When you look at old photos?

Bob, that's a really great old photo! Another thing I notice is the excessively tall ceilings. The few turn of the century buildings we have in my area all have 10+foot ceilings as well.

I bet that iron in the brewing lab received its BTU's from coal, especially in PA. Some poor soul's job was shoveling that stuff in and the dirty job of removing tons of ash, all while operating those boilers (most likely steam, but maybe gravity water).

Transom.

This 1912 postcard photo of our house (built in 1850) shows two wood or coal stove chimneys. The chimney that served the coal and later oil fired boilers hasn't been built yet. In the 1930's the house was a duplex occupied by two brothers and their families. I know where the dividing wall was and the placement of the radiators makes me think the hydronic central heat system was installed while it was a duplex. It had been restored to a single family dwelling by the time my family bought it in the mid 1960's.
I remember the old coal bin in the cellar and a huge cast iron boiler. Since then there have been two oil fired boilers and now a NG modcon boiler providing hot water to the same old pipes and radiators.
The house on the left was owned by the same family that ran the hotel. They had a butcher shop downstairs and used the upstairs for additional hotel rooms. The two buildings were connected by a catwalk. At some point this building was moved two blocks to another street and is still standing.

New boiler in a very old cellar


Before central heat in the 30's they may have used these

My house was built in 1926. I only was able to find an old map with my street on it. But no pictures unfortunately. There's a historical society in my town, maybe they would have something.

My grandfather came over on the boat started with nothing but managed to buy a fairly new (but not brand new two family) soon after he arrived.

He had the gravity warm air ripped out and had two steam boilers piped counter flow installed. This was about 1915.

when he died we found the bill for the two coal boilers, 13 radiators and piping $750.00

1948 he had an electrician come in and change the electric service from 30A to 60 A (each floor). I don't remember the cost but it was cheap.

The bill was 2-3 pages long, they itemized Everything. # of 8d nails, # 0f screws etc.

Don't know if they did that on every job or if it was caused by my Grandfathers "Frugality"

Ah, the good old days!!

Have to put that in perspective with what the weekly paycheck was at that time too and how much harder everyone worked to get that pay.

ChrisJ said:

EBEBRATT-Ed said:

My grandfather came over on the boat started with nothing but managed to buy a fairly new (but not brand new two family) soon after he arrived.

He had the gravity warm air ripped out and had two steam boilers piped counter flow installed. This was about 1915.

when he died we found the bill for the two coal boilers, 13 radiators and piping $750.00

1948 he had an electrician come in and change the electric service from 30A to 60 A (each floor). I don't remember the cost but it was cheap.

The bill was 2-3 pages long, they itemized Everything. # of 8d nails, # 0f screws etc.

Don't know if they did that on every job or if it was caused by my Grandfathers "Frugality"

Ah, the good old days!!

Yeah,
The good old days........

What cost $750 in 1915 would cost $18,057.59 in 2016.

Holy cow that was really expensive in 1915!

Beautiful @Jamie Hall !

In 1915 you were earning an average salary if you earned 687 dollars a year. 13.21 a week.

So that 687 dollars would be 16067.00 in 2015 dollars. Average salary in 2015 a touch over 53k a year.

Over a years salary for a heating system back then. The average house costed 3200.00

What did your grandfather do for a living?

You know the value of the dollar is in the toilet when a lottery jack pot can hit a billion dollars not long ago.

@Gordy, just worked for the City of Springfield in the DPW shoveled Snow & road tar. Didn't make much money, saved every penny. When he died in 1972 @92 the house was in 1920 condition. House was in good shape but was like walking into 1920.

Burned coal until he died, they had converted the first floor (which was rented) to oil a few years before that. Guess the tenants didn't like coal. Never had a car or drivers license.

Every month he walked downtown (a few miles down and back)and stopped at all the banks. Had about 5 savings accounts. Had them put the intrest in the old bank books. He thought if he didn't the banks would "cheat him out of it"

After he died it was converted to oil 2d floor. He always wanted the second floor. "didn't want anyone living over his head"

@Jamie Hall I am sure that keeps you occupied!!

why am I thinking about a movie, and Jack Nickelson ?
no offence

I had an Uncle Fritz who worked for 60 years designing machinery, after he designed it he would go with the machine and install it. Most of the stuff got installed in factories in the south or South America.

Fritz lived on the third floor of a 3 decker on the hill that overlooks Franklin Field. All his life he had steak and eggs for breakfast. On weekends and after retiring (at 80) he used to walk down that hill to buy a copy of the Morning herald. To sustain him on the walk up that steep hill he'd stop at the local watering hole for a shot and a beer. The Herold published 5 editions a day in those days and he walked down the hill to buy every one of them and he fortified himself for each walk back up that hill. On s Saturdays he'd buy himself a quart of VO along with the last edition of the Herald to tide him over Sunday, only one edition on Sunday. He always bought the best quality he could but he always drove a hard bargain to get what he wanted.

Fritz passed when he was 88, he died clean - massive stroke probably dead before he hit the floor. His niece found $20k in gold certificates in his closet while they were cleaning out the apartment. He had lost money during the depression when so many banks failed so he always kept cash handy. That money made things a lot easier for his niece and her parents in the 60's.

That generation was tough, they did whatever it took to get the job done, we could use men like them now with country foundering the way it is.

Bob

Sometimes I have the thought that maybe this country needs to live through once again.......It might tone things down a bit.

My Grandma, and Grandpa had the stories to share. It does not sink in until you are older.

Is it?

Sometimes people have to know how bad it can get before they realize how good they have it.......they didn't have all the safety nets we do today back then.

> @EBEBRATT-Ed said:
> @Gordy, I agree. All you would need to shut down the mellenials down would be to kill there phone service.
>
> They would immediately melt down and be in tears

wonder how the hard working Millenials on this forum feel about this.

Gordy said:

My comments focus on the reality of the Era. The hard work, and hurdles they had to overcome. With out any, or very little help from government.

The roaring twenties realized huge wealth accumulation through the stock market. Similar to what we experienced as a bubble before 08. With the stock market, and housing market. When the crash happened there were not the following safety nets back in those times.

No FDIC.
Welfare
Unemployment insurance
401k
Employer provided Health insurance
Bankruptcy laws

Just to name a few.

Imagine losing your job, but having saved a substantial sum of money. Then going to withdraw it, and the bank says sorry it's gone....that alone. You have NOTHING, and NO programs to get you through the dilemma.

I have much admiration for the people that built this country in those times. Call me old fashioned.

This all coming from Captain I hate my apartment because the forced air blows a "cold blast" on me every time it turns on for 2 seconds..........

You've got it so rough there princess.

My comment was more along the lines of we don't need another world war, it'll likely be our last.

And to @EBEBRATT-Ed lay off the Millennials, there are plenty of hard working and intelligent ones on this forum. No, I'm not one, I'm usually considered part of Gen X.

EBEBRATT-Ed said:

@ChrisJ , your obviously a lot smarter that I am.

I disagree.

But I do know for a fact there are a few very hard working and intelligent Millennials on this forum.

I'm gen X my self.

Bunch of young whippersnappers. I'm not quite of the greatest generation -- but I am plenty old enough to remember my dad and my uncles coming home from the war...