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On the Beach: 1906
New Jersey circa 1906. "The beach, Atlantic City." The right half of a panorama formed with this image . Detroit ... fast-food has made through the years. The beach, Atlantic City - revisited Note the differing shadows in the two parts of S. ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/13/2012 - 8:19pm -

New Jersey circa 1906. "The beach, Atlantic City." The right half of a panorama formed with this image. Detroit Publishing Co. glass negative. View full size. PanoramaHere's a stitched together version of the panorama. Click to enlarge. ChapeauxGlad the photographer happened by on Funny Hat Day. No fast foodI'm always impressed how everyone is so slim and fit looking in their bathing suits in 1906. What a difference fast-food has made through the years. The beach, Atlantic City - revisitedNote the differing shadows in the two parts of S. Head's stitched-together panorama -- the pictures weren't taken simultaneously. (The Gallery, Atlantic City, DPC, Swimming)
Pittsburgh: 1941
... lot of onion-dome ethnic churches all over town. The 1941 City Directory lists a Wm. James Confectionery at 7314 Tioga Street, which is ... chain of hair salons and spas. Morrow Triangle Atlantic ave is a one-way northward running street to the east of downtown. ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 01/17/2023 - 2:46pm -

June 1941. "Rain. Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania." Medium format acetate negative by John Vachon for the Farm Security Administration. View full size. I love the rain...This photo immediately brings forth the smell of rain, the hiss of car tires as they pass and the drip drip drip of rainwater off the eaves of the porch. Pittsburgh by VachonThis is a beautiful picture. John Vachon's photos did not have the pathos and personal drama of Dorothea Lange's work, but more than any other American photographer, he has left an invaluable scrapbook of the vernacular American landscape. He is my favorite photographer. What are the towers ...... in the background? Is that another church? Looks Orthodox. Perhaps someone familiar with Pittsburgh will know. A Rainy DayThe person walking with the umbrella really makes the photograph work. You can almost feel the rain.. Pittsburgh PrecipitationI agree with others here about the evocative quality of this photo. Staring at this for a few moments I swear I can hear the rain coming down! Canada Dry SpurCanada Dry Spur ("the cola drink with Canada Dry quality") was Canada Dry's attempt at entering the cola wars. By this time of course the company was owned by P.D. Saylor and Associates and the only connection with Canada was the name. Such a wonderIt's 103 degrees on my front porch (yes, that's in the shade), my part of Arizona hasn't seen rain in 3 or 4 months. Guess whats going on my desktop. Thanks. DSS Look how it falls straight down!Not only can I relate to DSS since we don't get a lot of rain in West Texas, but I'm just amazed at how it's coming *straight down*. (Huge gusts of wind aren't sucking her umbrella inside out, and the rain isn't coming in sideways and raising welts on her skin!) P.S. Not that I'm complaining...I love it here, and my glasses usually protect my eyes from the infrequent SIDEWAYS rainstorms! Tioga Street, PittsburghPittsburgh has a lot of onion-dome ethnic churches all over town. The 1941 City Directory lists a Wm. James Confectionery at 7314 Tioga Street, which is where Point Breeze meets Homewood meets nothing original still standing. This would be east of downtown. South Side P-BurgThis looks like the "South Side" of Pittsburgh and if I am not mistaken, this is an orthodox church which is now the private home and studio of the owner of the number one Pittsburgh chain of hair salons and spas. Morrow TriangleAtlantic ave is a one-way northward running street to the east of downtown. The only intersection that makes a bend like the one photographed is at Liberty and Baum. There are no row homes or churches there now though. The vantage point of the photo is a parklet called Morrow Triangle. The filling station and church are now the site of a car dealer. Unless there was a street name change that the Atlantic ave in the picture is different from the current Atlantic ave I think I'm right. [The "Atlantic" sign is advertising a brand of gasoline. - Dave] It's SouthsideI've lived in Pittsburgh all my life and this shot looks remarkably like the Southside (flats) to me just off Carson Street. Many churches of similar Greek Orthodox venue there. A previous poster indicated he thought that Atlantic sign was a street. It looks like a gas station to me, or something else. It's DeutschtownThis is the corner of Madison and Lockhart, looking west. The church with the onion domes is St. Mary's -- Bavarian Catholic, believe it or not. You can't go and see this intersection anymore since it was destroyed in the 1980s so that the Parkway North could be built. The church is still there, although now it's a hotel. Pressley StreetThe previous comment is correct. That's St. Mary's (now known as the Priory) which sits at 614 Pressley Street. Atlantic GasThe Atlantic sign is for the gas station. Atlantic petroleum was founded in Philly, then eventually acquired by Sunoco in the 80's or 90's. (The Gallery, John Vachon, Pittsburgh)
Mass Transit: 1910
... posted here in 2008. Brooklyn, N.Y., circa 1910. "Atlantic Avenue subway entrance." Plus an elevated railway and streetcar ... then. To El and Back June 1, 1940, was when the City of New York took over the trolleys, elevated railways and subways of the ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 12/14/2020 - 1:25pm -

        A better-quality version of an image first posted here in 2008. Brooklyn, N.Y., circa 1910. "Atlantic Avenue subway entrance." Plus an elevated railway and streetcar tracks. 8x10 inch dry plate glass negative, Detroit Publishing Co. View full size. Rock and FultonLooks like the poster for the Brighton Beach Music Hall (which later became a Yiddish theater) is advertising William Rock and Maude Fulton. They were apparently heading the bill written about here in the Aug. 7, 1910, New York Times. Still StandingThe subway entrance in the foreground is still there. The elevated and the railroad terminal building are not. The Atlantic Avenue-Pacific Street subway station is home to (If I remember correctly) nine subway lines. The LIRR still has its terminus at Flatbush Avenue. Because of the great mass transit, this is the site where the NJ Nets are building their new arena. The surface traffic is horrendous now. That's why the neighborhood is pretty much against building the arena. BreezyI would think that those open-sided cars get a little breezy. Then and NowThe tracks are gone and the Long Island RR Building in the back was transformed into a mall. The small building on the Island that says "Atlantic Avenue" is still there. My son lives around the corner. I'll take a picture and post it for everyone to see. Love the open-sided subway cars!Can we assume these cars ran aboveground at all times? You couldn't go underground in these cars. Or you could.....but you'd need hosing down at the end of the ride. NYC TransitI used to ride these cars as a kid. The transportation system in NYC was so far superior before 1940, at a nickel a pop for over 40 years, that people today cannot even imagine how easily, safely, and pleasantly it was back then. To El and BackJune 1, 1940, was when the City of New York took over the trolleys, elevated railways and subways of the BMT and began the abandonments. The Fifth Avenue El, the Fulton Street El, Fulton Street trolleys, Gates Avenue trolleys and Putnam Halsey cars ran their last on May 30. Both Els were torn down the summer of 1941. Atlantic AvenueThe subway entrance is still there, but it's no longer in use as such. The MTA renovated it when it expanded and refurbished the Atlantic Avenue subway station, but because the entrance is on a traffic island in the middle of a very busy intersection, you can no longer use it to enter the station. Instead, it now serves as a skylight for the underground station. There's a spot in the station where you can stand about 20 or 30 feet underneath the old station house, look up, and see it directly above you, hollowed out and streaming light into the station. If I still lived in Brooklyn, I'd get a photo. You can see it here, photographed from Flatbush Avenue: View Larger Map The mall that 9:26 AT refers to you would be behind you in this shot. I tried to get a Google Map image from the vantage point of the 1910 photo, but a large truck was between the Google Map camera and the old station entrance. I believe the 1910 image was photographed from roughly where the PC Richard currently stands. There's a much better view of the current state of the old entrance here, in a photo from April of this year: http://www.nycsubway.org/perl/show?82823 You can also see it, boarded over and in disrepair, in this 1997 photo: http://www.nycsubway.org/perl/show?426 Finally, the New York Times has a good article from 2003 about the renovation of the Atlantic Avenue station, including a couple of paragraphs about the old station house. I used the station daily during the renovation, and the work they did was remarkable. Ashcan schoolThe Ashcan school of artists was known for painting New York street scenes similar to this. John Sloan's famous and, in this writer's opinion, beautiful painting, Six O'Clock, Winter, painted in 1912, may have been painted at this station or a similar one in the city. Open platform El carsAfter the Malbone Street wreck in 1918, wooden cars were banned from the subways. Open-platform wooden cars continued to be used on the Els in Brooklyn until 1958, when the last of the "BU" El cars ran on Myrtle Avenue. The IRT ran wood open platform El cars in Manhattan and the Bronx until the early 1950s. In 1938 the "Q" class El cars had steel ends added to enclose the open platforms of 1903 wood El cars; they were used on the Flushing line for the 1939 World's Fair. After that the "Q" cars ran on the Third Avenue El in Manhattan and the Bronx before finishing out their days on Myrtle Avenue in 1969. Open platform El cars were typical of rapid transit from the 1870s through the mid teens. They were labor intensive, with a conductor needed between every two cars. A nicer timeI live not far from here, and this photo is so much nicer than what it is today -- a mall with trash and insane traffic. Makes me wish I was there back in 1910. Polka dots and moonbeamsI'd love to make the acquaintance of the lovely lady in polka dots. And, check out the lady's amazing hat! Fashion ForwardThe lovely lady in the polka dot dress must just have gotten back from Paris, as she is wearing the latest Paul Poiret inspired hobble skirt/pagoda tunic, with a Japanese- bridal style hat. All of the other ladies in the photo, with full flared skirts, blousson bodices, and huge, but very lightweight picture hats will be following her style by next Spring, at the latest. Famous time travelers caught on glass Now it can be told: many celebrities were also, in fact, secret travelers through time. Although I am not at liberty to disclose their methods, I am permitted to point out a few well known faces. On the far left, we see W.C. Fields, wearing false whiskers, attempting to look casual. Moving right, we see a stylish Brian Donlevy striking a pose as he boldly looks directly at the camera. Just behind the policeman on the right is a young Gary Cooper, who is not quite as tall as he would be later in life. The young lady in the au courant outfit is lovely Laura La Plante. And now we come to the true master of time travel, Charles Durning, who is both the policeman on the right *and* the man in the white hat, on the other side of the pole, with his back to his policeman self. Take the "A" train.Unlike the other els mentioned, the Fulton Street el (in the picture) had been replaced by a subway before being torn down. Through service to Manhattan at last. Yes, the "A" train. "Circa 1910" indeedThere's no "circa" about it given that the "3 Eagles" newsstand is displaying the Aug 6, 1910, issues of The Saturday Evening Post . My old stomping groundsBefore my transfer to Garden City. View of the same location October 2018. By the way the Brooklyn Daily Eagle is archived for free online access: https://bklyn.newspapers.com/ About the policemen's hatsAccording to the Internet (so it must be true), the New York City police wore "custodian helmets," grey for summer and blue for winter, from 1880 to 1912. (The Gallery, DPC, NYC, Railroads, Streetcars)
Let Us Continue: 1964
August 24, 1964. Atlantic City, New Jersey. "View of delegates and stage with large pictures of John F. ... this convention on its website in 2016. (The Gallery, Atlantic City, Politics, Public Figures, TV) ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 03/14/2024 - 12:55pm -

August 24, 1964. Atlantic City, New Jersey. "View of delegates and stage with large pictures of John F. Kennedy, Harry Truman, Franklin D. Roosevelt and Lyndon B. Johnson with the slogan 'Let Us Continue,' at the 1964 Democratic National Convention." 35mm acetate negative by Warren K. Leffler for U.S. News & World Report. View full size. Convention Hall organI love viewing and reading history about that convention hall, which houses the world's largest pipe organ. I wonder if it was played much at that convention. FWIW, there's a great Facebook page which is documenting the continuing progress on the restoration of that instrument, and a lot of details and aspects of the hall are discussed, too. Reminds me of MomMy mother was a delegate at that convention. She is on the right of this photo taken at the convention. She and the other woman served President and Mrs. Johnson tea. I never did ask her why, but I'm thinking LBJ probably wanted something a little stronger. Always The Network With the Best Graphics52 years later and CBS News is still using virtually the same logo seen at this convention on its website in 2016. (The Gallery, Atlantic City, Politics, Public Figures, TV)
Goodyear Blimp: 1938
... outside to see it passing over the neighborhood. Trans Atlantic Have any of these types ever crossed the Atlantic? You ... days when one is driving on the 405 freeway through the city of Carson. You can also often see it over large events such as football ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/28/2012 - 12:08pm -

April 13, 1938. Washington, D.C. "Goodyear blimp Enterprise at Washington Air Post." Harris & Ewing Collection glass negative. View full size. InflationIn the mid-1960s, in Miami, Goodyear blimp flights were $5. I don't know which blimp was stationed there part of the year. I never took that flight, to my now deep regret; flights for the general public have ceased, I understand. Follow the BlimpI took a road trip from the east coast to Chicago a few years ago, and stopped in Akron for a night. Tthe next morning as I got on the turnpike the Goodyear blimp appeared overhead and followed overhead for at least an hour. I suspect they were navigating by following the highway. I miss hearing the GoodyearI miss hearing the Goodyear blimp. I say "hearing" because as a kid in Southern California, I would hear its unmistakable low drone and would run outside to see it passing over the neighborhood. Trans AtlanticHave any of these types ever crossed the Atlantic? You Sayin' I'm Fat?I resemble that remark! Air TrekGoodyear's Enterprise was named after the winning yacht of the 1930 America's Cup. Seeing this picture makes me wonder if this blimp may have been young Roddenberry's inspiration. She was enlisted in the US Navy as Training Airship L-5 during World War 2 from 1941 to 1945. Boldly going where no one has gone before!The very first aircraft owned by the United States also bore this title. It was a hot air balloon used during the Civil War. Go for a Ride!The dirigible hangar was near the Washington-Hoover Airport and the Arlington Beach Amusement Park According to "Answer Man" at the Washington Post, in 1932, you could go up in the Goodyear blimp for $2.50. Gene RoddenberryRoddenberry was influenced by a lot of WWII things. The Enterprise was named for the aircraft carrier, and James T. Kirk was the general commanding the Ordnance Department early in the war. There are others. Summer 1954I remember playing in my front yard during summer vacation and hearing something I didn't recognize. I ran into the back yard and saw the Goodyear, not the one pictured, fly past the back of the house. It was sufficiently exciting to be the topic of conversation for the next few days, and there was even a picture of it docked at the local airport the next day. Exciting times for a Carolina kid in the early '50s Navy Blimps in the 40'sEvery summer we would go to Falmouth Mass to the beach. The Navy blimps would pass overhead out to sea. Once one went so low the landing ropes dragged across the beach. I never realized they were on patrol looking for U-boats off the coast of Massachusetts. I assumed they were training and actually they were armed and did fight U-boats off our shores. Look, up in the sky, it's a bird, no, a blimpA Goodyear blimp still resides in Southern California and can be seen most days when one is driving on the 405 freeway through the city of Carson. You can also often see it over large events such as football games where a helicopter used for photography, would disturb the spectators, but a blimp used for aerial shots makes everybody smile down below. Hearing a blimpI don't remember seeing blimps in Florida in the late 40s but forty years later I recognised the sound and went outside to see a blimp passing overhead. A Ride in the GoodyearI was lucky enough to get a ride in the then-current Goodyear Blimp in about 1969, thanks to my father's position at nearby El Toro Marine Base, which was near the Lighter Than Air facility in Tustin, which had giant hangars that allowed Goodyear to do certain maintenance. In return they provided a day of rides for military families. This blimp has since been replaced with a newer version, but our blimp's control wheels and cables were charmingly exposed to the attentive eye inside the little cabin which was clearly designed for lightness rather than jetliner strength, and seated about 12. After achieving a satisfactory weight balance, the pilot revved the motors, the blimp moved majestically ahead, and about 50 feet later he cranked the elevator wheel, the nose came up, and we ascended as if climbing a staircase. Not scary, due to the gentle response, but unexpectedly graceful, like the dancing hippos in Fantasia. We cruised the coast for about an hour at a nice viewing height. The sound of a blimp in flight...That low drone sound of an approaching blimp's engines STILL makes me run outside to have a look. I even have a memory (or imagine that I have such a memory) of standing on Bush Avenue in Newburgh NY as a 4 or 5 year old kid and seeing a huge dirigible flying doen over the Hudson toward NY City. I went up in herMy mother's school chum took my two older brothers and me for a ride in this blimp in 1938 (might have been 1939) from the old Wash airport. We circled the city for about a half hour. The windows were open. I sat in the middle seat in the back row. It went up at about 45 degrees and on returning it nosed down at about the same angle. Ground crew caught the ropes and pulled it down to a level attitude on the ground. What a thrill it was for a 7-year-old. Navy BlimpsEnterprise, along with Goodyear's other private blimps was transferred to the Navy at the beginning of the war. The became the basis for the L-Class training type. Apparently they weren't armed and had too short an endurance for long patrols. They had a crew of two in military service. The most common of the naval blimps was the K-Class which had an endurance of just over 38 hours aloft and carried four depth charges and a .50 caliber machine gun as well as various detection equipment and a crew of 10. 134 were built, and the last K-ship (K-43) left service in March 1959. (The Gallery, D.C., Harris + Ewing, Zeppelins & Blimps)
Immense Chewing Candy: 1904
... The Jersey shore circa 1904. "Young's Hotel and Boardwalk, Atlantic City." Where strollers confront a plenitude of amusements, confections and ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 12/07/2013 - 9:42pm -

The Jersey shore circa 1904. "Young's Hotel and Boardwalk, Atlantic City." Where strollers confront a plenitude of amusements, confections and refreshments. 8x10 inch dry plate glass negative, Detroit Publishing Company. View full size. That's The Beer Brewed in ColumbusIn the middle left of the photo (right above the Brady's Baths sign) is a sign for Hoster's Beer which was one of the major breweries here in Columbus, Ohio in those days. Mexican PenochisThis from Historical Sketch of the Chicago Confectionery Trade: BELL, Jonas N. Started jobbing and is now (1905) a manufacturer of sweets at 606 West Madison Street As Senior Partner began manufacturing as BELL & PFEIFFER at 40 Fifth Avenue and 612 West Madison 1901 Has also manufactured vending machines Ex-Vice President of the Jobbing Confectioners' Association Ad: (Photo of BELL) "JONAS N. BELL Manufacturer and Jobber of High Grade Confections, Sole manufacturer of the Original "Mexican Penochis" as made in Old Mexico, Tin Boxes 25 cents. Texas Pecan Clusters made of Texas Selected Pecan Nuts, Tin Boxes 30 cents, 604 W. Madison Street -- Chicago" Page 83, 119, 122 (Ad/Photo) Low down on Mexican penochis...http://www.newspapers.com/newspage/38621364/ As it's poorly OCR'd it's a bit of a puzzling read, but worth a couple minutes. 25% purerFrom the Boston Evening Transcript, May 8, 1902. Ten-cent cigarActually, something of a premium smoke back in 1904. Where It All BeganThe custom of keeping right of oncoming traffic. Perhaps it was a continuation of the American Revolution, when Patriots began to drink coffee vis-à-vis British tea, while the British had and still have the custom of keeping left? Early Atlantic CityIs that Nucky I see down there on the boardwalk smiling? (The Gallery, Atlantic City, DPC)
Shave Yourself: 1910
Atlantic City, New Jersey, circa 1910. "The Boardwalk at night." 8x10 inch dry plate ... No People That's really unusual for any photo from Atlantic City. [That blur on the boardwalk is people. This was a time ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/08/2012 - 2:01pm -

Atlantic City, New Jersey, circa 1910. "The Boardwalk at night." 8x10 inch dry plate glass negative, Detroit Publishing Company. View full size. The boardwalk at nightis really a timeless view. One can almost see Snooki and Jwoww staggering along the boards in the harsh glow of the electric lights. No PeopleThat's really unusual for any photo from Atlantic City. [That blur on the boardwalk is people. This was a time exposure. - Dave] Return of HelmarYes! The Helmar Cigarettes sign at night! I loved the spare wire construction of it in the daytime shot and wondered about it. Now I see that it was apparently holding lights. One of many things I love about Shorpy is that the answer to questions usually shows up eventually-- either in another shot or from a commenter. This is a gorgeous view though. I can't get enough of these black and white nighttime scenes. Not a dirty Brady in the bunchFrom the 2000 Arcadia Publishing book Atlantic City by John T. Cunningham and Kenneth D. Cole: When bathers in 1887 shed their exhibitions, they did so in bath houses such as Brady’s Baths. Each day bathers leased suits from Brady's for wading in the water. For those who abstained, Brady's built a covered observation deck just off the boardwalk. The woolen or flannel suits may have endangered bathers if they ventured too far into the water, as the suits became heavy when waterlogged. ["Shed their exhibitions"? Hm. - Dave] Tripician's MacaroonsA few of the pictured businesses on the boardwalk: C.M. Kuory (furniture). The Tokio. Field's Mexican Store. Shourds. Tripician's (confections), still in business. In old ACEven though I'm an avowed tv addict I don't like to apply ANYthing I see on the tube to my beloved Shorpy page. I like to keep you separate from the rest of my world, kinda like an oasis. Gotta make one exception though; doesn't look like I'm gonna be able to not think of "Boardwalk Empire" whenever I see vintage pictures of Atlantic City. They just made that era in that place so VIVID. An Enduring ProductThis morning I "shaved by myself" with my old Gillette Safety Razor, a close relative of the one being hawked in this photo. It's still a great shave. The Safety Razorshould never be used by five-year olds as a means of washing the remnants of a spaghetti dinner away ala "shaving just like Dad". The result may be a small scar on the upper lip like mine. GhostelI love how the old Hotel Traymore is just barely visible in this shot. The floodlights on Brady's Baths gives this photo a remarkable feel. Neon evangelism?I was always taught that we cannot shave ourselves; only Jesus shaves. Or something like that. Miami-CareyOff the wall like most of my comments, but, here I go anyway. This reminded me of the old medicine chests with the slot in the back to dispose of your used razor blades. All they did is drop into the space between the wall studs. This was in the days of real men who didn't need no stinkin' insulation! ShopfrontsFive wonderful shopfronts in the foreground, from F.W.Woolworth to The Tokio. I grew up in Upminster, Essex, England and our local 'Woolworths' had a similar shop front to this one - although it was never known as the 5 and Dime, for obvious reasons. Boardwalk EmpireI don't know about Snooki, but I can imagine Nucky in this picture. Something went wrongJudging from the 'movement' in the lights, it looks like either somebody kicked the tripod during the exposure, or it wasn't completely steady. I can't imagine the razor was moving during the exposure. [The camera moved near the start or end of the exposure. - Dave] From the Movie "Atlantic City"Like Burt Lancaster said, "In those days, Atlantic City had floy-floy." Safety razorI last used a safety razor a couple of years ago just to try it out for old times sake. I guess there must have been a trick to using one, because even with a new blade my neck was full of little nicks. Needless to say I went back to the more modern version. (The Gallery, Atlantic City, DPC)
Shipping Out: 1941
... seaman at National Maritime Union hiring hall, New York City." Medium format acetate negative by Arthur Rothstein. View full size. ... up America was fully involved in the Battle of the Atlantic long before our formal entry into the war and it was an incredibly ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/16/2020 - 6:40pm -

December 1941. "Merchant seaman at National Maritime Union hiring hall, New York City." Medium format acetate negative by Arthur Rothstein. View full size. Lighting upAmerica was fully involved in the Battle of the Atlantic long before our formal entry into the war and it was an incredibly deadly business. More than 3500 ships were lost to U Boats. If your ship was sunk your chances of survival were not good. For obvious reasons convoys could not stop to pick up survivors and the North Atlantic is cold even during the summer months. During the rest of the year it is frigid. While it doesn't get the same attention as other fronts, it was among the most important. If the Germans had won here, Britain and probably the USSR would have been knocked out of the war. People like this young man faced the constant threat of sudden death while working under the most miserable conditions imaginable, especially during winter crossings. We owe a great deal to him and his shipmates. So go ahead and light one up buddy. If I had your job, I likely would have smoked too. Ready to join the Battle of the AtlanticHe's ready for an assignment at the moment when American involvement in the Battle of the Atlantic was in its most intense phase. (Churchill coined the name nine months earlier.) The Battle of the Atlantic wouldn't end until the last day of the war in Europe. By a reliable figure, the Allies lost 36,000 merchant seamen (and an equal number of sailors). Send back a retrospective wish for this young man. High Seas Hygiene Sailors travel to many lands, anywhere they pleases. And they always remember to wash their hands, so they don't contract diseases. Getting Drafty In HereDoes anyone know if being a merchant seaman kept you from being drafted into the service? I would guess so, but do not know for sure. Already serving his country From:Frequently Asked Questions about the Merchant Marine http://www.usmm.org/faq.html Were Merchant Mariners "draft dodgers"? Merchant mariners were subject to the draft if they took more than 30 days shore leave. Experienced mariners who had been drafted were released by the Army to serve in the Merchant Marine. Harold Harper "dodged" the draft by being torpedoed 6 times. Nick Hoogendam, who was too young for the Army or Navy, spent 83 days on a liferaft drinking rainwater and eating "sushi." John Stanizewski, a mariner in WWI and WWII, had 10 ships knocked out from under him. Michael Horodysky was classified 4F in the draft due to a bad heart and sailed the dangerous Murmansk run and took part in the North African invasion. The Chief Engineer of the SS Peter Kerr, sunk in Convoy PQ17, had a wooden leg. Harold "Bud" Schmidt joined the Merchant Marine as one-eyed 16-year-old kid. Merchant Mariners had the highest casualty rate of all the services in World War II Number serving 243,000 Killed 9,521 Percent 3.90% Ratio 1 in 26 The Navy had 4,183,466 serving: 36,958 killed: 0.88% lost: or 1 in 114 died in service. By the way: Merchant Mariners did not receive veteran status until the GI Bill Improvement Act of 1977. (The Gallery, Arthur Rothstein, NYC, Portraits)
Atlantis: 1905
... of a lost world circa 1905. "Young's Million Dollar Pier, Atlantic City." 8x10 inch dry plate glass negative, Detroit Publishing Company. View ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/02/2012 - 4:14pm -

Glimpses of a lost world circa 1905. "Young's Million Dollar Pier, Atlantic City." 8x10 inch dry plate glass negative, Detroit Publishing Company. View full size. What?Down here we have fishing piers. What does one do on one like that? Fire magnetTell me that huge mass of wood construction never caught fire and burned to the ground/water. SignI'd love some salt water taffy and Hygienic Ice Cream! Love this photograph - obviously during the day during the week, the slow time when the blue collar workers come out to maintain the grounds. Notice the men on the roof and the gardener in the yard. One Look Tells MeI bet that Young's Million Dollar Pier was destroyed by fire. Just a guess. PuppiesThe two dogs on the lawn caught my eye. One more curious than the other. I'll Take That BetAccording to the sources that I've found, Young's Million Dollar Pier survived until 1981 when it was demolished and replaced with a concrete pier known as "Ocean One." In 2002 it became "The Pier Shops At Caesars" but is currently in foreclosure. I don't doubt that much of what was on The Million Dollar Pier might have disappeared over the years, it was almost certainly due to demolition rather than fire. Deep Sea NetWhile the best online history of the 'Million Dollar Pier' records that net fishing began in 1907, the following article calls this into question. The Washington Post reports on the capture of a baby white whale at this location, two years prior to this photo. While Americans had mastered the technology to launch global, multi-year voyages to hunt whales, newspaper accounts from the time display a maddening nonspecificity regarding whale species. The only true white whale is the Beluga, which inhabits the margins of the arctic ocean. It would have been a truly remarkable event to find one this far south. Today, the reported southern edge of their range is the St. Lawrence River in Canada. Washington Post, Aug 23, 1903 At Atlantic City A baby White Whale Captured in the Fishing Nets Among the incidents of the week was the capture of a baby white whale, the only of its kind ever seen in this city, and the big baby has attracted thousands of people, who have watched it cavorting in the large fish tan on Young's pier. What to do on the pier? & Are those dogs?The pier included the world's largest ballroom, named The Hippodrome, and a huge exhibit hall. It also hosted movies, conventions, and exhibits. So say they intertubes. In the yard where the gardener is working - are there two dogs laying on the grass? Can't imagine he would allow that. I see a small statue in the closer yard so perhaps that's what they are. I also see 3 or more people working on the far end of the roof. Probably spreading tar. Oh, thank goodness,the ice cream here is hygienic!!! The last time we visited the shore we got some of that unhygienic ice cream by mistake. Poor Aunt Tessie was sick for a month! Tar TimeAs far as the guys taring the roof goes, "Only 50,000 square feet to go" Pier reviewAuthor Emil Salvini's "Tales of the Jersey Shore" blog includes a postcard that he found in 2009 depicting a March 29, 1912 fire: Jim Waltzer, co-author of "Tales of South Jersey," wrote an article in 2006 in Atlantic City Weekly that describes Young Pier fires in 1949 and 1981. Fate of the PierYes, indeed, fire did claim the pier (kind of), but even to this day, not completely (the pier is about a third of a mile long; you are only looking at some 300 feet or so). The Grand Ballroom, which is to the far right, was destroyed by fire in 1949; the pier itself was still sound, however, and the section was rebuilt as an amusement park; it was very well known in the 1950s. The center section where the workers are on the roof was torn down in 1969, and replaced with other amusements. The far ocean side of the pier burned in 1981. The Ocean One Mall is built on what's left of the pier and pier site at this time, though one of the casinos is eying rebuilding the pier to something close to its former state. What does one do on a pier like that?One strolls while eating Cones filled with Hygienic Ice Cream, of course. Second-String but stll First-Rate.The Million Dollar Pier was still intact as an amusement venue as late as the middle-1950's, although it was always 'second-string' to The Steel Pier. But back in those days, that was in no sense a demeaning position to be in, in AC. Long-Lived"When did that thing burn?" was my first thought. It lasted a good long time. The pier had burned in 1902. (You can see some roof work going on in this picture). The rebuilt pier lasted in one form or another until the ocean end burned in 1981. The pier at Caesar's stands at the site now. (The Gallery, Atlantic City, DPC, Swimming)
Selznick Pictures: 1920
...     Washington       Atlantic City Special Display of the Latest Coiffeur Effects by William Hepner ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 09/13/2011 - 11:59pm -

January 1920. Washington, D.C. "Selznick front, Thirteenth Street N.W." National Photo Company Collection glass negative. View full size. Hepner's Hair EmporiumWilliam Hepner: "the acknowledged leader in the Art of Hair Dressing in America." The Washington salons of Hepner's Hair Emporium opened Jan 9, 1911. An image of the original New York establishment of William Hepner's hair and skin salon was previously seen in this 1912 Shorpy Photo. Advertisement, Washington Post, Nov 5, 1913 New York       Washington       Atlantic City Special Display of the Latest Coiffeur Effects by William Hepner We are now showing in our windows a special display of the very latest coiffeurs, by William Hepner, the acknowledged leader in the Art of Hair Dressing in America. Every woman in Washington who keeps abreast of Fashion should see these new coiffeurs. Highest Quality Hair Goods All our hair goods are made from the finest quality of human hair, personally selected. Our experts make up the most attractive pieces, under the most sanitary conditions. Our great stock makes it possible for us to exactly match any shade of hair. We Offer Ideal Service in Scalp Treatment, Shampooing, Hair Dressing, Massage and Manicuring Here in our luxurious parlor, daft and cheerful workers, trained in our New York establishment, are ready to serve you. Special service in your own home when desired. Toupees made to order and fitted by experts. Hepner's Hair Emporium 525 13th St. 2 Doors Below F Select Pictures CorpSelect Pictures Corporation was not a happy place. It was created after future Paramount boss Adolph Zukor quietly bought half of Lewis Selznick's silent film company. Zukor apparently insisted on the title change, because he didn't want Selznick's name included. Zukor, however, cared more about his other film companies than for any Selznick, and in the production glut of 1923 let Select Pictures and Selznick go bankrupt. But Lewis's two college-age sons (Myron and David O.) learned. David of course would become a mogul to rival Zukor, while Myron, as talent agent, would avenge Zukor's treatment of their father. If you could run the interior shots of this business in the LOC's archive, it might be possible to tell if one of the workers was an 18-year-old David O. [I doubt any actual Selznicks worked here. - Dave] Who you gonna call?There seems to be a trans-dimensional portal forming around those two centre buildings. Tragedy awaitsThe actress Olive Thomas was soon to marry Mary Pickfords brother; and while on a trip to Paris with him died under mysterious circumstances. He was implicated in her death for a short time, but the truth of what happened has never been fully explained. Julius Garfinkle and Co. (Washingson~Paris)The company was established in 1905 and, by the 1930s, was the most fashionable ladies' store in Washington. The store was still in existence in the 1970s. They were located on the SE corner of F and 13th NW Streets. Quite a few dresses and accessories with the store label show up on EBay. Garfinkle's demiseI've always thought that the reason the store eventually went under is to be explained in an incident from my childhood. Once -- I must have been 2 or 3 -- my mother took me with her when she went shopping there. One of the salesladies commented on what a handsome grandson she had. My mother never set foot in the place again. Julius GarfinckelThe most interesting thing to me in this picture is the spelling of "Julius Garfinkle." At some time during his life, the great Washington retailer changed the spelling of his name from Garfinkle to Garfinckel. The store was always known as Garfinckel's during my lifetime. The flagship downtown store moved from 13th and F to the northwest corner of 14th and F in 1929. The building now houses offices and street-level retail. I give up.At first, I merely thought it was something wrong with the film. Then, I looked at the picture full size and realized that they were on display in not just one, but both of Garfinkle windows. They look like a bunch of haunted handkerchiefs that have come to life, and are saying "Boo" to all passing pedestrians. [Mold on the emulsion is responsible for the clothing display's alarming appearance. - Dave] Daft WorkersIn the Hepner's ad below it states "Here in our luxurious parlor, daft and cheerful workers" -- I believe the word should have been deft, not daft. Can you imagine a customer requesting one of Hepner's most daft workers to work on her hair? Garfinkle'sMy mother worked at Garfinkle's in the 1930s, and I remember her shopping there many times while I was growing up near DC. I'd have to wait around endlessly while she tried on dresses, but at least we ate lunch at the Hot Shoppe on 14th St, and went to the matinee at the Capitol or the Trans-Lux. Select PicturesThis was, according to news items in the old Washington Star, a booking and exhibitor relations office for the various movie theaters in the mid-Atlantic region. (The Gallery, Cars, Trucks, Buses, D.C., Movies, Natl Photo)
Inter-City Beauties: 1927
Contestants at Atlantic City Pageant. View full size. Forgive me... I hope this isn't an ... to shame! :) Are you my mother? I was born in Atlantic City 12 years after this picture was taken, so conceivably one of ... 
 
Posted by Ken - 02/20/2014 - 5:04pm -

Contestants at Atlantic City Pageant. View full size. Forgive me...I hope this isn't an average sampling of women in 1927. Some of them are pretty, of course, but others... man... How did they win? (For instance, look at the girl four down from the man in the center. Is that a drag queen?) Pay attentionAnd why is the woman to his left looking in a different direction than everyone else? Compare and contrast1927, 2006. Bitter pageant rivalry caught on film . . .Take a look at the woman directly behind the gentleman in the middle. She's about to sink a knife into the back of Miss Wichita. timI think I've seen this image before on the american memory project. Is this where you are getting your images? What about 8th down?The woman 8th to the right of the man looks more drag queen-ish than the 4th... but the REAL question here is what's the deal with the woman dressed like an American Indian? Was she part of the presentation, or was she a contestant who thought that get-up would give her the edge? At least . . .. . . they're not all anorexic appearing and their smiles seem genuine. They look real! Thanks, Shorpy, for sharing! most beautiful of them all...is the one in full formal native american dress... anyone able to link more about her? FascinatingI think it's a picture that brings out the feelings of the era. Not a blonde among them ...Interesting how much darker their hair was than your typical beauty queen of today. Drew BarrymoreLook at the woman 4th to the left of the guy in the middle. Either Drew Barrymore has a time machine, or that's her grandmother. ACTUALLY, POSSIBLY SEVERAL BLONDESWhile it appears there are no blondes, there were in fact several. This is owing to the likelyhood that the photo was taken on orthochromatic film, not panchromatic film. Panchromatic film was invented in Dec 1912 and did not take over popular photography as THE choice until the 1960's. Orthochromatic film stock—the only kind previously available—had good reproduction at the higher frequency (blue) end of the colour spectrum, low response to yellow and green and complete insensitivity to reds. Therefore yellows are represented as a dark grey. Beauty StandardsBeauty standards change from time to time. beauty standardsHey! There are some real hotties in that bunch. Re: Not a blonde among them ...More importantly, not a breast augmentation for any of them. And no capped teeth. Just as God made 'em. You'll never see a talent show like that any more. OopsI meant to the left as you're looking at him; actually to his right. PrincessLook at her banner, I think it says Princess American What are you fools talkingWhat are you fools talking about? I read the comments before I clicked through to the full size pic, expecting it to be shocking. There are some hotties in there, and most of them have a really attractive cute look. Yeah, there are a few mingers too (I'm looking at you, Miss Biloxi), but what do you expect in a competition where they throw Miss Biloxi up against Miss California and Miss New England? The winnerThe winner was Miss Illinois. Sort of a demure, cute look. Can you find her in the picture? In reply to Tipster No. 2"(I'm looking at you, Miss Biloxi), but what do you expect in a competition where they throw Miss Biloxi up against Miss California and Miss New England?" There are so many beautiful women in the South. Hush yo mouth! Let's see your picture! Old photos make me sortof sadOld photos make me sortof sad, and I get all philosophical and thoughtful and whatnot: Every one of these women have been dead for many, many years, the guys overcome with need for them are also gone, but that need lives on, or something. They sure are beautiful. Like the above comment, it's nice that there are no augmentations or nose jobs or whatever, just pretty women, their smiles glowing, life stretching out in front of them like a road without end. I hope that the road was good for them, and I hope your road is good for you, too. Peace. dancestoblue Austin Texas Annotate on Flickr?Anyone find this on Flickr with notes on each contestant where they are from? uhhyea except i'm sure most of them are still alive 1930 wasn't very long ago der. wellexcept that 1927 was 80 years ago and most of them may have been about 20 years old which would put them all at about 100 now. So probably not most of them are alive. nopeyes most of them are still living but in the other life. i agree with will said Don't be ridiculous!These women put most of the hussies to-day to shame! :) Are you my mother?I was born in Atlantic City 12 years after this picture was taken, so conceivably one of these could be my lost mother. Limited samplingTo be a beauty in 1927 meant being white. Anyone with one drop of (Arrgh! Gasp! Retch!) African blood need not apply. PageantI was watching the Miss Black America Pageant and I didnt find any blue eyes. I guess Germans need not apply. Interesting comment...Chances are at least one of the Miss Black America contestants has a bit of German heritage in her. Not enough, maybe for blue eyes, but probably. But your comment is interesting because these smiling young women competed in a system that informally screened blacks, Asians and others from competition. The informal understanding was later codified under the pageant's Rule Seven, which stated: "contestants must be of good health and of the white race." People with backgrounds other than strictly European began competing eventually. But the Miss Black America pageant was created in the 1960s, after years of informal exclusion, by those of African heritage seeking their own recognition. That they had to do so outside of the pageant was unfortunate. If you want to read more, PBS has material up on their website from their show about Miss A here. Not Miss AmericaThe photo is of the Miss Atlantic City pageant, not the Miss America pageant. Similar to the 1926 Inter-Cities Competition pic...I see a similarity to the previous year's picture with that year's contestants. Notice in the upper right-hand corner, Miss Yonkers wears rolled-up white stockings just like knee-socks...how cute and a little sexy. In the '26 photo, two contestants stood in that same corner and, lo and behold, they were the only ones in rolled up stockings. Unfortunately, that picture was obscure to the tags they wore in the front that you could not see where they were from...what a shame! But I love it!!! What an era in history!!! Did our grandmothers have fun or what? Miss Yonkers 1927Miss Yonkers was 16 at the time. All contestants were required to wear stockings, something she was unaware of, and she didn't bring any. She borrowed the knee highs because to pose with bare legs was not allowed and considered scandalous. How do I know? She was my Mom. SHe passed away in 1999. I have a whole album of photos from the event. Her 1st cousin, running as Miss Westchester County, won the bathing suit competition in 1941 and was 3rd runner up. 1941 was the first year that the competition was called the Miss America Pageant. Up until then it was called the Atlantic City Pageant. It started in 1926, I believe, as a way to extend the summer season in Atlantic City. (Atlantic City, Pretty Girls)
The Three Basketeers: 1924
... Eliott Smith at White House." Who seem to be bicycling to Atlantic City in August. Might want to loosen those bowties, boys. National Photo ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 04/04/2014 - 6:59pm -

August 8, 1924. "Stewart Shortt, John Ayers, Eliott Smith at White House." Who seem to be bicycling to Atlantic City in August. Might want to loosen those bowties, boys. National Photo Company glass negative. View full size. Petersburg Promoters Baltimore Sun, August 11, 1924. Boys on Tour To Advertise Petersburg, Va., Reach City Three Youths Will Visit Mayor Today —Expect To Go To Atlantic City. Three boys who are advertising their city—Petersburg, Va.—arrived in Baltimore yesterday. They are making their tour on bicycles and have visited Bowling Green, Fredericksburg, and Alexandria, Va., and Washington. They plan to complete the trip August 20, when they expect to arrive at Atlantic City. Today the boys—Stuart A. Shortt, Elliott A. Smith and John W. Ayers—will visit Mayor Jackson and A.S. Goldsborough, executive secretary of the Baltimore Association of Commerce. They are carrying pamphlets explanatory of Petersburg's growth as an industrial city. Their visit to Baltimore will be lengthened in order that Shortt may receive treatment from Dr. William S. Baer for an injured leg. (The Gallery, Bicycles, Boy Scouts, D.C., Natl Photo)
Forsyth Street: 1910
... I would have cooked to death in the winter! City tags? The license plates on the cars say Jacksonville, rather than ... and Norman Jr (1913-1984). The Doc died in 1932. 121 Atlantic Place remains Looks like one of the buildings in the shot remains ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/16/2014 - 11:54am -

1910. "Forsyth Street looking east." Our 20th large-format, high-resolution view of Jacksonville, Florida. 8x10 inch dry plate glass negative. View full size. A quiet findThe level of activity at street level in these photos can be so high that to find a moment in the upper storeys is always fairly quiet. For example: in the lower right quadrant, to the right of and above plate number 252, on the second floor beside a wide-open bay window, the woman in the white hat, with feather, seen from behind so we only see the rear side of her face. Try as I might, I can't read what's on the window, so I can't imagine what she's there for. [DOCTOR N.M. HEGGIE. Norman Heggie was an ophthalmologist in the Buckman Building.- Dave] Thank you so much, Dave! Your powers of crisp embigulation exceed my own hugely. When the fog liftedAfter Dr Heggie's successful treatment of Mrs Shinn's eye ailment, she looked in the mirror and wondered, "Why did I ever buy this hat?" SummertimeI think these are the greatest collection of light poles to date. What first comes to mind on seeing the beautiful hat in the first car was the massive amount of clothing worn in 1910. Then I look up to the top floors of these hotels, without air conditioning, and tip MY hat at the toughness of this generation! I would have cooked to death in the winter! City tags?The license plates on the cars say Jacksonville, rather than Florida. Was this used throughout Florida, or anywhere else? One has another tag also, but I can't read it. [Close-up. -tterrace] Could be his missusDr Norman Mcleod Heggie was born in Brampton, Ontario on 14 Oct 1876 the son of Scots immigrant David, and Canadian Mary Carter. He married Jeanne Carrier (1888-1971) around 1908, and they had two children Jeanne Livingston (1909-1979) and Norman Jr (1913-1984). The Doc died in 1932. 121 Atlantic Place remainsLooks like one of the buildings in the shot remains standing, completed just the year before the photo: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/121_Atlantic_Place You can see it in the Google Street View, with the distinctive top on the left side of the street: http://goo.gl/yu7wiU (The Gallery, Cars, Trucks, Buses, DPC, Florida, Jacksonville)
L.A. to Yosemite: 1920
... written in the dust above the rear fender? Next Stop Atlantic City Is that Nucky Thompson at the wheel? Camp Curry Sounds ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 10/20/2014 - 11:03am -

May 1920. Yosemite National Park. "Prize Cup, Fourth Annual AAA Economy Run, Los Angeles to Camp Curry." An early test of fuel efficiency sponsored by Standard Oil of California. 8x6 inch glass negative originally from the Wyland Stanley collection of San Francisciana, acquired and scanned by Shorpy. View full size. One SurvivorOf all of the cars in the Yosemite Economy Run, only one manufacturer survives today. The Overland marque went away in 1926 and the Willys-Knight nameplate in 1932, but their parent company, Willys-Overland survived. After going through many transitions and owners we now know the firm as Jeep. There was an Overland trim package for the Jeep Grand Cherokee from 2002 - 2004. One other company survived until 2010: Commonwealth Cars. In 1922 Commonwealth became Checker who many of us know as makers of the Checker Cab (they also built some passenger cars and specialty vehicles like airport limousines). Although taxicab production ended in 1982, the firm continued producing automobile parts for General Motors and other firms. Checker filed for bankruptcy in early 2009 and ceased to exist on January 14, 2010. All of the other manufacturers participating in the Yosemite Economy Run were defunct by the close of 1926. All that's left of the treeStump & roof hole. StumpedThough I am now and have ever been a real car nut, somehow I cannot place this ride. The headlamp placement is vaguely reminiscent of Franklin, but in 1920 that marque had not yet adopted a phony radiator (theirs were air-cooled engines) in response to dealer demands that the car look like the competition. Fortunately, Shorpy's discerning clientele will quickly come in with not only the car's make and year but also the line foreman's census data and a Street View of his birthplace. Oh, and any ideas about what's written in the dust above the rear fender? Next Stop Atlantic CityIs that Nucky Thompson at the wheel? Camp CurrySounds delicious. DorrisI believe this is a 1920 Dorris made by the Dorris Motor Car Company of St. Louis. The combination of the two vents on top of the hood, slanted hood louvers, radiator shape, and lights leads me to this conclusion. There is a possibility of this being a 1919 model; however, since it was entered in an economy run, where most likely all vehicles were entered by manufacturers or dealerships, the 1919 model would have been an unlikely choice given these runs were highly publicized (why show off an outdated model?). Although the company started in 1906, its origins were in the St. Louis Motor Carriage Company founded by George Preston Dorris and John L. French. French decided to move the company to Peoria, Illinois in 1905, but Dorris decided to remain behind. Production from 1906 - 1926 was never large with only 3,100 cars and 900 trucks made during this time. Their company slogan, "Build up to a standard, not down to a price," was part of the reason their vehicles were so expensive (up to $7,000 for a closed car). Quality was very high. Although there were many distibutors 90% of production was sold in the St. Louis area. It appears that only sixteen Dorris cars still exist. The Dorris family still owns six of them. The building the cars were made in is now on the National Register of Historic Places (added February 10, 2000). The application form here, starting at Section 8, has a wealth of detail about the company and the building including some photos. Other online information is here and here. Another photo of a 1920 Dorris is shown below. And the Winners Are ...As Zcarstvnz (and tterrace!) correctly surmised, the rig in our photo is a Dorris touring car, Model 6-80. Click below to enlarge. Posted on the Porch"Hold On To Uncle Sam's Insurance" was a poster created by James Montgomery Flagg. He is also the person who created the "I Want You For U.S. Army" recruitment poster originally designed during WWI. An enlargement of the poster is below. The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs website says this. There have been several other life insurance programs for service members. Most notably National Service Life Insurance (WWII era), Veterans' Special Life Insurance (Korean War era); and since the Vietnam War era Servicemembers' Group Life Insurance (SGLI). The SGLI now includes both Active Duty and Reserve members and the maximum insurance available is $400,000. (The Gallery, Camping, Cars, Trucks, Buses, W. Stanley)
Miami, Florida: 1908
... Cigars, anyone? It looks like the main street of Ybor City near Tampa, Florida. [Close, but no cigar. - Dave] Titusville, ... several government agencies and businesses including Gulf Atlantic Title, Cathedral Holdings and Loys Ward Surveying and Engineering." ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 10/14/2014 - 12:58pm -

Circa 1908. Who would care to hazard a guess as to the location of this bustling metropolis? Extra points for Street View. Detroit Publishing Co. View full size. UPDATE: The guesses as to the location of "Anytown, USA" (this post's original title) were, quite literally, all over the map -- from Deadwood to Buffalo to Whitehouse, Ohio. Many incorrect guesses for Titusville, Florida. The correct answer, and original caption: "12th Street, looking east, Miami, Florida." Cigars, anyone?It looks like the main street of Ybor City near Tampa, Florida. [Close, but no cigar. - Dave] Titusville, FloridaMain Street Titusville FloridaTitusville was the home of E.L. Brady Groceries! GuessingI'm guessing it is Titusville. Miami, 1200It would appear the MacArthur highway removed this locale: View Larger Map Location is.Titusville Florida Titusville, FLTitusville. FL? A grocer with the same name had a building there: I have to admit I'm not too confident; the bank building looks wrong. Florida?Google search suggests that this may be early Miami, with E.L. Brady Groceries on right, and Frank T. Budge Hardware on the left. Miami, FLI believe this is Miami, Florida, corner of 12th Street (now Flagler Street) and Avenue D (now Miami Avenue). View Larger Map I know, I know!It's the home of the Ace Novelty Company in Walla, Walla, Washington. What do I win? Miami Map 1919This map shows Avenue D (now Miami Avenue) and 12th Street to be somewhere under the pilings for MacArthur Freeway. Too bad about the grand old house on the left a few blocks up. That shoulda been a keeper. E.L. Brady's grocery storetells me this is Titusville, Florida. Miami, FloridaThis is 12th Street, looking east, Miami, Florida. Miami?A guy named E.L. Brady was a grocer in Miami around that time. Wild GuessBrooklyn, New York IdentityWashington Avenue, Titusville Florida. Possible answerI cheated and Googled "E.L. Brady" grocery store" and got Titusville, FL. Did I win? MiamiSome research indicates Flagler Street and Miami Avenue , although street view is hard to recognize. MiamiAvenue D (now Miami Ave.) and 12th Street, Miami, Fl. It looks like it's beneath the MacAurther Causeway now. Titusville FLA.Main Street? Is it KC?It could be my eyes playing tricks, but I think I see a reference to Kansas City in the banner stretched across the street. I'm guessingTitusville, Florida? Taking a guessI think the location is somewhere in Titusville, Florida. Titusville, Florida?Okay, here's my detective work. I Googled C.W. Schmid's Restaurant to no avail, but then I saw the E. L. Brady and Co. Groceries sign and tried that. It took me to this site, which mentions a store by the same name in Titusville. Am I right? Brady Grocery, Titusville, Florida407 S. Washington Avenue, Titusville, Florida "Titusville's first grocery store, L.A. Brady Grocery Store, was built in 1880. This and other buildings immediately south were occupied by Jackson Garage, Coca Cola, Bryan-Conway Realtors, Grower's Supply and Sears. The building was renovated and reopened in 1988 as the Granada Building, housing several government agencies and businesses including Gulf Atlantic Title, Cathedral Holdings and Loys Ward Surveying and Engineering." I had not a clueBut I thought maybe somewhere up north because of the awnings, which I thought might protect from the harsh winter snow. Duh! I could not have been more wrong. Turns out they were protection from the hot sun of Florida! Having lived there for a tortuous 6 months, I should have known better. I'm guessingTitusville,FL. Jacksonville, Florida.It has to be Jax. There's crap in the street and it looks like a slum. Nothing has changed. My guess is MiamiSearching for E.L. Brady's lead me to this conclusion based on this page, and this quote: On March 3, Flagler dispatched John Sewell and twelve of his best black workers from Palm Beach to Miami to begin work on the townsite. They began by grading the site of Flagler’s hotel. (72) By late March the railroad extension had reached a point just below Arch Creek near today’s Northeast 135th Street. (73) Increasing numbers of people were coming to Miami. In order to provide them with a place to stay, Harrington and Tyler leased the Miami Hotel from Julia Tuttle — even before it had a roof over it. Located on today’s South Miami Avenue near the river, the hotel contained a dining room on the first floor and rooms on the second which only could be reached by ladder, since a staircase had not been completed. (74) A former steamboat, the Rockledge, was converted into a floating hotel by E. E. Vail, towed to Miami and docked at the foot of Avenue D (today’s Miami Avenue). (75) Several new businesses had just opened or were about to open as March drew to a close. These included Frank Budge’s hardware store, Frank Duren’s meat market and green grocery, E.L. Brady’s grocery store, and the Lummus Brothers’ general store; additionally, a drug store, candy shop and pool room looked out over Avenue D. The lumber to build the Bank of Bay Biscayne building was being hauled to its lot next to the Brady grocery store. (76) Survey saysI believe this is Brooklyn, NY. I took the easy way out and just searched for 1200 Avenue O from the side of the grocers wagon Joe from LI, NY View Larger Map Miami?A Google search for "e l brady" grocer 1200 ave d turned up this link. On page 69 of which is mentioned a small grocery in Miami, run by an E.L. Brady. A guessIs it Titusville Florida? It's downtown MiamiThe Historical Museum of Southern Florida puts E.L. Brady Grocers, 1200 Avenue D, in Miami at that point. Avenue D is now South Miami Avenue. I'm not familiar with the area to know if the street numbering was retained. Schmids Furniture, Whitehouse, OhioWhitehouse, Ohio? There is a reference to a "Schmids Funiture" still there in 1937 when this was written. An updated guessIs it Miami, Florida? MaybeTitusville, Florida? TitusvilleStill working on the street view. Miami, Florida?Miami, FL, 12th Street. Anytown USA = Whitehouse OHIf you google "Schmid's Furniture" and have google uncorrect it, there's a PDF link to a report on Early Whitehouse History. In there is a reference to Schmid's Furniture on Toledo Ave (which looks very different today in Street View) Some leadsA search for E.L. Brady's grocery brought up a couple things. This page mentions the cart part of the business, which would place this in Titusville, Florida, to the East of Orlando. This link contains a picture of an historical marker in Titusville, which mentions that the building where Brady's grocery would have been housed in 1908 still stands, and is to the right of the sign. I'm pretty sure I've located the sign in street view here: View Larger Map The gardening has changed from the pictures, but the background matches up perfectly. The only step from here would be to go a few ticks over on street view and turn around, but this is where I stopped. Either I have the wrong spot or the view has changed considerably. Found it?I found reference to E.L. Brady's grocery store which leads me to believe this is Titusville, Florida. The building was home to E.L. Brady's grocery store. He first established his business in LaGrange, but moved to Titusville in 1886, occupying a wooden building at Main Street. The 1895 fire destroyed his store and many wood structures in the commercial district. Brady rebuilt his grocery in this building Is this it?Not much left from 1908. View Larger Map No DoubtThat's downtown Anytown. (Read the heading.) Titusville?Looks like E.L. Brady's Grocery store was located in Titusville, FL. That could be the site of this shot, perhaps... Fort Pierce / St. Lucie, FLMan, is this a depressing indicator of change. View Larger Map ETA: Darn, not correct! Miami, Fl ?http://www.hmsf.org/collections-south-florida-birth-city.htm On March 3, Flagler dispatched John Sewell and twelve of his best black workers from Palm Beach to Miami to begin work on the townsite. They began by grading the site of Flagler’s hotel. (72) By late March the railroad extension had reached a point just below Arch Creek near today’s Northeast 135th Street. (73) Increasing numbers of people were coming to Miami. In order to provide them with a place to stay, Harrington and Tyler leased the Miami Hotel from Julia Tuttle — even before it had a roof over it. Located on today’s South Miami Avenue near the river, the hotel contained a dining room on the first floor and rooms on the second which only could be reached by ladder, since a staircase had not been completed. (74) A former steamboat, the Rockledge, was converted into a floating hotel by E. E. Vail, towed to Miami and docked at the foot of Avenue D (today’s Miami Avenue). (75) Several new businesses had just opened or were about to open as March drew to a close. These included Frank Budge’s hardware store, Frank Duren’s meat market and green grocery, E. L. Brady’s grocery store, and the Lummus Brothers’ general store; additionally, a drug store, candy shop and pool room looked out over Avenue D. The lumber to build the Bank of Bay Biscayne building was being hauled to its lot next to the Brady grocery store. (76) Anytown, USA is Titusville, FloridaAnytown, USA is Titusville, Florida "E.L. Brady and Brother Grocery Store, a well established business located on Washington Ave. in downtown Titusville, put into use a delivery wagon in order to provide better customer service." Judging by the number of wiresI would say: NYC. Miami, Florida ...perhaps the corner of D (now Miami) and 12th Avenues? After Titusville, FLAfter Titusville FL Mr. E.L. Brady, Grocer, moved to Miami and opened up his grocery store on Avenue D. Not sure what that is called now though. Titusville Fla. Probably S. Washington St. That was funThat was fun. I was one of the Titusville people. Got it wrong. Oh well. How about doing something like this once a week? Not a palm tree in sightThe grocer E.L. Brady originated in Lagrange, Florida and relocated to Titusville, Florida in 1886. He would eventually became the first grocer in Miami, Florida at Ave. D and 12th Street. Today, this intersection would be Flagler Street and Miami Avenue. An interesting 1901 photo of the mustachioed Mr. Brady can be seen here. A guessBuffalo, NY. Found a reference to a wedding in the NY Times where Mr. and Mrs. E.L. Brady from Buffalo attended. Brooklyn?Probably wrong, but I'll hazard a guess at Brooklyn; 1200 Avenue D is near the intersection of Flatbush, which would make that little side street on the left E. 23rd St. View Larger Map Is it Louisville?I think this may be Avenue D in Louisville, KY. Miamihad an Avenue D in 1908 and a grocer called E.L. Brady. Welcome to MiamiLooks like it's somewhere on what is now South Miami Avenue - possibly where the Route 970 overpass is now located? FoundView Larger Map Stop 17 on the historical walking tour. Historical marker north of the building. Hazarding a GuessI'm going to guess we're looking at Old Miam, South Miami Avei? Just a GuessTitusville or Miami, FL. Titusville, FLJust a guess. Titusville, FLI think I see an atlas rocket taking off from the cape in the background. Florida townI believe this is Titusville Florida. LocationThis was taken in Miami, Florida at the corner of what is now Flagler Street and Miami Avenue. Everything in the original photo is gone, even the street names! Flagler and Miami used to be 12th Street and Avenue D, respectively. Titusville, FloridaHome of E.L. Brady, Grocer. Doesn't Look Like Florida to MeMy guess is Titusville FL, because that is the only place I can find a E L Brady that is a Grocer on the 1900 and 1910 census. Am I correct? Miami, FloridaThat's my guess. Deadwood, SD?Shot in the dark guess. Just seems very western. Gag! I was wrong, wrong, wrong. Embarrassing since I was born and raised in Fort Lauderdale, and my grandparents + my mother moved to South Florida in 1917. Miami, FL?Possibly Miami, as per an obituary for E.L. Brady (pulled from the "E.L. Brady and Co" store on the right, beyond the real estate agent). That would make this shot somewhere in the vicinity of Flagler and Miami Avenue. Miami FloridaAvenue D and 12th Street. Now Flagler Street and Miami Avenue. See if I can get a Street View. Definitely MiamiFrom "Early Miami Through the Eyes of Youth" by William M. Straight, M.D., p.69: "How did you get your dairy products and your groceries? Well, there were two grocery stores, little things. I think the first one was operated by a Mr. Brady, E. L. Brady, who moved here from Titusville." On Page 63, there's mention that Avenue D is now Miami Avenue. 1200 Miami Avenue: View Larger Map MiamiE. L. Brady opened one of the first grocery stores in Miami, Florida. In 1908, the Bank of Bay Biscayne was located next door. I think this is the intersection of Miami Avenue and Flagler Street. Let's see nowThere's a tag that says "Florida," but there's also a tag that says "Detroit." Follow upFollow up to my earlier comment about E.L. Brady; according to the same obituary, E.L. Brady was an earlier settler of Titusville, FL, and started a grocery there, too. So this could be Titusville, FL. E. L. Brady Co. GrocersAt the corner of Avenue D and 12th Street in Miami: Titusville, FLLooks like it's in Titusville, FL, though I'm having trouble pinning down the exact location for a Google Street View. Halcyon HometownFinally, a shot of MY hometown, Miami! When Miami scrapped its old street naming system in 1921, they threw out the house numbers along with the street names for the present day quadrant system. The shot was taken on today's Flagler Street (formerly 12th Street) looking east at Miami Avenue (formerly Avenue D). The lions on the left guarded the Bank of Bay Biscayne, which stood on the northwest corner of Miami Avenue and West Flagler Street. The Halcyon Hotel, with its distinctive turrets, stood at East Flagler and 2nd Avenue (formerly 12th Street and Avenue B). It can be seen down the street on the left side. It'd be great to see some more Old Miami shots! Thanks, Shorpy! Let me guessI'm gonna go out on a limb here and guess that this city is in Florida? I'm thinkingTitusville, FL Thank you, Mr. Brady the grocerIt's Miami. HOW COULD YOU TELL????I enlarged the photo, combed all the print details, how can you possibly recognize it a hundred years later????!! (Thanks for the fun though.) Bay Biscayne BankAccording to the Sanford Fire Map of 1899, the Bay Biscayne Bank was around the corner on D Avenue, on the NE side of the intersection, up the block on D Avenue slightly. Of course, it may have moved across the street to the NW corner by 1909. In the 1909 edition of Florida East Coast Homeseeker, it ran an ad noting it had moved to new digs in the Fort Dallas Bank Building; the one with the columns on the immediate left, and just west of the bank building, would have been the Biscayne Hotel in 1899. The weather bureau opened a station in the Bank of Bay Biscayne Building at that same location in 1911, so by then the building seems to have dropped the Fort Dallas appellation. The picture of the bank building provided by the NOAA website must be looking NW at it catercorner across the intersection. (The Gallery, DPC, Florida, Miami)
Rockaway Bungalows: 1910
... How close were they to the beach? How does less than a city block sound? In the Rockaways, as at Coney, Manhattan, Brighton, and other ... children in the summers. We ended up renting cabanas in Atlantic Beach from when they were little, then moved to Atlantic Beach, but ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/04/2012 - 3:56am -

Vacation bungalow colony at Rockaway, Queens, c. 1910. View full size. George Grantham Bain Collection. Note "front yards" of sand decorated with seashells. Sand in QueensI wonder if any of the buildings are still standing. Since they are tract of small bungalows, I wonder what company supplied that lot for workers to live in. Sand in...Queens?! Wow. [Never heard of Rockaway Beach? - Dave] BungalowsWere these for living or vacation rentals? They sure are cute. Does anyone know how far from the water they were? Rockaway[Never heard of Rockaway Beach? - Dave] Well I've heard of Rockaway Beach here in Oregon. :) Re: BungalowsThe were seasonal at first. More info at the Beachside Bungalow Preservation Association: By the 1920s, Rockaway Beach was the poor man's Riviera. It had a six-mile long boardwalk lined with amusements, and thousands flocked to the beach every summer weekend. Many families rented tents for the entire season, while those a little more affluent rented small bungalows. The concept of the bungalow in America was well established by this time as they were built for summer communities on both coasts. The plans could be purchased from catalogues and were designed in numerous styles. This last remaining bungalow colony was built by Richard Bainbridge in the 1920s. The one and a half story houses all have front porches and pitched roofs. The design and style vary from street to street. Some of the bungalows are in a Spanish Revival style of stucco with wood trim and green the roofs, and others are in an English Tudor of brick. Lacking heat, they were closed for the winter months. The lanes leading to the beach have permanent easements for common access. As development pressures change the Rockaways, this small district has become endangered. But it would be appropriate to preserve and restore this remnant of past summer amusements. The yards are super.The yards are super. Send the kids down to the beach to bring back sea shells to decorate with! Talk about a family project. Rockaway BungalowsI'm pretty sure these are not there anymore. In fact Rockaway Beach today is quite run-down. If you take the A Train out there, these must have been between the tracks and the water, where there are now streets with no houses. Only weeds. Sadly, most of theseSadly, most of these bungalows are gone, as Doug points out above. There are only a few left, and they face demolition by developers who want to turn the Rockaways into yet another bland housing development. These were vacation homes for folks in Manhattan and the other boros, not company houses for factory workers. How close were they to the beach? How does less than a city block sound? In the Rockaways, as at Coney, Manhattan, Brighton, and other New York City beaches, the streets are set up perpendicular to the beach and are only a few blocks long. The last block actually ends at the boardwalk. Across the boardwalk is the beach. The Ramones were from the Rockaways. Beach 29th streetMy family rented a bungalow on Beach 29th street until I was around 12 years old. As soon as school was over, my parents would pack up a van and off we went until Labor Day. It was the most amazing summers of my life. No locks on doors, showers in the backyard, fireworks Wednesday nights. My parents belonged to a group called FROGS- Far Rockaway Ocean Goers. The Bungalow owners, Mr. and Mrs. Herman, would let my Dad come before the season to fish. The last time I was there was about 36 years ago. It was so sad to see the destruction of these amazing bungalows. Ours was white and green, and all the furniture inside was painted a sticky tacky gray. My Grandma and Nana lived a few blocks up in a rooming house. It was very sad to watch as these homes burned to the ground. Such a day-gone-by era. Beach 29th StreetHi! I am very curious exactly where on 29th Street the bungalow was. I lived on 29th just off Seagirt Blvd. It was a year 'round dwelling. The area was VERY crowded during the summer and VERY empty from after Labor Day until Memorial Day. Do you have any pictures from there? I would love to see them! Thanks, Marc Far Rockaway refugee now living in Bayside, NY Rockaway BungalowsThere was nothing better than spending the summer in Rockaway. Most of your family members rented bungalows in the court. Everyone was out every night. The beach was just a few steps away. Fathers came out only for the weekends, even if you lived in Queens... Beach 107 StreetMy aunts, grandmother and uncle would whisk us away to Rockaway the minute school closed for the summer. We would stop at Weiss's for fish and chips, then drive over the old Cross Bay Boulevard bridge and see the top of the roller coaster and the ocean beyond. In a few minutes we would be at our bungelow in Highland Court, the second one in. We thought we had arrived since we had a hot water heater. It was a great place for kids to grow up. Every day my sister and I would open the window with the sun shining down on us. We would get into our bathing suits and run to the beach, riding the waves until we were dragged out by our relatives. Beach 106 StreetBetween 1951 and 1958 or so I stayed with my good friend Donald Sullivan and his family in bungalows on Beach 106 Street. I don't remember the court name - if it had one. I do seem to remember Highland Court but this was centuries ago and memory may play tricks. Sand in QueensA similar group of bungalows still exists in the Breezy Point Coop and Roxbury in Queens. Many have been expanded and converted to year round use now, though some are still used only for the season. They refer to Breezy Point and Roxbury as the "Irish Riviera" due to the strong Irish presence. B. 29th bungalowsI know EXACTLY where you were. My grandmother too had a bungalow, about 5-6 before the boardwalk ramp. They were on the left side, because on the right side was a parking lot or a building (I can't remember it exactly). But up the block was two hotels - the Regency and another one. They were both owned by the same people - Mr. and Mrs. Hecht, german/lithuanian-jewish folks. If you remember, there was a wooden bridge that connected the two buildings, and the courtyard was shared by the two. The showers were both underneath the front of the buildings behind the, lattice and then common showers/bathrooms in the hallways. There was one public phone on each floor and a television on each floor. When my grandmother could no longer stay in the bungalow (either they were sold, torn down or condemned), she went into the Regency Hotel. She was in the basement which was very cool in the summer. They dodn't need air conditioning. The last party of the season was Mardi Gras. My grandmother, being on the heavy side, loved to wear blackface makeup and put her hair up with a tied kerchief - she was "Aunt Jemima." I only wish I had a place like 29th street to bring up my children in the summers. We ended up renting cabanas in Atlantic Beach from when they were little, then moved to Atlantic Beach, but retained memberships at the beach club. We can't get the sand out of our shoes! Belle Harbor's Bungalows I was searching for a picture of Weiss's Restaurant and stumbled across this site. I found one taken before the war, but was hoping to find one more recently, like late 1950s or early 60s. Looking at the group of bungalows, there were similar ones along the beach 2 rows deep at B129th Street in Belle Harbor, Rockaway. They looked very similar to the ones in the pics if memory serves. I was there last year and although they still occupy the same footprint, most have either been completely reconstructed or torn down and replaced with more modern ones. I recall every summer going to the beach and seeking out the "city" kids here for a few weeks. We made lots of new friends every summer. Then there were the bungalows out on RockyPoint/BreezyPoint. My mother spent her childhood summers, probably right there in that picture. Her parents owned their own bungalow. I have a picture of it from around 1941. Mom's 83 and I'll have to print this off and show it to her. Maple Court, Beach 28th st.I've been searching for info on Far Rockaway. I've been strolling down memory lane thinking about my wonderful summers there. My family rented, and we stayed for a total of five summers. The last two were in Maple Court, which, I believe, was on beach 26th or 28th Street. Before that we were in B Court and A Court on 28th. I agree with the posters who spoke of these summers as paradise! I felt truly free there. And yes, nothing was locked up. There was no schedule to keep. Just pure fun. My last summer there was in 1969. I remember this because of the moon landing. We returned home from the fireworks display on the beach and watched it on TV. My grandparents owned a fruit store on the main street, and they stayed at a wonderful hotel called the Manor. My happiest memories from my childhood are from Far Rockaway. Maple Court bungalowMy family purchased a bungalow at 29 Maple Court in 1969 when I was 9 years old. I too had the greatest memories there. We took so much for granted thinking everyone lived as we did. Now I realize how lucky we were back then. Being able to stroll down the street to the boardwalk, watching the fireworks Wednesday nights, and winning prizes at the arcade games are fond memories. Do you remember the pizza shop on the corner? Because the bungalows were so small and cozy, to this day I prefer smaller spaces. Thanks for letting me relive those memories for just a short time. The EmbassyWe stayed in the Embassy on 29th Street (right next to the ramp to the beach). Many of my friends were in the bungalow courts between 28th and 29th. We stopped going in 1967 but those were the best times -- those summers were magical. My husband and I went back in 1998. There is a school where the Embassy used to be and nothing much else. I went down to the beach and I cried. Who were your grandparents?Carolyn, my parents owned the Manor at 2400 Seagirt Blvd (beach 24st). My last summer on Rockaway Beach was 1967 just before I entered the Army. My parents and I moved to South Florida shortly there after. I was 6 miles from the DMZ in Vietnam when we landed on the moon. Fruit storeCarolyn, if memory serves (pretty fuzzy by now), your grandparents were the Lebowitzes. The fruit store was on Edgemere Avenue just off Beach 24 next to Willy's Market. If I am right, I am amazed. The EmbassyMy family had a bungalow on B29th Street on "the ramp" from the 1950s until around 1970. I got thrown out of the Embassy by the owner because we didn't live there. I bought ice cream at the candy store under the porch of the hotel. I saw the school, it was a bummer. I remember Lenny's, skee ball, Jerry's knishes, Sally & Larry's pizza, movies on the boardwalk, Dugan the baker, softball games, basketball in the parking lot. I used to sell lemonade to the ball players on hot days. Memories ... I remember a girl named Cherie or Sherry. She had a boyfriend, Arnie. I used to hang out with Arnie's brother Marvin. lmc2222@aol.com Far RockawayI also have childhood reminiscences of Far Rockaway. My family lived in a small bungalow rented for a group of Russians in 1970s (yep, I am Russian, living in Moscow now). I was 3 or 4 years old at that time, so I do not remember much. What I know is that these are one of the brightest memories of my early childhood. My pa said the house was really small. I do not know what street it was on, or if it still exists. What matters are the snapshots of my memory: me sitting on a porch on a rocking chair, and the arches of the porches, of the same form and shape, go all the way down to the ocean. Me playing in sand, building garages for toy trucks, with other children running from waves that seemed - wow - so really huge. And above all and around all, the salty smell of Atlantic, which is different from any other seaside smell. Great pity the place is devastated today. Hope that everyone who has ever had good times in Far Rock keeps his own memory snapshots of the place, where it looks as it really should. Fruit StorePeter, you have an incredible memory! My grandparents were the Leibowitzes. That's such a specific memory. Did you know them personally? I would love to hear about any memories you have of them or the store. Were you a child at the time? The EmbassyCheri, I can understand your crying. I went back many years ago and was also upset to see the area so demolished. At that time, it seemed the only bungalow left standing belonged to a lady we were all so afraid of on Maple court. She seemed to hate kids (probably we just annoyed her mercilessly!). But going back as an adult, I saw her situation quite differently. The bungalow was all she had, and so she stayed there while everything around her seemed to be destroyed. Maple Court BungalowLillian, we must have known each other since we were there at the same time, and we were around the same age. I was in the first bungalow on the right, facing the main street. You might remember the pile of junk in front of the house (left by the owner, which we were waiting for them to take away!) Where in the court were you? I remember a girl named Elena, and a boy everybody had a crush on named Eddie. The ManorWow... your parents owned the Manor! What an interesting and exciting experience that must have been. If I recall correctly, there were an eccentric bunch of characters staying there. Carolyn! What a great happening!Hi Carolyn, Glad you found me on Facebook. Your ability to put me together with my earlier Shorpy post was remarkable, so I am posting this for the benefit of "Shorpy page readers." Your recollections and mine from the 1960's certainly attest to how great having the internet and pages like Shorpy's are. (Shorpy..thank you!) The fact that I remembered your grandparents is somewhat unique cause I can't remember anyone else's grandparents from way back then, other then mine. I must have really liked them and was destined to cross your path again. I remember sitting and talking with them on porch of the Manor in one of those green rocking chairs. They were "grandparent" types, had a European accent like most grandparents back then, and easy to be comfortable with. Just to put things into focus, I am now 63. That was back when I was 16 or 17 and younger, but your grandparents returned to the Manor for quite a few summers in the 1960s. How could I have remembered your grandparents' name? I too am amazed and flabbergasted. Memories of Far RockawayYes, this website is truly wonderful for allowing us to stroll down memory lane and recall the sights, smells and feel of Far Rockaway... and what an extra treat for me to find someone who actually knew my grandparents. Thank you Shorpy's for allowing us this exchange of information and memories... and thank you Peter for your kindness and your very sharp memory! Far RockawayMy sister directed me to this site. We stayed in the Jefferson Hotel, right between Beach 29th and 30th, next to the Frontenac. My good friend Faye's grandparents, the Kratkas, owned the Embassy and both Faye and I worked the concession stand which her parents ran. The memories of the boardwalk are still strong. Not only did we have the luxury of a fantastic beach at our doorstep, we also had nighttime fun. Cruising up and down the boardwalk -- eating pizza at Sally & Larry's, or Takee Cup (originally called Tuckee Cup until the owners got disgusted of painting out the alternate name it always received over the winter months) and listening to Eddie, with his ever-present songbook, sing requests. All added up to good, clean fun. I left in 1968, went back from time to time, but haven't been back in years. Unfortunately, you can see enough from Google Earth. My two auntsMy father's two aunts had a bungalow in Rockaway Beach in the late 50's early 60's. It had flowered wallpaper and a musty smell, but it was the most interesting home I have ever been in. I was allowed to leave and explore without my mother's glare. I cannot tell you what food we ate there. I have no memory of meals which is odd. I do remember being bitten by my aunt's dog, which scared me for a long time. I think their names were Bernice and Ruth Cohan. If you have any thing to share please do. thanks, Mary Donaldson neversynvr@aol.com Twin HousesThe houses with the bridge were known as "the twin houses", possibly the Claremore & Edgewater, both owned by the Hechts. I spent the happiest summers of my life there! Like Cheri, I've wanted to return, but haven't as I know how sad it would be. Better to revisit in memory, sometimes in dreams. I probably know Cheri (from Arnie & the Joey days) and Les rings a bell, as does singing Eddie... Marcy Sand in my shoes on Beach 107thMy mother's family went to Beach 107th in the summers of 1917 through 1929. After the Depression hit they couldn't afford it. I still have photos of that period. In 1951 our family went down to the Rockaways and rented a bungalow for the season. The courts I remember were Almeida and Holmenhurst. My dad came only for the weekends, arriving Friday evening. The first thing he did was put on his trunks and head for the beach with me. When he hit the ocean you could see all his cares and worries leave. At night the parents would gather on the porches and play cards, drink a Tom Collins or have a beer and just have a good time. As a 10-year-old I wondered what was so much fun doing this every weekend. It occurred to me many years ago that boy, did they have it made. Sitting on a porch with a nice summer drink, a cool ocean breeze along with good friends to talk with and play cards with. Life was so laid-back and simple then. Does anyone remember the doughnut shop Brindle's or the bakery Dudie's? What about Nat's Ice cream shop, where you could get a walk-away sundae. Bill's Deli had the best salads and cold cuts. Wonderful summers that will always keep me warm in the winters of my aging mind. Beach 28th Street & A B and C CourtsI too remember the pizzaria on the corner of Beach 28th street. I remember my friends Randy, Shmealy, Risa, Brenda and Jody. I don't remember Shmealy's given name, but I remember he was hyperactive and a lot of fun. Made up a song from the commercials of the time for Halo Shampoo. "Halo Sham-poo poo, Ha-a-lo! Jodi's mom didn't want me hanging around Jody because I blinked my eyes too much. Oh well. HEY: Jody from Beach 29th street who wrote a post here on 11/12/2007 - I wonder if you're the Jody I remember!? I hung around with Risa a lot. I still have a photo of us and my dog Suzie on the porch of my Bungalow. I once disappeared into the Courts of Beach 28th street while walking my dog. I ended up talking to a boy for 2 hours, not knowing my parents had called the police and had an all-out search for me. My father finally found me. I was the talk of the town that day! I hope someone remembers these people or IS one of these people, or remembers the lost girl incident and would like to contact me at orangechickens2@aol.com. It would be wonderful to hear from you!! Anyone remember dogball?My dad wrote about playing dogball on the beach at 110th Street on his blog at willhoppe.com. I'm going to show him all of your comments later tonight. The BungalowsI was born in Far Rockaway in 1942. I lived there for 16 summers. My dad owned a small grocery on B 28th street. It was the best time of my life. Maple Court faced 28th. To me it was a very exotic place. The renters/owners vacationed there, my dad was a workman. We lived in roominghouses with a bath on the floor. One year I begged my dad to live in Maple Court and we got a small apartment in the back of a bungalow there. The bungalows were the BEST. Rockaway native from HammelsBorn in Rockaway in 1941 at Rockway Beach Hospital. Went to PS 44, JHS 198, Class of '59 from Far Rock. Worked as a locker boy at Roche's Beach Club in Far Rockaway. For two summers I worked in Rockaway Playland. I lived on 90th, where my parents rented out the bungalow in the back of our house every summer. My father at the end of his years as a waiter worked in Weiss's dining room, and the Breakers restaurant on 116th Street. I met my wife in 1965 at McNulty's on 108th Street. She was from Woodhaven and Breezy Point. We got married in '68. I am writing this on the back deck as we are still enjoying the summer weather here at Breezy. We both still have sand in our shoes. Our 1940s summersA group of Bronx families spent the summers of the early '40s in a few bungalows. Sundays the working fathers would appear for a community breakfast. We celebrated V-J Day with a parade on the boardwalk. Takee Cup was a part of our diet. A noodle cup to be eaten after the chow mein was devoured. The ultimate hand held food treat. Beach 25th StreetI grew up in Far Rockaway in the 1960s and 70s. We lived in the Bronx and rented every summer on Beach 32nd Street (now two big apartment buildings -- Seaview Towers). When I was 9 or 10, we moved to Beach 25th year-round. The summers were great -- we didn't wear shoes most of the time. Every Friday night, "Bingo Al" held a game in the court behind the bungalows, between 25th and 26th. One summmer he had a "Chinese auction" and dressed up in an oriental robe and Fu Manchu mustache and beard. Many of the residents got seltzer water delivered in bottles at their back porch. They would gather in the evenings out in front of the bungalows and talk and joke. I would lie in my bed, with my ear pressed against the window screen, trying to listen, and also trying to stay cool -- no air conditioning. Sol "The Cantor" Gerb would play his little electric organ as people sipped their drinks, chatted or played cards. It was like a different world from the rest of New York. I read where one commenter talked about the bungalows rented for the Russians. This was on Beach 24th Street. They worked at the United Nations and rented a block of bungalows. Every Monday morning passenger vans would show up to take them to work at the UN. We played with the Russian kids. They were a good bunch. I stayed over at one of their bungalows and we had crepes for breakfast. I had no idea what crepes were! I learned to play chess, as the Russians were crazy about it. I recall one time when members of the Jewish Defense League blew up a small BMW belonging to one of the Russians. The news came out and I was in the background, behind the reporter. A sad time for Far Rockaway. One of the amazing things was the backgrounds of the bungalow residents -- former concentration camp prisoners, Russians, Irish, Jews, some Italians and Greeks, but we all got along so well. A great place to grow up! At the FrontenacMy family spent summers at the Frontenac from the late 40s until 1957. When I describe it to my daughter, I have to confess it was really more like a boardinghouse. My mother, father and I shared a room that was also the kitchen. Bathroom on the floor, showers were out back for when you came back from the beach. It was great community. Juke box for dancing, card room for gin and mah jongg and the television on the porch. I loved Jerry's cherry cheese knishes. I remember the movie theater on the boardwalk in the 30's (it could barely be called indoors) I bought the News and Mirror off the delivery trucks for 2 or 3 cents and sold them for a nickel. My parents would pay the guy who ran the first aid station under the boardwalk to hold our beach chairs overnight so we wouldn't have to "schlep" them back and forth. We played softball on the blacktop parking lot on 29th street right off the boardwalk. My wife, who I did not know then, stayed with a friend's family in a bungalow on 29th street. I think her best memory was playing Fascination. Best summers everI used to stay at my grandmother's bungalow on B 28th st. in the mid to late 60s. Those were the very best summers ever! Walking just a few yards to the boardwalk and beach, pizza from the store on the corner, hanging with Howie and the crowd there. Playing Fascination for a dime, huge french fries in those cone cups. If anyone knows the whereabouts of Howie Young I'd love to get in touch with him. My email is belongtoyou@hotmail.com Hugh McNulty Hotel, Rockaway BeachI am trying to learn about Hugh McNulty's Hotel. I am not sure what street it was on, but there was also a bar in it. Hugh was my mum's uncle and her father came to stay with him and work for him. The time period may have been 1924-1930. I know the hotel was still in operation in 1953, as my grandmother visited him at that time. Any help is appreciated. libtech50@comcast.net Edgemere memoriesMy family lived many places in the Edgemere section of Far Rockaway (I don't know the exact boundaries of Edgemere, if there were any), but my memories centered on Beach 48th Way and Beach 48th Street. Fantastic place to spend the summers and escape the hell of the South Bronx. I had wonderful Jewish friends and I worried that they would go to hell because they weren't Catholic. Now I laugh as such perverted theology, but back then it was serious stuff. I loved the beach, the ocean, the starts, the jetties, playing every group game known to humans, going over the the "bay side" to play softball with the "project people" -- those who lived beyond the marshes and spent the winter there. No doubt about it, the best part of my childhood was Rockaway. Too bad it was taken away from us and to my knowledge, still is just a bunch of sand with no houses where we used to live, right near the boardwalk. Beach 48th Way, RockawayIn the early 1960s there were two brothers that were lifeguards when my family was there, Dennis and Tom Fulton. Anyone remember them? Also there was a man named Warren who would feed pigeons at the end of the block every day. My parents would rent a bungalow in the summer months to get us out of Brooklyn for awhile. Great memories. Rockaway, a kid's dreamI remember growing up in Rockaway. We had two boarding houses on Beach 114th Street. When my mom was a kid, Carroll O'Connor, his mom and brother Frank stayed with them. He returned to see my parents back in the mid-eighties and I received one of his last e-mails before he died. I worked my way bartending at Fitzgerald's on Beach 108th and Sullivan's on Beach 116th (1967-1970). You could leave the house at 7 years old, walk to the beach without crossing the street and never had to worry one bit. The neighbors looked out for everone's children. Great memories and thanks to Shorpy for an incredible site. Brilliant job! Cohen's CourtThe picture above is very much how I remember the bungalow court where my parents rented in the summers of the early 1950s. I think my mom said it was Cohen's Court. Ours was at the end of the court on the left. I don't remember too much, I was really little. But I think there was a center row of garden where parents hid treats for us to hunt. I remember a corner candy store we kids could walk to and my mom confiscating a tube of plastic bubbles I bought. I guess she thought the fumes would get me high or something. There was a little girl across the court who would stand on her porch in a towel and flash us once in a while. And I have a memory of being on the beach with my parents, I in the sand and my mom in a beach chair, and my dad taking me into the water. I went back with my parents in the early 60s because they were thinking about renting it again. But it was so musty and dirty and ramshackle that they decided against it. I had a girl friend with me and I have to say I was embarrassed about the way the place looked and smelled. Too bad, that bungalow was a great summer getaway for a working class family from Brooklyn. Elisa on B 29thWas your grandma named Bessie? I lived in the Claremar, one of the twin houses, and I remember her. Did you have a brother too? My sister, parents, grandmother and baby brother and I all lived in two rooms in the basement. I remember Crazy Eddie and his huge black book of songs. Tina and Elise ... Elliot ... Donna ... Jackie ... smiling in memory! Palace HotelThe last place my family stayed at for quite a few years was the Palace Hotel on Beach 30th Street right near the boardwalk. Those were the days my friend. All the arcades and food places on the boardwalk, Cinderella Playland for the little kiddies, the Good Humor man , Ralph was his name. Life was simple. No internet, cell phones or video games yet we had great times and wonderful memories. We played board games and cards and rode our bikes. The guys played baseball in the parking lot adjacent to the Palace Hotel. The team was a mix of every race and ethnicity and everyone managed to get along and looked forward to playing together the next Summer. The beach was the best. Dads could go to work and come back every day rather than only on weekends as they do in the Catskills. Such a shame that this no longer exists. The last summer I went there for a few weekends was in 1976. The JeffersonMy grandparents rented a place in the Jefferson for many years. I have great memories of the place, the back stair cases, the porch, and the beach just a short walk away. Does anyone have relatives who stayed there? Rockaway summersI spent virtually every summer till the age of 22 in Rockaway. We stayed on Beach 49th till they knocked them down, then kept moving to the 20's. Best time of my life. My family was unique -- Italians in the Jewish neighborhood and we came in from Jersey! My mom grew up in Brooklyn and her family started coming in the '40s! Wish I could connect with friends from back then. If I sound familiar please let me know. You would be in your mid to late 50s now. Rockaway Beach Bungalows on PBSI received a message, last night, from my girlfriend who stated that "The Bungalows of Rockaway" was on PBS @ 8PM. I started watching at 8:30 and to my surprise I could not stop watching. I was born at Rockaway Beach Hospital and I am a lifer. I never lived in a Bungalow but I have always wanted to purchase one. I was taken aback by the fact that there were at least 6,000 bungalows and now there are approximately 300 (big difference). I also found out in this documentary that there is hope that the bungalows can be landmarked and I hope that it happens. The bungalows are a unique attraction to this area and I hope that the 300 remaining can be preserved. Elisa on B. 29th Street - the hotelsTo Anonymous Tipster on Fri, 08/13/2010 - 3:15am - YES! My grandmother was Bessie. I do remember your family - your grandmother, parents and the little ones. Your mom wore glasses and had blonde hair. She always wore her hair pulled back and up on her head, curlers in the evening. Also, Harry and Dottie lived in a large room in the corner of the basement of the hotel. I have 3 brothers and one sister. My Aunt Rose and Uncle Leo used to come to the hotel as well to visit with Grandma Bessie. Please e-mail me @ medmalnursing@msn.com Sally's Pizza and the Lemon & Orange Ice StandI spent the best summers of my life on Beach 28th Street. Coming from a Bronx apartment, it felt like our own private house. Our own family doctor came out to Rockaway every summer and stayed on Beach 24th Street. I now wonder what happened to his patients during July and August. How come nobody has mentioned Sally's pizza, on the boardwalk around 32nd Street? You couldn't forget Sally-- with her bleached blond hair, tight pants, and backless highheels. Near Sally's was the fresh lemon and orange ice stand with the fruit stacked against the wall. The ices even contained pits. No artificial coloring or corn syrup in those ices. Grandmother's bungalowsMy grandmother owned 10 bungalows on the beach on 35th Street from the 1930s thru the 1950s. They were the ones nearest the water. I loved going to help her get them ready each spring and clean them up each fall. Playing on that wonderful empty beach at those times of year with no one else in sight. We lived in Far Rockaway at 856 Central Ave., so going to the bungalows was not a long trip. Great memories. Mom's RivieraMy mother loved Rockaway so much that we called it "Mother's Riviera." She couldn't have cared less about the beautiful beaches across the ocean in France or Italy, for Rockaway Beach was her greatest joy. We spent many summers in a bungalow court on 109th Street and my grandmother and her sisters also spent their youthful summer days in Rockaway Beach. So our family goes back generations loving Rockaway. Every Memorial Day the court always had a party to celebrate the beginning of summer and the courtyard inhabitants were usually Irish. The courtyard came alive with Irish songs and jigs and reels. Of course, the people of the courtyard always chipped in for a big keg of beer. It was repeated on Labor Day as we all said our goodbyes to our neighbors and to our beloved Rockaway Beach. Saturday nights in Rockaway were spent at the closest Irish bar and some nights the local boys slept under the boardwalk after having a wild time. They always managed to get themselves together for Sunday Mass or otherwise they would get holy hell from their families. Sands of TimeI spent every summer in the Rockaway bungalows from the fifties until the mid eighties when we were forced to leave because of the deteriorating situation. I was a child on Beach 49th and remember George's candy store where you could get a walkaway sundae for 50 cents. Sue, I remember the Fulton brothers, who were lifeguards. Handsome devils, had a crush on Tom when I was 14. Times were safe. There were a thousand kids to play with. We went from 49th, 40th 39th, 38th, 26th and finally 25th Street with my own kids trying to hold on to that wonderful way of life. Unfortunately it disappeared. Some of the best days of our liveswere spent on Beach 25th. When I was 12 (1936) until I was 17, we stayed every summer at my grandmother's at Beach 66th Street. Those were glorious days on the beach. The boardwalk at night was wonderful, too. We played pinball, and games of skill for 5 cents to collect prizes. Bottled soda and ice cream were 5 cents then, too. We used to run up to the boardwalk to eat the delicious knishes. My summers at Far Rockaway were the most unforgettable of my growing up. Tuna fish and bologna sandwiches on a roll never tasted as good as it did at the waterfront. In 1961, when I was married with children, we rented a bungalow on Beach 25th and loved it! It was a rainy summer and we spent a lot of time in Far Rockaway shopping, eating and going to the movies. Every sunny day, however, we quickly rushed to the beach to enjoy it with family and friends. The Jefferson, Beach 30thI stayed with Grandma and Grandpa every summer for years in a small room at ground level. Grandpa would take me to the beach in the morning, then off to the stores on 24th Street. The back patio was for dancing on Saturday night and the concession inside had bingo. The porch! As I grew up to teenager, I met Ronnie Schenkman and family on the second or third floor (used the back staircase). I don't remember where Eleanor stayed. Crazy Eddie and his songs. Hal and his girl of the night. Warm nights and days. Very sexy! As a working girl I still took the RR to Far Rockaway, then the bus to Edgemere. Took my children to visit Grandma when it was becoming sad looking. Then went to the area years later and found a burnt shell with a wicked fence surrounding it. Took pics and had a good cry. We are all lucky that we were able to experience the wonderful warm sun and sultry nights. Belle Harbor BungalowsI think the two rows of Belle Harbor bungalows on Beach 129th to which another person referred were probably the Ocean Promenade Apartments. I have very happy memories of living there in the mid-i950s in the winter. Beach at 37th streetWhat a trip to see all of the these comments. I grew up and lived year round on Beach 37th until 1950, when we moved to Bayside. Takee Cup was a treat as well as the movie theater on the boardwalk, Italian ices and of course the arcade. For a penny you could get great photos of famous cowboys and movie stars. Rockaway in 1958My family spent the summer in Rockaway in 1958. Most of our friends were in the court, but we were outside it on the main street. I don't remember the street, but I suspect it was around Beach 45th, as the El was right on the corner. We had a bungalow with a porch. I was climbing on the outside of it, fell when I saw a neighbor's dog that I wanted to play with, and broke my wrist on broken concrete. Today, one would sue the owner. Back then, we just made do. Later that same summer, I ran across the street to get Italian ices from the local candy store, but looked the wrong way crossing the one-way street and almost got hit by a car. I didn't think that much of it, but the woman driving was hysterical. I also remember a movie theatre on the Boardwalk. In those days, an 8-year-old (me) could feel safe walking the boardwalk without an adult present. The back of the theater opened up at night so you could sit outside. I saw "The Colossus of New York" there, an incredibly bad "monster" movie. Most of the bungalows in the Rockaways were destroyed by Hurricane Donna in 1960. So-called "urban renewal" took care of the rest. Now some sections of the Rockaways, especially those facing the ocean, are filled with expensive new condos. The Jefferson 1950s I stayed at the Jefferson in the 1950s. It was far far away from the Bronx. Our father worked two, sometimes three jobs, so my brother and I could escape the Bronx and spend each summer --the whole summer-- in Rockaway. Dad took the train to work every day. We turned brown by July 4th; skinny brown kids always running, scheming, cunningly evading the watchful eyes of Jewish mothers. We played softball in the parking lot by the beach in the early mornings before the cars showed up. We played kick the can in the street, ring-o-lerio (sp?), off the stoop. And then there were the long long days on the beach, hopping on hot sand from blanket to shore, waiting the magic 45 minutes to go in the water after eating lim and sandy salami sandwiches, early versions of body-surfing, acting like we couldn't hear our mothers calling that it was time to come in from the water. Crawling into the cool dark sand under the boardwalk. Some kid named Howie always had a piece of fruit in hand, juice dribbling down his chin. And then there was a kid whose own family called him "Fat Jackie" -- at least that's how I remember it. Once in a while we were treated to Takee cups or lemon Italian ices, and chocolate egg creams. Always sneaking off with so much watermelon that your belly ached, and sand -- always sand -- in your bed. Jumping off the wooden steps to the beach, higher and higher, until you dared to jump from the railings along the boardwalk. I think it was Friday nights we would go to the boardwalk to watch the fireworks display from Playland. Flying kites over the surf when the weather cooled, and sneaking out to the Boardwalk to watch, awestruck, huge summer storms -- was it hurricane Carol? Evenings with men playing pinochle, women playing mah jongg. Ping Pong, hide & seek around the Jefferson. Costume parties with fat hairy men wearing grass skirts and coconut shell brassieres, and mothers with painted mustaches and sideburns, wearing huge hipster hats, chewing cold cigars. Then, dreaded September, back to school and insanely diving under your desk to practice for the upcoming atomic war, or wondering whether you were one of the kids who got the fake Polio vaccine. But somehow, during those summers at the Jefferson, there was nothing to fear. Nothing at all. Beach 45thDoes anyone remember Scott Whitehill or Laird Whitehill? If so, please e-mail me at scott@scottwhitehill.com Moe's Grocery Store on Beach 28thBarbara posted a comment earlier about her dad owning a grocery store on Beach 28th Street. The name of the grocery store was Moe's, and they carried lots of things for a small store. I lived in bungalows on Beach 28th and Beach 29th Street. These were the most memorable times of my life. I only wish that I could go back and see and relive these wonderful times. Beach 49thMy family and many of my relatives owned bungalows on Beach 49th and Beach 48th Street. We spent every summer there until the city condemned the properties. My father brought one of the first surfboards there in the early 60s. I have many fond memories of the beach and the friends I made. (The Gallery, G.G. Bain, NYC, Travel & Vacation)
Newport News: 1941
... keep "the yard" humming. (Original 7/2/2020) Great Atlantic & Pacific Tea Co. In the 1940s A&P was at the height of its ... were always a mystery! And there were also the predictable city bus routes which included the shipyard stops as part of their daily ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 01/07/2020 - 3:53pm -

March 1941. Newport News, Virginia. "Shipyard workers going home at 4 p.m." Medium format acetate negative by John Vachon for the Farm Security Administration. View full size. Huntington Cafe The street appears to be Washington Avenue. According to an ad in a 1940 edition of the local newspaper, the Huntington Cafe was located at 3600½ Washington Ave. In the ad, the restaurant was looking to hire a waitress. Nary a woman to be seen!I don't see any women yard workers in this pre-WWII scene. That would change during the war. https://www.marinersmuseum.org/sites/micro/women/wartime/ww2.htm N.N.S.& D.D.Co. The Shipyard - Newport News Shipyard & Dry Dock Co.- has been a definitive workplace of generations of local (and not quite local) families since the end of the 19th century. My stepfather began working there as a full time employee just after WWII, when he graduated from 4 years at the Apprentice School in 1950, through the auspices of the GI Bill, and became a Piping Designer in the Submarine Division. He was a part of the development of the nuclear submarines from day one. Hyman G. Rickover was a seemingly permanent fixture of that section, ruling with an iron will. Stories about him were regular parts of every day's dinner table conversation! Dad worked there until his Union went on strike in the late 70's/early 80's and never went OFF strike. He continued working for another company who was a contractor for the shipyard for a long time, until he retired. He passed away this past spring. Asbestosis was a major player in his passing, after spending decades in that shipbuilding environment, making frequent journeys from his office space to the outside buildings where "mock ups" were located, and actual construction in the dry docks took place, where there was little to no breathing protection provided or even acknowledged in those many early years. He recieved legal asbestosis "benefits" from various class action law suits, but in the end, no amount of money could repair the damage inflicted by those incredibly tiny, dangerous fibers that permanently scarred his lungs. His father - my paternal grandfather - had worked there, beginning in the Sail Shop, in the late 1920's, which was actually after sails were no longer part of ships, but handled all the textile components of ships, and the yard itself. He fabricated upholstery on ships and subs, awnings on buildings, and other items. He retired in 1968. He has three sisters, two of whom married men who would become permanent employees of the shipyard through their retirement. The other one was associated through shipyard contractors. I have numerous cousins, brothers, nephews, and many school friends who either have worked for the Yard in all its incarnations, ownership, changes, etc., and still do, or have done. One uncle gave his all, who was an official photographer for the Yard, when he had a sudden heart attack during lunch with coworkers in a little cafe across the street from the yard, and didn't go home again. In the 1960's, taking Dad to work across town from as far as Denbigh so Mom could have the one car on Fridays so she could do all her shopping is something I will always remember. Being part of all that craziness of early morning traffic and back again for the madness of afternoon shift change, with the thousands of cars from everywhere, and what seemed like hundreds of charter busses from as far as North Carolina transporting the employees on their way in and on their way home again seemed to be just another normal day. The shipyard has been a permanent fixture of most of my early life, from the age of 6, until I married at 19, and moved away to the Midwest at 20, in 1977. It still continues to move on as it provides submarines and aircraft carriers for the U.S. Navy, as well as numerous other projects that keep "the yard" humming. (Original 7/2/2020) Great Atlantic & Pacific Tea Co.In the 1940s A&P was at the height of its success - so much so that it was charged with antitrust violations. Because of management mistakes, it started sliding in the 1950s and disappeared in 2015. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Great_Atlantic_%26_Pacific_Tea_Company Eight O'ClockThe A&P is gone, but I still drink Eight O'Clock coffee. "No Pedestrian Traffic"A 1940 newspaper want-ad for a waitress position at the Huntington Cafe (lower left) gives an address of 3600½ Washington Avenue, which means Vachon was standing near the intersection of Washington and 37th Street, facing south. There is still a gate to the shipyard at that corner, but "no pedestrian traffic" signs in place of crowds of workers headed south at shift change. Today, there are acres of surface parking lots behind Vachon's location. Many women - just not in sight here!(EDITED to remove typo. ORIGINALLY posted a few years ago.) This photo just doesn't show the right building or gate for all the women employees to be making their way out of the buildings to go home. There were/are different buildings where the white collar workers - management, secretaries, administrative assistants/private secretaries, file clerks, the typing pools, other clerical workers, etc. - had the offices where they did their vital work, and design divisions had their facilities, working in large open office spaces where their drafting desks and other equipment was kept, and where they did their work everyday, Monday through Friday. Not a computer to be found, or even a pocket calculator. Yet. I'm sure there were all the IBM, other bookkeeping and office machines were being used to the utmost, keeping up with the work of production, repair, refitting, calculating contracts, payrolls for all the thousands of workers, and so forth though! My dad's "tools of the trade" were drafting pens and pencils and slide rules, and all the other drafting tools needed for his work, calculating and drawing to the nth degree the placement and bend of every pipe and conduit for his assignment at the time, on submarines. There were plenty of ladies working in those office spaces too. And, not every category of worker worked the same shift everyday. Production workers down in the yard, such as these men shown, worked one of three standard shifts, days, evenings, graveyards, and a five day shift out of any given seven days. My uncle worked in the welding shops, five evenings a week, always getting home about 11:45PM. My aunt always had his "dinner" waiting for him when he got home. I used to spend weekends there with my cousins as a kid when I could, and he was usually not home at least one evening until quite late. "QUIET" while he was sleeping during the early part of the day was an unbreakable house rule! The office workers worked the standard 9-5, Monday through Friday's, where the production personnel worked 7-3, 3-11, or 11-7, part of seven days a week. And there were also the Apprentice School students, who worked their time in the school proper for their four or more years, just like any other college program, but also worked in the yard itself, or in the design divisions, or whatever other division coincided with their area of interest or focus, as part of their training as well. Their schedules were always a mystery! And there were also the predictable city bus routes which included the shipyard stops as part of their daily routes. Staggering shifts like that was the only way they could get a handle on the amazing traffic tidalwaves that were part of getting people to work and back home again everyday. There are (or at least there were) specific parking areas near the buildings down in the yard where they were working, and surface lots for the use of specific classes of workers close by the buildings where they worked. (The Gallery, John Vachon, WW2)
Boardwalk Empire: 1910
Atlantic City, N.J., circa 1910. "Boardwalk, Hotel Marlborough-Blenheim and Young's ... buildings still standing? Maybe someone familiar with Atlantic City knows. I've never been there. Amazing The scope of the ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 07/20/2012 - 3:36pm -

Atlantic City, N.J., circa 1910. "Boardwalk, Hotel Marlborough-Blenheim and Young's Million-Dollar Pier." There are a zillion interesting details in this panorama made from four 8x10 inch glass negatives. View full size. Just imagineTo be able to take for granted that you will walk outside to such beautiful buildings, a boardwalk where everyone is nicely dressed and you can even walk six abreast, sweeping lawns, spacious streets, peaceful porches to rock on, an almost empty beach to sit on. They probably took much of it for granted and certainly didn't know how amazing and wonderful it would look to me 100 years hence. A Monumental ChallengeDo any of our talented colorizers dare tackle such a sweeping scene? Are any of these buildings still standing?Maybe someone familiar with Atlantic City knows. I've never been there. AmazingThe scope of the shot is breathtaking! From the chimney that needs repair in the lower right corner and the "hidden" clotheslines on that roof, to the confection of the M-B to the Pier and the vistas beyond and the wonderfully random set of tracks throught the sand. These people wouldn't recognize Atlantic City today. Such detail. All in focus.This is a fantastic photo. You might even say it took my breath away. Nice to see an old shot like this and have everything look so new and clean. I'm amazed to see so much built in 1910. I'm going to have to do some research and discover the Atlantic City timeline. I was always under the impression it lagged behind Coney Island, but here it looks as though they were in place about the same time. Amazing DetailThis is just a fabulous image. It's fascinating to study the various hotels (I assume), porches, rooflines plus the people on the boardwalk and beach. It just goes on and on. Mary PoppinsApart from the cigarette ad, it could be a Disney film set. Wonderful photo. Photography and condimentsNice view of another set of tripod legs and camera just below the apparent center view point of this pan. And just to the bottom right a wood headed greenhouse with the little cart of wood right beside the wood heater. Windows of the spice/condiment bays stored neatly behind the hedge in back of the green house. You can almost imagine the year long work of someone to make sure this operation always provides fresh things for the chef. Steve BuscemiAnyone who's watched "Boardwalk Empire" has to believe many of these photos must have been used to create the CGI backgrounds they use for various shots. [The "Boardwalk Empire" production company is one of our print customers. -Dave] A Lot of GasI see at least four gasometers (gas holders) in the photo. The Twin TowersDoes anyone know what purpose two tall pillars or columns, might serve on the central hotel with the dome and all the gingerbread? They seem strange and lonely. Couldn't be elevator works inside, or ... what? [Chimneys. - Dave] Coney & ACConey Island became what it is because of the availability of public transportation. The first subway line or El trains were built in the late 1800s. This afforded relatively cheap rides to the beach. There were hotels but nothing like those in Atlantic City. Although it was a reasonable distance from Philadelphia and NY it still required the railroads to move the more distant customers to the Jersey Shore. I'm sure there were day trippers but many people came to spend their vacations in the luxury of the the hotels. Park PlaceThe park in the front of the photo is Brighton Park. The street between the park and the hotel is Park Place. The Marlborough-Blenheim remained in great condition through the seventies. In 1979, Bally's bought it and replaced it with the Bally's Park Place Casino. Make Room for Bally'sThe Marlboro-Blenheim started construction in 1902 and completed in 1906. In 1978 it was demolished to make way for Bally's Park Place casino. Bally's Wild West Casino now sits where that little park looking thing is and Young's Million Dollar Pier became The Pier Shops at Caesar's in 2006. Wheelchair RampThe hotel at the end of the great lawn had a wheelchair ramp installed after the building was constructed. You can see how it sits on top of the original staircase. I wonder what VIP stayed there to justify building that? [The ramps were for "rolling chairs." Not quite the same as wheelchairs. - Dave] Obviously shot from the Traymore HotelJust as this 1910 postcard picture was obviously shot from the "wedding cake" part of the Marlborough-Blenheim. Some of the same things are visible from the opposite side such as the Y-shaped walkway in the garden-like area and even the greenhouse. Beautiful BuildingsI wish Atlantic City looked like this today. These are gorgeous buildings, unlike the ugly buildings that one sees there now. It must have been a great place to vacation in those days. "Boardwalk Empire" BoardwalkThe set is located at Newtown Creek and the East River, Brooklyn side in NYC. It is surrounded with cargo containers stacked four high hung with blue screen so the background can be matted in electronically. Some blue screen can be seen at the left of the photo on a stack of containers. Google Earth: Dupont and Franklin St., Greenpoint, Brooklyn, NY (Panoramas, Atlantic City, DPC, Swimming, Travel & Vacation)
The Steel Pier: 1904
The Jersey shore circa 1904. "Steel Pier, Atlantic City." Can anything compare to Atlantic City in the summer, and the feel of ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/20/2012 - 11:08am -

The Jersey shore circa 1904. "Steel Pier, Atlantic City." Can anything compare to Atlantic City in the summer, and the feel of sand in your bathing-socks? 8x10 inch dry plate glass negative, Detroit Publishing Company. View full size. Sand MosaicWow. At least three black families here. Great picture!There is a guy lying on the other guy's hip as a pillow -- now that's not something you would see today! Everyone is very appropriately dressed, not a inch of elbow or knee showing. How strange the Victorian era must of been. I suspect there is enough cloth in this one picture to dress the entire East Coast of beach-going folks today. What would they think?Suppose these folks woke up on a beach in Brazil and saw how the sunbathers looked nowadays. Misery Loves CompanyAnother miserable day at the beach according to these poor vacationers. Not a smile to be seen! An odd photoI'll give an internets for every smiling face you can find. Bathing Socks?I see exactly one pair of unsocked feet. Virtually everyone has enough clothes on to weather a Noreaster in November. Why go to the beach at all? Hot? Cold?I'd like to know what time of year this was taken. No shadows. Body LanguageFor the young couple by the black umbrella, there is nobody else on the beach. True GritIt always strikes me how REALLY well-dressed beach-goers could be in the early 1900s. They aren't just fully-dressed -- they're wearing suits and hats and white dresses for a day in the hot sun and gritty sand! What never ceases to amaze me is that few (if any) people bring a blanket or towel to lie on. There they are, in their nice clothes just sitting and lying directly on the sand. Many of the men (and some of the women) are sitting on suit jackets, getting them all mashed up and sandy. Way more surprising than that, though, is the number of women in white dresses and/or white blouses lying partially on newspapers (possibly because the sand is so hot). All I can think when I see THAT is that they must have newsprint ink smeared all over their nice white clothes! Got a laundress?The privileged classes employed a washerwoman to launder all of these clothes. Otherwise, you stoked up the fire on Monday morning and boiled and stirred all day long. Good old bluing kept the whites white. I, too, am always astounded at how heavily dressed our ancestors were in the heat of the East Coast summers. Prior to this time period, in the latter half of the 19th century, bathing machines were on the beaches in the UK. They looked like little sheds, and you went into them, disrobed, put on your heavy-duty bathing costume, and ejected yourself into the waves. No witnesses. So this photo represents a gradual pull away from that Victorian commodity. Peppermint TwistJoey Dee and the Starlighters did this song, not Chubby Checker. In the age of wiki and google, I kind of feel foolish pointing this out, but then I am also in an age where most people aren't old enough to remember this. Castles in the sandI like seeing "flip bucket" castles here and there. Some things never change! Back to SchoolThe Steel Pier. Atlantic City. This is where Thornton Melon (Rodney Dangerfield) developed and practiced his now famous "Triple Lindy" dive. Why go to the beach......if you aren't going in the water?? The people up on the pier must be enjoying the cool breezes without the hot sun shining on them! The view is just as nice above as below - so what is the attraction for the hot sand? More space maybe?? AND does anybody know what those big elaborate buildings house? Great pic - thanks again!!! No action?"How strange the Victorian era must of been." Well, Edwardian, to be precise. And all folks are doing is sitting, standing, or lying around. No activities of any kind. Isn't watching waves come in kind of like watching grass grow? Summer of '62Forty eight years ago, I watched Chubby Checker perform on the Steel Pier as he unveiled his second "twist" record, "The Peppermint Twist".. The "Pier" has an interesting history of storm damage, rebuilding, fires, rebuilding, diminishment, rebuilding, Miss America contest runways, cut-offs and add-ons. Seems like right now Donald Trump has made it an entertainment center once again. In 1904 when this photo was taken, my grandfather had just arrived at Ellis Island from Poland and in WW2, my uncle was stationed there, as Atlantic City was an Army training camp. A fascinating location, thanks Shorpy for the long trip down Memory Lane. Intergrated Too Couple hundred miles south and there would be a Blacks Only and a Whites Only beach sections. Good to see this intergration. [Yers. - Dave] What a coincidenceJust earlier today I was reading an older book entitled "Discovering America's Past," and looking at the section on Atlantic City's Boardwalk. The book also mentioned the Steel Pier, which is the first time I had heard of it. They didn't have a photo so I was glad to see one today. Seven inchesOf exposed skin in the whole field of view. I'm afraid I'll be underdressedHoney, where's my tie, vest, socks and garters and celluloid collar and second best coat? I'm going to the beach! Why go to the beach? Fresh air is the reason.We forget that most people lived in apartment buildings or rooming houses with few fans and obviously no A/C. It was common for people to leave their rooms for the day just to get out to where the air was fresh and a breeze might blow. In the summer months (at this time) in Chicago, people (whole families) slept in the parks at night if it was hot. In a time when illness was spread from living in close quarters people were encouraged to take the air to stay healthy. Given there was no TV or radio and few recordings in peoples homes - why not head out rather than sit in your stuffy rooms? Massacre!All those fully clothed bodies lying about on the beach remind me of corpses. Perhaps I have been watching too many cop shows. Oh Look! A ShorpyShooter!At least there's a camera on a tripod toward the front left, and who knows how much insight the cameraman has about future venues for his pictures! Steel AppearI watched Al Hirt's Steel Pier dance show on our black-and-white TV in the early '60s. It was like American Bandstand next to the ocean. I had no idea what a pier was, so I thought the show was called Steel Appear because it "appeared" on TV. (And I had no idea why the word "steel" was in the name, either.) Bathing suitsMy mother was telling me today my grandmother was scandalized by the appearance of men's bathing shorts. She felt that my grandfather's bathing suit, which in the 1920s consisted of a one-piece outfit with t-shirt length sleeves and cut mid-thigh, bordered on impropriety. My grandfather, a Presbyterian minister, wasn't the least concerned. Chicken Bone BeachThis is another in a series of images from Atlantic City. Last year Shorpy published a view that included a well dressed black family in the foreground. Now we find, in the photographic evidence, black families on the beach again. However, an article in the Philadelphia Inquirer reported that the beaches were restricted in most Jersey coastal towns, including Atlantic City. The story says that these beaches, presumably including "Chicken Bone Beach" in Atlantic City, were staffed with black lifeguards. A person quoted in the article says that "there were no signs saying colored-only beach ... you just knew your place." I think that the photographic evidence to the contrary is an inconvenient problem for some histories. The Diving HorseI was a young lad of about 6 when my parents took my younger brother and I to the Steel Pier in AC to see the famous Diving Horse. This was about 55 years ago. The horse didn't actually dive into the water; the front half of the platform the horse was standing on collapsed and forced the horse and rider to slide into the water from about five stories high. I felt sorry for the horse and worse later in life when I read that a few of the horses they used died of heart attacks from the experience. I also had to sit through a Vaughn Monroe performance and I'm not sure which was worse for a 6 year old. (The Gallery, Atlantic City, DPC, Swimming)
Lifting the Nets: 1910
... " Lifting the nets -- Young's Million Dollar Pier, Atlantic City." 8x10 inch dry plate glass negative, Detroit Publishing Company. View ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 06/26/2023 - 2:59pm -

The Jersey Shore circa 1910. "Lifting the nets -- Young's Million Dollar Pier, Atlantic City." 8x10 inch dry plate glass negative, Detroit Publishing Company. View full size. That's entertainment?Large crowd out in their Sunday best. To watch as some conspicuously empty nets are raised from the Atlantic. Better than watching grass grow, no doubt, but still ... There's something missing here: context, to put it in the 21st-century way. This is an oddly interesting photograph in need of a 1910-ish caption that explains what the attraction was. My best guess is that it was a chance to get some ocean-breeze relief from the muggy heat of a cloudy-bright summer day. [Did you not click on the link in the caption? "All manner of fish plucked from the deep spilled onto the deck, as the crowd leaned on the wooden railing and gawked." - Dave] What the?What the heck is going on here? All those lines, and all those people? Looks chaotic! A Magical DayAtlantic City was the go-to destination in the mid 1950s for my family and the Million Dollar Pier was another must-go-to attraction. I saw Pat Boone in person. He was a little bland for my taste (Little Richard rocked the songs Boone covered much better) but Mom and Dad enjoyed him. After Pat Boone we saw a first run of an all-time classic Western, "High Noon". Dad and I loved it and Mom and older sister thought Grace Kelly was nice. I took a dive to the bottom of the ocean in a diving bell. This disappointed me for I had expectations of being in the middle of a giant aquarium with schools of fish dancing in front of me. All I saw were a few unknown fish swimming in muddy water. There was a smaller scale fishing-net raising then shown on the pic but still neat. Being an avid fisherman I never understood why the just lowered the nets and let all those fish go. Pier Day ended with trip to the end of the pier to see a very good comic vaudeville skit with expert divers doing zany acrobatic ocean diving somewhat akin to a Marx Brothers At Sea movie. After that came the famous diving horses. I was impressed by both the horses and the ladies riding the horses. (I was a teen with raging hormones.) That was almost 70 years ago but it remains seared in my memory so that it seems I can taste the frozen custard and saltwater taffy I had that day. (The Gallery, Atlantic City, DPC)
S.S. Miami: 1910
... waters Peninsular & Occidental sold the vessel to the Atlantic City Steamship Company in June 1932, and renamed it the SS Steel Pier in honor ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 09/25/2023 - 5:19pm -

Miami, Florida, circa 1910. "Peninsular & Occidental steamer Miami off for Nassau, W.I." 8x10 inch dry plate glass negative, Detroit Publishing Company. View full size. Interesting vantage pointIf you look at the right side of the roof peak on the pavilion, you'll see a young lad lying on his stomach and looking toward the ship. I wonder what he wanted to see from that vantage point? Or maybe he just liked climbing on hot roofs. A bit of wrinklingto an embarrassed starboard stern. The famous William Cramp & Sons yardat Philadelphia launched the Miami on 23 October 1897 for Henry Flagler for semi-weekly service (tri-weekly during the winter season) between Nassau and Miami, then the southern terminus of his Florida East Coast Railway. It arrived at Nassau from Miami on its maiden voyage 18 January 1898. After decades in southern waters Peninsular & Occidental sold the vessel to the Atlantic City Steamship Company in June 1932, and renamed it the SS Steel Pier in honor of the Atlantic City landmark that opened the same year the Miami entered service. It ran excursions featuring live entertainment out of Atlantic City until sold and employed in the same trade at Manhattan in 1933. It found yet another owner in May 1934 when the Cape Cod Steamship Company purchased it to serve Boston, Buzzards Bay, and Provincetown during the summer, becoming a beloved fixture on that route until the end of the 1947 season, sold in October 1948 as a "new" vessel, the Diesel-driven Virginia Lee of 1928, replaced it. The Patapsco Scrap Company dismantled the Miami, as Steel Pier, in the spring of 1949 at Baltimore. (The Gallery, Boats & Bridges, DPC, Florida, Miami)
Steeplechase Pier: 1910
... Jersey Shore circa 1910. "Steeplechase Pier and Boardwalk, Atlantic City." 8x10 inch dry plate glass negative, Detroit Publishing Company. View ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/08/2012 - 3:10pm -

The Jersey Shore circa 1910. "Steeplechase Pier and Boardwalk, Atlantic City." 8x10 inch dry plate glass negative, Detroit Publishing Company. View full size. What a great photo!Love the adult shade carriages; very energy efficient. [Atlantic City's famous "rolling chairs." - Dave] "The FUNNEST Place!"???I never got over the fact that their slogan was "Steeplechase - The Funny Place". Was the PLACE really "funny"? Or was it meant to imply that YOU would have fun with the entertainments there? This may be a quibble, but that slogan has bugged me for many years, since the Coney Island version of the Steeplechase ran an ad almost every day of the year in the NY DAILY NEWS using that "funny" line. Rolling ChairsAmazing these have been around for over 120 years in Atlantic City. From what I can find out the price for riding one is still very reasonable in today's dollars. What a difference a century makesCivilization was so nice. I miss it. Boards on the boardwalkAt some time after this photo two lanes of tight fitting boards lengthwise were incorporated into the boardwalk for the rolling chairs. In the photo the rolling chairs had to negotiate every board which was loose fitting. (The Gallery, Atlantic City, DPC)
ACHS: 1908
1908. "High School -- Atlantic City, New Jersey." At the corner of Pacific and South Ohio Avenues. 8x10 inch ... enormous difference in their appearance. (The Gallery, Atlantic City, DPC, Education, Schools) ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 06/29/2023 - 4:04pm -

1908. "High School -- Atlantic City, New Jersey." At the corner of Pacific and South Ohio Avenues. 8x10 inch dry plate glass negative, Detroit Publishing Company. View full size. CornermanWelcome to the Internet. Modern view, before demolitionI took this picture sometime before demolition, most likely in the late 1990s. Some architectural features had already been removed. I had trouble getting far enough back to get a picture at the time. This building spent its last years as Central Junior High School. Its replacement was also demolished. He's waiting for the futureAnd the future is not gambling. Below is the intersection today. South Ohio Ave is on the left and Pacific Ave on the right. I found a photograph taken from down South Ohio, looking this way. In that photo, the school is still on the corner, and the Claridge and Ballys hotels are beyond (swing to your right). In the more current Street View, Claridge Chicken on the ground floor is for lease; Ballys is losing windowpanes; and the parking lot that replaced the high school is for Caesars Entertainment Human Resources Center. The 'C' in Caesars has fallen off. Then and nowThank you for enlarging the photo of the dapper gentleman shown here. He's so well turned-out. It would be interesting to juxtapose a photo of a man from the present with this man, showing the enormous difference in their appearance. (The Gallery, Atlantic City, DPC, Education, Schools)
Splash: 1906
New Jersey circa 1906. "Bathers, Atlantic City." At right is the Hotel Traymore. 8x10 inch dry plate glass negative, ... every building once it gets to be 75 years old? [The Atlantic City hotels were razed because they went bankrupt (blame the invention ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/24/2011 - 1:25pm -

New Jersey circa 1906. "Bathers, Atlantic City." At right is the Hotel Traymore. 8x10 inch dry plate glass negative, Detroit Publishing Company. View full size. Grumpy Not-So-Old Man?That guy with the all black suit and dark curly hair in the lower left corner could be a young Walter Matthou! Quite the Fit LotIt would be interesting to see a photo, perhaps taken from the same vantage point, today. I would like to compare the body shapes of 1906 with those of today. The building in the backgroundwas still there in 1977. Interesting experimentI think it would be interesting to take a picture like this on a beach today and compare the differences in the people's reaction to the camera man. There is an awkwardness from the beach goers here that lends itself to the idea of photography being a relatively new technology; or at least the camera as a candid time capsule. I imagine the reaction, or lack of would be quite different. I particularly love the little kid in the lower right that is either "shooting" the camera or mimicking the camera man. Many people seem to be stopping conversation to look over as the picture is being taken, as if they were just rudely interrupted. If anything else, I'm sure the beach attire would be quite a comparison. Women without hose!I've been carefully studying all these 100 year old Jersey shore photos and have been so amazed at how all the women are wearing black hose. It must have been so uncomfortable! In this photo, on the far left (our right) are two women with bare legs. Had they just taken their wet & sandy stockings off? Amazing beach architectureAstonishing architecture! Those towers and balconies are fascinating. never seen anything like them. I can just imagine what's there today. Plate glass windows and boxy bland motel schlock. WHY, why, why does America have such a devotion to tearing down every building once it gets to be 75 years old? [The Atlantic City hotels were razed because they went bankrupt (blame the invention of the jet airplane) or burned down. Below, the Hotel Traymore circa 1930. Demolished 1972. - Dave] Click to enlarge. Every Picture Tells a StoryIn this instance, a story of thinly veiled aggression interspersed with good-natured fun. Ninja alertPlus la change... You lookin at me?The "foot as hand" guy at left looks like he's saying "Heyyy ... I got yer photograph RIGHT HERE." Another funny thing about this picture is the guy on the sand walking along fully dressed in a business suit and shoes. Barnham AttractionHurry! Hurry! Step up and see boy with foot for hand! [P.T. Barnham, I'd like you to meet Walter Matthou. - Dave] The tyranny of monochromeI do not believe for ten minutes that that the people of 100+ years ago went around dressed in lots of black. I suspect the midi-dress style beach clothes were navy, and that what we see as black parasols and black stockings may have been red sometimes. But there is no mistaking that horizontal stripes were the fashion trend of 1906 beachwear. Not one vertical stripe, floral, or plaid in the bunch. Demolished!At 2:01 in this trailer for the movie "Atlantic City" you can see the demolition of the Hotel Traymore. ZombielandSecond kid from the left in the front was a future cast member of Dawn of the Dead. He even positioned his arm perfectly to overlap with the leg and foot of the gent behind him. Creepy. Un dimanche après-midiA few of those women with parasols thought it was A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte. (I wonder if that kid is smoking a Helmar Cigarette.) Pardon me, Miss.If you could go back into that photo and ask one question, what would it be? For me, I'd go up to some of the women and say "Why are you wearing a dress on the beach"? Was it prudery, or perhaps they knew about the dangers of the sun and were trying to prevent skin damage. I believe back then, a suntan didn't have the status of today. The "lower" class who worked in the fields had the tans. The beach was more a place for the well to do to be seen, despite the dangers of the sun. Of course, Hollywood would eventually change the image of a suntan from low class to sexy status symbol. T-shirtsI hadn't realised T-shirts were that old, especially the one on the boy at the front with 'Gold' on it, it could have been bought today. (The Gallery, Atlantic City, DPC, Swimming)
All Lit Up: 1910
Atlantic City, New Jersey, circa 1910. "The Boardwalk at night." 8x10 inch dry plate ... Smith's double chairs appear to be simply the famous Atlantic City rolling chairs for two. We know the exact date they were ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 04/01/2023 - 1:37pm -

Atlantic City, New Jersey, circa 1910. "The Boardwalk at night." 8x10 inch dry plate glass negative, Detroit Publishing Company. View full size. Double ChairsSmith's double chairs appear to be simply the famous Atlantic City rolling chairs for two. We know the exact date they were introduced there: June 11, 1887. TripAdvisor says that that 50-cent ride will cost you about $40 today. Incredible detailOutstanding photo. Somebody call GhostbustersI’ve never seen so many spectral bodies in one place before. Only the ghosts come out at nightHere is as close to a comparative daytime view as I could find, looking down from the Hotel Traymore about four years earlier. The only sign I can see for sure in both photos is Moerlein's Barbarossa, which Google tells me is a dark lager brewed in Cincinatti, Ohio. I couldn't identify any of the 1910 buildings in Street view. Based on where the Hotel Traymore was located and a slight dogleg in the boardwalk that you can see in the 1906 photo, here is where I think the nighttime photo was taken, on the boardwalk at S Kentucky Avenue. Early neon lights?The Moerlein's and Spearmint signs appear to be neon lights. If so, they must be very early examples of that art form. [Light bulbs only -- no neon. - Dave] Boardwalk rolling chairsAt one period after this photo two rolling chair lanes were created with boards going the opposite direction which created a smoother ride for rolling chair riders. All the rolling chairs in the photo have hard tires. Only one company (Eveler) had rolling chairs with balloon tires. The others (Shill, G. George, etc.) used hard rubber. (The Gallery, Atlantic City, DPC)
Stripes and Solids: 1905
New Jersey circa 1905. "On the beach at Atlantic City." A lively group seen earlier here . 8x10 inch glass negative, Detroit ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 07/19/2012 - 12:55pm -

New Jersey circa 1905. "On the beach at Atlantic City." A lively group seen earlier here. 8x10 inch glass negative, Detroit Publishing Company. View full size. Gym, tan, laundry.Gym, tan, laundry. Family TraditionI could weep as I look at this, the life and pleasure of the young who are now all more than 110 years old. This was my grandparents' generation. They loved to visit Atlantic City and 20 years later my father and his three older siblings would be dancing and performing on the Million Dollar Pier, which I believe is pictured here. The stories of my father's boyhood years, summers in Atlantic City, "the playground of the world," and especially the sights and sounds of the Million Dollar Pier, are among my favorites of his. Perhaps like the people pictured here, his family would come by train from Philadelphia (well, they had to cross the river by ferry into Camden and then get the train). The family-- grandmother, uncles, mother and children, would come for the summer, while my grandfather remained in the city, working in the foundry, earning money to keep them there. [This photo shows the Steeplechase and Steel piers. - Dave] Shore fast lineMy grandparents would have ranged in age from toddlers to teenagers at this time. They were more likely to have spent summer holidays in Wildwood, though one pair of grandparents rarely missed the Miss America Pageant, which originated at Atlantic City and remained there until it was moved to Las Vegas for reasons that remain a mystery to this writer. Reading Railroad passengers from Philadelphia took the ferry to Camden's Reading Terminal for trains to Atlantic City but after 1896, Pennsylvania Railroad passengers had the choice of through trains that crossed the Delaware River at the Pennsy's Delair Bridge. Early in the Depression, the joint Pennsylvania Reading Seashore Lines railroad was formed and the Pennsy lost its monopoly on the Delair bridge. Those women must have been rather uncomfortable in such voluminous bathing costumes. Anyone?I have never understood why, in these shots of Atlantic City in the early 20th century, seemingly everyone is a) in the water and b) all bunched together. Nowadays if anyone goes into the ocean, they pretty much keep their distance (unless you are related-and surely all these people weren't) Was it just considered the social thing to do then? I am truly curious. [I'd say it's because of a) hot weather, and b) the sheer quantity of people. - tterrace] About ten years laterMy grandfather Harry A. Fox (far right in both images) and fellow sailors from the _USS Indiana_ on the beach at Atlantic City in 1918. In the second image they are clowning with some local children. (The Gallery, Atlantic City, DPC, Swimming)
De Forest Wireless: 1905
The Jersey Shore circa 1905. "Along the beach, Atlantic City, N.J." Note the radio mast at right on Young's Pier. Detroit Publishing ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 07/20/2012 - 9:41pm -

The Jersey Shore circa 1905. "Along the beach, Atlantic City, N.J." Note the radio mast at right on Young's Pier. Detroit Publishing glass negative. View full size. Bowler Hat Concession There doesn't seem to be much non-conformity in the men's headwear department.I wish I would have had the Jersey Shore bowler concession back then. Wireless TelegraphDeForest tried, with minimal success, to create a worldwide network of wireless telegraph offices. This was evidently one of them, a spark-gap transmitter. He would go on to demonstrate the first AM audio transmission in December 1906. His fort­é was brilliant ideas that he just never quite succeeded in perfecting. Others would, and reap the rewards rather than Lee. DeForest the audion tube and co-invented amplitude modulation (AM) which made AM radio, commercial broadcasting, and home 'wireless' sets possible but these were still about 20 years away. CrowdedFirst crowded boardwalk scene I've seen on Shorpy. And obviously off-season at that. ["The season" in Atlantic City was at its most crowded around Easter. - Dave] VarietyI see five pushmobiles in this scene and they are all of a different design. Nowadays the pushmobile concession would be held by one company and all of them would be identical, same color and design. Much more interesting back then. Dr. Lee De Forest comment" I came-I saw-I invented-It's that simple-No need to sit and think-It's all in your imagination" Look where you're going!Not a cell phone in the bunch. Just don't step on the alligatorThere, between the fourth guy from the left and the mam'selle, rests an alligator-skin bag. Speaking of mam'selle, one of the most successful lyricists in American music, Mack Gordon, wrote the song so named, along with Chattanooga Choo-Choo, Did You Ever See a Dream Walking?, I Can't Begin to Tell You, I've Got a Gal in Kalamazoo, Serenade in Blue, The More I See You, There Will Never Be Another You, Time on My Hands, You Make Me Feel So Young and You'll Never Know (Oscar winner in 1943 and the first song Barbra Streisand ever recorded). Oh, and he wrote "On the Boardwalk at Atlantic City," released in 1945. "Read all about it!"Those newsies sure do get around on Shorpy. I spot 2 just on this short stretch of boardwalk. I also see one satisfied customer leaning on the near railing. Spring is in the airThis looks like the Easter Parade with everybody wearing brand spankin' new clothes, flowery hats, new shoes, etc. and there doesn't seem to be anyone in swimwear. And I'd be reluctant to lie around on that beach with galloping horses running roughshod. Drool droolHam Radio operators dream of a salt water ground but to have a station out on a pier is the cat's pajamas. Why the name DeForest ?Lee DeForest was an American inventor that created what we would now call a triode tube. It was the first device that amplified a signal. That meant we could detect radio signals from a lot further or listen to music louder then the way it was recorded. He was brilliant and way ahead of his contemporaries. Why do I know this ? My first girlfriend lived next door to a gentleman that worked in his lab in Jamaica Queens. I was a young student at Brooklyn Tech and was trained on triodes in my junior year. To listen to Mr Whitman was such a thrill. Such a nice guy, so humble, but he was there when it happened. To put it in perspective, I'd rank this second only to the Edison light bulb. This broadcastThis broadcast provided as a public service to all wireless-mast non-believers (seen in a number of Shorpy photos atop tall urban buildings) out there: Yes, they did have them back then and yes, they looked like that. (Technology, The Gallery, Atlantic City, DPC, Swimming)
And Now a Word From Our Sponsor: 1911
Atlantic City circa 1911. "Bathing in front of the Traymore." As well as giant ... City. 218 Oliver Ave., Pittsburgh, Pa. 1031 Boardwalk, Atlantic City. 1543-45 Boardwalk, Atlantic City. The Oriental ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 10/18/2012 - 8:36am -

Atlantic City circa 1911. "Bathing in front of the Traymore." As well as giant billboards advertising various products both funct and defunct. 8x10 inch dry plate glass negative, Detroit Publishing Company. View full size. Kondo & Co.Kondo & Co. Importers of General Japanese Goods. Stores: No. 6 West 33rd St., N. Y. City. 218 Oliver Ave., Pittsburgh, Pa. 1031 Boardwalk, Atlantic City. 1543-45 Boardwalk, Atlantic City. The Oriental Economic Review, November 10, 1910. Kondo & Co., who own one of the most prosperous shops in Atlantic City, was founded by Sajuro Kondo, who came to Atlantic City in 1896 from Boston, Mass., as a representative of Yamanaka, Amano & Co. He opened a shop of his own in 1900, beginning with a capital of only $1,600, and has achieved his present very positive success by the sheer force of his business acumen. A night scene of this section of the boardwalk at Shave Yourself: 1910 where the signage at 1543-45 Boardwalk is "The Tokio." I can't figure out which of these photos came first. Vaniman's airshipGood contemporary summary of the Vaniman Akron disaster here. More recent word is that the exhaust valves meant to decrease chances of explosion of hydrogen airships may have contributed to the disaster 15 min into its transatlantic flight 1000-2000ft aloft, killing 5 people. "See Shredded Wheat made"Well, that's the height of Edwardian excitement, I guess; a far cry from the entertainment offered in Atlantic City these days. I bet those large signs built on frameworks were all lit up at night. See Shredded Wheat MadeNow THAT'S entertainment! Vaniman's AirshipThe sign advertising "The Wreck of Vaniman's Airship" dates the photo to after July 2, 1912. Shredded Wheat Fans Unite!I am the only creature in my house that buys and eats shredded wheat. Those biscuits must be properly splattered with milk or they'll go soggy on you. It takes years to perfect the perfect technique but the effort is well worth it. I would give anything to see it made up close and personal. Oh, the Bucket List just keeps growing! The bride of 40 years, the kids and the grandkids think I'm nuts but what do they know? Must askWhy is the Gillette sign facing one way in the daytime photo and the other way in the nighttime photo brought to our attention by stanton_square? Has the sign been moved? [It's also facing the other direction in this one. - tterrace] Smoke 'Em If You Got 'EmHelmar is Ramleh spelled backwards. Ramleh or Ramla, is a city founded in the Eighth Century. Egyptian cigarettes were deemed more exotic than other Tailor Mades (as opposed to rolling your own). Attached is a WW1 Era ad flacking the smokes to be sent to our boys in uniform. Cigarette advertisements, highlighting Service Men and Women, were also popular during WW2. The Army 'K' Rations (meals ready to eat) contained a four pack of popular brand smokes. Million Dollar PierIn the background is John Young's Million Dollar Pier, seen here, here, here and perhaps best of all here. (The Gallery, Atlantic City, DPC, Swimming)
Gator Farm: 1905
Virginia Avenue strollers (and rollers) in Atlantic City, New Jersey, circa 1905. 8x10 inch glass negative, Detroit Publishing ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/13/2012 - 7:24pm -

Virginia Avenue strollers (and rollers) in Atlantic City, New Jersey, circa 1905. 8x10 inch glass negative, Detroit Publishing Company. View full size. "Smoking Not Allowed"Not quite. Here is the sign, biggacated and computerally enhanced: [Nice try! However ... - tterrace] What type of propulsionpowers that beautiful trolley? StreetcarAnd what powers the headlight? Street railway car motive power?There are no overhead trolley wires as in another 1905 Atlantic City Shorpy post at https://www.shorpy.com/node/8139?size=_original There's no subterranean center slot and the rails can't be "hot" (the obvious rail brushes wouldn't be able to keep them clean enough for good contact anyway, even if they were extended), so that leaves: 1) Horse powered (there appears to be a hitch receiver, and the area between the tracks seems to have a different texture than the rest to the street, possibly from more hard working horse traffic). 2) Battery/electric motor driven 3) Internal combustion engine driven The internets are full of old stock certificates for The Central Passenger Railway Company, but I couldn't find any relevant info on their rolling stock, so I gave up, unsatiated. Probably best that time travel ISN'T currently availiable Because if I time travelled 107 years in the future from my peaceful walk with my friends and baby up lovely Virginia Ave in Atlantic City to THIS spot, I would be beyond horrified (and would immediately demand-if not beg- to be taken back to where I came from vs stay in the tacky, gaudy 21st century version of my sweet little street!) More along the wireless routeHere's the proper link to another Shorpy photo showing no trolley wires, 2 tracks, and surface electrical contact boxes for the far track only. I can't find the address of the Grand Atlantic Hotel or its Annex. One of the Central Passenger Railway's routes was half of a "Loop Car" line, from Boardwalk & Virginia Ave. to Boardwalk & South Carolina Ave. via Atlantic Ave. They connected to, and later may have owned, Venice Park Rwy. lines to the interior of the City. https://www.shorpy.com/node/12772?size=_original Look ma, no (trolley) wires!That electric streetcar is no trolley. Look behind it, there are oblong boxes for a Pullen system of surface electrical contacts. It has not been installed on the other track, almost buried in the mud. By next year, 1906, both tracks will have trolley wire. See: https://www.shorpy.com/node/8532?size=_original Before there was the Gator FarmHere is another Shorpy Picture of essentially the same scene circa 1905, a year or so before this picture. https://www.shorpy.com/node/8532?size=_original. In the 1905 picture, there is no Gator Farm advertisement on the fence and the cafe in the Hotel Jackson was the Jackson Grille and Restaurant as opposed to the Ladies and Gentlemen's Buffet and Cafe run by "Jno Cruse" a year later. As to jimboylan's question about the address of the Grand Atlantic Hotel: a circa 1900 map of Atlantic City shows it to have been on Virginia Ave., just beyond the Avon Inn toward Pacific Ave. In this picture, if you look past the Avon sign on the right side of the street, you can see the towers of the Grand Hotel shown in https://www.shorpy.com/node/12772?size=_original. Wireless Trolley CarCan anyone make out the writing on the upper right on the trolley? I think it says "Smoking Not Allowed". Times must be toughthat woman has to push her own carriage up that hill! No Skateboards? NoGo!A prohibition against skateboards would cause a problem, because the device under the street car to collect the electricity from the surface contact boxes was called a "skate". (The Gallery, Atlantic City, DPC, Streetcars)
The Old Neighborhood: 1904
Circa 1904. "Pennsylvania Avenue, Atlantic City, New Jersey." 8x10 inch dry plate glass negative, Detroit Publishing ... Hotel as one the architectural gems worth seeing in Atlantic City:         The largest extant frame ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 12/24/2017 - 3:59pm -

Circa 1904. "Pennsylvania Avenue, Atlantic City, New Jersey." 8x10 inch dry plate glass negative, Detroit Publishing Company. View full size. Quite the Monopoly-- on a complete change for modern visitors. Nothing left of this view landward from near the famed Boardwalk up Pennsylvania Avenue to the intersection with Pacific and beyond. There is still a church at the corner but it's a newer build. The once genteel neighborhood of homes, boarding houses and hotels disappeared and what's left is a canyon between self-parking structures for the casinos. The 100 Block of Pennsylvania AvenueAs recently as 1981 the NY Times described the Holmhurst Hotel as one the architectural gems worth seeing in Atlantic City:         The largest extant frame hotel in Atlantic City -- the Holmhurst, at 121 Pennsylvania Avenue -- is one of the few architectural links with the 19th century along the Boardwalk. The five-story clapboard structure has a two-story porch along its front and two-story oriel windows at the end of the central section and at the outside corners of the end pavilions.         The interior, stark and simpler than most, is characterized by shallow arches, a wide staircase and rooms with their original frame doors topped by transoms. Unfortunately, the whole area today is naught but boring building blocks and parking structures: Weathervanes and Lightning RodsAdorn nearly every one of these exquisite homes. (The Gallery, Atlantic City, DPC)
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