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Post by EC on Apr 14, 2005 21:07:18 GMT -5
My History Part 5
We walked or rode the Lepperd bus a lot. A lot of people walked and rode the bus. Do you remember those small, square nosed buses? Those buses were replaced with the bigger GM style bus and they were Diesel powered. Even after adding the bigger buses, it wasn’t unusual to find all of the seats filled. Many were the times I had to stand while hanging onto the rail. If my memory serves, the last bus left downtown at nine at night. The bus may have run later on weekends. I remember seeing the Columbus Process burning while riding the bus home after a basketball game. When I got home I told my parents that it was on fire and I was going to ride my bike over to watch. I’m thinking they had three routes and you transferred at 4th and Washington. I’m sure one of the routes ran past the Hospital. I rode home from the 25th Street school and it didn’t go past the hospital, at least on the way back to downtown. I walked to and from the State Street School and ran when I was older. We weren’t in the city, but I think the school buses just hauled the kids that lived outside the city limits.
People walked so much that there was a worn path along the North side of Indiana Avenue. If you look closely, you can see the indentation of that path today. My grandparents and two of my uncles never did drive. They got a ride from someone, rode the bus or rode their bicycle. One of those uncles did buy a car in the mid fifties, but his wife did all the driving, as he never got a licence. Not all bicycles had a chain guard and a lot of people wore a spring steel strap that they placed around the leg of their trousers. I always thought it would be neat to have one of those straps. I never did and had to roll my pant leg up when riding a bike without a chain guard.
When I was young today’s location of the East Columbus Methodist Church was a pasture for James K. Dickey’s horse Betty. The stable/barn was located behind their house at Indiana and Gladstone Avenues. The O’Neills at Indiana and Brooks also had a horse, pony and stable behind their house. Mr. Jim Meyers, who plowed our garden, kept his team of horses behind his house at 833 Ross Street. Today, 833 is 251 North Ross Street. I called a fellow that was raised in that area and he said that Jim also had a team of mules. When my folks were adding a room to the house, Mr. Meyers dug the basement using a slip scoop. A slip scoop was about three by three feet and about eighteen inches deep with two wooden handles attached. It was pulled behind the team and after being filled, the team was driven to the area that the dirt was to be stored. The team was then stopped or slowed and Mr. Meyers then tipped the scoop over, and the load was left at that point. He then returned to the starting point, pulled the scoop back, tipped the front down, and filled the next load. This method resulted in wide angled walls, not the square holes we see today. He kept the reins around his neck and used Gee and Haw to turn the team. Today, I couldn’t tell you if Gee or Haw was left or right!
Many people raised chickens and had gardens and grapes and fruit trees were in their back yards. I can remember riding my bicycle down the alley and eating apples and pears off the ground. The strawberries from our garden were delicious. Mom would make pie dough and after rolling it out, she would cut it in squares before baking. That would be our strawberry shortcake. I wish I could find a tomato that tasted today like they did when I picked them up off the newspaper-covered garage floor! Have our taste buds changed or have the produce and meats?
Today’s location of the East Columbus Christian Church was a pond when I was young. Our group called it, “The Swamp” and we visited it every Spring and dipped tadpoles and took them home. They never did turn into frogs or toads but we probably did grow some mosquitoes! I can recall Officer O’Neill of the city police department, killing a bull at that location. The bull had escaped from the Stadler Packing plant stock yards and was first seen moving Southeast along the Madison branch railroad tracks. Mom had heard about the escape and warned us to stay close to home and keep our eyes open! If you followed the farmer’s lane past the swamp, you could go all the way to Clifty Creek and we did spend some time there. We had a basketball goal attached on the South side of our garage. After the old garage was replaced with a new garage, the basketball goal was on the East side and it included a backboard! Until the Optimist Club opened a park behind the # 3 Fire Station on Indiana Avenue, most of the neighborhood games were played at that goal. We didn’t grow grass in that area just dust. That dusty area meant less pushing of the reel type mower that I used to cut the grass. After we had a power mower if was a lot less work, after you got the engine started. In those days easy start mowers had yet to be invented.
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Post by EC on Apr 16, 2005 8:06:17 GMT -5
My History Part 6
My elementary days were spent at the East Columbus School on State Street which was a Columbus Township School. I assume that my school became a city school after East Columbus was annexed into the City of Columbus in 1949. As I’ve said, my brother and I walked to and from school as well as home for lunch. Two of my cousins lived between our house and school. One of our great uncles lived next to them and some days we would get to ride to school in the back of his pick-up truck. His truck was a Dodge and had a spare tire mounted over the running boards between the rear fender and the cab on each side. Two spare tires? Yes, tires were a big problem in those days. Tubeless tires were yet to be invented. Some patched their own tires, but a lot of people took their flat tires to the Harold Trimmell Service Station at 2324 Tenth Street. That location was on the north side of the street just west of the steel Hawcreek Bridge.
While attending State Street the entire school walked together one day each year on Good Friday. We would walk to the East Columbus Church of Christ at 2282 Indiana Avenue and the next year to the East Columbus Methodist at 2162 Ohio Street. After the short service we would all walk back to school. Do you remember The Gideon’s groups passing Bibles out at school?
Today one of the two buildings that I attended is called the County Annex Building. The older of the two buildings was demolished. That building housed the 4th, 5th, 6th and one room of 7th. Grade. Did your school have steam heat? The radiators in the older of the State Street buildings clanged and banged all winter long! I then attended 8th grade at the Wilson Building on Sycamore Street and my freshman year at Columbus High School at 7th and Pearl. The new building located on 25th Street opened for the class of 1956-1957. With that move the Columbus High School became Columbus Senior High School, a three-class high school and Central became Columbus Junior High School, a three-class Junior High School. The class of 1957 was the first to graduate from Columbus Senior High School and my class, the class of 1959, the first to graduate after having completed all three years in the Twenty-Fifth Street building.
Do you remember the Pearl Street Industrial Building? They had Automobile Maintenance, Drafting, Wood Shop, Metal Shop and Foundry classes in that building. I believe the FFA had classes in that building also. In my class of 1959, the Vocational Auto Class still attended class at the Pearl Street Industrial Building. Do you remember gym class? My class was at 7:30 a.m.! The boys wore shorts and a tee shirt. The girls in gym class were required to wear a green one piece short and top. If the girl’s class was using the gym that day, we boys were outside or in the pool. I don’t know what the gals wore in the pool, but I do know what the boys wore. We weren’t allowed to wear suits! We went outside if the day was warm and dry. I’ll bet that put tremendous pressure on the teacher’s schedule. That also meant that swimming was done in the middle of winter. Don’t forget that after swimming or class and a shower, we had to cross Pearl Street to get to our next class. Did the girls have hair dryers? I don’t know, but I remember crossing Pearl Street with my wet head all winter.
I’ve stuttered all my life and still do. This caused problems during school. I attended a speech class once a week at State Street School that I think started in third grade. I’m in my sixties now but I remember one thing really well about my education. I always liked Social Studies. Some may call it History. In any case this is how it played out. I’d always made good grades in that subject. When I went to 8th grade at Wilson Junior High my Social Studies grade dropped to a C. After the first grading period I went to the teacher after class to ask why my grade was a C when all of my tests were A’s. She said that I didn’t participate in class, which I didn’t because of my stuttering. So I went back to her after another C at the end of the next grading period. This time her answer was the same. I told her that I had my hand up in class most of the time, but she never called on me for my answer. Her reply was that, “If she called on me in class she thought that it embarrassed me AND that it took up time in class!” It didn’t end there as later the School Board decided to name a new school after that teacher and her sisters. Then in the 70's my children were required to attend the school that’s named after her.
I played some sports in High School and the trainer also taught Drivers Education. I loved that class, studied and made good grades. At some point in time after I had taken that class, the assistant trainer told me that my Drivers Education teacher thought I’d cheated on the final test because my score was higher than expected. I hadn’t and didn’t understand how he could think I had. Years later, my thought’s were why did my teacher think that and why did the assistant pass that information to me. If he thought that, why didn’t they ask if I would take the test over!
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Margo CHS Class of 55
HCI Forum Board Member
Age is an issue of mind over matter. If you don't mind; it doesn't matter.
Posts: 376
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Post by Margo CHS Class of 55 on Apr 17, 2005 22:43:42 GMT -5
Did your Mother or Grandmother wear an apron? This may be a heirloom one day, as I don't recall many ladies wearing these now.
I must confess I have not worn an apron very much.
My grandmother , Olive Cox Meek, who lived at 9th and California, wore one when she cooked and she made the best fried potatoes in a big iron skillet !! It was a treat to walk up California Street sometimes on Sunday to carry foods in for a family Sunday Dinner, or a Reunion at the Holidays. The tables stretched from her dining room in to the living room, and the children set at separate tables from the adults. It was always considered a "right of passage" to be able to sit at the adult table !! Actually it was much more fun at the children's table, but none of us would admit it ! Her silerware theory was " If you have a fork, you don't need a spoon, or vice versa. " Because of this, we always seemed to have enough silverware to go around. There were no plastic ware in these days, and I'm sure she would be shocked now to see some.
She and my Mother, Nellie McCalip, wore the type of apron that had a bib attached to it, and it had a large hole for her head to slip through it, and then strings to tie it around her waist. I can remember mother putting hers on after we walked home from Church, to cook the noon time meal. We called it Dinner on Sunday, and lunch the other 6 days. Have no idea why. It was always Sunday Dinner, and we looked forward to it each week. Mom made the best fried chicken, once again in an old iron skillet.She fixed mashed potatoes in a pressure cooker. I can still hear that steam whistle blow when the potatoes got hot !! Then she had a hand potato smasher (?) that she used to whip them up nice and fluffy with a big dollop of margarine on the top . YUMMY !!! I also had a very dear friend Judy Arbuckle's mom, Lela Eckles, who wore one, faithfully in her kitchen.She baked the best homemade pies and noodles !! YUMM YUMM ! !!
I also have very fond memories of my Aunt Gertrude Rambo, who lived on a farm, near St. Paul, In. I was able to visit her every summer, for tweo weeks, and she used her apron for each of these following reasons. Hope this brings back a fond memory or two for you . I don't think our children today, know what an apron IS ..
The principle use of my Aunt's apron was to protect the dress underneath, but along with that, it served as a holder for removing hot pans from the wood burning oven. It was wonderful for drying children's tears, and on occasion was even used for cleaning out dirty ears.
From the chicken-coop the apron was used for carrying eggs, fussy chicks, and sometimes half-hatched eggs to be finished in the warming oven,which was on the side of the stove.
When company came those aprons were ideal hiding places for shy kids. And when the weather was cold, grandma wrapped it around her arms. Those big old aprons wiped many a perspiring brow, bent over the hot wood stove.
Chips and kindling wood were brought into the kitchen in that apron. From the garden, it carried all sorts of vegetables. After the peas had been shelled it carried out the hulls. In the fall the apron was used to bring in apples that had fallen from the trees.
When unexpected company drove up the road, it was surprising how much furniture that old apron could dust in a matter of seconds, if need be !!!
When dinner was ready, My Aunt Gertrude walked out onto the porch, waved her apron, and the men knew it was time to come in from the fields to dinner.
It will be a long time before someone invents something that will replace that "old-time apron" that served so many purposes.
For those who have the same memories, about aprons, would you please share them,also? I just love the story about Grandma's aprons. ***********************
How the times have changed... Grandma used to set her hot baked apple pies on the window sill to cool. NOW, Her granddaughter's set theirs on the kitchen counter to THAW , before baking them. Blessings, Margo
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Post by Gregg G on Apr 18, 2005 11:24:09 GMT -5
EC, The bus line that ran past the hospital was either the Orinoco or the Maple Grove. We lived between McClure and Beam Roads on 17th St. and rode the bus everywhere. My dad wasn't able to buy a car until around 1950. Mr. King was our bus driver, and he would even help Mom carry groceries from the bus to our house.
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Post by EC on Apr 18, 2005 18:29:39 GMT -5
Gregg G, thanks for the information about the bus route that passed the hospital. Yes, I recall seeing the Orinoco and/or Maple Grove on the route display board above the front windows. Was Maple Grove around the old number two fire house? I’ve always assumed the Orinoco traveled Orinoco Avenue.
I rode the East Columbus route most of the time and I’m not sure about that route. I’ve asked my mother and she isn’t sure. I guess, because it was something we did so often, none of the details stand out in my mind today. I believe that I met the bus at Twenty-Fifth and Maple Streets after school or practice. Today, I can’t say what route came by but I’m sure I asked for a transfer.
I “think” the East Columbus route came out State Street and turned east on Indiana Avenue. It seems to me that the route continued east on Indiana Avenue to the city limit which was Brooks Street before the mid nineteen sixties. The route then turned north to McKinley Avenue and turned west to Gladstone Avenue. Turning south on Gladstone it traveled the two blocks back to Indiana Avenue, turned west and returned to downtown.
Wasn’t the transfer point in front of the Dalton & Payne men’s clothing store at Fifth and Washington Streets? Also I’m not clear on the number of routes that operated. Was it three, four or five? My mind tells me they passed a certain point each 20 minutes.
Was the cost a nickel or six tokens for a quarter? I have a Leppert token from my mother. I’m going to try to scan it.
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Post by EC on Apr 18, 2005 20:42:50 GMT -5
My History Part 7
In the forties and early fifties I don’t think new automobiles came with a radio from the factory. Mr. Harold Paris operated a business that sold and installed radios in cars. At that point in time radios would only receive the AM bands. The Clear Channel Stations were heard from far away. When FM came along, it was great to cross through a steel bridge without the interference that always occurred while listening to the AM bands. By the way, advertisements that WCSI ran in 1953 had both bands listed.
Until 1953, Dad always traded a used car for a used car. Dad’s first new car was a 1953 hold over as the 1954 models had been released. In those years and I believe it was September, all of the dealers released the new models at the same time. A few weeks before the showing, the dealers would have a model or two in the show room that they kept covered. Some might leave a tire and the bottom of a hubcap uncovered to tempt the customers!
A group of friends from church and we made a lot of trips to Brown County State Park for swimming and picnics. I recall my parents talking about the need to back up some of the hills in the park. It seems that Charles Zurbrugg had a car that didn’t have a fuel pump. The fuel tank sat above the engine and it fed the engine by gravity. Unless you had a nearly full tank, all of the gasoline went to the back of the tank while pulling a hill and the engine would quit.
Our church also had a July Fourth picnic with most members attending. Some of the older high school boys would go out the night before to hold one of the shelter houses. It was a pitch in and included activities such as sack races and an afternoon softball game. I remember walking a lot of the trails and wishing I could afford to take a horse ride. After I had my paper route, I did take one of those trail rides. I was looking around and as I turned back I was kicked on my knee by the horse in front of me. The head of my horse was above the rear of the horse in front of me and I think my horse must have nudged the horse in front. At that point in time, I regretted spending my money on the horse ride! Some of the families, after a lot of visiting, went to the pool before returning to Columbus.
My dad was on a basketball team that played in a league. The games were played at Pearl Street, Petersville and Hope gyms. I’m sure there must have been games at other gyms, but I remember those and the trips home setting in the back of the Model-A with a blanket on my lap and waking up when the old car back fired! After the Model-A, I think our next used car was a Nash Coupe.
I remember going with the folks to wash the cars at the ford in the Clifty creek at the east end of McKinley or the ford in the Haw Creek on Rocky Ford Road which was just west of Marr Road. The ford on Rocky Ford Road had a cement bottom. When we got near the bottom of the creek bank, you crossed the normal water level on that cement slab. It seems to me that the drop-off on both sides must have been between one and two feet. I recall dad stopping the wash job and backing off to let traffic cross. Both of those fords were on a gravel road. And to keep the car clean, dad drove slowly when we were finished. At the Clifty Creek ford, if we went up the hill on the east side, we ended up at the intersection of US 31 at today’s base road and we were back on a paved road. Bartholomew County had a lot of gravel roads in those days.
Sometime in the 1950's I got to do something I’d like to do again today. A friend of my folks had a red 1940's Army Jeep that was a Ford brand. He’d fill it up with kids, one in the front passenger seat and four or more in the back. He’d go west on the Youth Camp Road and to the construction site of the high voltage electric lines that cross the Youth Camp Road. We then traversed that construction road to the point that those lines crossed SR 46. In this kid’s eyes, some of those hills were very steep! He engaged his four-wheel drive while traveling downhill as well as up. Often he would fold the windshield down. In those days I think race car drivers were the only people that knew what seatbelts were! On one trip, we went to the McKinley Avenue Clifty Creek ford and half way across, he turned north and up the middle of the creek. We traveled around one-hundred feet before water began filling the floor. At that time, he turned around and we returned to the ford. Turning east, we continued up the twisting road to the top of the hill that took us to US 31.
One afternoon when we got home from school in 1951, Mom told us Dad was buying a television set from a fellow at work and he was bringing it home that evening. Talk about excitement. We had it that afternoon. He put the antenna in the front yard. It was a used black and white Arvin. The first show I saw was The Howdy Doody Show. It was mostly snowy, but we watched it with pride. After a few days, the antenna was installed on the top of the house and that greatly improved the quality of the picture. In 1953 an appliance store in East Columbus put a television set in the gymnasium at the State Street School for all students to watch the inauguration of Dwight Eisenhower. I though that was neat.
I haven’t searched the web so I can’t give you a date, but I remember when I first saw color television. Except for the size, the westerns looked just like they did at the theaters downtown. Then when I saw a baseball game, you could see the dust cloud when the ball was caught by the catcher. That was just like being at the game!
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Post by EC on Apr 20, 2005 9:37:07 GMT -5
My History Part 8
In the early fifties the City of Columbus opened the Number 3 Fire House on Indiana Avenue. If I didn’t have grass to mow, papers to pass, a ball game or another pressing matter, I was there a lot. I started hanging around before they moved in as each shift came out from the Number 2 Station to remodel the building the city had purchased from Mr. Jim Dickey. The building had been a tire store and the firemen removed the four small overhead doors and installed two large truck size doors. Walls were installed to create a lounge, kitchen, bedroom and apparatus area. The apparatus room was in the middle of the building. The lounge and kitchen sat side by side on the front of the building. The bedroom and bathroom used the back of the building. Each room had a screen door between it and the apparatus room. They built a small opening into the wall that separated the kitchen and lounge as well as the apparatus room wall. That three-way opening permitted the phone to be answered from any of the three rooms. Another opening was built into the bedroom and apparatus room wall. That opening housed a phone also and both openings into the Apparatus room had a sliding screen door. The screens were needed as the apparatus room doors were often open in the summer.
They had a soda pop and candy machines inside the apparatus room and I used those when I had the money. Now as I said, I stuttered so I sat and listened most of the time. Assistant Chief Eret “Bud” Kline, who after his retirement, was the Mayor of The City of Columbus, told me he stuttered when he was a kid. He suggested that I find a small round smooth rock. After washing the rock, I should put it under my tongue. That controlled my speaking problem for several weeks and then became less effective. A few years later Paul Jones, another fireman at that station, told me that his uncle was in town and if I could get my parents permission, his uncle could hypnotize me to end my stuttering. It worked longer than the rock, but it too began to wear off. Paul told me later that his uncle knew I would need other treatments before his next visit. His uncle thought that perhaps my family could find someone in our area to hypnotize me for those treatments.
A buddy brought his school book down and showed Paul’s uncle what his next day test would be over. The uncle read the material while he was hypnotized and the buddy reported later that he made an A on the test!
Do you remember the red fire boxes on the street corners? What about the small boxes inside our schools? Have you ever wondered how those worked? At that time, the fire department had an electrician. His job was to install and maintain those fire boxes as well as the stop lights in town. His stop lights were on city streets. The stop lights on state roads were maintained by the state. That job also included doing electrical inspections within the city. Mr. Charles Miller held that job during my youth. Charlie was also involved with the city band and I believe had been the Fire Chief at some point in time. Now if you attended any of the park shows at the Donner shelter house you may have heard the name of Smoky Joe Miller. Did you know that Smoky Joe was the son of Mr. Charles Miller?
The electrician worked an eight-hour shift and didn’t get a Kelly day. What’s a Kelly day you ask? Most members of the fire department worked a twenty-four-hour shift. The shifts changed at seven each morning. After working four days, they got a Kelly day, which was an extra day off. By getting a Kelly day, they still averaged working seventy-two hours per week. It was believed that an Ohio Fire Department Captain Kelly devised the plan to reduce the work week to seventy-two hours. Today most paid departments operate with three shifts and no longer use Kelly Days.
The fire boxes were operated by a single looped line around town. That line was battery powered and was always on. The fire box and the reader/punch head and bell in the stations was spring operated. Each fire box had a wheel mounted inside with a unique number of fingers on the edge of the wheel. Have you seen the Columbus Fire Department History on David’s Historic Columbus Indiana site? Did you see his page with a fire box location that included a number? When a box was pulled, the term for when the box was used, the wheel would go around three times. Each time the flat spring wire that was making a connection with the wheel would drop off the finger, the connection was lost. When the connection was lost, the bell and tape punch at each station would operate. Actually, I believe that a tape machine and bell were installed in the home of the Fire Chief and at the police radio room.
OK, if the wheel on a pulled box had two fingers and three spaces followed by one finger followed by another three spaces, with five more fingers and enough spaces to reach the original starting point, that would be box number 215. Each time the flat spring wire fell, the circuit was broken and the bell and punch head would operate. A paper tape was pulled by a take-up reel along the bottom of the punch head. This tape then traveled along a piece of wood that was painted black, which facilitated seeing the holes that were punched. The bell would ring each time a hole was punched, thus alerting the firefighters that an alarm was being received. By the way, the bell was big and loud enough to wake the crew in the middle of the night. The wheel in the box would turn three times before stopping. The holes would be checked again when the second turn of the wheel was completed. If the number was confirmed as the same as the first they would respond to the location listed on the chart which was mounted on the wall above the tape machine. In this case, the location of Box 215 was Tenth and Jackson Streets.
Do you see a problem there? Actually, there were several. I’m sure I never knew all of them but the first to come to my mind was that someone had to wait near the box to tell the first arriving crew where in the area the fire was. This wasn’t a problem, if the fire was creating a lot of smoke! Another was when an accident broke a pole or a limb fell on the looped line. A single tap of the bell, other than test times, told the crews that the line had been broken and the department electrician was then called and he went out to find the broken line! His job also included many hours of trimming limbs away from his wire. Another problem was the false alarms! Today, the tracking abilities of 911 have about eliminated that major problem.
The line was tested three times a day. Each station had a switch that would open the line for a single tap / ring. Station number one tested the line at 7:00 a.m., Station number two at noon and Station number three at 6:00 p.m.. Another thing that had to be done was to rewind the spring in the box before returning to the station. After returning to the station, the bell and tape machine springs were rewound.
When radios first came to the Fire Department, the frequency was shared with the Police Department. One firefighter, who had phone duty, stayed behind when a call was answered. He would turn the radio on in the back-up engine and answer the phone as well. That firefighter also called the other station when an alarm came in by phone for their area. You ask, what happened if the phone was out of order or he received a busy ring at the other station? His first option was to trip the test switch and call again. If that didn’t work, he had a copy of each wheel of each fire box. He could place that wheel into his master box and initiate an alarm in that matter. I’m thinking that master box turned the wheel four times so the tape record would show the alarm was created by the master box.
A base station and tower were installed at Station number one in the mid sixties when the department received a frequency assigned for the fire service. Years after that, newly installed fire boxes sent a radio signal to the tower. Today, I don’t’ believe I’ve seen a fire box in years. I’d say the fact that most residents have a phone and the reliability of the phone system negates the need for the fire boxes as I knew them.
My mind is full of lessons and funny stories that I saw or heard of while hanging around Station three! Some couldn’t be told in this format, but I’ll tell about the first time I saw a tape recorder. It was a reel to reel model and about twenty-six inches across by about twenty inches deep. It was somewhere near ten inches tall. I believe it was owned by firefighter Schofield or Bay. Now at that time if an alarm was received by telephone, the call came to station number one and they called the station or stations that would respond to the area of the call. Firefighter Bay, Schofield or both had decided that they wanted to record the sound of a run being made. They called the fellow at station one and told him what they wanted to do. The plan was to record the phone ringing, the answer, the repeating of the address, the doors banging as they made their way to the apparatus floor. Then record the sound of getting their gear on, giving the driver the address, the door opening and the truck pulling out of the station. They had the recorder placed so the microphone could record the sound from both the lounge and the apparatus room. They did get most of those sounds recorded, even the sound of the fire truck doors closing. The battery turned the engine slowly three or four times and then STOPPED. After a few second’s pause, someone was heard on the recording saying S**T. Another plan bit the dust, but they did find that the engine needed a new battery. Better to find out then as at a real alarm!
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Margo CHS Class of 55
HCI Forum Board Member
Age is an issue of mind over matter. If you don't mind; it doesn't matter.
Posts: 376
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Post by Margo CHS Class of 55 on Apr 22, 2005 2:03:31 GMT -5
I had originally posted this in the Columbus In. Miscellaneous Folder, but thought I would post it here, just to see if anyone reads it. Enjoy, Margo
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------- BURMA SHAVE SIGNS - - The First Bill Boards !!
How many remember those delightful primitive Billboards that were posted to trees, fences, or telephone poles on County Roads and Highways? I am really suprised that no one had posted them on this site anywhere. Dave, We may have to have a seperate folder entitled "Burma Shave Signs" if we stir up enough interest.
OK, people, DO YOU HAVE A FAVORITE ONE?? This is where we will start them, and see if you add to mine. I can vividly remember driving to Family Reunion Dinners, in the 40's and 50's, and looking for these on the way to Gary, or Shelbyville. Surely wish I had been able to save some !! The younger generation surely missed out on a lot, didn't they? Enjoy, and take time to reminisce..... ******************* The First Billboards ..... For all our younger Drivers The following were signs located along highways as an advertising technique back when we "Mature Adults" were much, much younger. While on a long car trip to Indianapolis, Madison, or Louisville, we kept our eyes peeled for them. Because they carried some wisdom and were fun to read, I thought you might enjoy reading them, also:
SOME OF MY ALL TIME FAVORITE BURMA SHAVE SIGNS..
TRAINS DON'T WANDER ALL OVER THE MAP 'CAUSE NOBODY SITS IN THE ENGINEER'S LAP Burma Shave
SHE KISSED THE HAIRBRUSH BY MISTAKE SHE THOUGHT IT WAS HER HUSBAND JAKE Burma Shave
DON'T LOSE YOUR HEAD TO GAIN A MINUTE YOU NEED YOUR HEAD YOUR BRAINS ARE IN IT Burma Shave
DROVE TOO LONG DRIVER SNOOZING WHAT HAPPENED NEXT IS NOT AMUSING Burma Shave
BROTHER SPEEDER LET'S REHEARSE ALL TOGETHER GOOD MORNING, NURSE Burma Shave
CAUTIOUS RIDER TO HER RECKLESS DEAR LET'S HAVE LESS BULL AND MORE STEER !! Burma Shave
SPEED WAS HIGH WEATHER WAS NOT TIRES WERE THIN X MARKS THE SPOT Burma Shave
THE MIDNIGHT RIDE OF PAUL FOR BEER LED TO A WARMER HEMISPHERE Burma Shave
AROUND THE CURVE LICKETY-SPLIT BEAUTIFUL CAR WASN'T IT ? Burma Shave
NO MATTER THE PRICE NO MATTER HOW NEW THE BEST SAFETY DEVICE IN THE CAR IS YOU Burma Shave
A GUY WHO DRIVES A CAR WIDE OPEN IS NOT THINKIN' HE'S JUST HOPIN' Burma Shave
AT INTERSECTIONS LOOK EACH WAY A HARP SOUNDS NICE BUT IT'S HARD TO PLAY Burma Shave
BOTH HANDS ON THE WHEEL EYES ON THE ROAD THAT'S THE SKILLFUL DRIVER'S CODE Burma Shave
THE ONE WHO DRIVES WHEN HE'S BEEN DRINKING DEPENDS ON YOU TO DO HIS THINKING Burma Shave
CAR IN DITCH DRIVER IN TREE THE MOON WAS FULL AND SO WAS HE !! Burma Shave
And one of my all time favorites:
PASSING SCHOOL ZONE TAKE IT SLOW LET OUR LITTLE SHAVERS GROW Burma Shave
Do these bring back memories?
If they do, you're as old as my first car I learned to drive in , a '47 Chevy !!! I have many,many more. Just wanted to see if there was any interest in them. Margo from the 5th Street Bunch
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Post by EC on Apr 22, 2005 20:40:26 GMT -5
My History Part 9
Let me talk about traffic when I started driving in 1957. Cruising at that time was from downtown to Frisch’s Big Boy, on Twenty-Fifth Street, and then the Bob-O-Link Drive-In and back. At some point in time the Dog & Suds was included in that cruising route. I’m not sure when the first one-way traffic scheme came about, but I do know it’s been changed several times since the first implementation. One incident taught me to be very careful after those changes were made. A car full of us was cruising east on Fourth from Jackson to Washington Street just days after Fourth Street had been changed from west bound to east bound. Near the front of the Columbus Bar a fellow carrying a cardboard box walked into the street after looking to the east! When he took a step into the street the driver of the car I was in touched his horn and that fellow threw his hand’s straight up in the air with the results being that the box he was carrying fell to the street. After we passed, the guys in the back seat said he was standing there looking at his box and the liquid running from it into the street.
On most cruising nights the passengers pooled their money to buy gas. Most times the driver pulled into the station to have a dollar’s worth put into the tank. However, some nights our group could only muster $0.50! At most stations in those pre self serve days, the night attendant was a student who came out to pump the gas! It was said that Al Betz, who had three two-barreled carburetors on his car, would pull into a station and leave the engine running, then tell the attendant to pump faster as he wasn’t keeping up! Some of those cruising had V-eight engines. Most had six cylinders and it was said that some of the six cylinder drivers pulled a vacuum line off in order to make their car lope to give the impression that they had a V-eight, with altered cam, under the hood! In those days the wipers ran off of a vacuum line, so on rainy nights the six cylinder engines didn’t sound like a hot engine.
Installing a Porter muffler made the Chrysler brand cars sound good. Adding a glass pack on the rest of other models produced the same results. With those mufflers, downshifting would really make the engines crackle! The young people of those days loved the sound those mufflers produced. The Police Departments didn’t!
A friend and another of his buddies were in Seymour, Indiana and were stopped by the police there. Both of these young men were about the same size and the guy driving had a few points on his driving licence. So they swapped their licence before pulling over! They said it was cold out so he left the engine running after pulling over. He was sitting on a small incline so he put the transmission into reverse. With his nervousness, he forgot to take it out of gear when the officer asked him to sound the mufflers. After he backed into the police vehicle, his buddy had points for muffler violation and an accident!
I remember running boards very clearly. One night I was peddling my bike down Illinois Avenue and I could see the lights on the pavement and hear the car behind me. About that time I had a sudden pain on my back. A fellow from school had opened the back door and was standing on the running board and gave me a huge slap as they passed. I don’t think I’d ever had anything hurt as much. It’s a wonder he didn’t knock me over.
I was in a barber shop and heard the following story a few years after my experience. The fellow said he was on his way home from his shift at the Stadler Packing Company and he saw his son riding his bike in the center of the street making cars move over to pass. He said he asked the driver to slow down and he got out on the running board and he slapped and yelled at his son as they passed. He then gave his son the what for about his style of bicycle riding. I could relate the pain his son must have experienced. I wonder how much jail time a parent would get for that type of lesson today?
I spent a lot of time waiting in a barber shop. Every couple of weeks a haircut was expected as long hair was not in vogue at that time. A lot of stories were told and I saw a lot of boys get their first haircut. In those days a first haircut was free. I found out that a free first haircut had changed in the nineteen-sixties. I had to pay for the first haircut of my sons. A short time after that, I saw a home clipper set, I read the booklet and learned to cut hair. My barber saved the cost of two free haircuts, but his move cost him many haircuts over the next several years.
In the Nineteen Fifty and Sixty’s, Marr Road ran from SR 46, Twenty-Fifth Street today, to St Louis Crossing Road which is Road 800 North today. Wint Lane ran from McKinley to Tenth Streets. To drive northeast of town, from East Columbus, you had to go north on Gladstone Avenue, then east on Tenth Street, then north on McClure to Seventeenth Street, then east to Beam Road which would take you to SR 46. Take a right on SR 46 and you were in the country in just a few blocks. Or you could also get to Tenth and McClure by going north on Brooks and jogging east on McKinley to Lover’s Lane.
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Post by EC on Apr 27, 2005 18:36:30 GMT -5
My History Part 10
Some of my recollections of the railroads in Columbus follow. The Pennsylvania Railroad depot for passengers and freight was at 542 Jackson Street which was behind Leppert Auto Parts, Greyhound Bus Terminal and The Carmichael Restaurant which served some of the best fish sandwiches in Columbus. Now, if you follow this board, you’ve read the posting from George that states a depot was near Seventh Street. My mind tells me that I remember that move, but I can’t see the old depot in my mind’s eye!
Do you remember the green Railway Express trucks? Weren’t they the UPS and FedEx of those times? One of my Little League coaches, Chester Lind, drove one of those trucks. I’ve checked a 1953 Columbus Directory and it says that the Railway Express was at 630 Jackson Street. This information has zapped my mind, as I’ve been thinking that they combined the depot with the freight operation. A Goggle search said that the trucking industry came of age after World War ll. History says that trucking was the start of the demise of the railroads.
The roundhouse was south of the depot at the west end of Fourth Street. A water tower was between the depot and the roundhouse. George and I drove around that area last week and he said that he remembers a coal chute along those tracks. When I was young, I wondered how they got all of the coal into the engine tender. I recall seeing a crane with a clamshell bucket on the boom and I guess it didn’t register.
North of the depot, the tracks headed in a north northeast direction into the middle of Jackson Street between Seventh and Eight Streets. Southern Transportation was located on the south side of Seventh, west of Jackson. The west end of Seventh Street was at Brown. Do you remember using that route if the light was red on southbound US 31A? Do you remember that Seventh Street had a jog at both Jackson and Washington Streets? Today, Seventh Street west of Washington Street is aligned.
In any case, Jackson Street north of Eighth had a lane on each side of the street. The Pennsylvania Railroad had a flag man and a small building at Eighth and Jackson Streets. It was small and had a smoke stack sticking out the top. Most people I knew called it the flag man shack! US 31A and SR 46 traffic went thru that intersection. US 31A is now SR 11. The state route for both of those roads turned south on Jackson, then turned west on Third. Before the new bridge, traffic crossed the Second Street bridge.
The Pennsylvania main line ran north to Indianapolis thru Edinburgh, Franklin and Greenwood. The Pennsylvania line also had a spur line running into Camp Atterbury. That spur had been removed years ago. A new spur was installed a few years ago as Atterbury is now a Reserve and National Guard Training Center. While running south to Louisville, it passed thru Seymour, Crothersville, Austin, Scottsburg and Sellersburg.
The Madison branch line crossed Second Street at the east end of the White River Bridge turning east through the switching yard south of First Street. Several tracks crossed Lafayette Street and then turned southeast to cross the Haw Creek behind the Stadler Packing Co. They then traveled along the south side of East Columbus. That line had a spur that crossed Second Street that allowed coal to be shipped to the Columbus Coal Co., which was located at 232 Sycamore Street.
Actuality, that spur was the original route of the Madison branch and crossed Washington on the diagonal just north of Fifth Street. Do you remember the angled building at Fifth and Washington Streets? That walkway was built after the line was moved. I thought for years that the popcorn shop was located on that walk. One of the pictures on this site shows the popcorn and nut shop just north of Smith’s Jewelry which faced Washington Street.
The Rushville branch crossed Jackson on the west and Washington Street on the north side of the Coca-Cola Bottling Plant. It then ran east crossing all of the north-south running streets between Washington and including Michigan. I criss-crossed that route a few weeks ago and it’s really hard to say, as the rite-of-way has been fenced across at a few points and buildings built into parts of it, but it looked to me as if dual tracks ran from Lafayette Street east. I recall seeing cars being unloaded at the Taylor Lumber & Supply Co. at 1425 California Street. Wendel’s Inc. was located at Fourteenth and Sycamore. Did they have lumber shipped by the railroad also? It’s not that clear in my mind as I didn’t travel Sycamore often.
I believe three tracks crossed Michigan Avenue between 14th and 15th streets. Two tracks crossed side by side and the third crossed on the diagonal a couple hundred feet south of the other two. That track crossed Fourteenth and Thirteenth Streets before being switched into the New York Central line south of Thirteenth Street. The oldest map I have is dated 1984 and it has the New York Central track stopping at Sixth Street between Reeves and Cummins. Today, I wish I had some of the maps that were in my possession in those years!
The New York Central depot was at 835 Third Street. That location was on the south side of Third Street. The tracks crossed Third Street and California at an angle. The engines backed into the depot as the tracks ended at that point. There were several tracks in that yard and the train blocked traffic several times while uncoupling the cars.
The traffic was blocked again when the cars were connected for the return trip to Greensburg. The tracks ran northeast from the depot on the north side of The Schaefer Milling Co.’s flour mill. It continued through Cummins Engine Co. and along Reeves Pulley Company. After crossing Seventh Street they turned north, traveling next to the alley behind Werner Avenue and along the west side of The Golden Foundry and between Morgan’s Packing Co., and Arvin Industries and then the east side of the True Temper handle factory. There was a spur that ran from that area that crossed Hutchins, Cottage and Central before entering the Arvin Seventeenth street plant on the south side. Was that a New York Central, Pennsylvania Line or shared spur?
North of the handle factory, the New York Central and the Pennsylvania tracks ran side by side as they made their way north-northeast through town crossing 16th, 17th, 19th, Cottage, Central, 25th and US 31. Between US 31 and Rocky Ford Road the New York Central line turned to the northeast with the line crossing the Haw Creek and Marr Road a short distance south of Rocky Ford Road.
The Pennsylvania line continued north-northeast crossing Rocky Ford Road just east of the road that went into Atterbury Air Force Base. It crossed Marr Road at the crook in the road alongside of the Atterbury Air Force Base. The Pennsylvania Rushville line also had a spur line into Atterbury Air Force Base.
When I was hired by Cummins Engine Company in 1959, we crossed the New York Central tracks while going from one building to another. I think the New York Central always used Steam Engines while running into Columbus.
My parents rode the Southwind to Miami in the mid 50's and it was being pulled by Diesel Engines. The Southwind was a train that ran between Chicago and Miami in the nineteen-fifties. I don’t know for a fact, but I suspect it ran for years before the fifties.
The 1949 map of Columbus Mr. Sechrest has posted on his site has many of the railroad routes shown. To see this map, go to his home page and click the “More Columbus Indiana Pictures.”
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nanc
HCI Forum Board Member
Posts: 73
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Post by nanc on Apr 28, 2005 9:03:22 GMT -5
Hi, and good morning to all! Since my return from TX, my life has been a whirlwind of some unexpected "activities" and I surely have a lot of catch-up reading to do on the boards. But, have some memories that have been "triggered" to share----the past as related to the present. My own family is really quite small, and a family "reunion" has always been accomodated at someone's home. I do recall, tho', attending a family reunion years ago with my cousins (the ones I was with in TX) for their dad's family (my 100 year old uncle) at Donnor Park. There were so many people in attendance, and the amount of food there was literally overwhelming! The food alone took up several tables. Know that was when I was first introduced to pickled eggs with beets. And still a favorite of mine. My week in Texas was as close as I have ever been to a real family reunion since that day in Donnor Park so many years ago. This past Saturday, I adopted a 1 1/2 year old English Bullmastiff!!!!!!!!!!!!! Altho' I have had it in the back of my head that I wanted to work with a mastiff, in light of the fact that my daugher had adopted one a year ago, who is an awesome dog, little did I really think it would happen so soon. My daugher has trained her dog for therapy work in assisted living places, homes for abused children, hospitals and the like, and I am enchanted, and am working toward that goal with this new addition to my family of critters. Back in the late 40s, and very early 50s, my dad decided that he wanted a Boxer dog. At that point in time, Boxers were the AKC dog of the year, and very popular and a picture of the winning Boxer was on the cover of Life magazine. Thus, a brindle female Boxer, Tuffy, joined our family. In time my dad convinced my mom that they would raise a litter of puppies-----in the winter, in the house, and I really do not know how he ever convinced her that it was a grand idea!!!!!! Our litter of Boxers was one of a very few available in Columbus. I do think that Bob Barkhimer's family also raised a litter at about the same time. Tuffy was a great mother to a litter of seven puppies. Might add here that my mom allowed this litter of puppies to be raised in their bedroom with her prized antique heirloom bedroom set!!!! I know it happened that way, but I have trouble as I can't believe my mom could have put up with that!!!! We named them after the Seven Dwarfs. The whole point of this story lies in the "cost" of a dog today!!!!! Which I think is outrageous, as the people I adopted my new dog from paid $1499 for him as a wee puppy!!!! But maybe not!!!!!!!!!!! As it came time to sell our Tuffy's puppies back when I was in Tom Thayer's English class at Wilson (can date that, as I wrote an essay about how Tuffy took care of her brood), people were beating a path to our door to purchase a puppy. My dad traded one puppy with a local automobile shop/mechanic/dealership for a brand new set of tires for our '47 Chevy, as well as a complete tune-up and "goings over" on the car, and a little window air conditioner for the car, which you filled with water and then used a little string inside to somehow make that gadget cool the car somewhat. Some one of you guys can surely attach a name to that which I describe. As the proceeds from the sale of the puppies accumulated, my mom and dad planned a month long vacation to California. From the sale and/or trade of these seven puppies, my folks paid for that vacation-------we paid to board our two dogs for a month, paid for all the gas, lodging, food, film, any and all expenses for the trip. All from the profits of a litter of Boxer puppies. Hmmmmm!!!!!! Maybe the cost of a purebred dog is not so much these days, after all. And so goes my life, and in case you had not noticed, I always have been, and still am, "a critter person!" Nanc
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Post by EC on Apr 30, 2005 11:12:04 GMT -5
My History Part 11
Have you ever told your kids or grand kids that everything today is just too expensive? Nancy, in her posting on April 28, 2005, talks about the cost of dogs in the current market. I found this record a few weeks ago and typed it into my word processor.
In 1959 after my eighteenth birthday I went to work at Cummins Engine Company. They paid me $1.78 per hour and that included the $.08 bonus for working on the evening shift! Then, I was laid off in August of 1960. In January of 1962 I was called back. After saving all I could, I borrowed my mother’s car and took my wife to Florida that summer. It was years later before I owned a car that I would begin to think about taking a trip that far!
The Kentucky Toll Road was the route of I65 and ran from south of Louisville, ending around Elizabethtown, Kentucky. We traveled I65 part of the trip as it was only open in 40 or 50 mile sections.
Today, I’m assuming that because we lived close to our budget, I kept a record of our expenses on that trip. Following you’ll find an example of the cost of that trip!
Florida Trip Expenses 1962, 1st day, Kentucky Toll road - $ .50, Kentucky Toll road - $ .20, Cave City, Kentucky Gasoline - $ 4.40, Oneonta, Alabama Gasoline - $ 5.41, Pell City, Alabama Motel - $ 6.18. Stamps - $ .40, Card - $ .26, Supper in Pell City, Alabama - $ .84 2nd. Day, Troy, Alabama Gasoline - $ 4.32, Perry, Florida Gasoline - $ 3.75, Supper @ Circus/Circus in Clearwater - $ 1.76, Tip at Circus/Circus - $ .20, Cards (notice Plural) - $ .26, Stamps @ $ .03 - $ .30, Misc. - $ .47, Notebook - $ .10, Cigarettes -$ .59 3rd Day, Breakfast at Howard Johnson’s - $ 1.96, Tip at Howard Johnson’s - $ .20, Supper at Circus/Curcus In Clearwater -$ 1.86, Tip at Circus/Circus - $ .20, Snorkel and Cokes - $ 2.27, Gum - $ .10 4th Day, Breakfast at Howard Johnson’s - $ 2.06, Tip at Howard Johnson’s - $ .20, Ice - $ .55, Souvenir for Us - $ .41, Cigarettes - $ .55, 2 Rolls 8MM Film - $ 6.08, Supper at Circus/Circus, $ 2.37, Tip at Circus/Circus, $ .20, Tonsiline - $ .45 5th Day, 4 day Motel Charge - $28.84, Breakfast at Howard Johnson’s - $ 2.06, Tip at Howard Johnson’s - $ .20, Souvenirs & Baby Gift - $ 3.37, Sweater Guard - $ 1.25, Oranges & Potato Chips - $ 1.43, Gift for mom - $ 1.29, Magazine - $ .36, Gift for my wife’s folks - $ .78, Hat, Key Chain - $ 2.10, Cigarettes - $ .24, Supper at Circus/Circus - $ 2.79, Tip at Circus/Circus, $ .25 Car Service at a service station in Clearwater Beach, Chassis Lube - $ 1.50, Motor Oil - $ 3.25, Gasoline (13.4 gallon) - $ 4.40, Adjust Brakes - $ 1.50, Wiper Blades - $ 2.40, Tax - $ .15 Total of Car Service $ 13.20 6th Day, Perry, Florida Gasoline - $ 4.45, Dinner at Dothan, Alabama - $ 1.04 Ozark, Alabama Gasoline, $ 4.86, New Tube for Flat Tire Montgomery Alabama - $ 3.80, Anderson Motel Cullman, Alabama - $ 8.24, Cullman, Alabama Gasoline - $ 3.90 7th Day, Crackers - $ .10, Pepsi’s/Cokes & F.St’s---breakfast? - $ .60, Dinner at Goolettsville, Tennessee - $ 1.43, Tip at Goolettsville, Tennessee - $ .20, Cave City, Kentucky Gasoline - $ 5.70, Columbus, Indiana Gasoline - $ 4.95 Car Service in Columbus at a service station, Chassis Lube - $ 1.50, Motor Oil - $ 3.25, Pack Wheels - $ 3.00, Fan Belt - $ 2.80 Total of Car Service in Columbus $ 10.55
Trip Totaled Going down $ 26.26 Day 2 $ 10.27 Day 3 $ 12.87 Day 4 $ 44.96 Car Service in Florida $ 13.20 Coming Home $ 39.27 Kentucky Toll Road on return $ .70 Car Service in Columbus $ 10.55 Total $158.08
Notice the car service at both ends of this trip. In those times, everyone changed their oil, the oil filter and had the chassis lubricated every one-thousand Miles. I felt I needed to get the car serviced before returning it to my mother.
By the way, Circus/Circus was a cafeteria style restaurant.
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Margo CHS Class of 55
HCI Forum Board Member
Age is an issue of mind over matter. If you don't mind; it doesn't matter.
Posts: 376
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Post by Margo CHS Class of 55 on Apr 30, 2005 11:40:41 GMT -5
Car Trip to Florida... EC ( wish you would join and post your name)
I really enjoyed your message on car expenses to Fl.
I am traveling down in June to watch my granddaughter, Sarah Kapala, (who is Drum Major this year) lead her Concordia, MO Band at the Disney World Parade.
My plane ticket cost me $136.00 which is almost the total cost of your trip! I now plan to try to chart all my expenses and see how they compare. I'm SURE I won't find Gasoline that CHEAP !
Thanks for posting this... VELLY, VELLY INTEERRRRESTING ! (SNL can't remember the actor's name, just knew he wore a German helmet most of the time) Margo CHS Class of '55
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nanc
HCI Forum Board Member
Posts: 73
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Post by nanc on Apr 30, 2005 16:35:38 GMT -5
Hi EC, and that trip information was just super interesting. I hadn't thought about it, but I would almost bet that my mom at least recorded gasoline expenses for that vacation so many years ago. Thanks so much for sharing, it just somehow puts a lot of things into perspective, doesn't it? Sure appreciate. Have a great day. Nanc
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Margo CHS Class of 55
HCI Forum Board Member
Age is an issue of mind over matter. If you don't mind; it doesn't matter.
Posts: 376
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Post by Margo CHS Class of 55 on May 1, 2005 14:29:23 GMT -5
Concerning the Crump Theatre..where we all went to see movies during the 50's.... ;D
We have been discussing the Crump in another folder and I thought I might copy it here, as this file seems to ATTRACT more readers.
The Lord works in mysterious ways, sometimes...
When I attended First Baptist Church this morning, I learned the CRUMP Theatre will be open this coming Thursday, May 5th at noon for the National Day of Prayer Service. This is the first time it has been used this way.
This event is FREE and open to anyone. So, if you care to revive old memories, and join me in prayers for our Active Duty Military, please join me there that day at NOON.
Second,
The next Concert at the Crump, will be on Mother's Day , May 8th at 2:00 p.m. COST IS $5.00 . Music provided by Gary Pugh, and friends..including DALE SECHREST, Terry and Danny Clark. Classic Country, Blues, and Rock Music will be played. ( To Benefit the Crump Theatre.) What a gift for MOM who probably spent her childhood attending the Crump. Dave, Is Dale one of your relatives Surely must be, not a common name.
I urge anyone that's interested to attend either or both events !! Will find out more from Rovene Monday. If you are coming let me know, and I will try to chat with you before or after. I'll be at both events as far as I know now. I will definitely attend the National Day of Prayer Service , to pray for SERVICE MEN AND WOMEN, and for our VETERANS. Come and join me,please. Margo CHS Class of '55
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Post by EC on May 5, 2005 13:47:24 GMT -5
My History Part 12
It’s October 1957 and I’ve just turned sixteen. Wow, and I can’t wait. Now I can get my Beginners Driving Permit! I’ve successfully passed my Drivers Education Class and will get a discount on my Insurance. After a month of driving with a licenced driver I can take the test for my Operators Licence.
As I stated in Part 4, I had a 1950 Ford that I purchased with my paper route income. It was a Black two-door with a standard three speed transmission and a V-8 Mercury engine and a glass pack muffler. I was ready to DRIVE! I loved driving and the freedom it gave me.
Do you remember Hood Ornaments? My Ford also had a Chrome Strip down the middle of the hood. I removed both! The Chrome Strip was mounted in an indentation the length of the hood. I filled the mounting holes of the Hood Ornament and the indentation with body putty. After sanding the putty and the black paint, I was ready for the rest of the make over.
I borrowed a small air compressor. I believe it was a “Speedy Air” brand. It didn’t include a storage tank, just straight air to the paint gun. I painted it with light gray primer and it was that color when I sold my first car.
Thinking about it today, we must have had some peer pressure as I wanted to lower my car! I went to the Alva Philpot Welding Shop on North Gladstone Avenue. In those days, welding shops were our Blacksmiths. They could and did fix anything! I told Mr. Philpot that I’d like to have my car lowered a “couple of inches!” He told me it was hard to be precise. Well, the short story is that when I left his shop, my car was setting on the frame! The ride felt like I was riding in a log wagon. The seats weren’t very soft in those days and I was reminded of how my behind felt when riding in my little red wagon.
The tops of my front tires were leaning in four or five inches. Needless to say, my next project was to find some used springs. If I didn’t get the springs replaced soon, I was going to wear my tires out and need tires also! A buddy knew of a junk yard in Brown County West of Mount Healthy and they had the needed springs. When one of my axles broke, I learned how to use a piece of paper to check the adjustment of a pair of gears.
Our first car gave most of us the opportunity to pick up some mechanical knowledge. When did the automatic choke appear? I think my Ford had a manual choke! We learned that those chokes and the accelerator linkage had to be cleaned. We learned that a cracked distributor cap would cause the engine to misfire. We set or changed the points. Remember timing lights? I think the first time I found out that a cracked distributor cap could cause misfiring was after I’d changed the spark plugs, points and the condenser. I was able to get a ride after Basketball Practice for a short time before getting my licence and it was a big time saver. I ran a route picking up classmates before and after school. I picked them up at their front door but one friend insisted on my picking him up at the Leppert Bus Stop near his home. I could drop my passengers off and get home faster than the bus ride.
Do you remember the Stop Sign at the top of the hill at Pleasant Grove and McKinley Avenues? Using that hill and its Stop Sign was the shortest route while taking my passengers home after school. My car had a standard transmission and that means it had three pedals, but I had only two feet! When stopping with those transmissions, drivers used the right foot to depress the accelerator and the brake. We used our left foot to depress the clutch. I drove to that hill and practiced moving my right foot from the brake to the accelerator and releasing the clutch in the correct sequence. Without the correct sequence, the engine could stop running when trying to move up the hill! After I was sure I could do that without killing the engine, I took the shortest route home.
Today, I still use my right foot to operate my brake. It bugs the thunder out of me when I’m behind someone whose brake lights keep flashing on and off. It’s apparent they keep their left foot on the brake pedal as the brake lights come on or off with each small bump in the road!
Didn’t we have a City Police Officer to help traffic onto Twenty-Fifth from Maple Streets? After Basketball and Football games we had the assistance of the City Police as well as the CD (Civil Defense) Police. Do you remember those volunteers who were used often? I believe they worked at the Pioneer Day Parades, and the shows at the Donner Shelter House.
Speaking of the Civil Defense, do you remember the observation towers around the county? I can recall seeing one in Jonesville. I also believe another was located in Clifford. Were there others, perhaps at Grammer? The observers who used those towers were trained to identify, by their silhouette, German and Japanese aircraft.
I recall my father having a fire extinguisher that held five or six gallons of water. I understood that extinguisher was provided as part of the CD project. It was a tapered galvanized steel tank about three feet tall. Included was a black hose that was approximately six feet long. The pump which had a T-handle was attached to the middle of the top.
As I understand it, most of the equipment the original East Columbus Fire Department used was supplied by the CD program. After East Columbus was annexed by the City of Columbus the East Columbus Fire Department became know as the Rural Fire Department and covered a large part of Bartholomew County.
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Post by David Sechrest on May 5, 2005 22:54:51 GMT -5
Automobiles were quite the "pasttime," even growing up in the 1960's. The car that was really popular when I was in high school (1968-1970) was either a '55 Chevy or a '57. My first car was a corvair. I got better gas mileage with the thing than "oil mileage." We lived at St. Louis Crossing, and from the house to town, I'd have to hit the closest gas station and put a quart of oil in that lemon. BUT, it was a convertible, which was nice when it was sunny, but a butt-soaking pain when it rained (I think my dad eventually traded it for an old John Deere tractor once I joined the Army). I made the BIG mistake of driving that corvair to Bloomington one weekend. It did fine on the going, but the coming back! Are you familiar with that rather large hill about 5 miles out of Nashville (driving back towards Columbus)? There's a small straight-away right before you hit the bottom of the hill, and I knew if I didn't get up enough steam on the straight, I'd never make it up that hill. Luckily, no cars were in front of me, and when I hit that last turn leading into the straight, I floored it (now, that's not saying much, considering it took about a day and a half to go from zero to sixty). The speedometer cable had snapped off, so I really didn't know how fast I was going when I hit the "foothill," but I hoped I'd built up enough momentum to carry me the rest of the way up it. When I finally reached the top, I was going about 5 miles an hour. I had to stop in Nashville and put a quart of oil in it, and once I reached that old Wake Up Station (?) that used to sit right on the outside of Columbus on 46, another quart to make it the rest of the way home. The Corvair had an AM radio. There were maybe 5 "Preset" buttons on the front. You pushed the button and the red line marker jumped from whatever station you were listening to to the one selected.
When did cassettes replace 8 track tapes? I used to carry around a tape player of sorts with me. I had two HUGE speakers I put in the back seat, soldered the wires together, and plugged them into the earphone jack. That's a word you don't hear anymore. The radio took 4 "D" batteries, and usually drained them in about a half hour because the speaker were so big, and I always played music loud in those days (Huh? What was that you said?) Between batteries and oil, I could only afford to drive that car on the weekends ;D
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Post by Gregg G on May 16, 2005 12:10:51 GMT -5
I have been trying for years,(with absolutely NO luck),to find someone to help verify something I recall from my youth. From about the time of my 1st birthday (1947) until 1959, we lived at 2919 East 17th Street, between Beam and McClure Roads. Just 3 doors down to our west was Harker's Garage, and beyond that, on the corner of 17th and McClure, stood McKay's East Side Market. Some of my fondest childhood memories are of buying penny candy, pop, and baseball cards from McKay's, and just hanging around Harker's. They kept their soft drinks in one of those water-filled Coke cases. One of my favorite drinks(after the Barq's Cream Soda), was a lemon-lime drink called simply,"76." As I recall, it was only available for a couple years in the Columbus area, and I have NEVER talked to anyone in Columbus,or anywhere else, who remembers the brand. Does this sound familiar to any of you members out there?
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Post by EC on May 16, 2005 13:20:39 GMT -5
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Post by Gregg G on May 16, 2005 13:27:53 GMT -5
Thanks,EC! Quick work too. The logo may be a bit different, but at least I know that the product did/does at least exist.
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