97.Sanitorium - 1914

Four ladies, at what probably is the opening of the Sanitorium (Sanitarium?) in 1914. Everyone's carrying umbrellas, so this is probably in the summer. I'm not sure what that contraption is on the right. A vent maybe?

I'm pretty sure that's Grammy 2nd from the left, even though it doesn't look like her. See the following photo. These are probably three of her friends. I think the woman to the (our) right of Grammy is a very close friend. I think she appears in Photos # 41, 39, and 10.

98. Inside the Sanitorium

We're inside now. Now that lady, second from the left, looks a lot more like Grammy. Two of the ladies from the previous pic are flanking her, but the lady with the glasses in #97 is missing.

I wonder if the little boy is Benjamin Kressley. Maybe that's Aunt Sally behind him.

99. Hazel

Oh what a cute picture of Hazel! With an umbrella, so this must be in the summer of 1914. How did they ever get those bows to stay still for any length of time?

This gives a good view of what I presume is the backyard of 234. If it isn't, then we're looking over into the backyard of 232.

100. Bob

And an awesome pic of Uncle Bob from the summer of 1914 as well. I'm guessing we're looking down the side yard of 234, towards the front.

Funny, I remember the next-door house (236 Washington?) as being a long, high brick house painted a deep red. I thought that house ran as far back as 234, but it's been a long time since I've stood in that side area Grammy's house.

101. Ice House Bridge

Grandpa labeled this the "Ice House Bridge". Here's that mystery lady again. I still don't think it's Grammy. For starters, this lady wears glasses. And she smiles in photos. ;-)

102. Sanitorium - 1913

The mystery lady at the Sanitorium, but this time in 1913, while it apparently is still under construction. My oh my, OSHA would have a field day here with those walk planks in the foreground. And is that a trip-hazard in the doorway or what?

92. Two Women & A Baby

We've seen this baby clear back in the first photo album, with a cute bonnet on. I'm going to guess that the lady on the right is the Mom. And my second uneducated guess is that these are sisters who are quite close to each other.

There's a star affixed to the wall on the left. I wonder why they did that, and I wonder if it helps identify where this house is, assuming it's still standing.

That's also a slightly weird-looking plant growing (sort of) beneath the star. Nothing else in the lawn (flower bed?) there comes close to being as tall.

93. Pine Street Couple

Husband and wife, I'm thinking. Which is why I think this is the mom of the little girl. The picture's blurry, but you can still kinda see the house across the street reflected in the right-hand window. It's also obvioous from these Pine Street photos that there were (are?) a lot of trees on that street.

94. Rooster Drawing

And now for something completely different - a photo of a drawing of a rooster. I think it says "Red" (although the 'R' looks like a 'B'), drawn by "Louis L. Focht" in 1909. Did Red belong to Grandpa, perhaps?

In any event, it's a great drawing. I personally would get bored to tears if I had to draw all those "stripes". But he also took the time to pencil in a very nice background.

95. Sisters

Oh my, I really like this photo. Can you feel the warmth between these two women? I gotta believe they're sisters.

Alas, the sign behind them tells a sad tale. The Pine Street friends are selling their home.

I'm not sure what's on the porch to the far right. A stool maybe; or perhaps a small table for putting a flower vase on.

96. Sanitoga Lake

Here's one for those of you who are familiar with Pottstown. Grandpa labeled this "Sanitoga Lake". I kept trying to rationalize it into being "Saratoga Lake" instead, but can't quite do it. So..... is there a "Sanitoga Lake" near Pottstown?

Anyway, it's a great pic - one of the few with no people in it. It was taken in 1907 and everything's pretty much in focus. Which makes me now wonder about the Ludwig Farm photo. Maybe that one's lack-of-focus is not due to the limitations of the camera.

87. Lady on State Street

The same lady as in Photo #72. But on a different day, as her outfit has changed. I'm still thinking this isn't Grammy, but I'm hard pressed then to say who it might be.

Fur was politically correct back in those days. And fancy hats were in fashion.

88. Kressleys & Rorbachs

This is one of the very few photos where Grandpa listed the "who". "Ed and Sallie Kressley & the Rorbachs". So I'm thinking Ed's on the left and Sallie's the left half of the two women.

Taken in Lorane and full 100 years ago. On a farm, with a couple of houses in the distance. And a rifle for shooting rats. I'm not sure who the Rorbachs are.

For some reason, I really like this photo. Two pairs of friends, relaxing in the countryside. With a cool Golden Retriever.

89. Six women

232 and 234 Washington Street before the full porches were installed. That's Hazel at the far left. I'm not sure if that's Grammy second from the right or not.

90. Pine Street Girls gardening

Two girls - close friends of Grandpa and Grammy, and (I'm guessing) sisters. We'll get to know them better before this album is finished. Here they are at Pine Street. Presumably in the backyard, although its hard to match this setting up with the next pic.

91. Feeding the chickens

Another Pine Street backyard photo. Its hard to imagine how this fits with Photo #90. The girl is wearing a different hat, so maybe this was taken on a different day than the previous photo.

The chickens didn't hold still for the camera. I'm not sure what's on the table to the right. Or maybe that's a second coop. You do get a feel for what lay beyond the backyard - lots of majestic trees.

81. Five boys

Four more pics from the 1913 Reservoir picnic. Here are five young men. Relatives of Grammy perhaps? Thin ties and kewl hats.

82. 18 people

18 people, some of which are familiar by now. I think that's Grammy in the center. With her arms around her parents, maybe? If so, then Grandpa's "drinking buddy" is his father-in-law. That's a slick way of staying in good graces with the wife's family.

83. 15 people

Another neat group photo. Ummm, what are those three boys in the back row wearing? And does that one boy in front of them have a tutu on? First Grandpa "dolls up"; now these four follow suit. Is there a "drag queen" gene running through our family? I'm just saying...

84. Four women

The last of the 1913 reservoir pics, I think. Bottom-to-top here, I'm guessing : Grammy; Grammy's sister (maybe), unknown, and the GWAS.

85. Chicken Coop

The Washington Street backyard chicken coop. I'm not sure which direction we're facing. It looks like that's a house in the background in the far left, but it's hard to say for sure. I was expecting the broom factory to be there.

86. Feeding the chickens

Is this Grammy? The hair doesn't seem right to me and it doesn't look like her, but I'm stumped as to who else it could be. And I'm still having trouble figuring out whether the attached building is part of 234, or 232.

76. Seven People

Seven people, taken somewhere in the wilds on South Fourth Street. I'd be tempted to think this was the same day as photos 60, 62, 64 and 66, but the little girl isn't here, and now there's a guy that I don't recognize in the center of the seven. So maybe this is from a different stroll.

77. Bob & kitten

Bob at Christmas, 1913. This time with a little black kitten whom I don't recall having seen before.

I'm not sure what's on the floor to the left. Big pictures, maybe? The front one has a "feel" of being one of Grandpa's photos, greatly enlarged. The rear one might be a calendar. Hard to tell for sure.

78. The LGWNS

From the Carsonia Park outing. This is the Little Girl Who Never Smiles. I'm betting she's a relative. I wonder who she is.

79. 15 People @ the Reservoir

Another pic from the 1913 Reservoir outing. That's Grammy, third from the left, in the back row. And perhaps her Mom and sister to the right of her? Then the Girl Who Always Smiles.

If I had to guess, I'd say these are all part of Grammy's extended family, although that's an awful lot of boys that are all about the same age.

Oh, and how come a bunch of them are holding leaves?

80. 33 People @ the Reservoir

Woo hoo! 33 people to identify. I can find Grammy (sitting by the left wheel), and Hazel (in the carriage by the right wheel). There's Grandpa's 'drinking buddy' sitting by the tree to the right, and the GWAS four people to the right of him. That leaves only 29 others.

There's a second carriage in the background, so I'm wondering if this is how they all got to the Reservoir. They've unhitched the horses.

I wonder what you did with the horses when you went to an all-day picnic like this. Let them graze? Did you have to "pick up their droppings", like you do nowadays when you take your dog for a walk?

71. Two girls @ Carsonia Park

The girl-who-never-smiles and another girl. Maybe her older sister?

72. Lady on State Street

I'm not sure who this is, but I'm pretty sure it isn't Grammy, since this lady's wearing glasses. A very cool hat. An interesting cuff on the coat. I wonder what that chain leads to.

Lord only knows where on State Street this was taken.

73. Bob & Hazel - Xmas 1913

Bob & Hazel - a pair of happy kids at Christmas 1913. Is that a jack-in-the-box at the lower left?

I'm not sure why there's a board in the window. This is mid-December, would it be warm enough to want to let some fresh air in the room?

And I'd dearly love to be able to see the details in those four pictures hanging on the walls.

74. Washington Street backyard

Bob and Hazel in the backyard at 234 Washington. It looks like the 234 coop is attached directly to a building in the 232 backyard. I suppose the coop eventually got torn down and Grandpa built his workshop in its place.

75. Hazel - 1913 Christmas

Another Christmas 1913 photo. I'll bet Santa brought that doll and baby carriage for Hazel. You get a good view of the living room rug here, which was also true in Photo 73. And we get a glimpse of a front room table off to the left.

66. Iron Bridge

Well, the seven ladies have made it to the iron bridge that crosses over the Tow Path. We saw this bridge way in the background on a Tow Path pic a while back.

OSHA would have a cow over the way these ladies are sitting on the bridge. Every one of them could fall in the river!

67. Grammy & Children

This might be my favorite 'Grammy pic' from all these old photo albums. Hazel on her left; Bob on her right; and surrounded by seven other children. You can feel the love she has for her kids, and the warmth she has for children in general.

Behind her is the little girl who never smiles. And I like the little boy's outfit, second from the left.

68. Hazel and ?

Hazel in the background; another little girl not quite holding still enough in the foreground. With Grammy or the other little girl's mom off to the right.

I can't figure out exactly where this is at 234 Washington Street. I'd be tempted to say that screen door and three steps were later replaced by the back porch at the house. And that's the broom factory in the background.

A nice theory, but then where does that brick path go to the left? And that looks like a cellar door in the right foreground, which also makes no sense.

Maybe the bricks to the left go to the backyard, and Hazel is peeking around the corner of 232. But then I can't place the building in the background, and that cellar door still doesn't match up with how I remember 234.

69. Hazel, Bob and ?

Bob, Hazel, and the little girl who doesn't smile. At the 1913 Carsonia Park outing. BTW, I have an excuse for not ever having heard of Carsonia Park. It was torn down in 1950, the year I was born.

70. Mother & Child

Is this Grammy and Hazel? Somehow, it doesn't look like her - but maybe that's cuz her hair's scrunched forward by the scarf. Besides, this lady's smiling. But I like the 'warmth' here - between a mother and her daughter.

Grandpa lists this as being State Street. Based on a photo yet to come, I'll go out on a limb and call this the "Ice House Bridge". Wherever that was.

Some cool houses in the background. Alas, I have no idea in which direction they are from State Street. And there are no leaves on the trees, so this was taken in winter.

61. Bob & Hazel

Hazel and Bob. A little blurry, but still a cute pic! Taken at "Carsonia Park" in Reading. I had never heard of that place, so I googled it, and was pleasantly surprised to find a couple great articles about. More on Carsonia Park later.

62. Seven Ladies with Corn

Here's that same group of women; this time posing with ears of corn. In front of and atop a while bunch of corn stalks. So I'm guessing this was taken in the fall - late October or November perhaps?

I like these ladies (and the little girl). The photos Grandpa took on this walk just "ooze" of warm friendship. I'm still not sure which one is Grammy, but these are her friends, and they enjoy doing things together.

63. Benj. Kressley's ...

What a neat photo! The 1913 Christmas display is to the left. The cat on the stool appears to be real; I'm amazed Grandpa got it to hold still for the pic. And there's a cute little "tea table" to the right.

This is one of the few pics that Grandpa wrote a "who" note to. I almost missed it cuz it was written in blue ink on the black page of the photo album. It says, "Benj. Kressley's...", and I can't make the rest of it out. His son perhaps? Or mabe the boy is Benjamin, and this is his cat.

64. Seven Ladies & a Tree

Another photo from the 1913 walk. With the basket of cherries, or horse chestnuts, or whatever.

I like the composition of this photo. I just know Grandpa directed the "posing" here. But posed or not, you can just feel the friendship these women have for each other.

Grandpa lists this as being "South Fourth Street". Good luck in figuring exactly where on 4th St. it was taken.

65. 18 People @ Carsonia Park

Another 18 people to try to identify. That's Grammy in the middle row towards the right, with Bob on her lap. That's Hazel five people to the left of Grammy.

Now it gets tougher. That's one of the "Pine Street sisters" on the front right. And maybe (big maybe) that's Grammy's mom standing behind Grammy. Oh, and take note of the girl two-to-the-left of Grammy and Bob. We'll see a couple more pictures of her from this day at the park. She never smiles.

This is the photo that got me wondering about Carsonia Park. That looks like a roller coaster in the background. So I had to do some research about both the park and the ride. And I do believe this is indeed a fairly-early roller coaster.

56. Backyard

The backyard of the South Fourth Street house. Hazel and a bunch of chickens. I presume this is looking from the back of the house. So what is kept in the rearmost enclosure - where the planks lead to?

57. Grammy, Hazel & Friends

Grammy and Hazel, and the couple from Photo #41. This time with their daughter. Hazel's smiling, but that's about it.

The location is listed only as "Hamburg". On a quaint little bridge out in the woods somewhere. I'm sure the bridge is long gone.

58. Photoshop 1909

The amazing "Photoshop 1909" picture. Not much to add from my previous comments, except to say I'm 99% sure this is Ed Kressley. I'm sure Salvador Dali saw this pic as a child, and it influenced him going into the Surrealist Art Movement. ;-)

59. Kids at the Reservoir

Ten kids, most of whom held remarkably still while the picture was being taken. So that's Hazel in the front, second from the left, correct? And I'm thinking that might be Sam Kistler on the back row, far right. Maybe.

60. Girls out for a Walk

This is the first of several photos taken of six ladies and a little girl out for a walk in 1913. Hazel would be six, right? So she's probably the little girl.

I'm pretty sure the two "Pine Street girls" are here, although I'm hard-pressed to tell you which ones they are. I'm also having a hard time figuring out which one of these is Grammy.

Grandpa took some marvelous pictures on this walk. We'll see the rest shortly. I'm not sure what the girls are "eating". They look like horse-chestnuts to me, but I'm sure that's wrong. Cherries, maybe, although they look a bit big for cherries.