Miscellaneous Columbus Indiana Topics

[Ricky_Berkey]

I love this message board! Looking at the 1912 Sanborn map of Columbus show a grocer at 235 2nd Street! (I think it was just assumed to be on Jackson).

[Deleted]

Ricky,

You very well may have found the answer to this one. I do recall an old building at that location that was a poultry house, Fivecoats I believe, and from the appearance of the building it could have been a grocery at one time. The building was next to Bill Dunfee Chevrolet, this being in the 1950 's , early 60 's.

[Ricky_Berkey]

In 1943:

Fivecoat and Denny Poultry was at 227-229 2nd
Powell Chevrolet was at 235-237 2nd

In 1924:

Rudolph Poultry was at 227-229 2nd
Moore & Moore Grocers were at 235-237 2nd

[RER]

Harry E. Polen Grocery Postcard (Shows Soap Ad)
Address: Either 235 2nd St. or 235 Jackson St.
Columbus, Indiana

Postcard: Dated year 1914

Brief: Well, this EBAY postcard seemed to awaken most of the old members of the boards, and it has stirred our interest once again back into older Columbus business history. Well, now I enlarged the postcard picture and read the advertisement cards pasted all over the store window above the horses head.

The repetitive signs attached to the window says: "Sunny Monday Laundry Soap."

Apparently, this Chicago made laundry soap was very popular for washing clothing such as woolen etc. during the late 1800s and early 1900s. The soap seemed to come in a hard bar and it had to be pealed or shaved from the bar, then used in wash board water or whatever way you washed your clothing back then.

Following is a picture of the the soap ad and shaver for the bars:




Parker Brothers Toys made a little girls Sunny Monday wash set as seen here:




Brief History: N.K. Fairbank Company (soap maker) Go Here:

www.encyclopedia.chicagohistory.org/pages/2657.html

[David Sechrest]

By golly Ricky, I think you've got it! ha ha

Here's a cutout view of that 1912 Sanborn Insurance Map:



Jackson St. is at the top, which means the top would be east, the bottom west, the left side north, and the right side south.

From the way 235 2nd St. and 237 2nd St. are laid out, it appears that maybe the two businesses connected. See those gaps in the wall?

The wagon does say 2nd & Jackson.

I think we've got a winner!

Bob, thanks for the info on Sunny Monday Laundry Soap. Interesting...

Don't we have a picture of Fivecoats in the Gene Roberts pics, or am I thinking of another place?

Great work guys!

[Ricky_Berkey]

That's what I love about this message board when we find a puzzler like this and all start collaborating (or competing) to figure it out! There are a lot of people suddenly interested in Columbus historical trivia over on Facebook. Hopefully we can lure a few of them over here where the topics are are better organized and available for future reference.

[Ricky_Berkey]

David,

How are you cutting and pasting from the Sanborn maps. I forgot how to do this (if I ever knew). I have them saved as PDF files and it won't let me do simple cut and pastes?

Speaking of Sanborn maps, is there any place I could get a set of them printed out on larger sheets than I can get in my printer. Any idea how much it would cost me? It's easier to explore the past when you have a bigger picture in front of you.

Aug 26, 2011 1:34:28 GMT -5 David Sechrest said:

By golly Ricky, I think you've got it! ha ha

Here's a cutout view of that 1912 Sanborn Insurance Map:

[Ricky_Berkey]

I stopped in at the library:

The 1909 directory shows Harry E Polen as a clerk at Howard Tooley Grocer at 324 3rd.

The 1910 /1911 directory shows Harry E. Polen Grocer at 235 Second.

There was no listing of him in the 1913 directory.

[David Sechrest]

Ricky asked: How are you cutting and pasting from the Sanborn maps.

Find the particular Sanborn Map image you want to open. Right Click on the file name and select OPEN WITH. It will give you a choice of different programs. Open it with any Paint Program you might have. I use Adobe Photoshop CS5.

After you select it, a box will pop up saying IMPORT PDF. You can change the size here if you want. (sometimes I do, sometimes I don't. In the case of the one I posted, I didn't)

It will open the image in your "paint program" and then you can crop only the part you want to display.

Hope this helps! If you need additional info, let me know.

[RER]

Watering & Oiling Dirt Roads During Columbus' Early Days
Columbus, Indiana

I remember clearly that during the 1940s and 1950s; that it was common to see citizens watering (with garden hoses) or pouring used motor oil on the unpaved streets and roads. This was performed to try to keep the dust down in neighborhoods as vehicles and horse and wagons drove or rode by houses. This procedure was used throughout Bartholomew County up until at least the 1960s to my knowledge.

As roads were paved with concrete and asphalt this practice disappeared at some point in history.

Below is a man on North 5th Street watering the dirt on that road during the early 1900s. The location was near 5th and Pearl Street. The picture is an enlarged portion of a very old postcard. At first, I didn't see the man and his watering hose, until I enlarged the photo.

[Rhonda]

They used to oil the dirt roads in the county where I grew up, too.

One thing I have noticed on several of these old post cards is that the tree trunks are painted white. What was the reason for that?? Anyone know? Was it purely for aesthetics?

[Ricky_Berkey]

I know we discussed that somewhere on here before about the white tree trunks but I simply can't remember the reasoning about why they were used. Hopefully someone can find it or remember.

Jul 3, 2012 21:53:12 GMT -5 Rhonda said:

They used to oil the dirt roads in the county where I grew up, too.

One thing I have noticed on several of these old post cards is that the tree trunks are painted white. What was the reason for that?? Anyone know? Was it purely for aesthetics?

[richard]

I believe the trunks were painted for protection from the sun. The rational was, that early in the spring a late frost and a warm afternoon sun would force early budding and the hot summer sun could damage the bark. They also felt the paint would discourage bugs and borers from infecting the trees.

Jul 4, 2012 12:06:22 GMT -5 Ricky_Berkey said:

I know we discussed that somewhere on here before about the white tree trunks but I simply can't remember the reasoning about why they were used. Hopefully someone can find it or remember.

Jul 3, 2012 21:53:12 GMT -5 Rhonda said:

They used to oil the dirt roads in the county where I grew up, too.

One thing I have noticed on several of these old post cards is that the tree trunks are painted white. What was the reason for that?? Anyone know? Was it purely for aesthetics?

[RER]

Yes, Richard is correct on painting the tree trunks in the very early days; and some still do, to protect some fruit trees. The term I found researching was "Whitewashing the Trunk". The white wash could be sprayed off when necessary or desired. In other words they didn't use enamel paint.

I went back to the old postcards posted under that name and found whitewashing during years 1909 and earlier on Franklin Street, Pearl and 5Th street. Then on those same streets there are real pictures and postcard drawings without whitewashing the trunk. There are old CHS pictures in these files and postcards with the campus trees whitewashed, at early dates too.

Anyway, it was an interesting observation about the tree whitewashing, and watering and oiling the dirt streets.

Jul 4, 2012 13:07:10 GMT -5 richard said:

I believe the trunks were painted for protection from the sun. The rational was, that early in the spring a late frost and a warm afternoon sun would force early budding and the hot summer sun could damage the bark. They also felt the paint would discourage bugs and borers from infecting the trees.

Jul 4, 2012 12:06:22 GMT -5 Ricky_Berkey said:

I know we discussed that somewhere on here before about the white tree trunks but I simply can't remember the reasoning about why they were used. Hopefully someone can find it or remember.

[nancs]

In growing up in Columbus, yes, I remember the white tree trunks, and just a kid's observation, mostly seen up around Donner Park. A move to CA as a teenager, and saw no white tree trunks out here...........

........UNTIL yesterday, some 60 years later------and oh, my goodness------------several palm trees at a near-by Jack in the Box, sported the 'white tree trunks.' I have absolutely no clue why. I know that many palm trees have a metal band around them to discourage rats making their homes in them, but-------------painted white??? Maybe some mid-Westerner had a hand in landscaping this fast food establishment. Who knows.

Nanc

Jul 4, 2012 13:51:38 GMT -5 RER said:

Yes, Richard is correct on painting the tree trunks in the very early days; and some still do, to protect some fruit trees. The term I found researching was "Whitewashing the Trunk". The white wash could be sprayed off when necessary or desired. In other words they didn't use enamel paint.

I went back to the old postcards posted under that name and found whitewashing during years 1909 and earlier on Franklin Street, Pearl and 5Th street. Then on those same streets there are real pictures and postcard drawings without whitewashing the trunk. There are old CHS pictures in these files and postcards with the campus trees whitewashed, at early dates too.

Anyway, it was an interesting observation about the tree whitewashing, and watering and oiling the dirt streets.

Jul 4, 2012 13:07:10 GMT -5 richard said:

I believe the trunks were painted for protection from the sun. The rational was, that early in the spring a late frost and a warm afternoon sun would force early budding and the hot summer sun could damage the bark. They also felt the paint would discourage bugs and borers from infecting the trees.

[jdhinkle]

I AM PUTTING THIS ITEM HERE AS A REMINDER

THERE IS ANOTHER PORTION OF THIS SITE WHICH HAS THE LOG YEARBOOKS FOR MANY OF THE YEARS
I KNOW DAVE AND RICHARD HAVE LOTS OF ITEMS TO WORRY ABOUT

THE 1935 LOG IS NOTED AS LOOKING FOR A COPY
I HAVE ALL THE PICTURES SCANNED AND SIZED THAT RICHARD DID A COUPLE OF YEARS AGO

IF ANYONE HAS A QUESTION ABOUT THAT PARTICULAR YEARBOOK FEEL FREE TO E MAIL ME AND I WILL TRY TO HELP

I LIKE MANY OTHERS ENJOY READING AND POSTING TO THIS SITE I KNOW LOTS OF PEOPLE WHO AGREE AND HOPE THEY WILL ADD THEIR MEMORIES AND INFO TO THE SITE
MY E MAIL IS [e-mail]

[RER]

Columbus Businesses Long Gone From Years 1889-1952

Envelopes from the oldest hotel, horse and buggies, grist mills to more modern vehicles. The original St. Denis Hotel building still stands today on Washington Street. I am not sure of the survival of the other buildings on these historical envelopes.