mobilene Posted December 19, 2012 Report Share Posted December 19, 2012 Found a photo on Shorpy.com today of a walking path in Louisville ca. 1907. Check it out. http://www.shorpy.com/node/14269?size=_original#caption Notice that this appears to be made of concrete -- and has a center expansion joint. I'm thinking of our conversations on another thread that center expansion joints didn't seem to come to roads until the early 1920s. Just an interesting data point here. -Jim Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DennyG Posted December 19, 2012 Report Share Posted December 19, 2012 I follow Shorpy and also saw the walk photo. But my primary thought was how much the gas lamps resemble those that I believe are still in use in a couple of Cincinnati neighborhoods. The road-walk connection never occurred to me. Glad you're on the case. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keep the Show on the Road! Posted December 20, 2012 Report Share Posted December 20, 2012 Jim, What a great image! Just like you might imagine a "central park" to be. The whole shot is so close to a classic it might almost seem staged. And it is curious that center joints were used in sidewalks. I wonder if it had something to do with the depth of the concrete. Maybe folks assumed thicker road concrete would not crack as badly....pure guessing. Dave Keep the Show on the Road Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mobilene Posted December 20, 2012 Author Report Share Posted December 20, 2012 The park and its 100+-year-old concrete are still there: http://goo.gl/maps/FCF3g Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keep the Show on the Road! Posted December 20, 2012 Report Share Posted December 20, 2012 Jim, How did you find out that the old concrete is still there? If I had the time and money, it would be fun to visit Louisville and see if I could stand in the same place as the photographer. And if you know the old concrete is still there, is it cracked along its length? (Boy, talk about esoteric knowledge! This is me....knowing more and more about less and less....it can make us world "experts." ) Dave Keep the Show on the Road! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DennyG Posted December 20, 2012 Report Share Posted December 20, 2012 Come on, Dave. We'll meet you there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keep the Show on the Road! Posted December 20, 2012 Report Share Posted December 20, 2012 Denny, Send the money, I'll provide the time! Dave Keep the Show on the Road! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mobilene Posted December 20, 2012 Author Report Share Posted December 20, 2012 I based my statement on the Google aerial views, not on actually standing on the concrete! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alex Burr - hester_nec Posted December 21, 2012 Report Share Posted December 21, 2012 I loved the outfits - the styles of the day. Long skirts for the ladies and short pants and knee stockings for the lads. Time, and styles, have sure changed over the years. I have a repro copy of a 1903 Sears catalog - could buy everything from clothes to guns to houses back then. The clothing styles are really something to see. Hudsonly, Alex Burr Memphis, TN Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mobilene Posted December 21, 2012 Author Report Share Posted December 21, 2012 Some Sears houses still exist. I remember when I lived in Terre Haute, the local paper did a story on the ones in town that were known. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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