of reading that would excite a young teenager. My New BikeBet that boy is mighty proud of his sleek new bike. Nations Beyond The SeasThe bigger book on the bike seat is "Nations Beyond the Seas"; can't quite read the spine of the smaller book. A postwar edition of Nations Beyond The Seas can be borrowed at Archive.org Watch out ...My bike (c. 1948) has a horn like his. It doesn't require batteries, it blasts out a loud klaxon like sound when the plunger is pushed. Lovely Prewar BicycleThe bike pictured is a new prewar Schwinn. Not sure of the exact year or name on the headbadge. Schwinn made bicycles for different companies back then. Thanks to Dave for the zoom into the book spinesReminds me of the movie Blade Runner where Harrison Ford is saying stuff like "Enhance 224 to 176" [You're very welcome. The zoom is actually from a different photo. - Dave] "Nutty" SpellingThe numbers on the old piece of wood beneath the peanut window lead me to believe the bags of nuts, when available, would have set you back a nickel, a dime, or two dimes for the large appetite and wallet crowd. Perhaps if they had raised their prices just a fraction they could have afforded another "R"! Sliver of storefront?That's gotta be the world's narrowest storefront for the peanut guy. No wider than a door opening. Unless it shared space with the meat guy next door? (The Gallery, Bicycles, Kids, Marjory Collins, Small Towns, Stores & Markets)
Ghost Coach: 1930
... This was the product of a thriving American transportation industry at the top of its game. Pretty but Old coaches are the same ... Railroad, 1847-1968" I find no reference to any ex-Pennsylvania railroad coaches in the company's roster. That being said, I have ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 07/22/2012 - 7:02pm -

Washington, D.C., or vicinity circa 1915-1930. One of three H&E glass negatives labeled "Car exterior. Washington & Old Dominion R.R." Harris & Ewing Collection glass negative. View full size. The others are here and here. Mail CarThat was a mail car, usually the first car behind the tender car. All Aboard for Petticoat Junction!But where's the rest of the Hooterville Cannonball? Combination CoachThis old gal carried passengers as well as mail and parcels between cities. One great picture and she was probably on her way to the scrap yard. Good EngineeringThis is obviously an OLD car by 1930, built maybe at the turn of the century, yet look at its excellent construction. 6-wheel bogies with elaborate suspension for a smooth ride, the long chassis still straight as an arrow despite its age, lots of elbow room inside with elegant clerestory windows and lots of ventilators. This was the product of a thriving American transportation industry at the top of its game. Pretty butOld coaches are the same this side of the water; lovely to look at and deadly dangerous if there's a crash. There's breakable, splintering, flammable wood, gas lighting in some cases, paraffin or kerosene in others. In Britain's worst train crash -- at Quintinshill during the first World War -- I believe more died in the fire afterward than in the impact. 4928Perhaps this was a mail car or a car with space for freight, but there is also obvious passenger seating in it as well. And if it typically traveled just behind a tender, why would it have that "porch" on its freight end? Cue the Ghostly OrchestraClang, Clang, Clang went the Scary Trolley! Ding, Ding, Ding went the Bell of Death! Zing, Zing, Zing went my heartstrings as we started for Spookington Dell! And this car isA 1908 PRR roster shows this as a Class OK combine (baggage/coach) built in 1900 and owned by the PB&W (the subsidiary of the Pennsy that owned the tracks on the line from Philly to DC). These cars were rebuilt with full vestibules at some point, because there is a diagram for that configuration; obviously this one escaped. Apparently these cars always had steam heat. There were three different subclasses depending on the size of the baggage compartment; this is the smallest, with the 20-foot compartment. The six-wheel trucks show that this is a "heavyweight" steel car. The interior appears to have walkover seats so the car doesn't have to be turned. Platforms (and later vestibules) were typical on baggage cars to allow train crews to pass through while in motion. The Ghost CarI agree with the first description of this car's origins. The car was still on the PRR roster on 1-1-1914, but was gone by 3-1-1916. The lettering couldn't have lasted 14 years. My guess is the photos were taken shortly after sale to the W&OD. Moreover, the truss rods under the center of the car indicate that this was a fully wooden car both when it was constructed and when these photos were taken. Further ResearchI've come across a classification guide which indicates that class O cars are wooden combines. Class PB steel combines in the same guide are only about 10 feet longer, but weigh 50 percent more (120,000 vs. 80,000 pounds). Checking in Ames's book on the W&OD, I see absolutely no evidence that this car was ever used on that line. Passenger operations were electric, with the exception of several 1878/1887 coaches purchased from the Manhattan Electric Rwy which were considerably older in design than this car. The only combines on the roster were either electrics or doodlebugs. My guess is that this car was just passing through. [I think there was probably another reason for taking these photos. - Dave] PilotThis car seems to have a tube pilot on the far truck, which might indicate it was used behind an interurban or box motor in push/pull service. Thoughts on the Mystery CoachChecking Herb Harwood Jr.'s "Rails to the Blue Ridge: The Washington and Old Dominion Railroad, 1847-1968" I find no reference to any ex-Pennsylvania railroad coaches in the company's roster. That being said, I have a couple of ideas. As far as the location of the photograph, the coach appears to be sitting on one leg of a wye, used for turning locomotives or whole trains (given the length of the stub track, just locomotives in this case). According to Hardwood's track map, and assuming this is the Washington & Old Dominion Railroad, that leaves four possible locations for this photograph: Bluemont Junction, Herndon, Leesburg, or Bluemont. Given the topography in the background, and having bicycled the W&OD quite a lot, I would suggest the likely location of this to be Bluemont Junction. I have come up with one possible explanation for why this coach never appeared on the company rosters. It is possible that this coach was purchased by the Washington & Old Dominion Railroad, but never operated over the line, and simply sat disused in its location pictured. The three-axle trucks indicate to me that the coach is possibly quite heavy, perhaps too heavy to operate on the W&OD's light rails. It certainly would not have been the only instance of a railroad purchasing equipment too heavy for its rails. (In my home province of Ontario, one of the two locomotives of the Huntsville and Lake of Bays Railway was found to be too heavy and remained stored during its 11-year career on the railroad). One other possibility that has come to mind is that this is not the Washington & Old Dominion Railroad at all, but rather the Rosslyn Connecting Railroad which branched off the current rail line as it reached the Virginia side of the Potomac, and headed north to Rosslyn. This railroad was a subsidiary of the Pennsylvania Railroad, which would explain the coach. If the photograph was simply labeled (Washington DC area), it is possible that the railroad was misidentified. This, however, is complete conjecture, as I am not even sure whether passenger service was ever operated (or intended to be operated but wasn't) over the Rosslyn Connecting Railroad. [The photos are labeled as indicated in the caption. - Dave] One thing I can say for surethe number designations on the car are most definitely "Pennsy". That font is unmistakable. #4928 Pennsylvania Combination carMy opinions are just that--pity the photographer isn't alive to comment. That said: I disagree with the car going to scrap. The gas light globes are still inside the interior. If it is to be scrapped all the parts to keep for repairing/building other cars would be removed first. In the American Civil War, cars from other railroads were often borrowed to move troops. This inter-rail cooperation worked well-- There are several military grounds near the W&OD RR. Fort Myer, Va. and Camp Auger, near Merrifield, Virginia - off the Dunn Loring RR stop on the W&OD line. Livestock pens were near the one W&OD RR's freight station for the Cavalry horses and or livestock being shipped to and from the more western towns, e.g. Herndon, etc. Military grounds near railroad lines would be Camp A. A.Humphreys aka Fort Belvoir, Virginia; Quantico, Virginia which are off the Alexandria Railyard heading south on the Southern, Richmond, Fredericksburg & Potomac line. On the Mt. Vernon line, it could have gone by Fort Marcy. It could have easily been sold to Virginia Central Rwy or the Fruit Grower's Express Rwy, for the use of the company's executives or for an occasional run for passengers; e.g. executive use, party, etc. It may be entirely possible that this car never went past the railroad bridge into Virginia. It could have easily been sold to a short line (East Washington, Rwy)and or sitting in the more rural sections of Washington, DC around Ivy City--a connecting yard to Union Station. If memory serves me correctly, Penn RR did invest in the W&OD briefly. This may be of that brief period. A combine, but not for mailThese three pictures show a rail car that once ruled the main line but now has been modified for a lowly afterlife on a forgotten branchline. The car has a 20-foot compartment for freight and express at one end. The pigeonhole box near the roof line being for small packages and company mail moving from station to station. If it were a US Mail compartment, there would have been the mandatory fixtures for bags, pouches, sorting tables and sorting racks - plus there would have been a letter drop slot on the side of the car. The rear section offers walk-over coach seats. We can see this was a mainline car account of the six wheeled trucks, walkway buffers and the three hoses next to the coupler. One hose was for airbrakes, one was a communication line to signal to the engineer by the train crew, and one was for steam heat. The pilot (or cowcatcher to some) on the far end of the car implies some type of push-pull service. If this the W&OD, I believe they had some self-powered "doodlebug" cars and this car could have served as a trailer being pulled along by the power car, until it was time to return and the train was shoved back towards its origin. A procedure quite effective to give the engineer a cramped neck, and the flagman the worry of being on the cutting edge of any grade crossing incident with a car or truck. The flagman usually manned a little peanut whistle powered by the air line that he would signal with as the train approached crossings and stations. The carHere is a link that refers to this car. (The Gallery, D.C., Harris + Ewing, Railroads)
Rust Belt Riviera: 1941
January 1941. "A section of Rochester, Pennsylvania, on the Ohio River. Photographs show Ohio River town in western Pennsylvania -- bridges, houseboats, coal barges, railroad yards. Abandoned ... Aguilera (Singer) hail from here. (The Gallery, Industry & Public Works, Jack Delano, Railroads) ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 11/06/2019 - 1:36pm -

January 1941. "A section of Rochester, Pennsylvania, on the Ohio River. Photographs show Ohio River town in western Pennsylvania -- bridges, houseboats, coal barges, railroad yards. Abandoned stove and glass works. Automobile graveyard. Cemetery and gravedigger. Substandard housing occupied by Negroes." Photo by Jack Delano for the FSA. View full size. High WaterIn 1937 there was a devastating flood. So my guess is that there is not a whole lot close to the river. I live in Leavenworth, Indiana. A town that was moved uphill after that flooding. Prime Real EstateOther than that gaggle of railroad tracks that property right next to the river should have been prime real estate. So why was it a slum area? Did it flood often? What is it now? Inquiring minds want to know. Beaver Valley BowlingThe tall building has been repurposed as a bowling alley, and a Goggle street view spin around Rochester shows it has survived in the Rust Belt better than many places. Mostly Highway NowIt's difficult to approximate exactly where the original photo was taken. The area now has a divided highway and a jumble of access ramps running though much of it, but my guess is that the photographer was standing somewhere along Pleasant Street at the top of the bluff. The large building in the center of the photo still (mostly) stands, and appears to now house a bowling alley and pool hall. It's available!https://www.timesonline.com/news/20181211/beaver-valley-bowl-building-fa... Hollywood beckonedThe large brick building was the Beaver Valley Brewery, and is now home to the Beaver Valley Bowl. The bowling alley appeared in two movies: Wonder Boys and Kingpin. You can see the exterior and interior in this clip: https://youtu.be/gO0VwzCuuBM Update: Beaver Valley Bowl also appears in the Netflix series: I'm Not OK With This. Looks uninvitingA short distance behind the photographer is the Beaver River, where it joins the Ohio. Across the Beaver River is the town of Beaver, where my grandfather died 5 years to the month from when this was taken. There's little wonder why my grandmother packed up dad and his brother and moved back to the Philly area where she had family. Still StandingThe large building in the upper center of the frame and the smaller buildings farther away from the camera are still there as are all four mainline tracks. The Pennsylvania Railroad signal bridge has been replaced by another one a a few hundred yards west of this location. This view is looking east toward Pittsburgh from Rochester and likely was taken from the bridge crossing the tracks and then the Ohio River. Small Town, Big Railroad"The Standard Railroad of the World" - The Pennsylvania Railroad (Now part of Norfolk Southern) looms large in the town. Tony Dorsett (Footbal) and Christina Aguilera (Singer) hail from here. (The Gallery, Industry & Public Works, Jack Delano, Railroads)
Pittsburgh: 1941
... 1941. "Long stairway in mill district of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania." Medium-format nitrate negative by Jack Delano for the FSA. ... 1946 and cleaned up the city's air well before the steel industry went south. Smoke Gets in Your Eyes My dad visited cousins in ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 12/22/2018 - 11:03am -

January 1941. "Long stairway in mill district of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania." Medium-format nitrate negative by Jack Delano for the FSA. View full size. HauntingSad but yet beautiful photograph. You can hear the ice crunching under the woman's steps on the long stairway. Would love to see a picture today to see what remains. When the mills closedI moved to Pittsburgh (Ambridge) in 1980 and the sky was yellow. By 1984 when I left the sky was blue...most of the mills had closed. This scene could be anywhere in the Pittsburgh area and is really representative of what it was like. Except for the vintage car, I've been in this scene. I don't understand why I'm coughing......maybe it's the pollen??? Less smoggy, still cloudyWell, the hills are still there! The mills, not so much. The smell of moneyLooks downright Dickensian. There is a pulp mill out in the bay near where I live. For decades it belched a foul smelling brew of toxins from the stacks until the owners were forced to install scrubbers to clean up the exhaust. Now you'd hardly know it was there. When someone would complain to my friend's dad, who worked there for decades, he would reply, "That's the smell of money." City StepsA few years ago Bob Regan documented these stairways in a book called "The Steps of Pittsburgh." There are some 700 stairways all over the city. From the publisher's website: Many of Pittsburgh's steps are legal streets, and all of them reflect the city's unique topography and history. Together, these 712 sets of steps provide a vital link in the city's transportation system as well as unusual challenges for pedestrians, joggers, the bike police, and especially pizza delivery. . . . San Franciscans like to boast about their steps and consider them a top tourist attraction, but they "only" have 350 sets. Cincinnatians do the same, but claim a mere 400. Neither have steps that are legal streets. Pittsburgh is clearly King of the Steps and a place beloved by the self-propelled. Whether you're an active step trekker or an armchair climber, The Steps of Pittsburgh should be on your to-do list! Every year there's an event called the Step Trek that takes participants all over the steps on the South Side Slopes. It's pretty cool and great exercise! Thanks for the beautiful photograph. Led ZeppelinI was raised in a small, very industrial Connecticut town in the 1940's which had a similar wooden staircase from Main Street over the railroad tracks. When we had to attend church, it was necessary to ascend these many, many stairs, after which we were faced with a steep, almost straight up hill, to get to the level of tiers on which our church stood. It was so steep, the concrete was scored about every inch to give better footing and in icy, snowy weather, it was a real challenge. I used to think of it as a stairway to Heaven, and then the title above came out with their hit song. I thought of it first. The town was Seymour, for all you doubting Thomases. The church was St. Augustine's. Good day. Smoke ControlPittsburgh passed strict (for the time) environmental laws a year later, in 1941. What they called "smoke control" back then was delayed until after the war, but went into effect in 1946 and cleaned up the city's air well before the steel industry went south. Smoke Gets in Your EyesMy dad visited cousins in Pittsburgh around the same time this photo was taken. He spoke of sitting on the front porch and watching soot settle on the railing. Hell with its hat offI saw that caption on a picture of a Pittsburgh populated by stacks belching smoke in the bad old industrial days. My daughter is studying ballet there now. It's a different place, really an beautiful city. Not hard to find reminders of those days, though -- soot-blackened buildings and decrepit factory sites. Bisbee, ArizonaAnother vertical metallurgical town where stairways take the place of streets. Three shirt townThey used to call Pittsburgh a three shirt town. You'd wear one in the morning until the sweat and soot mixture was turning your collar gray, then change into another at lunch, and then into a third at dinnertime. I Had No IdeaI had no idea that Pittsburgh was a city of steps. You learn something every day. Thanks for posting this beautiful picture. Photos of some of the city's steps here (http://www.frontiernet.net/~rochballparks2/towns/pgh_steps.htm) for those as ignorant as I of the wonders of Pittsburgh! Epic PicThis is an epic capture. Its like a frame from some Academy Award bait movie. This image is as fantastic to me as something from the new Star Trek movie - and I mean that as a compliment. So inclinedMy son delivers appliances in Pittsburgh, a challenge in that city. And watching a cable guy run a new wire is like having a front row seat a Cirque du Soleil. One of our roofers lives on one of these "stairway streets". He says that there are 214 stair steps to reach his front door and that the number one rule in his household is that you never enter or leave empty-handed. Those Steps...........look like a heart attack waiting to happen. I'm surprised someone didn't rig up some type of trolley to get from one end to the other (both ways). Dig Sixteen TonsAngular staircase, belching factory, grim lack of scenery: Makes me think of the bleak urban intro to Joe Versus the Volcano. Gotta hope someone in one of those houses has a hula lamp. Honore SharrerYesterday's New York Times carried the obituary of Honore Sharrer, "a noted American artist of the 1940s and afterward whose bold, witty, incisive paintings documented the daily experiences of ordinary working people. Known for their jewel-like colors and painstaking attention to detail, her paintings were purposely flat, hyperrealistic and strongly narrative in their depiction of everyday life." It doesn't have anything to do with this particular photograph, but I found this part of the obituary to be of interest to Shorpyites: Ms. Sharrer’s masterwork, critics widely agree, is her painting “Tribute to the American Working People.” A five-image polyptych that recalls a medieval or Renaissance altarpiece, it is more than two yards long and a yard high and took five years to paint. Its central figure, a factory worker, is flanked by smaller scenes of ordinary people at a picnic, in a parlor, on a farm and in a schoolroom. Completed in 1951, the painting was unveiled that year at Ms. Sharrer’s first solo exhibition, at the Knoedler Galleries in New York. Reviewing the exhibition in The New York Times, Stuart Preston called “Tribute” “a notable contemporary American painting” and “a bold, frank and fine achievement.” “Tribute,” which is in the permanent collection of the Smithsonian Institution, was the subject of an exhibition there in 2007 devoted exclusively to it. Titled “Anatomy of a Painting: Honoré Sharrer’s ‘Tribute to the American Working People,’ ” the exhibition featured much of Ms. Sharrer’s source material, including Farm Security Administration photographs from the late 1930s. Hats off to Jack Delano and all the FSA photographers. "Paper Streets"I live in this neighborhood. The term we use is "paper streets" because on the city map, they look like any other street, but that's only on paper. My girlfriend has called me in tears when her Garmin couldn't get her home because it wanted her car to take staircases. These sets of steps also all have street signs like any other city roadways. Paper Alley"Paper streets" are common here in Pittsburgh and the suburbs, but most common are "paper alleys." There is one directly across the street from me that runs up the side, then in back of all of the houses. It's now covered in grass and woods (and I imagine it has been this way for at least 90 years). My parents used to fight the boro to let them take ownership of the "property," however they have not budged in 35 years. Funny how the local gov't doesn't want to take care of it, and after my parents stopped, the neighbor does on the other side. Love Pittsburgh!I have lived in Pittsburgh all 23 years of my life. I would never live anywhere else. It's sad we can't get this smoke-ridden image out of the minds of people. This is nothing like the city today. Pittsburgh is a beautiful, growing city that is leading the way in green technology. After the steel industry collapse, the city plummeted into debt. Now, we are a shining example. Anyways, that misconception will be shattered with the hosting of the G-20 Summit here in September! Pay attention to the news around that time. Anyways, this is still a great image. You cannot deny this city's history, and the steel industry was vital to the US, especially during WWII. Pittsburgh has always been a pivotal cornerstone in American (and world) history. Does anybody know where this mill is located? Warhol-landThis is the Pittsburgh that artist Andy Warhol was born into in 1928. When this picture was made, a 12-year-old Warhol was living with his family in a house on a soot-covered hillside in a neighborhood just like this. It's Tullymet StreetThese steps connect Sylvan Avenue and Chance Way in the city's Hazelwood neighborhood. The old wooden steps have been replaced with concrete. The house sitting just out of the frame is gone along with most of the homes on Sylvan. [Thanks for the answer to a longstanding question! - Dave] First Three homes are still thereIt looks as if the first 3 homes in the middle of the picture are still there. So cool to finally know where this photo was taken! many thanks to sinking_ship for solving that mystery! This is still one of the most beat up areas in the 'burghWhen I return via Allegheny County airport in W. Mifflin, we always pass thru this area on our way to Oakland. It's pretty sad now but still very recognizable from this photo. My foreign born wife immediately recognized the neighborhood just from the lay of the land. Back in the early 70s I worked the last in-city blast furnaces at Jones & Laughlin steel just down the road towards Oakland. Very glad I had the chance to touch the history before it was gone. Been thereI lived in the third house in from 1953/1960. Glad my house is still there. First Two HomesSince the photo of first three homes still standing was submitted, the third one in is now gone also...along with pretty much everything in the 1940 photo... (The Gallery, Factories, Jack Delano, Pittsburgh)
Miller Time: 1943
June 1943. Workers leaving the Pennsylvania shipyards at Beaumont, Texas. View full size. 4x5 Kodachrome ... own line on the right. (The Gallery, Kodachromes, Industry & Public Works, John Vachon, WW2) ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 09/08/2011 - 5:34pm -

June 1943. Workers leaving the Pennsylvania shipyards at Beaumont, Texas. View full size. 4x5 Kodachrome transparency by John Vachon. SegregationNotice how all the "colored" workers are in their own line on the right. (The Gallery, Kodachromes, Industry & Public Works, John Vachon, WW2)
Men of Steel: 1938
July 1938. Veteran steelworkers in Aliquippa, Pennsylvania. View full size. 35mm nitrate negative by Arthur Rothstein for ... would be measured. (The Gallery, Arthur Rothstein, Industry & Public Works) ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 09/09/2011 - 12:06pm -

July 1938. Veteran steelworkers in Aliquippa, Pennsylvania. View full size. 35mm nitrate negative by Arthur Rothstein for the Farm Security Administration. SWOCNote the S.W.O.C. label on the window with "Lodge 1211." Below you can see writing on the window about "PM" and "attend." The Steel Workers Organizing Committee, precursor to the United Steelworkers of America, was formed by the CIO in 1936. It organized at Jones & Laughlin Steel in Aliquippa as an "industrial union" unlike the AFL which was a trade union. Aliquippa was one of the handful of steel towns where union organizers risked their lives by merely entering the city limits. On the night of May 12, 1937, 25,000 workers went on strike at Jones and Laughlin. It turned out to be one of the shortest strikes in the history of the steel unions. Within 36 hours J&L capitulated and agreed to a union. The 1937 strike was the benchmark by which the United Steelworkers of America would be measured. (The Gallery, Arthur Rothstein, Industry & Public Works)
Etna: 1941
... furnaces of the Carnegie-Illinois steel mill in Etna, Pennsylvania. View full size. 4x5 Kodachrome transparency by Alfred Palmer ... dismantled. (The Gallery, Kodachromes, Alfred Palmer, Industry & Public Works) ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/01/2012 - 1:33pm -

November 1941. Iron ore piles and blast furnaces of the Carnegie-Illinois steel mill in Etna, Pennsylvania. View full size. 4x5 Kodachrome transparency by Alfred Palmer for the Office of War Information. Elizabeth FurnacesThis sure brings back memories. I grew up three towns from Etna and this is a photo of the Elizabeth furnaces. It was due for closure, but after WWII started they kept it open. While a young lad, I passed it many a time when it was in operation but what I remember is the a huge empty field with a blast furnace in the middle. It has long been dismantled. (The Gallery, Kodachromes, Alfred Palmer, Industry & Public Works)
Needful Things: 1935
November 1935. "Household supply store. Bethlehem, Pennsylvania." 8x10 inch nitrate negative by Walker Evans for the U.S. ... fire proof. In the 1930s studies funded by the asbestos industry itself showed a link between cancer and asbestos. This information was ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 02/07/2023 - 9:48am -

November 1935. "Household supply store. Bethlehem, Pennsylvania." 8x10 inch nitrate negative by Walker Evans for the U.S. Resettlement Administration. View full size. Paul Bunyanesque ax handleIt would take a real he man to handle that tool. Window is a picture of modern day antique store. Broom with InstructionsIt seemed funny, until I realized that I've been misusing brooms all my life. Not to second guess, butA good place for the Shorpy logo would have been on one of those coffee mugs. (I always have coffee with my morning Shorpy.) It Slices! It Dices!Any vegetable and also any fingers or knuckles that happen to get in the way. That wooden dicer is similar to one that my mother-law had if that is what it is. It does look dangerous. Professionals only! InstructionsIn today's world, the broom's instructions would be longer. Do not eat the broom. Unwrap the broom before using it. Remove the wrapper prior to using the broom. Position the straws down. I'm trying to remember the putty like stuff we used to use to clean the wallpaper when I was a kid. Absorene or something like that. I expected to find that in the window. Also trying to imagine what that huge hypodermic would be. [Baking syringe. SAUSAGE STUFFER!- Dave] Pardon meI wish to speak to the manager about those brooms you have stored with the bristles pointing up. Interesting ImplementsAlongside the eggbeater style, umm, eggbeater, I want to know what the giant steel syringe is for!! And yes, that wooden mandoline is a tool to be cautious with. Mandolin slicerThat thing hanging on the left looks like a mandolin slicer. I have a contemporary version of the same thing, only made out of plastic. Generally you have a guide that you use to push the vegetable/potato/whatever across the slicer, which keeps fingers away from the blade (in theory). Out the bottom come nice, thin slices. Perfect for making potato chips. Furmace cement is still a thing In the lower left corner, there's a tin of what I thought was "Furnace Cream," which I thought was odd. (Keeps your furnace young-looking?) Turns out it's furnace CEMENT: it's glue that isn't affected by heat (up to 2000°F!). And it's still available from Rutland in the handy 8 oz. tub, although the packaging has been refreshed a little. Tin syringeSausage stuffer. The SyringeI believe is a sausage stuffer. Casings were slipped on the end and ground pork, fat and spices were pushed into the casings which were twisted in between each link. Window ShoppingReflection of a person, next to the hanging egg beater, across the street on a balcony doing a little window shopping. Rutland Furnace CementIt certainly is available today, but one ingredient (in the original name) is missing! About that slicer"Perfect for making potato chips." Yep, that or heaps of sauerkraut. And, from personal experience, the ends of fingers. Re: Furnace cement is still a thingBesides the packaging update, I'm guessing the formula has been modernized as well since it looks like asbestos was the main ingredient back then. A Posulation from a Shorpy Postulant.I respectfully submit that the appliance drawing so much attention is a hand-held sausage stuffer. Barrel tapTo the right of the alarm clock, at the bottom of the window. Also, I go through about four of those brooms a year to sweep snow from my outside wooden stairs and to sweep snow and street grime from the concrete walkways. They do wear down, but it sure is sweet using a new one. The Magic MineralBy the mid 1930s asbestos was finding it's its way into all sorts of products including the Rutland's furnace cement in this picture. Asbestos was cheap, versatile, and virtually fire proof. In the 1930s studies funded by the asbestos industry itself showed a link between cancer and asbestos. This information was suppressed for decades but by the 1970s the evidence was overwhelming, marking the beginning of the end of the asbestos industry. Two thingsNot 100% sure, but the large "syringe" looks like a sausage stuffer. They do indeed still make furnace cement, but I'm sure it no longer contains any asbestos! Baking syringe, or sausage stuffer?I think that's a sausage stuffer. Found this whilst searching: https://www.etsy.com/listing/74266214/large-vintage-tin-sausage-stuffer Baking syringe?!!No, though I suppose one could could find a way to use it in baking. Maybe for piping, but it would be pretty unwieldy to use. It's a sausage maker. Copper CityThat wash boiler was made in my hometown of Rome NY, By a division of Revere Copper. The company later produced the line of well-known Revere Ware cooking utensils. At one time there were many factories in Rome that produced copper products, such as wire, cable, tubing, sheets and consumer products such as wash boilers. There used to be a sign on the outskirts that proclaimed that 10% of the copper processing in the US was done in Rome. "Copper City" indeed. That big syringeCould that syringe be a sausage stuffer? Perhaps the economy model, I usually see them with a base to clamp to a counter or tabletop. Watching WalkerI'm sure he looked suspicious to her. "Hours of Fun"This would make a heck of a jigsaw puzzle. That syringe... is for making sausage. Fill it up with mince, put the casing on the end, push the plunger down. The laws are made in HarrisburgThe giant syringe is a sausage stuffer. Load it up with meat, put the casings on the end, and push the handle. My family just made sausage patties. The large syringeJust a guess, but I think the large syringe is for filling sausage casings. In my grandmother's time, animals on the farm were slaughtered when the weather got really cold, I think November was the usual time in southern Indiana. The kitchen would be a busy place for a couple of weeks as the meat and by-products were prepared. Making sausage was one of the most important tasks. Reflections on a windowIf you look closely you can see Walker Evans and his tripod where the brooms are, as well as a person who looks to be sitting on a stoop across the way above the wash boiler. (The Gallery, Kitchens etc., Stores & Markets, Walker Evans)
Steelhenge: 1908
... 1908. "Steel ingots, Homestead Steel Works, Homestead, Pennsylvania." 8x10 inch dry plate glass negative, Detroit Publishing Company. ... feel the heat through the glass. (The Gallery, DPC, Industry & Public Works, Railroads) ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 06/05/2016 - 6:01pm -

Circa 1908. "Steel ingots, Homestead Steel Works, Homestead, Pennsylvania." 8x10 inch dry plate glass negative, Detroit Publishing Company. View full size. The cars are more interesting than the ingots.Ingots of this shape are usually referred to as "slabs". This shape is the first stage of plate and other flat goods. These appear to be "top poured" from their frothy appearance. More interesting though are the slab cars. They have inside bearings like most locomotive pony trucks. Steel mills have long reused rail equipment or portions thereof. I wonder if some old locos of about Civil War era sacrificed the wheelsets as they met their demise. Seems Like (Not Quite So) Old TimesWhen I was a kid riding the B&O back in the 50's and early 60's, a very similar sight would greet me as I passed through the steel mills near Pittsburgh. At night the ingots would glow red/orange in the dark, each one a little brighter than the one in front. It might have been my imagination, but I swear I could feel the heat through the glass. (The Gallery, DPC, Industry & Public Works, Railroads)
American Iron: 1942
... into steel), Allegheny Ludlum Steel Corp., Brackenridge, Pennsylvania." 4x5 inch Kodachrome transparency by Alfred Palmer for the Office ... View full size. (The Gallery, Alfred Palmer, Industry & Public Works, WW2) ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 05/29/2018 - 1:17pm -

1942. "Bessemer converter (iron into steel), Allegheny Ludlum Steel Corp., Brackenridge, Pennsylvania." 4x5 inch Kodachrome transparency by Alfred Palmer for the Office of War Information. View full size. (The Gallery, Alfred Palmer, Industry & Public Works, WW2)
Aliquippa: 1941
January 1941. "Street in Aliquippa, Pennsylvania." Medium format safety negative by Jack Delano. Office of War ... here. The United States is the world's No. 3 producer. The industry has shifted from Pennsylvania to the Great Lakes states. - Dave] ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 09/05/2012 - 6:06pm -

January 1941. "Street in Aliquippa, Pennsylvania." Medium format safety negative by Jack Delano. Office of War Information. View full size. Times Have ChangedAliquippa is the location of the long-closed Jones and Laughlin Steel Company -- presumably seen in the background. On a day off in 1987 I drove through the town and was taken by the sad state of affairs with many vacant homes, large trees growing along the elevated craneways in the steelyard and the once-proud Carnegie Library closed. Ups and DownsThose hills have to be great for sleds and torture for drivers. Reminds me of "The Deer Hunter"The streets in these industrial sooty towns in Pennsylvania are very reminiscent of the neighborhoods depicted in that unforgettable movie. I have not been to "Pennsy" since the middle of WW2, but assume it must be more modern and hopefully a lot less dreary today. Anyone? Anyone? Thank you Shorpy for posting these pictures, they are eye-openers for sure. ReptilianWhat kind of siding is on that darkish building? I've never seen it before. [Looks like asphalt or asbestos shingles. - Dave] Pennsyl...eh, whateverStill depressing. Less drearyI'm a Pennsylvania native, and my state never looked that dreary to me. Then again, I came from the ridge-and-valley part of the state, where agriculture and lumber were the top industries, so I never saw these old coal and steel towns. AliquippaAliquippa is still pretty dreary and abandoned. I haven't been there for about 5 or 10 years, but I doubt it's changed much. The city of Pittsburgh, on the other hand, isn't the pollution-filled abandoned hole it was in the 70s and 80s. I grew up there in the 80s, and saw it go through the transformation from a depressed, dirty, abandoned town to a gorgeous city with a great arts center. Older than Yoda, you should certainly go visit if you can and see the gorgeous city it's become! And yeah, the hills are pretty terrifying. On snow days, we used to go sled riding down some huge hills with pretty steep inclines (I lived in a neighborhood with little traffic.) Good times! Beautiful ShotSay what you may, but this shot catches the quiet dignity of people capturing the best of what they have. Clean with apparently well maintained homes, they took what they had and tried to elevate it to a better level. Bless them. Very evocative photoWhat an interesting picture! It almost looks like the person walking down the street is from a more recent time (no fedora, plus his jacket looks like an olive-drab military jacket that people have been wearing for the last 30 or 40 years). It could be Robert De Niro after he just got back from 'Nam! Truth and BeautyJack Delano was one of the great unsung heroes of photography in the 1930s and '40s. His compositions were impeccable and his images seduced you into the "there" that was there. This is not a depressing photograph. Home sweet homeI grew up in Aliquippa. When I saw you posting the Pittsburgh and Beaver Falls photos I wondered if you would get to the ones Jack Delano took in Aliquippa. (Aliquippa is a short distance down the Ohio river from Beaver Falls and almost directly across the river from Ambridge, which you've shown in earlier pictures.) I'm pretty sure this is somewhere on Superior Avenue on the hill above downtown. The houses in the middle distance are a neighborhood called Logstown. Regarding the earlier comment, that is indeed the Jones & Laughlin mill, which closed in about 1986. But Aliquippa never had a Carnegie library. B.F. Jones Memorial Library is on Franklin Avenue and still very much open. This view probably looks much the same today except that the mill is completely gone, nothing but dirt. Dreary is as Dreary SeesSay what you will about the so-called dreariness of these photos of the old steel mill towns along the PA rivers, you'll never see the likes of them again in this country again. Where will we get our steel if we ever need it now? My Pastor was born and raised in Aliquippa and still follows his instincts back to his old home during the Holidays. Good for him! [We'd get our steel here. The United States is the world's No. 3 producer. The industry has shifted from Pennsylvania to the Great Lakes states. - Dave] Henry Mancini, Aliquippa nativeIn January 1941 Henry Mancini was just months away from graduating from Aliquippa High School (his dad worked in the steel mills there)--and he eventually went on to the Juilliard School and then quite a musical career. Potential Hot Rods!Look at all that potential Hot Rod Material. Yeah with 350 or 454 Chevy High Performance with 350 Turbo Automatic. Lowered and customized, nice paint job, 21 inch wheels. If only we can go back into time and bring them forward before rust got to them. Winter is dreary everywhereI lived in a nearby town, Beaver, for a couple of years. This scene probably wouldn't look very different today. The landscape is always dreary on those gray winter days, no matter where you live. Rough sleddingSledding was great until the ash trucks spread ashes all over our sledding streets. But then Dad could drive all the way home. AliquippaI live a few miles from where this picture was taken. Aside from the belching steel mill in the background that used the Ohio River as a sewer, it's still pretty much the same. Streets in my HometownThis is my home town where I was born and raised. Winters looked like this then and now. This street no longer existsThis street is Irons Hill Road (Iron Street) in the Logstown area of Aliquippa. People in the area will know the area as the "Baker Street" area. If you look at Google Maps, this street ran up a hill above Baker street. The buildings on the street in this picture were basically abandoned by the early 1980's and they were torn down. The only homes left in the area today are below on Baker Street. The demolition really began when the Highway (route 51) was widened into a four-lane highway in the 1960s. Lots of hard-working, first generation European immigrants, many blacks who moved from the South, and other hard working people lived in this neighborhood and worked in the massive Jones & Laughlin Steel mill you can see in the distance. My mother grew up in this neighborhood in the 30s and 40s (and lived on Iron Street). She described it as a safe place where doors were unlocked and people looked out for each other and their children. When we drove through in the 1980s and she saw what it looked like, she was so sad! Great picture of a past time and place! (The Gallery, Factories, Jack Delano)
Boys of Steel: 1941
... "Houses and Pittsburgh Crucible Steel Company in Midland, Pennsylvania." Medium format negative by Jack Delano. View full size. ... say, “That’s the smell of money.” (The Gallery, Industry & Public Works, Jack Delano) ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 12/20/2018 - 10:00am -

        "Those icicles have been known to kill people!" January 1941. "Houses and Pittsburgh Crucible Steel Company in Midland, Pennsylvania." Medium format negative by Jack Delano. View full size. In HidingI'm just waiting for Scut Farkus and his crummy little toady, Grover Dill, to jump out from behind the car. I used to wonder why Midland had a red tint.Just coming into town with a load of limestone for the mill one day in the early seventies when one of the valves on top of a blast furnace let go. You talk about spectacular! A volcanic plume of red ore dust erupted first punctuated by a huge blast of fire when the carbon monoxide ignited. It was jet engine noisy while it lasted then it abruptly stopped. No emergency sirens, no whistles calling out danger. Move along, nothing to see here, move along. I found out why Midland had that red tint though. Smock AlertNice clean air! Give Trump some more time to make it like this again. From Anthracite to AtomsThe Beaver Valley Nuclear Power Station lies just across the Ohio River from Midland. If you've ever flown into Pittsburgh and noticed two cooling towers about 30 miles northwest of the airport, you were very near Midland. Today, instead of coal smoke, you're likely to see white clouds of steam rising into the sky. What the photo can't showThese kids are actually walking to School, uphill, backwards and in the Snow, just like Grandma and Grandpa did. Brush the snow off the seatGetting that roadster going on a winter morning wouldn't be that much fun, though given the lack of a license plate, I suppose it didn't get out much. Then again, it does have air in the tires. Notice the snow on the porch roof across the street, but none whatsoever on the roofs of the houses. Insulation? What's that? I frequently wonderHow they heated those clapboard houses with leaky sash windows? Or did they just burn as much coal as they could afford and otherwise live with the draughts? Winter WonderlandThat kid on the left looks like an Eadweard Muybridge subject. Ah, youth! The smell of moneyI grew up just down the road from Midland. Almost all of the men in my family worked at Crucible Steel. We used to write our names in the orange dust on the hood of the car. Whenever someone would say anything about the smell of sulfur in the air, my granddad would say, “That’s the smell of money.” (The Gallery, Industry & Public Works, Jack Delano)
Factory Town: 1908
Braddock, Pennsylvania, circa 1908. "Edgar Thomson Works, Carnegie Steel Co." Part of a ... seven-section panorama of smoke-belching, throbbing industry. 8x10 dry plate glass negative, Detroit Publishing Co. View full ... beautiful bituminous coal that underlay most of western Pennsylvania. The railroad cars with the slatted sides on the nearest track ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/14/2012 - 10:47am -

Braddock, Pennsylvania, circa 1908. "Edgar Thomson Works, Carnegie Steel Co." Part of a ginormous seven-section panorama of smoke-belching, throbbing industry. 8x10 dry plate glass negative, Detroit Publishing Co. View full size. Can anyone identifyThe large U-shaped items in front of the little brick building on the left? They look like giant horseshoe magnets, could they be cradles for the molten steel pouring vats (retorts?)? Quite a number of them around. Game of scrubLooks like maybe two games going of the old game of scrub which was baseball played with smaller numbers of players. We played it everyday on the playground at school during recess and lunch breaks. LidsThe two smokestacks in the middle left of the picture have "flappers" on top of them -- like you might see on a tractor or bulldozer exhaust. I've never seen one on a large smokestack before, although these seem to be equipped with pull-down wires. Now I knowI always wondered where they made the letter U. Will we get a chanceto see the full panoramic picture on Shorpy? [Behold! - Dave] Thank you, Dave !! The AlternativeYes, thriving active factory towns can be a bit ugly. But when the factories shut down they get even uglier. The PastJobs. WashdayI bet the laundry has a nice anthracite odour to it. Batter up!What a terrific photo of a Pittsburgh steel mill. Even in the early 1980s mill neighborhoods looked like this, except for the trolley and the lack of business. I always enjoy finding baseball games in Shorpy photos; this one looks like it was played at noon. Vantage point todayIronically, it seems to have been taken from what is today "Grand View Golf Club." View Vantage Point on Braddock Steel Mill in a larger map Hardy folks.A ball game in progress and some of the houses have open windows, even tho there's what looks like snow on the ground. Could it be ashes from the furnaces? PanoramaClick here for a quick and dirty pano of these. Hover over the left side of the image to get a menu to download the full size image. [Most impressive! Click image below for full size. Once it downloads, click a second time. - Dave] Mill stands The U shaped objects in the lower left are mill stands. Two face each other and hold work rolls, which shape the steel into its final form. There are a lot of pieces missing which would make up a mill stand. Empty Land NowWhile trees obstruct the current street view in google maps, you can clearly see, from a top down perspective, the location of these pictures in Braddock, PA. Amazing that most of the land is now barren although a steel mill still exists within a much smaller footprint. Even the wonderful steel bridge is now defunct. Pano 2I stitched the three right-side images using Panorama Factory: The warping is due to artifacts of the stitching. There wasn't enough overlap to stitch the left image. Passing ThroughMy aunt and uncle lived in a house much like these in a Dawson, small town down the tracks from here. Had an indoor one-holer in the basement, the only water was a pump at the kitchen sink. The main line of the B&O went right through the middle of town and about 50 feet from their house. In the 1940s we would often stay there between our moves for my dad's construction jobs and I would ride the train with my uncle to his night job in the railyards in Pittsburgh. We would pass through Braddock. It was a great adventure for an 8 year old. U CluesHaving worked at a sister plant of this (Homestead District Works) at a summer job while in college in 1965, I believe the U shaped items may be ingot molds. The molten steel was poured in the top, and as soon as the metal solidified (still red hot) the mold was pulled off by a crane by grabbing the "ears" near the top of the mold. I suspect that the horizontal piece at the bottom of the mold was simply a device to steady two adjacent molds while they were moved about the mill by a locomotive. By the 1960's the ingot molds stood on their own and there no longer was a horizontal piece at the bottom. This is an amazing photo, taken about 4 to 5 miles from where I was raised. Many Thanks for the trip down Memory Lane, Shorpy! This Coke is for YouI hate to disappoint Anonymous Tipster, but there isn't a sniff of anthracite odour on laundry or anything else in this picture. I grew up near here in the heady aroma of metallurgical coke. That's coke made from the beautiful bituminous coal that underlay most of western Pennsylvania. The railroad cars with the slatted sides on the nearest track look like open-top cattle cars, but they are empty coke cars. At this time, the best of the best coking coal came from nearby Connellsville. When asked how we could stand the constant smoky smell, natives would say: "Smells like money to me." My dad grew up in BraddockMy dad grew up in Braddock in the 1920's. I remember a lot of his stories about how poor everyone was, but that the neighborhood helped each other. It's interesting to see the photo of this era. Thanks, Shorpy (The Gallery, DPC, Factories, Railroads)
Fringe Festival: 1923
... to Dave's rescue, sort of Here ya go, and it's a Pennsylvania rifle (the Kentucky rifle industry lobbyists were oh so good) made in Lancaster. That is pronounced ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/29/2012 - 2:11pm -

Washington, D.C., circa 1923. "Daniel Boone group." When I was a kid I had all their albums. Harris & Ewing Collection glass negative. View full size. I agreeWith Scottiam. The youngest definitely looks like a girl. There is a lot of hair tucked up under that cap she is wearing. Is the "son" really a daughter?On the full-size picture, you can clearly see long hair emerging from the bottom of the cap on the "boy." I've hardly ever seen long hair on males of the early 20th century except for pre-school-age children. Could this be a girl portraying a boy? Or perhaps girls wore boys' clothing in the back woods as a matter of convenience? The woman of the "group"is beautiful. With a Mona Lisa smile. Polyamory?Husband, wife, lover and son? Those wilderness families were quite progressive! My GodThat is the most beautiful young woman. My heart is skipping a beat. Daniel Boone GroupBig Dan could really rock on that powder horn, couldn't he? Thinking outside the boxShe looks a lot like the 1927 Betty Crocker. RE: Reversed Image?While I might believe one left-handed rifle, the odds of all three being left-handed are astronomical. It has to be a reversed image. [They're not very rare, and probably cost less than right-hand ones. Google results for left hand flintlock: 115,000 - Dave] Fashion statementsApparently Mom refused to partake in the coonskin cap and buckskins, but her daughter had to. There appears to be some long hair tucked under the youngest's cap. Reversed image? All three long guns have the lock on the LEFT side, either the picture is reversed, or they were expensive, custom made rifles. I wouldn't want to shoot one right-handed. "Mom, this studio Is like a sauna." Big brother on the left is starting to melt. Looks like a young June Lockhart.As seen here. Authentic FootwearWhile the men's footwear seems authentic to the period, the lady's shoes seem downright modern. BTW, I know it's probably a crime to view the full sized images on anything other than a full sized monitor. However, on my Kindle Fire the full sized images seem to be much clearer with the new display method. I for one embrace the change. Coonskin capsOne of the big misconceptions about D. Boone is that coonskin cap. He hated coonskin caps. Thought they were barbaric. He always sported a wide brimmed fur felt hat. The coonskin was really a Davey Crockett thing, and he wore it mainly for PR. Pretty sure this one is reversedOf course I was pretty sure about the one with the eye charts too and I was wrong. But I agree with the original poster on this one, it has a very high probability of being reversed. [If it is, those belts are on backward. - Dave] It looks to me like it is a tossup on the direction of the belts. Look at the metal piece that goes through the holes in the belts one is facing to the right and the other is facing to the left. Girls belt vs boys belt maybe? Kinda like they each button shirts on opposite sides. I have never seen a flintlock with the hammer and lock on the left side. Second edit.... Thanks tterrace for solving the image flip issue. I did a very unscientific survey of several women and they all said that they thread their belts the opposite direction from what a man usually does. One commented that the only time they don't do it that way is if the belt has a design that has a logical top and bottom and by putting it on in the ladies direction would have it be upside down. Colorized Re reversed: Once again, to Dave's rescue, sort ofHere ya go, and it's a Pennsylvania rifle (the Kentucky rifle industry lobbyists were oh so good) made in Lancaster. That is pronounced LANCaster, not LanCASTer, btw, in those parts. For candy trivia buffs and I know you're out there, the founder of Hershey Chocolate, Milton Hershey, began his career in Lancaster making caramels. Had he gone with firearms instead of candy, would his life had been (here it comes) as sweet? About the hats: I think Walt Disney had as much to do with upping the coonskin cap's profile as anybody (cf. Fess Parker). No one has mentioned the fotog assistant's hand on the right border. I guess that destroys the illusion of these furred-up folks being out on the frontier, posing on an iceberg. This isthe most beautiful woman I've ever seen. The belts are wrong!If you look at the Fathers belt the buckle pin is pointing to his left side, it should be towards his right side (unless I'm wearing a Woman's belt right now?). The young girls belt is also reversed if you follow the convention of male vs female clothing being opposite. The mysterious handI think I'll have to agree with those who believe this image has been reversed. The hand we see at the right has the thumb at the top and we are seeing the palm, meaning it is the right hand. But there is a ring on the ring finger. If the photo is reversed the hand would be a left hand with the ring on the appropriate finger for a married person. Not conclusive, I know, but the man's belt buckle would also be correct if we flip the photo; if the boy is really a girl then her belt buckle would also be correct. Just a minuteI know all about girl side/boy side shirt buttons, and I support that. When did belt direction become gender specific? I've been a bouncer for 30 years and I'm left handed; I thread my belt on right to left so I can put my ASP and flashlight holsters on without needing to take my belt all the way off. BeltwiseEven if you buy into the notion that women wear belts "backward," that wouldn't make any difference here -- the kid is dressed as a boy. Also note that Dan's belt is arranged the same as in the painting. This is a tough oneOkay, the belts probably mean nothing. This would be easier if one or more of them was wearing a wedding ring but nooo, we aren't even sure of the relationships here, they might just be friends, or siblings, or Swingers. I think the young girl has the eyes of the man on the right so he would be my guess for Daddy, whether or not he's the Husband is another story -- maybe he's the brother-in-aw. Reverse picture or notI don't know how common left handed rifles were. A larger number would astonish me, though, considering how right-hand-minded people used to be in the western hemisphere. I would point out the ribbon cross (or whatever it is) sewn to the chest of the gentleman on the left. I feel that such a device would likely be worn on the left side of the chest, over the heart, even if its wearer was a genuine lefty with a left-handed rifle. I would take that as a sign that the exposure is the other way round. I've Got ItI've read with great interest the back-and-forth regarding the reversal/non-reversal of the image. I'm surprised that no one has referred to the hand holding the backdrop taut. I can clearly see a wedding band on the ring finger of the hand. Wedding band=left hand. The owner of the hand would be facing the camera to remain as much out of the frame as possible. In an unreversed image, the hand would be the right hand. I have proved with geometric logic that the strawberries, er, the key, that is, the left hand is part of a reversed image. Final Fringe AnswerThis is one of five associated photos in the Harris & Ewing collection all taken at the same spot. The other four all show the small molding, seen at the lower right in this shot, at the left; to the right is a shelf-type structure that would prevent anyone from standing there. In fact, in the one below, you can see the assistant standing at the left. Therefore, ipso facto, the Daniel Boone group shot is reversed. Or all four of the others are. [tterrace has solved the mystery! Another clue is that the label on the negative is backward. - Dave] Canvas rippleOne can also see the backdrop has a slight deformity rising to the upper corner which appears either on the left or the right, depending on which photo you look at. (The Gallery, Harris + Ewing, Portraits)
Bethlehem: 1935
November 1935. "View of Bethlehem, Pennsylvania." Large-format nitrate negative by Walker Evans for the Farm ... Mencken once commented on the extraordinary ugliness of Pennsylvania coal and steel towns, and here we see what he was talking about. ... nothing like during the days when our American steel industry was in full production. In the evening retirees, hand in hand, would ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 02/10/2009 - 12:39pm -

November 1935. "View of Bethlehem, Pennsylvania." Large-format nitrate negative by Walker Evans for the Farm Security Administration. View full size. Washday GraysIt must be Monday because of the amount of laundry hanging out here and there, even in November. Looks like a nice town to live in. It even has a convenient cemetery on the hillside -- puts me in mind of Grover's Corner. O Little TownMill houses and churches - hard-working and God-fearing Americans. Count the ChurchesI live in Bethlehem, though I'm not a native. This is a view of South Bethlehem looking north and a bit east. What strikes me about this photo is that there are four churches so close together. Religion and the church had a much diferent meaning back then. AdvertisingAs opposed to most other cities this size, I can only spot two ads: One political and the wall for Mail Pouch Tobacco. Hillside & SelfridgeI grew up in the next city east of Bethlehem, but now live in Washington, D.C. This photograph was taken at the corner of Hillside Avenue and Selfridge Street on the city's South Side, looking northeast toward Bethlehem Steel's massive Bethlehem plant. In any event, Bethlehem wasn't just steel! One thing I notice about the housing stock back home is the abundance of slate roofs. For many years, up to the 1960s, almost all houses in Bethlehem and the surrounding areas of Northampton County sported them. Northampton County was the leading producer of slate in the United States. In fact, it is not uncommon to see slate-roofed ranch houses in 1950s subdivisions, or slate shingle siding on some older farm houses. As far as the churches in close are concerned, these were founded as ethnic Catholic parishes during the immigration waves of the late 19th century. In late 2008 the Diocese of Allentown made a controversial decision to consolidate parishes. Consequently, St. John Capistrano, the church with the stone spire, St. Stanilaus, the church immediately to the right, and Our Lady of Pompeii, whose cross can be see to the left of St. John under the wires, were all closed after being combined with another church just out of frame to the left. 623 BuchananThe house at the bottom of the street is 623 Buchanan and if you look it up on zillow.com you can see a bird's eye view of the house since there is no Google street view. It looks like its a duplex because one half is a different color--roof too! I was surprised at how many of the houses in this photograph are still standing and identifiable Paris, It Ain't!H.L. Mencken once commented on the extraordinary ugliness of Pennsylvania coal and steel towns, and here we see what he was talking about. Obviously a "company town," with only two or three house designs reproduced over and over again. For example, the one with the two cupolas, in the center, and its exact twin on the right. Oh well, at least they had good healthy fresh air (cough, cough, hack ... ) Step InThis photo just invites you to step in and start walking down that hill. You can smell the boxwoods and the wooden porches. Not so obviousThis was never a company town. The town of Bethlehem was founded in 1741. Bethlehem Steel was founded in 1857 and took the name of the town. Allentown - Bethlehem - EastonLaying over at the ABE airport, I and my crew would stay in Bethlehem in a restored older hotel (not motel). We all thought what a quaint, peaceful town. Obviously nothing like during the days when our American steel industry was in full production. In the evening retirees, hand in hand, would come out for a stroll gathering on some of the many benches around town. It’s hard to believe this was the same place pictured on your site. Also, come Christmas, what better place to be stuck if you’re unlucky enough not to be home with your family. Varied ResponsesInteresting that some find this view unattractive and others see charm. I count myself in the latter camp, and find the steep grade of the street and the vintage architecture very appealing. Bethlehem MusikfestJust a few blocks from here is the site of Bethlehem's Musikfest. A nine-day festival that's enjoyed by over a million people every August. My Hometown!Bethlehem as a physical city hasn't changed a whole lot since this shot. The abandoned steel works are being torn down (mostly), and a casino (!) is opening. Also talk of a museum of industry, possibly affiliated with the Smithsonian. Christmas in BethlehemMy grandparents lived in Allentown, and we had other relatives in Bethlehem for years. One of them lived only a couple streets west of the location shown in this photo. I've spent Christmas in Bethlehem several times. The Christmas Eve service at the Moravian Church is always a moving experience. I just love the town. No "My Space"As to the discussion of Charm vs Unattractive, perhaps it's because I live in a small, rural town, but this scenery leaves me claustrophobic. There's no space between the houses. Everyone is living on top of each other. There's no yard big enough for kids to play in. Not unless you count that scrubby lot the center house sits in. Speaking of which, if I lived in that center house I would be praying every day that my neighbor's parking brake worked. Everyone's right!As a South Bethlehem native, I can assure you-- Bethlehem may have been founded in 1741 by missionaries, but the city they built is very much the part of Bethlehem that's on the north side of the Lehigh. South Bethlehem-- the steel plant and all the residential areas that grew up around it-- are just as much a former company town as downtown is a quaint historic area; they may be halves of the same city but there's a very clear difference between them. To those claiming claustrophobia, I'd also like to say-- it may not be clear in this photo, but despite the odd tight angles of the streets in South Bethlehem the houses really have some pretty generous back yards. (The Gallery, Walker Evans)
Wilmerding, O Wilmerding: 1905
Wilmerding, Pennsylvania, circa 1905. "Plant of the Westinghouse Air Brake Co." 8x10 inch ... see that kind of vision and vigor today, and stop damning industry, whether soft or heavy, as a whole for the sins of a relative few. ... in the mid-1880s, he purchased land in the area of a new Pennsylvania Railroad "flagstop" that had already been named "Wilmerding" for ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/14/2012 - 12:31pm -

Wilmerding, Pennsylvania, circa 1905. "Plant of the Westinghouse Air Brake Co." 8x10 inch dry plate glass negative, Detroit Publishing Company. View full size. Three Cheers for "Wilmerding"Thanks to Jano and Dave for recognizing that America is hardly bereft of good manufacturing jobs today, in spite of the rough economy! We should indeed celebrate those hard working blue collar workers. And shame on GMH for calling Wilmerding an "ugly" name! Without doing any research I am sure the town was named in great honor of a founder or "first father" of the town. And I'm sure those who carry the family name Wilmerding today are quite proud of it and are pleased to know there is a town named "for them". Wilmerding sounds like it was probably was carried across the pond with European immigrants... good, strong, old-school Germanic stock. It reminds me of the many Germanic names I heard as a boy visiting Cincinnati with my family. So three cheers for Wilmerding! Don't know whyBut the word embiggen pleases me no end. It has a nice Saxon ring to it, perhaps. Wilmerding is rather nice, as well, but it doesn't activate the pleasure centers in quite the same fashion. Wabtec CorpAs noted in the previous post, the factory is still there. Westinghouse Air Brake has morphed into something called Wabtec. View Larger Map Beauty is in the Ear of the Beholder?How can such a beautiful little town have such an ugly sounding name? (No offense to any persons who might bear that name and frequent Shorpy.) I wonder if life there was as beautiful as we imagine it 100 years later? If I could time travel, Wilmerding certainly seems a worthy place to visit. Beautiful buildingsThis would make a great jigsaw puzzle. Someone CaredSomeone cared enough to preserve these adorable houses. Current viewIs there a current - "today"- view of this same vantage point? The detail these old cameras captured is quite amazing. Good Paying JobsWhen the US had men and women working hard at good paying manufacturing jobs, people could afford to live like decent human beings. Today, the US hardly builds anything anymore, ergo poverty, ignorance, crime, dissolution of the family, and eventually the disintegration of society. All so a relative few offshore robber barons can get fabulously rich draining the accumulated wealth of the US. Very nice. ["Hardly builds anything anymore"? The United States is still the world's largest manufacturer. China, with four times the population, is a close second. The factory in our photo still exists, btw. The average person in the United States today enjoys living conditions vastly better than those of most people in 1905. The $15 trillion economy of the United States is, by far, still the world's largest. - Dave] Wilmerdinglooks like a bustling little community. Love that this photo was taken during the height of activity. Schloss WestinghouseDo you have any photos of the front side of the George Westinghouse Castle (that big pile with the clock tower)? [Click to embiggen. - Dave] It's MondayThe traditional laundry day. Every clothsline you can see is loaded! Re: Good Paying JobsThanks, Dave. I appreciate your succinct response regarding the manufacturing status and standard of living in the U.S. The woeful lack of understanding of basic economics and industrial history is evident in so many conversations I have, and not exclusively with those younger than my 50 years. When commenting on this site, I am more inclined to (attempts at) humor but I am also tremendously moved by the images of industrial settings that affirm how far we have come in terms of working conditions, yet the celebrate ingenuity, creativity, drive and work ethic of our forebears. I wish more people would look around to see that kind of vision and vigor today, and stop damning industry, whether soft or heavy, as a whole for the sins of a relative few. And, sorry to disagree with another commenter but "Wilmerding" has a certain ring to it! Marguerite Avenue & Frank St Clock TowerPresent day view of the clock tower on the far right of the photo. Amazing. View Larger Map Now we know!Now we know where the previouse Westinghouse Air Brake Co. picture was taken from! The viaduct that the Pittsburgh Railways streetcar line once ran on. You can see one of the B&O gondola cars and part of the WABCO house car in this photo as well. It kind of looks like a company town with all the townhouse style housing. And by-the-way I like the sound of "Wilmerding" after pouring poring through so many ancient air brake catalogs, parts lists and manuals. "Wilmerding" the name known around the world! Wilmerding, the VideoExploringI Love this picture - makes me wish I could go back and wander the streets exploring! Such a pretty looking city, even if it's an industrial one! Air Brake AvenueThat first row of houses in the distance is on Air Brake Avenue. Pretty girls all in a rowAs seen in the video, pretty girls worked for Westinghouse, and doing mechanical work. I thought they would be doing clerical chores. The soundtrack is very imaginative. I hear the squeal of Westinghouse air brakes and steel wheels on rails. Not to be overlookedWe would be remiss not to take note of the early beginnings of the "traveling American carnival" as seen in the photo center. The traveling carnival as we know it was but 12 years young in 1905 when there were 46 recorded traveling carnivals. These early shows traveled mostly by rail in unmarked box cars. Visible by the railroad tracks is the merry-go-round or "flying jenny" which was the heart of all carnivals at the time. It is possibly a Gustav Dentzel Philadelphia Toboggan Co. "Philadelphia Style Carousel" made in Germantown, PA. The side curtains are yet down but one set of wooden horses can be seen under the one rolled flap. There are at least visible four show tents set up on the street following the outline of the town square. The James E. Strates Shows is the only remaining railroad carnival today with all others traveling by truck. Wilmerding, and Wabco vs. WabtecWhen George Westinghouse wanted to relocate his factories to a new, larger site in the mid-1880s, he purchased land in the area of a new Pennsylvania Railroad "flagstop" that had already been named "Wilmerding" for Joanna Wilmerding Bruce Negley, the wife of one of the original landowners (I believe her mother's maiden name was Wilmerding). I doubt whether much thought was given to how it sounded, provided it sounded distinctive. Westinghouse Air Brake has not "morphed into something called Wabtec". WABCO was simply the initials of the Westinghouse Air Brake Company, but this trademark was retained by American Standard when WAB became independent again in 1990; to avoid paying a license fee to AmStand, the company's name was changed slightly, to Westinghouse Air Brake Technologies Corporation, abbreviated Wabtec. The company's headquarters is still located in Wilmerding, although some of the manufacturing has been moved to other sites (in the USA, not overseas). Wikmerding is still a "bustling little place", and a very pretty one; it has not changed hugely from the way it is shown in the photo, and visitors are welcomed at the "Castle", where they can visit the Westinghouse Valley Museum, and get a guided tour of the building also. Check www.wilmerdingrenewed.org/ for details. You Can Be Sure if It's WestinghouseIt's amazing how quickly America has forgotten the importance of some of its most illustrious inventors and corporate manufacturing titans. Men like George Westinghouse affected so much of our life and times -- his air brakes began powerfully slowing and stopping trains as early as the end of the 1860s in an era when the famed "Golden Spike" was driven at Promontory Summit. Brand new passenger cars shipped over the Union and Central Pacific railroads the following month came fitted with the latest Westinghouse Air Brakes. The Golden Spike alone was equal to the Wright Brothers' flight in terms of how it amazed the general public and sparked revolutions in transportation and commerce. The there's George Westinghouse the electric systems entrepreneur. We can thank him and his technicians (and lawyers, like it or not) for securing many patents on extremely strong and fast electrical motors so that fantastic wonders like high-rise "skyscrapers" fitted with elevators (powered by Westinghouse cable-winding motors!) could be put up in cities all across North America if not the world. Westinghouse motors also powered a wide array of electric streetcars, locomotives and simpler small things like electric cooling fans and bedside alarm clocks. How about we all join hands and summon the spirits of James Burke ("Connections") and maybe even ol' George Westinghouse? 3 Cheers for ShorpyA wonderful photograph and oh so much you could muse about. But just as wonderful is the many informative comments with added media as well as the casual reflections. I'm so glad I stumbled across this gem of a photo blog. Thank you Dave. My family history in WilmerdingMy Grandfather William Pugsley was the groundskeeper/gardener for the WABCO. He emigrated from England in 1903 and was hired by the company. In an enlarged photo you can see the house and greenhouse the family was given for their use. It is on the lower side of the hill just above the viaduct crossing to the town which went by the factory and over the railroad . There were eventually 8 children and their families who enjoyed reunions at this house. William was active in local politics as well and lived in the house until his death in 1954. When we children arrived at the reunion the first thing we did was climb the hill to the summit. the hill, Maple avenue, and all the development was removed for a freeway in the 70's I believe .Many happy memories of Wilmerding. Depression-Era WilmerdingMy mother was born and raised in Wilmerding. One of her girlhood memories of the Depression was out-of-work men going door to door looking for odd jobs to earn a few pennies for a meal. She recalled that her mother never turned anyone away; there was always a plate of food for anyone who asked. She said her parents were very frugal, and because of that they never went hungry and still had enough to share. Mother also recalled that government officials came to the high school to recruit graduating seniors into various government jobs that would support the war effort. Graduating in June 1944, mother signed up, and three weeks later was whisked away by train to Washington D.C. where she was placed as a secretary in the Pentagon. A Prized PossessionWilmerding is a fascinating town with an amazing history. The country's first planned community it did not take long to become a turn of the century hub for the railroad. I am the proud owner of the first photo of the town taken by the Wilmerding Development Company before a person or car or animal had stepped on its street. (The Gallery, DPC, Factories, Railroads)
Washington Flour: 1926
... The front two cars are from the Baltimore & Ohio and Pennsylvania railroads. I always went for the RR's in Monopoly, it's fun to ... Lone Flour Plant Grinds on Canal Washington's flour industry is built partly in a modern city's demand for bread, partly in a ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/05/2012 - 5:31pm -

Washington, D.C., circa 1926. "Wilkins-Rogers Milling Co., exterior, 3261 Water Street." The Washington Flour mill on K Street, formerly Water Street, in Georgetown. The Washington Flour brand had a retail presence at least into the late 1960s. National Photo Company Collection glass negative. View full size. The buildingsIt's so great that the two buildings in the picture have survived, and it seems with very few exterior changes. As you travel in the Google videos it's plain to see the brick work and architecture is basically the same as when the picture was taken. I love those Google shots. [Actually both buildings are only about three-quarters their original size; their river-facing sides were lopped off by the Whitehurst Freeway. They started out rectangular but ended up as trapezoids. - Dave] View Larger Map Wilkins-RogersI'm not sure when W-R stopped milling in D.C., but the company still has mills in Ellicott City, on a site that has had a mill since the Ellicott brothers went into business there in 1772. The only product that still bears the Washington brand name, though, is its self-rising flour. Washington also makes Indian Head corn meal, which is the best. http://www.wrmills.com/index.html Cadillac PickupSomebody give us the dope on that odd truck in the lower right is it a Caddy or what? [It's a pickup truck that belongs to the Washington Cadillac Co. - Dave] Check out the boxcars...The front two cars are from the Baltimore & Ohio and Pennsylvania railroads. I always went for the RR's in Monopoly, it's fun to see the real deal! Bulb changingDoes anyone else wonder how they changed the bulbs in those sign lamps perched six stories up? In those days bulbs had to be changed often and they didn't have bucket trucks back then. A Georgetown fixture for yearsIf I'm not mistaken, this mill building was a fixture of the Georgetown waterfront area until a few years ago. Our grade school class visited there once. Those sun-drenched bricks and railroad tracks were later shadowed by an elevated expressway, and that blank facade could be seen close to the roadway. The bricks can still be seen peeking out from underneath the asphalt in places. [These buildings still stand next to the Whitehurst Freeway, where the expressway (built in 1949) crosses Potomac Street. They're part of an office complex at 1000 Potomac that sold for $50 million in 2007. - Dave] View Larger Map View Larger Map Objectionable OdorsI seem to recall that in the 70's there was a rendering plant on Water Street that made quite a stink, and that from the freeway, you could see a sign painted on that flour mill that said "The objectionable odors that you may notice in this area do not originate from this plant." A small correctionThe street that runs by the old flour mill and later beneath the Whitehurst freeway is K Street N.W. I used to police this area for some ten years while with the M.P.D.C. 1959-1969. [The street than ran by the flour mill was Water Street, which became K Street after the Georgetown street renaming of 1895. People evidently continued to call that stretch Water Street for years afterward. - Dave] Re: Bulb changingIt seems to me that the only reasonable way is for the reflectors to move to the roof somehow. One can envision the 5 poles on the left being detached at their bases and pulled in while suspended by their guys. The three poles on the right would maybe pivot upwards at their bases, pulled by their guys, to workers on the ledge. Sounds awfully complicated. There must be a more clever way. A Grind in GeorgetownWashington Post, Feb 29, 1940 Lone Flour Plant Grinds on Canal Washington's flour industry is built partly in a modern city's demand for bread, partly in a century and half of tradition. The city's only flour plant is the Wilkins Rogers Milling Co., at Potomac and K streets northwest. It is housed in two buildings, one more than 100 years old with brick walls 2 feet thick, used formerly as cotton plant, ice plant, flour mill, and now office and warehouse. The other is a modern six-story concrete, brick and steel structure, building in 1922 and housing the present mill. The plant is on a hill between the old Chesapeake & Ohio Canal and the Potomac River. The canal, which used to bring loaded grain barges from the upland farms to feed the Georgetown mills, now supplies all the power used in the mill. The last century, Georgetown boasted a dozen mills at one time, eight flour mills and four grist mills. Some of the flour went down the Potomac and away to European markets. Now the grain comes in by truck and railroad to the K street side of the mill. In the American milling industry, the Wilkins Rogers firm counts itself at the "end of the line," since the flour centers have shifted to the Middle West. Operators of the mill are Howard L. Wilkins and Samuel H. Rogers. Without exaggeration they could be cast in the roles of traditional "jolly millers." Or they could be typed as businessmen who picked up a dead business and built it to a $2,000,000 annual volume. Wilkins is 73 and president of the firm. He was born in New Jersey, but grew up on a farm near Mount Vernon. His family farm was near the old Dogue Run Mill, built by George Washington, a coincidence that takes added note because Wilkins helped remodel the mill. He was educated in Washington schools. Rogers, 61-year-old vice president, is the son of a Loudoun County miller, who taught him the flour business. He is the father of four boys, and would like to see at the least the oldest one go into the same business. Outside the mill his main hobby is raising thoroughbred horses in his Loudoun County farm. The two joined in 1915 to take over the old Arlington Mill, built in 1847, according to a stone plaque in the wall of the new mill. It had been closed for three years. Their friends advised them against the venture. They went ahead, caught a slice of war-trade by selling flour to Italy, and later turned the mill over to producing flour for America's World War needs. The old mill and its machinery were destroyed in a fire, July 4, 1922. The modern mill was built at the same site. At first glance the inside of the mill gives the impression that it was never finished. The interior is like a building still under construction, a tangle of girders, of gigantic funnels, pipes running at all angles, with a network of power belts winding endlessly from floor to floor. Later you find that girders, funnels, pipes, belts are all parts of one huge machine, which transforms whole grain to flour, and corn to meal, with never a hand touching it. Corn and wheat are mostly purchased directly from farms within a 75-mile radius. Behind the Grain DoorIn order to keep the grain from leaking out of the the car during it's long transit from the wheat belt to the flour mill, the boxcars in the photo would have their doorway openings fitted with wooden grain doors, effectively sealing the interior of the car. The car's sliding door would cover the grain door. As show on one of the cars, upon arrival at their destination, the upper boards would be removed and depending upon the facility's equipment, the grain would be shoveled out of the car or unloaded with a mechanical conveyor. By the mid-20th century, wooden grain doors were replaced by ones made of thick paper with light wooden frames. Some of these were reinforced with metal banding. Today, all grain product is shipped in covered hopper cars. Grain is loaded from the top and unloaded from the bottom of modern cars. It is interesting to note that the B&O double door car was designed to carry automobiles. Many cars tended to be seasonal in their use and thus tended to have multiple duties - all part of maintaining a steady revenue stream for the railroad who built and operated these cars. Under the FreewayBy the 1960's, this was about as "industrial" as Washington got. Under the Whitehurst Freeway you had Washington Flour, Maloney Concrete and the rendering plant, all adjacent to the Pepco power plant. The DMV also had its impound lot down there on the banks of the then horribly foul-smelling Potomac. On the north side of K Street were a number of clubs, jazz, blues & live performance, including the infamous Bayou. In the '60s and '70s, while preppy Georgetown students and affluent trend-setters populated the clubs and restaurants above M Street (the 3rd Edition, Pall Mall, Charing Cross, etc.), it was a very different scene below M and down under the freeway! By the late '80s it was essentially gone, gentrified away. My GrandfatherMy grandfather Harrison Goolsby was caretaker of Mr. Wilkins's 365-acre farm, Grassy Meade, off Mount Vernon Boulevard in the 1940s. You could also get to it from Fort Hunt Road. I surely wish I could find a picture of the old place. Mr. Wilkins's daughter sold out to the contractor, Gosnell, who developed it into Waynewood Estates. I would appreciate any help on this matter. Everybody's pretty much died after all these years. My mom and dad lived in the lower house. Thanks ever so much, Edgar Note the old wooden boxcarwith the "outside" metal frame. I recall seeing boxcars of this construction well into the 1960s. Pennsy box carThat old box car is known as a X-26 single sheathed car. It was built in March 1925. The last car of that series was retired about 1958. Been around the block a few times. Odor in areaI remember the odor from the area. I was told it was the tannery next door to the mill. Makes sense as a tannery does smell. My best friend's father worked at the mill until his retirement. I, too, remember that sign.Pirateer has it almost exactly right. The sign was set at such a height as to be easily readable -- indeed, impossible to ignore -- from the Whitehurst Freeway. It read: THE OBJECTIONABLE ODORS YOU MAY NOTICE IN THIS AREA DO NOT ORIGINATE IN THIS PLANT I know, because my sister and I used to read it aloud in unison at the top of our lungs whenever we passed by. I'm sure our parents looked forward to those drives. My mom, who is quite an accomplished oil painter, did a rendering (as it were) of the old plant that is at once realistic and beautiful. I'll have to ask if she still has it. Flour PowerThe firm's ads used the phrase "water-ground" to describe its flour. When the original water-powered belt transmission system was replaced with a water-powered electrical generator and motors, permission was granted by authorities (FTC?) to continue using the the phrase. Rendering plant?Does anyone remember the name of the rendering plant that produced the horrible smell? My mother grew up in Georgetown and I remember her mentioning the business by name and telling me that it had been there since the late 19th century. The name sounded German, as I recall. (The Gallery, D.C., Natl Photo, Railroads)
The Great Coal Mine: 1901
... these past few days. Wild guess I'm thinking that Pennsylvania was just a few hours from N.Y. and since so many Pa. people worked ... One of the places we stopped was the museum of Science and Industry in Chicago. They had a replica of an operating coal mine there, as ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 05/17/2014 - 10:38pm -

New York circa 1901. "The Great Coal Mine, Coney Island." From the book Coney Island and Astroland: "The Great Coal Mine was a 1,500-foot-long dark ride that enabled visitors to travel on coal cars through several levels of a dimly lit simulated mine. It opened in 1901 on the north side of Surf Avenue at West Tenth Street, was not very popular, and was soon replaced by L.A. Thompson's Oriental Scenic Railway." 8x10 glass negative, Detroit Publishing Co. View full size. Re: Fire in the Hole!JimmyLee-I have ridden that ride several times. I you sit in the front car, you can see the big drop before the steam jets blow. (The steam jets were there to hinder your view as you went straight down a 40' to 50' drop!) I'll bet Coney Island was blast back then. I've been enjoying the close-up viewing on the pictures of it that have been posted these past few days. Wild guessI'm thinking that Pennsylvania was just a few hours from N.Y. and since so many Pa. people worked in the coal mines every day, they probably did not choose to go on this "ride" while vacationing at an amusement park, since they knew well the misery of the real thing. Long pants vs. short pantsDoes anyone know at what age boys began wearing long pants? These guys look pretty close in age. [Reaching puberty was usually the point. In this closer view, it's easier to see that one has, and one hasn't, quite. - tterrace] Hop to itBoth the lady in the street by the Zoo, and the man passing by the scenic railway seem to get along fairly well, considering they're both missing a leg. "Fire in the Hole"This reminds me of a ride in Silver Dollar City outside of Branson, Missouri. Built in 1972 it is a dark roller coaster ride that takes you through a simulated burning mine town. Still in operation and another one like it at Dollywood in Tennessee. Rip off: Belle Epoque styleI don't understand how the luncheonette can charge as much for Lemonade as Ice Cream Sodas and Milk Shakes. Similar to to-day's coffee being $1.49 a cup--is outrage! Digital Sign? In 1901!At the peak of the uppermost roof there seems to be an early example of some kind of nine character display sign. Behind the glass there looks to be a fourteen segment display. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fourteen_segment_display I'd sure like to see a night photo with the sign lit up! Surely advanced technology for its day! [According to the article, not so much advanced as costly: "Multiple segment alphanumeric displays are nearly as old as the use of electricity... a complete set of commutator switches, drums and lamps would have been required for each letter of a message, making the resulting sign quite expensive." A related display is the carriage call. - tterrace] Chicago Coal mineAt the age of 12 or 13 I was traveling with my family out to Kankakee, IL. One of the places we stopped was the museum of Science and Industry in Chicago. They had a replica of an operating coal mine there, as well as the U-505, a captured German U-Boat. I know that the U-505 is still there, but I am not sure about the coal Mine. This would have been circa 1959-1961 I wonder if any other Shorpyites remember this exhibit. Other unsuccessful rides at Coney IslandOther unsuccessful rides of the general era at Coney Island included: "Ride with Custer, Hero of The Little Big Horn" "A Trip through the Spanish Influenza Ward", and "Journey with the Majestic New 'Titanic' and Back" Remember it wellGreycat, the coal mine at the Chicago Museum of Science and Industry was just one of the many wonders of "The Pushbutton Museum." I also visited a couple of times around 1961 during our layovers on train trips to Denver, even though it was a $12(!) cab ride to get there. As I recall, the walls on both the elevator and the mine tram portions were on moving belts to make the rides seem longer. Another favorite was the Santa Fe train layout with functioning Central Traffic Control. At the time I saw it, a female museum guard was overseeing it. She told me the male guards would try to run it manually, and derail the trains. What this country really needsThere's a wagon full of them, parallel parked in front of the L.A. Thompson Scenic Railway, though I can't say if they were any good. The coal mine ride, while less than enthralling to anybody who had been inside the real thing, must have thrilled the kids. I well remember the mine exhibit at Chicago's Museum of Science and Industry when I was eight. Funny, if the fourteen segment display was so expensive, that they would put it on such a combustible building. Photographer at largeIt looks as if that fellow is whispering in the policeman's ear about the photographer. The cop is wondering what's up. Casing the joint? (The Gallery, Coney Island, DPC, Mining)
Childs Restaurant: 1918
... Washington, D.C., circa 1918. "Childs Restaurant, 1423 Pennsylvania Avenue N.W." Harris & Ewing Collection glass negative. View ... the lunchroom business, made egg-boiling a national industry and developed flapjack turning as a theatrical performance. Before ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/21/2014 - 9:09pm -

Washington, D.C., circa 1918. "Childs Restaurant, 1423 Pennsylvania Avenue N.W." Harris & Ewing Collection glass negative. View full size. The LocomotionNow I'm never going to get that song out of my head: "Do the Locomotion with me." I love a paradeA parade or possibly a motorcade. I wonder if motorcades were as common back then as they are now in D.C. Great picture!It covers just about all possible ways of conveying oneself along the pavement. All we need is a jogger and someone riding a scooter, and we've got everything. Great transportation photoI'm bookmarking this as a favorite transportation photo. Horses, bicycles, automobiles and train tracks. It's interesting to see Gray Line using the same logo after all of these years, too. I get the sense that this picture could be titled "rush hour, 1917". Childs RestaurantThe Childs building shown here opened in 1913, one of two locations in the District. It was torn down and replaced by a parking garage in the early 1950s. The newspaper archives show that there was some sort of controversy over its prices during the WWI years. Which may be the reason for the photo. 1916-7 WhiteThe car on the right is a 1916-1917 White - these were the last years of passenger car production by White company. On the left is a Packard Limousine. More HereThan meets the eye. The motorcade was the reason for the photograph. Military men with drawn sabers? Who is in the first car? [The H&E caption lists the restaurant as the subject. - Dave] Trustworthy EggsI love the two policemen riding bicycles: police on bikes vanished for many decades only to be recently revived as an effective and economical mode of transport. Fortunately, the uniform of the bicycle-cop has evolved in the interim. Child's lunch rooms originated in New York City. A copy of their 1900 menu can be found here (NY Food Museum). Restaurant to Seat 200 New Building for "Childs" on the Avenue is Practically Complete. The new building which has been in the course of construction for some weeks on Pennsylvania avenue, near Fifteenth street, for the occupancy of "Childs" restaurant, is now practically completed. The exterior is completed and the interior has been furnished with tables, chairs, and the usual equipment to be found in a restaurant of this type. The new structure has a frontage of 54 feet and a depth of 93 feet, and is one story in height. It has been leased to the restaurant for a long term of years. The property on which the building has been erected is a part of the Willard estate. Seating space has been provided for about 200 persons. The value of the property, exclusive of the ground, is about $75,000. The plans were drawn by J.C. Westervelt, and the construction work has been done by the W.D. Lewis Company. Washington Post, Aug 24, 1913 The Childless Childs Restaurant The Childs family has been ousted from participation in the operation of Child's restaurants. William L. Childs, the man who, with his brother, founded the open-faced type of lunch room and glorified the American egg, has been dropped like a tray of hot dishes. Bigger and better restaurants will result, it is predicted, but the Childs boys have earned a bright place in knife-fork-and-spoon history as the lads who revolutionized the lunchroom business, made egg-boiling a national industry and developed flapjack turning as a theatrical performance. Before the Childs brothers came along a lunch room was usually a dreary hole-in-the-wall presided over by a few unkempt waiters who thought a front window was serving its full purpose when it housed a mince pie, a sleeping kitten, and old hat and a pair of galoshes. The Childs brothers took colored wall paper, stained tablecloths, dirty sugar bowls, wall calendars, paper flowers, rubber plants, cobwebs, lace curtains, oilcloth, insect life and the air of mystery out of the American lunch room life. They got the American public to trust lunch-room eggs. The early Childs restaurants were so glaringly white it didn't seem right to enter them without a bath, shave, and haircut. They were architecturally part laboratory, part squash court, part Roman pool, and part goldfish bowl. Then the owners dressed their managers like hospital internes, put their waitresses into attire partly suggestive of child brides and partly suggestive of dentists assistants, developed tray-dropping to a high art and prospered. Speed was a keynote. Buttered toast set new heights in rapid transit, and all previous records held by eggs in flight between kettle and customer were broken. It just went to show what a couple of alert boys could do with a dozen eggs, a gas-burner, some plate glass and an idea. And now there is no Mr. Childs in Childs restaurant. Well, it just doesn't seem possible. H.I. Phillips, Associated Newspapers Washington Post, March 13, 1929 "Taking advantage of war conditions"Oct. 2, 1918 CheersThis makes me think of the opening credits for "Cheers." "Making your way in the world today takes everything you've got. Taking a break from all your worries, sure would help a lot ... " EntourageThe trailing car is sporting an American flag and another country's tricolor that I can't make out. My guess would be an ambassador or high-level diplomat worthy of a police escort. Great picture! [In 1917 there were a number of diplomatic visits to Washington from representatives of the allied nations -- the French mission, Belgian mission, British mission, etc. They all had motorcades like this. - Dave] The Childses and DadMy father's half-uncle, Clayton Cameron McNeal, had some kind of close connection to the Childs family. The two of them would visit Childs estate in Northern New Jersey back in the 1910s and ride on the family's collection of motorcycles. My main memory of the Childs restaurants focuses on the one on the north side of 42nd Street just west of Grand Central Terminal. It featured a family-friendly environment and good food for a reasonable price. Of course it is long gone. DeutschlandI'm guessing it's the German flag, since it's the only European one that matches this pattern. GermanThe date of the photo [circa 1917] and the possibility that it is a German flag makes the photo even more intriguing. [Early in 1917 the United States ended diplomatic relations with Germany. The German embassy closed and the ambassador returned to Europe. Maybe this had something to do wit that. - Dave] The FlagI checked out flags on Wikipedia and because the white is on the bottom of the flag, I'm guessing that it might be the flag of the Kingdom of Serbia, either without the royal coat of arms or with the coat of arms obscured by the American flag. Serbia was one of the Allies, although the country had been overrun and most of what was left of their army was waiting in Salonika. [I think you're right. Brent wins the lollipop! - Dave] Caption for the photo below, which shows the same flag: "1918. Lt. Col. Michailo Menadovitch, Serbian Army. Serbian mission to U.S." Which visited Washington from December 1917 to January 1918. In the Washington Post, the colonel's name was rendered as Hendovitch, Nenadovitch and Menadovitch. Tram SystemWhat's about the third track in the middle of the tracks, or was it a cable based tram system? [Washington's streetcars were mostly electric. The middle "track" is a slot giving access to the power supply under the street. - Dave] (The Gallery, Bicycles, D.C., Eateries & Bars, Harris + Ewing, Horses)
Factory Town: 1910
Homestead, Pennsylvania, circa 1910. "Homestead Steel Works, Carnegie Steel Co." 8x10 inch ... full size. U.S. Steel - Tom Russell Homestead Pennsylvania, the home of the U.S. Steel And the men down at the Homestead ... strike that was the start of union breaking in the steel industry. The plant, eventually owned by US Steel, closed in 1986 and today the ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 07/29/2012 - 1:32pm -

Homestead, Pennsylvania, circa 1910. "Homestead Steel Works, Carnegie Steel Co." 8x10 inch dry negative, Detroit Publishing Company. View full size. U.S. Steel - Tom RussellHomestead Pennsylvania, the home of the U.S. Steel And the men down at the Homestead Works Are sharing one last meal Sauerkraut and kielbasa, a dozen beers or more A hundred years of pouring slab, They’re closing down the door And this mill won’t run no more. There’s silence in the valley, there’s silence in the streets There’s silence every night here upon these cold white sheets Were my wife stares out the window with a long and lonely stare She says “you kill yourself for 30 years but no one seems to care” You made their railroads rails and bridges. You ran their driving wheels And the towers of the Empire State are lined with Homestead Steel The Monongahela valley no longer hears the roar There's Cottonwood and Sumac-weed inside the slab mill door And this mill won’t run no more. So, me, I'll sit in Hess' bar and drink my life away. God bless the second mortgage and the unemployment pay And my ex-boss, Mr. Goodwin, he keeps shaking my one good hand. He says "Son, it's men like me and you who built the Promised Land". We made their railroad bridges. We ran their driving wheels And the towers of the Empire State are lined with Homestead Steel The Monongahela valley no longer hears the roar There's Cottonwood and Sumac-weed inside the slab mill door And this mill won’t run no more. I used to live up the hillI used to live up the hill in Pittsburgh, back when this steel mill produced one-third of the steel used in the United States. It is now a shopping center, with a few pieces of machinery and a line of old smokestacks from the soaking pits left to mark the spot. The town of Homestead is pretty much dead at this point. Remembering PeteLittle boxes on the hillside, Little boxes made of ticky tacky, Little boxes on the hillside, Little boxes all the same. There's a green one and a pink one And a blue one and a yellow one, And they're all made out of ticky tacky And they all look just the same. Mom's birthplaceThis photo may show the house where my mom was born. I can't wait to get a copy of it in her hands. The properties from 8th Street to the Monongahela were all bought up by the steel companies and torn down to accommodate expansion in the early 1930s. Thanks for providing this. Sic TransitHome of the epic 1892 strike that was the start of union breaking in the steel industry. The plant, eventually owned by US Steel, closed in 1986 and today the land is home to The Waterfront shopping center and Sandcastle Waterpark. ParticulatesI look at this and just imagine all the lung disorders in the nearby population. They must have waited for a holiday shutdown to take this shot. 100 years later.I'm using those same rollup bamboo blinds on my porch as the house in the foreground. Nice to see some things don't change! Shades of GrayIn 1943 when my maternal grandmother died, my mom took me to the small Pennsylvania coal mining towns (at that time) of Bradenville and Loyalhanna. I was very young at the time but I remember it clearly as it was my first long train trip from Connecticut to Pennsy, overnight. As we passed through many similar industrial towns, I could not help but notice that everything was gray, whether by plan or by the never-ending soot in the air. We stayed a week in a house just like these but the roads and "sidewalks" were charcoal gray dirt, all the homes were gray and for that entire week, so were the skies and everyone's emotions. Train tracks were everywhere and coal trains ran continuously. I'm sure it has changed now but this picture really took me back there to my gray period. Nice people though, ALL very kind, very hard-working and very giving. Ikea et alI know it's a given that much of the old development will, in time, be replaced with new. But how much we have lost over the decades in regards to industrial development. I can't see much to interest me in new development or office buildings, or high tech industrial. Driving through Emeryville, CA this morning I realized what a wasteland of totally new buildings it is today. It used to be an industrial area with a large train yard. Now it's filled with Ikea and other large stores and huge apartments. I could never live there. Found itThese houses still exist, but as others have already mentioned, the factories are gone. Based on the roof styles and the pattern of house construction, I found the houses. They're at the east end of E10th Ave. Since the time of the photo, four more houses on both the north and south sides have been added, but you can figure out which these are based on the roof patterns on Google Maps. The photographer was likely positioned on the rise at the end of the alley (Park Way). Taking a 'drive' down the alley you can see the backs of the two houses in the foreground - they're still the same. Houses in the background on 9th Ave also match up, though it appears that not all the lots were constructed, and since then some of the houses at the right end in the photo have been torn down, where Toth Carpet is now located. The row of flat roofed dwellings still exist, on 9th Ave and Andrew Street. It looks like the sidewalks might originally have been brick, which there is still some today. In front of most homes the approx. one foot wide area where the trees were planted is now sidewalk, though there is still evidence of that previously unpaved area. An earlier picture from the same spot!Isn't it amazing how clean the houses on the left side of the picture are? I can remember in the 1950s, going back to Ohio after a weekend at Grandma's (I'm a Whitaker boy) and watching the bath water turn a reddish brown -- I can't imagine what it must have been like to live in one of these homes. The mill under construction is immediately adjacent to 8th Avenue, and the intersection of 9th and Martha is plain to see. My mom was born in 1925 in a house on 4th Avenue, in what I suspect is one of the houses still visible in this shot. These photos were taken from an accessible bluff (lots of trees, though) just east of where 11th Avenue turns south to avoid going into the ravine. I'll try to get there this summer to get an updated photo of the area. The original can be found here and can be blown up to your heart's desire. (The Gallery, DPC, Factories)
Bustling Baltimore: 1917
... homes, in good shape, interspersed with a variety of industry and transportation. Home to the country's first railroad, Baltimore ... photo is the Northern Central Railway, and since 1912, the Pennsylvania RR Bolton Freight Station. My great grandfather was likely working ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 07/20/2012 - 7:18pm -

Baltimore, Maryland, circa 1917. "Union Station showing Charles Street and Jones Falls." 8x10 inch glass negative, Detroit Publishing Company. View full size. Kind to pedestriansLove that railroad viaduct. What Is Their Purpose?Toward the right side of the photo there are some rectangular blocks on top of a building behind the Union Station building. Two of them are up against the windows in a sort of wavy manner. They look sort of like warped mini-roofs. What is their purpose and why are they wavy and slanted as opposed to flat like the other ones? [Wavy things: roofs over stairways. Flat things: skylights. - Dave] Flour, Yeast, Studebakers and CokeWhat else can you possibly want? Don't forget the ice!Sign behind and to the left of Union Station. It's Penn Station nowand still in full daily use, including as a main stop on the Amtrak high-speed Northeast Corridor between Washington and Boston. Still vibrant on the eve of WWIBaltimore was my childhood home. This view, dated 1917, shows a Baltimore that was still a vibrant city. Note the tenement homes, in good shape, interspersed with a variety of industry and transportation. Home to the country's first railroad, Baltimore was the second largest port on the East Coast. The streets are clean and there are landscaped areas to be enjoyed by the residents -- a bit of elbow room to make life bearable. Thirteen years earlier, downtown Balto had suffered a major fire. The Baltimore of today is but a shadow of its former self, having suffered substantial economic and social decay. This photo evokes a sad nostalgia of a bygone era. Bawlmer -- where do I start?You'll need the hi-def version to follow me here. The freight yard across the top of the photo is the Northern Central Railway, and since 1912, the Pennsylvania RR Bolton Freight Station. My great grandfather was likely working there this day, as he would until Bolton Street was closed. Just off photo to the distant left is B&O's Mount Royal Station, the tracks of which are below grade behind the PRR yard. The Studebaker/Garford shop was known as Zell Motor Car Company; my grandmother's brother-in-law was a highly regarded mechanic there for many years. The prominent arch-windowed building behind it on Charles Street is now part of University of Baltimore, where I attended classes for a time. The beautiful massive stone structure in the distance with two stacks was a water pumping station, removed for I-83 construction in the 1960s. Directly in front of that building is North Avenue "NA" Tower; it's dark because it is painted in B&O's red color. NA Tower protected the crossing between the two track line seen crossing Jones Falls, and the B&O main line, which isn't visible here. Note locomotives on both sides of NA tower. The water course in the middle is Jones Falls (the name being a peculiarity of the region; instead of Creek or Run, sometimes a channel was called a Falls). The most distant bridge is North Avenue Viaduct, built in the 1890s and still in use. Close behind the viaduct is B&O's bridge over the Falls, not visible here. At the right end of the viaduct, above the Morgan Millwork sign, can be seen the B&O mainline to Philadelphia and where I labored four decades. Finally, great big Union Station isn't the only downtown passenger terminal in view. Just left of Morgan Millwork and above the City Ice sign is the peaked roof of the Maryland and Pennsylvania (Ma & Pa) RR's Oak Street Station. Beautiful shot. Thanks, Dave! Slow TrainI commuted from Richmond to Baltimore twice a week during the gas crisis of 1973-74. Taking the train was, at times, a pleasure but it was anything but "high speed." Railway Express & OystersIn the mid '60s I worked for Railway Express and each weekday night we would make a run from our depot on Calvert & Centre to Penn Station. The usual cargo was mainly express packages and barrels of oysters and boxes of soft shelled crabs fresh from Crisfield on the Chesapeake Bay headed to Philadelphia and New York. We would drive down that ramp to train track level and transfer the barrels to those high-wheeled station carts, which were pulled by a small mule (automotive variety). As the train entered the station we would drive alongside as it came to a stop so our carts were lined up with the messenger car. We had ten frantic minutes of rolling the barrels into the car until the train pulled out. Thankfully we never hit a passenger or dropped a barrel onto the tracks. That was always the best part of our night since after that we would take our time getting back to the depot so we got there just about time to punch out and head down Calvert Street to Susie's for an after work beer. So if sometime you stopped in an Oyster Bar in Philly or New York and had either some soft shell crabs or oysters and remarked about the freshness of the same it might have been me who got them there for you. Another InspirationI wish I was a kid again. What a grand sight this would be in H.O. Scale! Morgan Millwork Co.Morgan Millwork Co. was the eastern warehouse and showroom for the Morgan Sash & Door Company. Architectural Record, 1910. Correct Craftsmen Style Morgan Doors are noted for correctness and originality of design and finish. Their construction is guaranteed to be absolutely faultless. Morgan Doors add wonderfully to the permanent value, comfort, beauty and satisfaction of the house. Morgan Doors are light, remarkably strong, and built of several layers of wood with grain running in opposite directions. Shrinking, warping or swelling is impossible. Veneered in all varieties of hard wood — Birch, plain or quarter-sawed red or white Oak, brown Ash, Mahogany, etc. Any style of architecture. Very best for Residences, Apartments, Offices, Bungalows or any building. Each Morgan Door is stamped "Morgan" which guarantees highest quality, style, durability and satisfaction. You can have Morgan Doors if you specify and insist. The National Builder, 1915. Morgan Sash & Door Company Department A-22, Chicago Factory: Morgan Co., Oshkosh, Wis. Eastern Warehouse and Display, Morgan Millwork Co., Baltimore. Displays: 6 East 19th St., New York; 309 Palmer Bldg., Detroit; Building Exhibit, Insurance Exchange, Chicago. Looks like the early 1920’sby the look of some of the cars Corpus Christi Church and MICAThe tall pointy steeple in the upper left corner is Corpus Christi Church, and the white building to its left is the Maryland Institute College of Art where I went to college. (The Gallery, Baltimore, Boats & Bridges, DPC, Railroads)
Mauch Chunk: 1940
August 1940. "Street scene in Mauch Chunk, Pennsylvania." Paging Edward Hopper. Medium-format negative by Jack Delano. ... as the wealthiest town - per capita - in America. The industry of tourism grew in importance alongside coal and railroads, and Mauch ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 06/21/2013 - 9:58am -

August 1940. "Street scene in Mauch Chunk, Pennsylvania." Paging Edward Hopper. Medium-format negative by Jack Delano. View full size. Found it!It looks very similar today, outside 31 Broadway, in the town of Jim Thorpe, PA, which is what Mauch Chunk changed their name to, in the mid-1950s. View Larger Map Now named Jim Thorpe After "The Worlds Greatest Athlete." Really great looking1939 (I think) Packard parked diagonally there, 2nd from the bottom. Sign HereHow come Coca-Cola didn't outbid Breyer's Ice Cream for the Drug Store hanging sign? Nothing against Jim Thorpe......but Mauch Chunk is an awesome name. I would have loved to put that down as my home address on all the paperwork I have filled out over the years. Accurate Hopper ReferenceCongratulations on your Edward Hopper reference in the caption. A number of Shorpy commenters have invoked Hopper when the photo in question shows a solitary figure in a window or at a table. Hopper lovers know that it's all about the light. Now if someone would tell us just how to pronounce Mauch Chunk. [Most sources say something along the lines of "mawk chunk." -tterrace] Name Change AsideThe olde name makes me want a candy bar for some reason. RagtopI'm digging the 2nd car from the bottom In the mountainsJim Thorpe was a town dependent on (anthracite) coal and the railroad. Like other towns in Pennsylvania, it went through a period of decline when those two industries took a nose dive. Since then it's dusted itself off and is today a charming and friendly little town to visit. By the way my family pronounced it "munk chunk" although people in parts of Pennsylvania have some peculiar language variations. Great photo by the way. During its coal dust and sooty past the street could've been as gray as seen in the photograph! HandprintThe jail in town is the home of the handprint that can't be removed. When some of the Molly Maguires, Irish miners, were hanged there in 1877 one of the condemned placed his handprint on the wall and stated that as proof of his innocence it could never be removed. It's still there today after many paint coverings of the area. Maw ChunkMy, Jim Thorpe looks so clean, prosperous...productive. These days it's one of those "quaint" tourist towns--mountain bikers doing the Lehigh River gorge in the summer and skiers doing the local trails in the winter. For those who actually live there, life is pretty depressing in Carbon County. I live about thirty miles away in Nazareth. We pronounce Jim Thorpe's former name as "Maw Chunk". Second only to Niagara FallsFrom the local history website: "During its golden era in the late 1800s the town was known as the wealthiest town - per capita - in America. The industry of tourism grew in importance alongside coal and railroads, and Mauch Chunk boasted seven grand hotels to handle all the visitors. Mauch Chunk became a tourist destination second only to Niagara Falls." It's a wonderful little town to visit during the summer or around Christmas. All you sports fans need to ensure you visit Jim Thorpe's grave site on Hwy. 903. Why did they want to visit here?I can understand why people go to Niagara Falls as tourists, but what was the visitors' attraction to Mauch Chunk in the past? I don't understand the reason for seven grand hotels, since I don't see falls or rivers or lakes or breath-taking mountains nearby. relatives from here My maternal grandmother and her family lived in Tamaqua, near Jim Thorpe. Her brothers and father were all coal miners for generations. I still have family in the area. F.O.E.Fraternal Order of Eagles? (The Gallery, Cars, Trucks, Buses, Jack Delano, Stores & Markets)
Growth Spurt: 1912
... 1913 and was dismantled two years later at Elizabeth, Pennsylvania. The hull was converted into a barge and in 1920 was used by ... responding to economic conditions, disruptions in the coal industry, and the frequent loss of towboats and barges (often by collision with ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/29/2017 - 7:16am -

Along the Monongahela circa 1912. "A group of skyscrapers, Pittsburgh." 8x10 inch dry plate glass negative, Detroit Publishing Company. View full size. "River Combine" "River Coal"Pacific No. 2 was a steam powered stern wheel towboat of 570 gross and 416 net tons, with a length of 176 feet, a breadth of 32 feet, a depth/draft of 5 feet and a crew of 35. Owned by the Pacific Coal and Towboat Company, Captains Joe and Ab Gould and later Captain W. J. Wood, Pacific No. 2 was built in Pittsburgh in 1893 using the steam engines from the former steam towboat Lioness No. 2 which was built in 1869. Pacific No. 2 continued towing until retired about 1913 and was dismantled two years later at Elizabeth, Pennsylvania. The hull was converted into a barge and in 1920 was used by Follansbee Bros. to haul cement. In 1899, responding to economic conditions, disruptions in the coal industry, and the frequent loss of towboats and barges (often by collision with bridge piers) the Monongahela River Consolidated Coal and Coke Company was formed, absorbing the assets of most of the independent towboat companies. The amalgamated companies initialed their towboats and barges with the letters “RC” for “River Combine” or “River Coal.” The Pacific No. 2, prior to the “RC” logo: Very different skyline, but --That's the Smithfield Street Bridge on the right. Some of the buildings below Wood Street (first street to the left of Smithfield) remain today. Wabash BridgeOn the left is the Wabash Railroad Bridge that served the small station visible across the river. Trains reached this location through a tunnel under Mt. Washington (where, undoubtedly the photographer was standing when the photograph was taken). The tunnel is now used for vehicular traffic. It may not come as a shock to Shorpy visitors that the train station burned in 1946. The bridge was removed in 1948; in the modern view supplied by Kozel you can see one of the the still-standing ghostly piers of the bridge. Collier Nr 4Any idea what the Collier Nr 4, left side of photo, might be? It looks a lot like a coal mine headstock, but the location sort of precludes that it is a mine shaft (but anything is possible)! Perhaps a barge loader/unloader? Thanks! (In afterthought, I realized that a mine would be a COLLIERY, a barge or ship a COLLIER). Collier is a CollierCollier Nr4 probably is a collier, a boat for handling coal, in this particular case, vertically. We've seen on this site photos of New York Harbor with floating grain elevators, for handling smaller particles. Shove Me TimbersLooks like the locomotive lower left edge of photo just made a shove move on the four blurry box cars. The loco and 2 attached cars are only slightly fuzzy, indicating they had just about come to a stop when the shutter opened, while the four box cars picked up speed from the shove as the shutter remained open. Looks like one of the crew was on the ground directing the move (visible near the door of the white box car where the train was uncoupled for the shove move). Amazing!Considering how much of Pittsburgh's industrial heritage has been removed, I am amazed to see a good dozen buildings along the water still present. In the image below, the row between the second modern building on the left, and the back side of the highway signs (gray squares), the dozen or so structures along Fort Pitt Boulevard (beginning at around 175 and running all the way to Wood Street) are alive or awaiting their next chapters! (The Gallery, Boats & Bridges, DPC, Pittsburgh, Railroads)
Pittsburgh Noir: 1907
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, circa 1907. "A Mill Street." Fifty Shades of Black. 7x5 inch ... that this is Pittsburgh in the bad old days of smokestack industry, can we be sure that this is NOT a daytime photograph? London ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/02/2012 - 4:32pm -

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, circa 1907. "A Mill Street." Fifty Shades of Black. 7x5 inch glass negative, Detroit Publishing Company. View full size. WowThat has to be one of the most fantastic photos I have ever seen on Shorpy. Dark ShadowsCheck out the Shorpy gallery of nighttime photography. WOW!!!!Not often do I see an image and go WOW, but this image got that reaction from me. Yes I even said WOW out loud. ArtistryNow we all know where rizzman1953's Grandpa (or Grandma) came from. What a picture!This is stunning. Smoke, light, shadow, dark. The feeling is that of a true Hollywood film noir. Who knows what lurks in the shadows of those row houses? Just looking at this makes my lungs ache from the acrid smell of the furnaces. DPC did some truly amazing work. Well done Shorpy, keep em' coming! What Time of Day Is It?Considering that this is Pittsburgh in the bad old days of smokestack industry, can we be sure that this is NOT a daytime photograph? London callingI swear, this made me think of Sherlock Holmes. it looks like one of those dank nights that are always shown during a Basil Rathbone/Nigel Bruce whodunit. SpectacularI had to read the caption twice - I would've thought this photo was from the 1930s or even the WWII era. It's a stunning image. I can just picture the men working the night shift in those factories while their families sleep in the little row houses. Wow is old hat now, but WOWThis is an absolutely stunning photo. Spectacular!And spooky. Wow was my first reactionIf I ever produce an image this good, I am gonna throw away my camera. Billy Joel said it."The good old days weren't always good." It's a stunning picture but due to the air quality I am so glad I did not live anywhere near Pittsburgh at the time it was taken. Second that OMGAlfred Stieglitz would buy this photo. Pale grey smoke- stacks fade into smoke. The black telephone pole breaks up what would be a distracting vanishing point perspective. The glow on the windows sills is wonderful. This is a photo you could stare at and enjoy forever. Stylistically very unusual for 1907. I agree with Mattie, I would have guessed it to be the 1930's. Anybody know the artist? They were ahead of their time. Gritty and hard: compare to other Shorpies of the Edwardian era, many often look posed, with a flat subject (building) dead center and no thought given to distractions (litter) or anything on the edges of the shot. When I first saw thisI said out loud, "OMG, what a photo!" Many thanks for posting this beauty! Lone PedestrianIf you enlarge the picture, it appears there is a misty outline of a man crossing the street at the intersection just right of the fire hydrant. Either that or it is the creature from the black lagoon. [Jack the Squiggler. - Dave] (The Gallery, DPC, Pittsburgh)
Scranton: 1900
Scranton, Pennsylvania, circa 1900. "Delaware, Lackawanna, and Western Railroad yards." ... by day. In 1900, steam was still the lifeblood of industry and many plumes of steam can be seen both on and off the railway. ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/05/2012 - 6:27pm -

Scranton, Pennsylvania, circa 1900. "Delaware, Lackawanna, and Western Railroad yards." Judging by the fellow in the white coveralls, I'd say this plate was exposed not long after this one. Detroit Publishing Co. View full size. Rock Island boxcarTwo tracks behind locomotive 808 is a Rock Island boxcar. On the left side of the boxcar are the words "Chicago, Rock Island and" (with "Pacific" being obscured.) The right side of the boxcar shows the earliest primitive Rock Island Route "beaver skin" logo. If this image was taken in 1900, then this would predate the oldest known image of the logo by two years. Unfortunately, the boxcar is missing from the stitched version. Scranton D, L & W RR yardsThe two images Scranton: 1900 and Old King Coal: 1900 put together, using some cut & paste techniques. The difference is only one freight train, the smart observer Dave recognized the man in the white overalls, who seems to have solved the "bilocation" problem! View full size. DL&W, et alWonderful of the Scranton DL&W yards, but this was not the only rail operator. Vestiges of track can be found all around Scranton and the adjoining towns. The major players included the St. Lawrence & Hudson, Deleware & Hudson, NY-Ontario & Western, Jersey Central, Erie, Reading & Northern, and of course, DL&W. It is said that some 35 freight lines operated through Scranton at one time or another. In addition, the area was served by light rail, interurban, and trolley companies. The buildings just visable at right in the photo are, of course, long gone and replaced by a shopping mall. MDTCIn the middle-ground about five or so tracks from the left edge of the photo (just to the right of the gas lamp in the foreground), is a Merchants Despatch Transportation Co. freight car, such as seen in this recent Shorpy image: https://www.shorpy.com/node/8252 It's the only MDTC car "representing" in the Scranton image, and the serial number doesn't match, but it's still a pretty cool coincidence. GraffitiAre those large signatures chalked on the boxcars? Interesting to see the predecessor to today's "art crimes." Grimyis the word that describes this photo. re: GraffitiThese chalk marks aren't the same as modern graffiti. Conductors would mark the cars and yardmen would use the marks to help breakup and classify the cars when they were in a yard. Pretty hellish if you ask meOf course, no one asked me. But jeez, what a hellish scene. Lung-blackening coal dust, soot, poisonous coal fires, smog from all the steam, steel shavings and dust from screeching wheels on tracks. I'm surprised you didn't drop dead after an hour here. I love the old railroads anyway. Total Depth of FieldIt would be interesting to know the details on how this photo is in focus from just a few feet from the light fixture to infinity. Is this a Shorpy/Dave technique or as is? [It's a standard view-camera view. - Dave] Gritty CityBeing a postwar baby and raised in Scranton, I too felt that carryover grime. And it somewhat extends to this day! A Slippery Slope.Both photos are taken from an elevated coaling trestle. Coal in bottom-dump gondola cars was pushed by a locomotive up the inclined trestle towards the camera onto a dead-end portion of level track (behind camera) which had sloped-bottom storage bins beneath. The coal was then dumped thru holes in the trestle deck into the bins below. Locomotives to be coaled were run along side the coal trestle at ground level, and then an upward-sliding door at the bottom of the coal bin was opened by the man taking coal, which allowed coal to flow down a chute and into the coal bunker in the tender of the locomotive being fueled. Sand for locomotive traction was usually put into the sand domes of locomotives at or near the coal chutes using the same manpower for both tasks. Sand was kept nearby and dried in the sand house around a coal-fired heater, then moved up to its bins above the service tracks and supplied by gravity to the sand domes on locomotives. On oil-fired locomotives sand would be put into a separate bunker behind the cab to be poured into a hole in the firebox door while the engine was working hard to remove the oil soot from the firebox walls, the firetubes and the superheater elements to improve heat transfer to water in the boiler. Road locomotives were usually coaled and sanded on their arrival from a run before going to the roundhouse. If the rails were wet, the engineer pushing cars of coal would have to take a run at the hill, yet, be ready to stop as soon as the cars reached the level track atop the coal chute, or they would go off the end. The broken blocks of wood visible on the walkway to the left of the track would be used by switchmen to block the wheels of cars on the slope. There is no walkway on the opposite side, as the engineer was on the right of the locomotive and would be pushing the cars on the front of the engine to keep the water in the boiler at the rear over the firebox. If the roundhouse dispatched, say, 20 road locomotives a day, each requiring 10 tons of coal, would mean at least 200 tons of coal would have to be moved up the coal chute ramp (and the empties brought back down). Using 40-ton cars would mean at least five cars a day up the slope. The small yard locomotives would also take coal from time to time, but, as they were usually never out of sight of the coal chute, it was not as important to have a full tender when going to work on their shift. The steepness of the grade might limit the yard engine to only two or three cars a trip up, as care had to be taken. The sand would come in boxcars to keep it dry. One major problem of the camelback locomotives shown to the right was that if one of their side rods or the main rod broke while in motion, the loose end still attached to the crank pin on a driving wheel would flail around, and wipe the cab and the engineer off the side of the locomotive. If the engineer was incapacitated, or worse, and the throttle not shut, you could then have a runaway. The "graffiti" on the sides of the boxcars is probably car destinations chalked on by yardmen at originating terminals. In 1900, not all freight cars would have air brakes, and, generally, they would be handled at the rear of freight trains, the air brake cars and their air hoses coupled directly behind the locomotive. Comparing the two photos, two switchmen can be seen riding the tops of boxcars to the right beyond the locomotives, they in position to relay hand signals to the engineer on their own locomotive in the distance when a coupling is being made onto other stationary cars. At night lanterns would be used and an engineer would have to be sure he was watching the right lamp in a busy yard. Switch stands would have oil lamps displaying standard colours to indicate their direction at night, and a wood or metal "target" by day. In 1900, steam was still the lifeblood of industry and many plumes of steam can be seen both on and off the railway. Another great photo! Tain't GraffitiBack in those days, yard crews would scribble instructions on the car. Things like where it was going, fragile load, destination, repairs needed, etc. Makes switching a whole lot easier. Where do you worka John?Where do you worka John? On the Delaware Lackawan What do you do-ah John? I poosh I poosh I poosh. Whata do you poosha John on the Delaware Lackawan? On the Delaware Lackawan I poosh I poosh the broom -- Song sung by my Italian grandmother, who grew up (after she got off of the boat) near the Jersey City terminus of the Delaware Lackawanna from about 1904 until 1922. Contents and destinationSeveral men of my father's family worked these yards in Scranton. I remember him saying the yardmen would mark this information on the cars to aid in switching. He never said what happened when it rained! Stub end tracksWhat's amazing is the stub end tracks without bumpers or wheel stops on the ends, must of been interesting to park cars on these tracks if you didn't have a brakeman spotting the cars. The box car on the left # 33551 as I can make out, looks like it ran off the end. Also notice the really neat camelback locos on the right. The engineer rode in the cab right next to the boiler (must have been real hot in the summer) while the fireman rode on the rear, stoking the fire, which wasn't much of a comfortable ride either, especially on rough track. Great photo and so clear after 110 yrs. DL&WWe tend to get all nostalgic when we think of railroad travel "back in the day," but it wasn't always perfect efficiency. When my grandmother used to ride the DLW a hundred years ago, they used to joke that the letters stood for Delay, Linger and Wait. Industrial steeplesNot mentioned yet is the forest of church steeples across the skyline. As with many industrial towns, Scranton's population had many countries represented and each ethnicity usually had its own church. My wife's from Scranton, and I remember parking in the lot of a (perhaps) German parish to go to Christmas Mass in the Slovak parish church on the same block. Or maybe it was an Italian parish. A bit of that Hades-like scene remains today in Scranton as the Steamtown National Historic Site railroad museum, a National Park Service attraction. Same Location Scranton DL&W Rail Yards nowMy picture taken from approx. the same location. The old DL&W rail yards are now Steamtown National Historic Site. re: Where do you worka John?In the version I heard, "I poosh, I poosh, I poosh" was followed by 'Poosha, poosha, poosha, poosha, -poosha, poosha, poosha." I was a railroad freight handler in 1955 and I actually heard an Italian freight handler say "poosha" in connection with moving some freight. (The Gallery, DPC, Railroads, Scranton)
Transitorium: 1910
New York circa 1910. "Pennsylvania Station. Concourse showing gates, indicators." 8x10 inch glass ... decorative element bridging the visual gap between modern industry and antiquity (through the doors to the right a loftier, grander hall ... can be seen in this image from the book "New York's Pennsylvania Stations." The station is under demolition in the mid-1960s. The ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/01/2012 - 5:42pm -

New York circa 1910. "Pennsylvania Station. Concourse showing gates, indicators." 8x10 inch glass negative, Detroit Publishing Co. View full size. Sidewalk SkylightsThat really is a sea of skylight as tterrace points out! You can see a portion of it in this previous Shorpy post here. What a great building we can't see! Glimpses of glass brickVisible until very recently, until the worn sections of floor that had exposed them were re-covered: http://www.flickr.com/photos/whatafarce/437171945/ also, "Overlooking a wine rack inside Penn Wine & Spirits is a segment of vintage glass bricks, once a floor and now a ceiling." -- Penn Station's Buried Glory (NYDN) What? No scissor lifts or JLG boom lifts?Amazing how they constructed and finished off these massive and ornate structures with technology basically from the Middle Ages. Wood scaffold, block and tackle, rope, hammer and nails. Unseen are a mess of power cords, hammer drills, 24V Dewalts, hydraulic scissor lifts, etc. Mean ShorpyMaking old New Yorkers cry (sigh). ThanksTo Dave and Shorpy, this spendid work of Architecture and so many others will never be forgotten. Many thanks! Train to the tropicsThis photo evokes a tropical feel, so out of place in New York. The architecture says palm trees and sunny skies. I never noticed that before, what a great photo! The Glass CeilingInteresting to note that the various iron arches and pillars seen here were mostly a decorative element bridging the visual gap between modern industry and antiquity (through the doors to the right a loftier, grander hall existed also made of hidden iron, veiled with travertine). The ironwork in the concourse did not actually support the glass ceiling as it appears to do. Rather an unseen exterior truss cantilevered from the outer walls, and the glass ceiling essentially hung from it. The trusses can be seen in this image from the book "New York's Pennsylvania Stations." The station is under demolition in the mid-1960s. The photo is copyright by Norman McGrath. SkylightsThe floor sure looks like it's made up of sections of the sidewalk skylights we've seen in a number of urban streetscapes. If so, this must be something like the largest known expanse of them in recorded history. The Lee-Key Roofing Co.The giant glass roofs of this era, in railroad stations, exhibition halls, etc. always amaze me. How, with the primitive sealing materials (tar, caulk, putty) of the era, did they ever keep the water out? Or maybe they didn't - even modern skylights tend to leak. CamelotIf the NYC Real Estate Developers would have had their way, Grand Central Terminal would have gone the way of the old Penn Station. Thanks to new Landmarks Designation Laws, The Municipal Art Society, people like Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis and others it was spared the Wrecker's Ball. It is now one of the most visited attractions in the city. The Musee d'Orsay in Paris (built in the old D'Orsay Railroad Station) could have been rivaled by a saved Penn Station. ScaffoldingThe scaffolding design and construct is nearly as remarkable as the station itself. It's amazing what workers could do back then. (The Gallery, DPC, NYC, Railroads)
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