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Dabbs Greer Update

6/18/2014

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We are getting closer to the goal of placing a memorial bench at Dabb's gravesite, but we're not there yet...

BORN: Robert William Greer Known as: Paul Edgecomb, Dabbs, Reverend Alden, Jonas, Billy Bob, and hundreds more names.

Pictures of Dabbs Greer from around the internet

Help us fund the memorial bench in honor of Dabbs Greer. Contact us at [email protected], 417-845-8000, or send us a message on our website or Facebook page, we'd love to hear from you.

We have a bank account set up for direct transfers, contact us for more information.

Thanks for all your help in getting us closer to making this a reality!

-The GA Gang

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All About Antique"Cup Plates"

6/18/2014

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History teaches about the Boston Tea Party on December 1, 1773.

Tea is an important part of our history.

Awhile back, a vendor brought me some little plates and explained that they are “cup plates.” Cup plates are like coasters for tea cups; they were introduced to the tea society around the 1700’s in England and in the United States during the first half of the 19th century.

Photo credit: Harrogate Museums & Arts

Tea was originally consumed from “tea bowls.” In the 1700’s saucers were placed with the tea bowls. The tea was too hot to drink therefore was poured into the saucer to cool before consumption. Tea cups, at that time, had no handles. In order to drink the tea from the saucer two hands were needed, which made it necessary to put the cups down. The saucers were used to protect furniture from marks left by the tea cups.

Authentic Antique Cup Plate

Reproduction Cup Plate

In the 1750’s teacups with handles were introduced. It took a while to get used to cups with handles and saucers, but it eventually spread, and at that time cup plates were no longer necessary.

The vendor had authentic cup plates, as well as some commemorative cup plates-seven plates altogether. They are all between 3 ¼ and 3 ½ inches in diameter. They are clear glass and have decorative designs.

Authentic Antique Cup Plate

Reproduction Cup Plate

This is another good example of how to use your five senses when attempting to identify “the real thing.”

The vendor explained how to authenticate these cup plates;

Hold the plate between your thumb and forefinger then…

thump the end.

If it is authentic it will make a clear “ping” sound.
If it is not authentic it will make a “plunk” sound.

The weight of the commemorative plates is also heavier than the real ones.

The old cup plates are true antiques if you can find them. And now you will know how to tell if you have the real deal. They cost about $3.50 each.

Now, get on out there and hunt up some cup plates! :)

-The GA Gang

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The "Perfect" Pineapple Tablecloth

6/11/2014

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It was about 1985 when my mother decided to make this pineapple pattern tablecloth. The cost of yarn was on the rise. I remember her saying “This will cost me about $100.00.” The 18 balls of J & P Coats yarn cost approx. $3.95 each for 250 yards of yarn. Then add the cost of a size 7 crochet needle. Yep, that works out about right.

I went into Youth with a Mission (YWAM) for the DTS training (Discipleship Training Service) which took six months. It was after I returned and moved to Tulsa, OK for a couple of months, that I remember seeing the almost completed tablecloth. I found out she had ended up purchasing one extra ball of yarn, taking it over the price she had intended to pay for this project. My mother was a person who “counted the cost.” I was around for the completion of the project.

I remember the conversation about why that last pineapple would not be completed, she was not going to pay $4.00 more for another ball of yarn when she would have over half left at the end of the project! She knew then that she would NOT be doing another project with this yarn size. This pattern is labeled “for advanced crochet skills”…

My mother’s passion was quilting. ;)

  HISTORY:

     Little is known of crochet's early history. It seems likely that the earliest crochet was made using fingers, rather than the hooks used today. There are theories that crochet could have existed as early as 1500 BC, as part of a nun's work, which included needlepoint lace and bobbin lace.
Source: http://EzineArticles.com/85872

      The word crochet is derived from the French word 'croche', meaning hook. Crocheting, like knitting, consists of pulling loops of material through other loops, but additionally incorporates wrapping the working material around the hook one or more times. Crochet differs from knitting in that only one stitch is active at one time. Crochet has its own system of symbols to represent stitch types.

This crocheted pineapple pattern tablecloth is a part of my inheritance, just as it is, in its unfinished state, which makes it all the more special to me, since I know why it is unfinished. :) With my mother being the breadwinner and five children in the family, I know how tight finances were.

We seem to always want everything to be perfect, but sometimes, the best “memory items” are the ones we remember,

because of their imperfections. :)

-The GA Gang

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First Goal Reached!!!

6/6/2014

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The first part of the "Billy Bob Memorial Fund" is now fully funded!

Thank you to everyone who has contributed, financially as well as with stories and information about Mr. Greer's life! :)

-The GA Gang

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It's a table, it's a bed, it's a "Ta-bed"!

6/4/2014

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One morning I received a phone call of a person wanting to sell a "Ta-bed". At first I thought I misunderstood what they were saying. They repeated themselves and said it was a table with a bed in it. I had never heard of such a thing.! Negotiations were made and we went to pick up the table, no. Bed, nope. Ta-bed!

At first glance, it looks like a regular, rectangular table.

Then, the seller showed me how the table unfolded into a bed…Ta-dah!
A Ta-bed.

Through research, I have found that it is a “Ta-bed of Chicago”. The Ta-bed is a modern dining table with a flip up top that becomes the headboard while the apron leaves and legs extend to form a single bed. It was designed for the cramped accommodations of the period to save space and money.

This 1916 advertisement shows this interesting piece of furniture. It is considered novelty furniture (often labeled “missions” furniture), from the Depression Era. The “Ta-bed” was made during the 1920’s and 30’s by the United Table Bed Co. of Chicago.

Fred Taylor, an Antique detective says

“it touted the phrase;

'it saves space, saves rent,
perfectly combines in one piece of furniture
the functions ordinarily performed by two.’”

We have this unique piece of furniture for sale here at Grandma’s Attic. I found a similar piece online for $825.00, although the antique detectives say that it usually sells for between $200.00 and $300.00 dollars.

If you have more information on the “Ta-bed”, other furniture made by United Table Bed Co., or general information on the company itself, we would love to see pictures or hear your comments!

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Buckeye Force Pumps

5/28/2014

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One of our Vendors brought this antique, very rare, cast iron Buckeye Force Pump into Grandma’s Attic. This pump was made by Mast, Foos and Company, of Springfield, Ohio. The number on the pump is No. 215. It appears that this was a style number and not a pump number for there were several No. 215 pumps. The patent dates were 1872 to 1881 making this an authentic antique.

The Buckeye Company was considered the greatest mechanical and manufacturing enterprise of its time. Mr. Phineas P. Mast, partner, designer and producer of these pumps, was a businessman and banker. He seems to have had the Midas touch, for everything he did turned to money. He and partner John Thomas, a lawyer, invented a Grain drill, cultivator, and cider mill. Later, Thomas passed his interest to Mast. In 1875, Mr. Mast joined forces with Foos and Company, inventions that came from this union were lawnmowers, iron fences, iron turbines, and...Buckeye Force Pumps.

There was poetry written in honor of the Mast-Foos & Company and the force iron pump. The following is a copy of a postcard from a Mr. Jonathan
Gump.

Do you have any stories about antique water pumps like this? Leave us a comment below, we'd love to hear from you!

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"It's Al-man-zo, not Al-mon-zo"

5/21/2014

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Our day in Mansfield, Mo.

Since we found that Dabbs’ date of death was missing from his headstone, we have been on the search for information. A few weeks ago, our search led us to Mansfield, Missouri, Southeast of Springfield, where two of Laura Ingalls Wilder’s homes are located. Laura Ingalls Wilder wrote the Little House on the Prairie books, which is what the television show “Little House on the Prairie” was based on. We really enjoyed our day at Rocky Ridge Farm.

One of the things I found interesting was that Laura’s husband’s name was pronounced Al-”man”-zo not Al-”mon”-zo. It seems creating a role for television made a change in the way the name is pronounced.

I fell in love with the rock house that Laura and Almanzo’s daughter, Rose, had built for them as a retirement home. The front opening up for air flow and overlooking a beautiful valley, the water cistern, the stone, and even the design by the stone mason when he put the rock together all show that the home was built with love.

The builder put these unique trowel marks on the entire house between the rocks.

While we were in the museum, we found out that we have a few items in Grandma’s Attic that are similar to, or exactly like, some of Laura and Rose’s favorite possessions.

There were pieces of Depression glass throughout the rock house.

All of these pieces of Depression glass are for sale at Grandma's Attic

In the museum, there was a leather postcard.

In the corner of the museum displaying Rose’s possessions, there was a set of Stangl “blueberry” pottery dishes.

There was a lovely lilac bush in the front yard of Laura and Almanzo’s original farm house. This house was a house built with love over time. The kitchen had first been attached to a log cabin then moved across the yard to be the beginning of what grew into a farm house over time, complete with a library and music room.

We ended the day with a visit to Baker Creek Heirloom Seed Company’s village which is also located in Mansfield, Missouri. It is a fun village, where you learn the story of how it started with a seed finding trip, and now has hundreds of varieties of natural seeds.

Building at Baker Creek Village

With annual weekend festivals at Baker Creek and the prospect of more exploration of the Rock House....

Mansfield is one up for a second visit from me!

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Baker-Creek-Heirloom-Seed-Company/155935376162?fref=photo

http://www.rareseeds.com/

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Laura-Ingalls-Wilder-Historic-Home-and-Museum/166413716755023

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We Called Him "Billy Bob" Around Here...

5/14/2014

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You may be wondering, "Who is 'Billy Bob'?"

Well, it is the actor famous for his role as Reverend Alden on “Little House on the Prairie”, Robert William “Dabbs” Greer. He was raised here in Anderson, Missouri and was called, “Billy Bob” by locals.

On April 8, 2014, we published our blog post about this local hero, and our research for that post has set us off on a journey. A few weeks ago we went to Peace Valley Cemetery to take pictures of Robert William Greer’s final resting place. We discovered that his date of death was absent from the headstone. Being curious, I did some calling around, hoping that it was just an oversight. I found that Dabbs’ final resting was completed by power of attorney of a funeral home in California, as he was the only child of Randall and Bernice Greer and there are no close relatives. It seems this responsibility did not include having the date of death placed on the headstone after his passing on April 28, 2007.

On May 5, 2007 the town of Anderson, Mo. had a wonderful memorial and placement of his ashes. They placed a memorial stone in the area park and named a natural pool after him. Ozark Funeral Home, Premier Memorial of Anderson, and many locals did a wonderful job of laying him to rest. Talking to these same people have been very helpful in my search for information. It was while reading over materials provided to me by a local business that I came to find out that he was called “Billy Bob” by the people from this area when he lived here.

We've been doing a lot of note-taking while gathering info from local people.

Now that you're caught up on our journey so far, here's where we're at.

Grandma’s Attic would like to have Mr. Greer’s date of death put on his headstone as well as having a commemorative bench placed close by his grave site as a memorial to: William Robert “Billy Bob”-“Dabbs” Greer, with one of his quotes inscribed on the top, back:
"Every character actor, in their own little sphere, is the lead."
as well as having this picture of him etched on the bench.

Photo graciously lent to us by http://jimnolt.com/

Here's where you come in!

WE NEED YOUR HELP
and believed you would like to be a part of this project.

The cost of this project will be $3,071.55, which includes;
the inscription of the date of death on the headstone,
the cost of the bench with inscribed words,
and the placement of the bench.

These services will be completed by Premier Memorial, of Anderson, Missouri.
Thank you, Premier Memorial for donating the slab on which the bench will be placed.

Digital Mock-up of the bench to be purchased

If you are interested in helping place the bench and get the date of death put on Robert William Greer’s headstone, here’s how you can help:

-Donations can be made at Grandma’s Attic, in Anderson, Mo.
There will be a jar available for cash donations.

-We are also able to take credit card donations
in store or over the phone.

-If you would like to send donations via mail, please send them to:

Grandma’s Attic,
Attn: Billy Bob,
4712 Goldfinch Road
Joplin, Mo. 64804

For more information about this project,
please email [email protected]
or call Grandma’s Attic at 417-845-8000.

We hope you’ll join us on this journey of discovering more regarding the life of Mr. Greer and paying our respects to him. If you’d like to read what we have posted about Dabbs’ life previously, please click on the links at the bottom of this article to read our recent posts regarding his life.

Please feel free to leave a comment below, as we’d love to hear any stories/information that you might have to share about Robert William Greer, as well as childhood memories of watching his many movies and TV shows.

After all, we’ve surely all seen this face on our TV screen at some time or other… :)

For more on Dabbs' life, visit the links below:

http://www.grandmasattic-antiques.com/1/post/2014/04/dabbs-greer-anderson-mo.html

http://www.grandmasattic-antiques.com/1/post/2014/04/camp-crowder-creators.html

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Patchwork Stories

5/7/2014

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Those who are quilters or have been around quilters know that no one would ever be able to really pay the price that a quilt is worth, especially if it is stitched by hand.

Quilting takes lots of time and much energy, and then to top that off, quilts often have stories attached to them, for instance, the material may be clothing that was worn by a loved one, the quilt was made by someone special, or maybe the quilt was even used in connection with the “Underground railroad” as a way to communicate. Some quilts are priceless because of the story that goes along with them.

My mother was a quilter. She had callouses on her thumb and middle finger of her right hand, worn by the needle from quilting so much. She had a favorite thimble she wore on her middle finger on her right hand. She loved to quilt and also loved the finished product. It relaxed her. Of course, since she loved it, she wanted to introduce her daughters to it. I can quilt, and know how to do it right but, alas it is just not my thing.

I do have a love for a beautiful quilt though.

Below are the stories of three quilts from my house;

The first quilt that I would like to share with you, is the one my mother used to teach me to quilt. That alone is enough to make it special, but it is also important to me for several more reasons. The top was made by my grandmother, Irene Rosadena McBride – Wilson (1908 -1979), when she was about 13 years old. It is made of cotton and is in the design of airplanes on an emerald green back. My mother gave the top to me and promised to teach me to quilt. If you examine this quilt, it’s very plain who quilted where. My mother who weaved that material six times onto the needle before pulling it through and me barely getting four stitches on the needle before pulling it through. :) This quilt is really showing wear due to some of the pieces of material wearing thin quickly as well as the fact that the pieces were well worn before the quilt was ever finished. It may look ragged, but I love it.

Then there is the quilt of my teens; this quilt took on many stories before its completion. When I reached my teen years I would spend a lot of time with my Aunt Dot. We wrote often, and I would spend weekends with her in South Texas in the Big Thicket. We decided we would both do a quilt of the 50 states. We would embroider the blocks and then piece it together. For years we would account what states we had embroidered. Time passed and Aunt Dot completed her blocks. I went overseas on missions and put the squares I had completed into a donation box.

My Aunt became sick and her brothers and sisters went to South Texas to visit her. While my mother was there, my Aunt gave her the quilt, as well as some lilac material to use for backing, and asked her to finish it. My mother began to quilt it, and before it was finished my Aunt Dot passed away. The last square on the Lilac quilt is Texas. I was born in Texas and my Aunt Dot lived in Texas most of her life. For my 45th birthday my mother gave me the completed quilt. I’m crying as I write this because God is so good to me. He brought the quilt to me.

In my eyes, this is a priceless quilt.

Last, is my inherited quilt; this quilt is blue with ducks. I loved this quilt before it ever came out of the quilting frames. Momma had traced around the ducks in the squares she had bought and was stitching the outline in the blue squares that had no ducks. The back of this quilt is almost prettier than the front. She quilted the part of the block outside the outline in a triangle design. When my mother passed, I inherited this quilt, with much begging, (that’s another story). :)

My mother had created a design of her own for quilting, most of her quilts are quilted in a rainbow design, visible on the 50 states quilt above. She made quilts for all five of her children and her twelve grandchildren and then made arrangements to give them as a graduation gift when they graduated from high school.

So you may wonder why a quilt can cost so much.

Unless you know a quilter or are a quilter you may not realize
that a LOT of love, time, and stories goes into those quilts…

but when a quilter buys a quilt…

they can feel that love.

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The Many Faces of Bakelite

4/30/2014

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Bakelite (Bay-ka-lite) was created as a replacement for Shellac. It is an early form of plastic. It was created by Dr. Leo Baekeland. He started the Bakelite Company in 1910. Bakelite was fashionable during the Depression. It was in its glory days in the 1930’s and 40’s. Bakelite was first used on pool balls, insulators, buttons, and many other items.

Vintage Black Stromberg-Carlson Rotary Phone, For sale at Grandma's Attic. $48.50

Bakelite comes in over 100 individual solid colors and in three forms; transparent, translucent or opaque.

There is also "Marbled Bakelite"-
which is a combination of two or more solid colors in a swirled pattern,

"Apple Juice Bakelite"-
which is simply clear Bakelite that has oxidized, and

"Stardust Bakelite"-
which is Bakelite with flecks of metallic materials the size of either confetti or fine glitter throughout.

Bakelite is most commonly found in the Apple Juice color.

1920's Bakelite Dog Pencil Sharpener, for sale at GA. $50.00

There is also a color alternately called “Jazz” or “Variegated”, it is what was left over at the end of the day all muddled together, hence the more common name “End of Day”. Bakelite is easily carved by hand and machine.

Remember our blog post about using your five senses
to identify real vs. fake vintage items?

Here’s how you can use a few of those senses to identify Bakelite;

FEEL:
Rub a piece between your thumb and your hand, until it gets warm, and then smell it.
Bakelite should smell like burnt hair or formaldehyde. Immersing the item in hot water should have the same effect of bringing out the smell. Also, Bakelite should be slightly heavy.

Green Bakelite Key Chains, for sale at GA. $12.99

HEAR:
When hitting two pieces together there should be a “clunk” sound. If you hit Bakelite and say, rubber, together it will sound differently. Make sure both items are either in your hands or both sitting on the same surface. Don’t place one on the counter and one in your hand, or it won’t work (Ask me how I know this). ;)

1920's Black Dog Pencil Sharpener, for sale at GA. $45.00

SEE:
Take a q-tip and dip into “Formula 409” or “Scrubbing Bubbles” bathroom cleaner and rub the Bakelite, it should turn yellow. Bakelite colors will change with age. A turquoise will become green. Black Bakelite is harder to test.
Older pieces of Bakelite will have minor scratching and wear.

2) Bakelite Handled Cutlery Knives, for sale at GA. $3.50

When I started this post, I only knew of one item in our store that was Bakelite. Before the blog was completed we have found at least four more items made from Bakelite.

The hunt for the Bakelite,
the testing of the items, and
the correlation of the information
made for an enjoyable afternoon.

Teaching is the best form of learning.

Go for a hunt and see if you can find some
interesting way Bakelite was used!

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Manganese + Sun = Beautiful Glass!

4/22/2014

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While "treasure hunting" one day we came across an interesting bottle that was violet in color and looked like a window that was crystallized from the cold.

We asked questions and were told that these bottles had spent time in the sun; they had graduated from clear to amethyst, because they had manganese in them. Manganese is a metal chemical (Mn) atomic #25, and often found in combination with iron. Depending on the oxidation state there are several different pigment ions (colors) that can appear.

Manganese is used to prevent rust and corrosion on steel. It is used in the stainless steels. It turns out some awesomely colored bottles.

Be on the lookout for these beautiful bottles!

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Camp Crowder Creators

4/15/2014

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About 6 months ago, we came across a picture of a carpenter crew from Camp Crowder, in Neosho, Mo. Dated 3/27/1942. (V. R. Moore, Senior Foreman and Henry V. Rogues, Foreman.)

This picture is currently for sale at Grandma's Attic. $10.00

We started talking about Camp Crowder with Earnie and Loretta of “Finders Keepers”, (Some vendors at Grandma’s Attic). They were kind enough to lend us a book they have on Camp Crowder. The book was published by Newton Country Historical Society in 2006, and is titled “From Camp Crowder to Crowder College.” It was compiled by Larry A. James.

While researching Camp Crowder, we came across some interesting information.

One fact that stood out to us was that the creator of Beetle Bailey and the creator of the Dick Van Dyke Show have a common thread with a local institution here close by Anderson, Missouri, where Grandma’s Attic is located.

The cartoonist Mort Walker, of Beetle Bailey, and writer Carl Reiner, of the Dick Van Dyke Show both drew inspiration for their creative interests from their time at Camp Crowder. Most of the humor in Beetle Bailey revolves around the inept characters stationed at “Camp Swampy” (inspired by Camp Crowder). The Dick Van Dyke show was based on Carl Reiner’s professional and personal life. Both Reiner and Walker were stationed at Camp Crowder in Neosho, Missouri while it was being used as a military training facility.

Another local personality became attached to Camp Crowder through one of these creators, Carl Reiner. Actor Robert William “Dabbs” Greer, who was raised here in town and laid to rest in a local cemetery, was the minister on the Dick Van Dyke Show who married the characters of Rob Petrie and Laura Meehan. (He was also the minister who married the characters Mike Brady and Carol Ann Taylor Martin on The Brady Bunch.) :)

{See our recent blog post on "Dabbs Greer & Anderson, MO" for more info.}

In the Dick Van Dyke Show, Dabbs played the Army chaplain of Camp Crowder, where he married Rob and Laura.

From May 15, 1941 to July 1, 1962, 10,240 acres south of Neosho in Newton County were known as "Camp Crowder" and used by the United States Military as a training compound. From April 2, 1963 to Present it has been known as "Crowder College." Many of the same buildings were used by both the military compound and the college.

Image Credit: http://shepquest.files.wordpress.com/

Crowder College is only approximately fifteen minutes’ drive Northeast of Grandma’s Attic, in Neosho, Missouri. Next time you stop in to visit us, you might want to leave some extra time to check out the local history surrounding Crowder....

The college and the camp.

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Dabbs Greer & Anderson, MO

4/8/2014

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Robert William “Dabbs” Greer
(April 2, 1917 – April 28, 2007)

Image from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This very familiar face has been seen in films and especially on TV for fifty years. This American actor was a sort of "everyman" in his roles and played merchants, preachers, businessmen, and other "pillars of the community" types as well as assorted villains. With his plain looking face and wavy hair he was a solid supporting actor. His distinctive, mellow, southern-accented voice fit well in shows featuring rustic characters, such as westerns. He also was portrayed on other shows as a minister, and is probably best remembered as the Reverend Robert Alden in NBC's Little House on the Prairie.

Greer in 1954//From Wikipedia

Dabbs was born in Fairview, Missouri (which is about 200 miles north and East of Anderson, Mo.), but he was reared in Anderson, Missouri. He was the only child of a pharmacist father, Randall Alexander Greer, and a speech therapist mother,
Bernice Irene. It is said that he got his stage name, "Dabbs", from his grandmother, who's maiden name was Dabbs.

http://www.riflemanconnors.com/dabbs_greer.htm

His first acting experience was on stage in a children's theatre production when he was eight years old. He made his film debut as an extra in the 1938 film Jesse James, which was filmed mainly in Pineville, Missouri. "They were paying $5 a day – a day! – to local people for being extras. That was really good money in those days, more money than we had seen in a long time," Dabbs told the Neosho Daily News in 2002.

He attended Drury College in Springfield, Missouri, where he earned a BA. He was a member of Theta Kappa Nu, and headed the drama department and Little Theatre in Mountain Grove, Missouri, from 1940-43. He then moved on to the famed Pasadena Playhouse in California as actor, instructor and administrator from 1943-50. He made his film debut in Reign of Terror (1949) (aka "The Black Book") in an uncredited bit part and went on to appear in many parts during the next 50 years. Greer's last feature film was a prominent role as the 108-year-old version of the character played by Tom Hanks in 1999's The Green Mile – 61 years after Greer was an extra in the 1938 film Jesse James. Greer's last television performance was in a 2003 episode of Lizzie McGuire.

http://www.riflemanconnors.com/dabbs_greer.htm

Dabbs played in many supporting roles, but was not a lead actor.
One quote attributed to him is

"Every character actor,
in their own little sphere,
is the lead."

And although Mr. Greer may not have played in big roles,
it's fair to say that he was pretty important.
After all, who else could have married

Rob & Laura Petrie on "The Dick Van Dyke Show"
And
Mr. & Mrs. Brady on "The Brady Bunch". :)

As a side note, in the pictures below, on the left, he is playing the role of the Army chaplain at Camp Crowder, in Neosho, Missouri, which is only approx. 15 minutes North of Anderson.

In 2007, at the age of 90, he died at Huntington Hospital after a losing battle with liver and heart disease. Greer never married and had no survivors. His resting place is Peace Valley Cemetery in Anderson, MO. Grandma’s Attic is located in Anderson, and we are proud to say that Dabbs Greer was raised here and is buried in a local cemetery.

Dabbs Greer, in the 1999 movie, The Green Mile//From Wikipedia

The cemetery is approx. 2 miles from Grandma's Attic, if you happen to be in the area and would like to visit his resting place, we'd be more than happy to give you directions! You might also enjoy a visit to "Dabbs Greer Town Hole Park" just off Main Street in Anderson.

We have enjoyed researching the life of Mr. Greer, and we hope you enjoy reading about it as well!

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The Working Girl & The Railroad Diner

4/1/2014

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You may wonder,
“What do the working girl and the Railroad diner have in common?”

The answer is an Englishman, Fred Harvey and the Santa Fe Railroad. Fred Harvey’s dream and partnership with the Santa Fe Railroad helped to civilize the West.

The late 1800’s to early 1900’s was a time of change for women. Women won the right to wear pants in 1868. Women’s liberation came into the picture in the late 1800’s. Women’s suffrage movement was in full swing in 1904. On August 26, 1920, women won the right to vote. During this time, women were hitting the work force looking for respectable jobs. The Harvey Girls were a big part of that movement.

Between 1890 and 1945 a girl wanting to work outside the home had only a few choices of work; store clerk, maid, secretary, or saloon girl. The higher paying jobs being a teacher or waitress. Read what the qualifications were to be met to hold these jobs.

For a teaching position:

“WANTED: Young women of good moral character, well-educated, ages 18 to 30. You will not marry during the term of your contract, you are not to keep company with men, and you must be home between the hours of 8 PM and 6 AM unless at a school function. You may not loiter downtown in any of the ice cream stores, and you may not travel beyond the city limits unless you have permission of the chairman of the school board. You may not smoke cigarettes, dress in bright colors, and under no circumstances dye your hair, you must wear at least 2 petticoats, and you may not wear a dress shorter than 2 inches above the ankles.”

And to be a waitress for Fred Harvey:

WANTED: Young women, 18 to 30 years of age, well- educated, have good manners, neat, of good moral character, attractive, and intelligent. We pay $17.50 per month with room and board. Liberal tips customary. Curfews are 10:00 p.m. Sunday through Friday and Midnight on Saturday nights. There can be special excursions with a chaperone. Experience is not necessary. No chewing gum. Uniform provided and laundered. Rail passes provided. You must sign a twelve, nine or six month agreement. If you chose to marry during this time, you will forfeit half your pay, as well as your railroad pass.

Fred Harvey had a dream to make fine dining available to the masses. Teaming up with the Santa Fe railroad his dream became a reality with “the Harvey way” of doing things. The railroad would provide the building for the restaurants; furnish free freighting of food, ice, coal, water and transportation of employees. Mr. Harvey provided the equipment, workers and of course, the food. Train crews could eat at Harvey Houses by using the coupons that Mr. Harvey provided for them. Santa Fe railroad benefited from this arrangement with Mr. Harvey because people soon discovered they could get great food when they traveled the Santa Fe rails.

The peak of Fred Harvey and the Santa Fe’s quest to civilize the West was from approx. 1877 to end of WWII (May 8, 1945). 1877 to the Great Depression (Aug. 1929 to 1933-34) business was great, but during the Great Depression they had to close several restaurants. Mr. Harvey approached the railroad about having dining cars on the trains. Many chefs and waitresses needing work began working on the dining cars.

The restaurants were beginning to recover when WWII hit and there was a boom for Fred Harvey, the Harvey girls, the restaurants, and the Santa Fe railroad. The railroads were used to transport our soldiers. “The Harvey way” and the high standards that went along with it were lost during the war because of the great demands on the girls and restaurants. The close of the war and the arrival of automobiles ended the Fred Harvey Restaurants, but the "Harvey Way" lived on in the dining car.

Grandma’s Attic recently came across a copy of the menu and a milk bottle from the Fred Harvey era.

If you’d like to read more about the Harvey Girls, check out The Harvey Girls, by Juddi Morris, copyright 1994. We have had the opportunity to read this book recently, and it’s definitely a very interesting time in our history and it is fun to go back in time to see what it would have been like to be a Harvey House employee! So, what are you waiting for? Do some research of your own and then get out there and see if you can find some “Fred Harvey” memorabilia! :)

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The Chinese Mud Man

3/25/2014

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The Chinese Mud Man.

http://www.rubylane.com/item/161143-A4129/Chinese-Mudman-Fisherman-Spear

The mystical nature and religious culture of China has these figurines surrounded with legend and tales. One legend is that older figures have a hole in the bottom of the base that extends up inside the figure. The Artists used this hole to form or shape their work around their finger, hand, or a stick. These holes were at one time filled with contraband and plugged shut. When they arrived at their destination, the clay plug was removed and the figure shattered to get the smuggled goods. You can sometimes find a mud figure where the hole has been sealed but, who would want to destroy a great vintage piece only to find that this is a legend.

There is also the thought that during the Victorian Era (1837-1901), which included the Opium war and Boxer Rebellion, prisoners were used to produce ceramic items for trade. It is stated that they were required to produce a quota per day and often did not have the water needed to meet that quota. They would pee into the clay to get the desired consistency, thus the brownish-red color of the clay.

This is what I can distinguish interwoven among the legends and thoughts. The mud man is used with religion in the Chinese culture. They are made of Kaolin or white Chinese clay, water, and a paste is added at times to get a whiteness of the body, which was desirable during the late Ming dynasty and Qing dynasty. Porcelain is a name used for all ceramics. Kaolin was used to make “petuntse” which is a pottery stone or brick from which figurines are carved.

Larger mud men, 20 “or taller, and mud women are the more valuable of the mud men items.

Borrowed from unknown internet source

Most mud figures were made in Southern China in the Shiwan area in the Guangdong Providence. Most were made during the Qing dynasty also known as the Manchu dynasty which was China’s last dynasty. There were four (4) Emperors during the Qing dynasty and two important events the Opium War and the Boxer Rebellion.

If collecting mud men here are some things to know;

Prior to 1890 there will be a stamp;

1890 - 1919 the words China or Hong Kong are impressed in the bottom rim

1920 – 1951 the words “made in” were added to the country

1952 - Present has stamps and a number

Mud men are usually brightly colored, they are slipped and covered with a tinted glaze made of copper or ferrous in yellow, green, brown, white and sometimes blue. The colors were allowed to mix or run naturally. Crazing is good (having flaws or cracks). If the glaze is thin on top of the figurine and heavier in material fold and bottom that shows age. There may be holes poked into the clay to make eyes, nose, and ears. Original figurines were seated deities, generally male, and later figurines were usually holding something. They are hollow because they could have been molded around a stick. You may find finger prints on the inside where they were pressed into the clay molds. The bottom being open all the way around and thinning on the edges are signs of aged figures.

I researched the thoughts about mud men being created by prisoners. The Nei-Ching practice of internal medicine and color diagnosis brought about tales about the making of the color red and perhaps this tale of coloring of the clay. The placement of the figurine in the kiln and the temperature during firing can account for many of the variations in coloring. Many records that reflect badly on China have been removed from the public. I could not find any leads to suggest that prisoners worked with clay or pottery.

Grandma’s Attic has a wonderful example of a Chinese mud man figurine. The following are pictures of him. Notice the running paint. There is the mark “China” which dates him between 1890 and 1919. Most mud men are very detailed and this one is finely detailed with locks of hair, a beard, and comb. There are the desired fingerprints inside the cavity and his ears have holes. He is priced at $76.50. Come and check him out for an up close look at these fun antique figurines!

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