Them Were The Good Old Days

I enjoy looking at newspapers and magazines of yesteryears. No, I am not a newspaper man, and I don't know a thing about this profession. I just like to read the old advertisements, the events that happened at the time it was published and who did what and where.

I had the opportunity to review briefly the issues of The Bedford Gazette, which were published around 1895. I know there are a few readers still living who might remember 'them there days'.

One of the first ads to meet your eye is the cut of ladies hats. They reminded me of a crushed bushel basket piled high with dozens of artificial flowers and ostrich feathers. Women at that time never dreamed of cutting their hair, thus it was coiled, plaited and twisted into many styles. When one of these monstrosities was placed on her hair, she fastened it to her hair with a slender piece of steel called a hatpin. Many of these foot-long pins had beautiful ornaments on one end. These implements were very sharp. They served two purposes. One was to keep the hat from blowing off her head and the other was for self-defense in an emergency. (Wonder why permits were never required for carrying concealed weapons?) These large hats/could be purchased from $1.69 to $4.98.

She could get the latest style-patent leather blucher, high laced or high top button shoes for $1.49 per pair. She could also adorn herself with blouses with all the ruffles, etc., etc., at the extremely low prices of .89¢ to .98¢. If she wanted to step out in style with the edge of her skirts dusting the floors-where ever she walked; she could spend up to $17.50 for the best outfit in town. Her undergarments were never shown nor advertised. This would have been pornographic.

For the men, swagger and storm style overcoats were from $3.00 to $15.00. One local store advertised that it had a few more of those men's all wool suits for $5.00. Other suits were from $3.00 to $12.00. Another store had an eye catching ad on their sale of shoes— "one, two, want a shoe?, three-four, enter my door. Five, six, bring your feet to fit; seven eight, prices are straight, nine, ten, call again."

Alcohol and drugs were a problem at that time. To emphasize the dangers, one would see the following "Death to the Desire of Morphine, Opium, Whiskey and Tobacco". Will send proof free. Send $5.00 to cure opium, morphine and whiskey; $2.00 for curing of the tobacco habit."

To the smoker, the "Sweet Corporal Cigarette" was the old reliable smoke. "Absolutely Pure."

Crown Pianos were sold by a distributor in Alum Bank. Prices started at $194.00. An extra attachment could be purchased which would imitate a harp, zither, banjo, mandolin, guitar, music box or bagpipe. Stools were $1.45. Also in music stores were the Columbia Graphophone which used cylinder records. It had a large horn on a supporting frame to amplify the sound. The price was only $14.95.

Back in the '90's Bedford had a number of industries. One news item called your attention that "Brightbills wagon and buggy shops" are at full blast. Two wheel one horse carts were sold at various places for the low, low price of only $14.65 with a one-year binding guarantee. In case you are interested a beautiful four-passenger surry with the fringes on top was priced at $87.95. Farm wagon prices depended upon the size you wanted.

Hardware stores sold wheelbarrows with a steel wheel at $2.35. Tobacco chewers could buy brass spittoons at .42¢ each. Furniture stores held special sales once in a while. A high grade five piece parlor suite, made in quarter sawed golden oak or birch, in perfect imitation mahogany finish was offered at $43.45. A nine piece dining room suite in French design could be obtained for $62.35. A fancy five tier book case and writing desk with mirror sold for $9.85.

One could obtain a living room heater with isinglass in the small front door to let the flames cast their shadows on the wall in the evenings. The half round oval top could be moved sideways to allow fuel to be added to the flames. Nickel plated bars were fastened on each side to support your cold feet in the winter. This stove was only $44.95. If your home had a water system and modern plumbing, a high grade roll rim white porcelain enameled bathtub with fancy feet on the bottom was only $18.95.

No parlor was complete without a kerosene lamp with a large oval glass globe. Beautiful floral designs on the glass base and globe were $3.59.

Every farmer could buy the best horse brush for $2.51. A nice string of sleigh bells cost $3.21, and for his spring plowing a Brush and General purpose plow with wooden beam was a wonder value at $7.35.

The farmers wife could also buy a wooden oval 4 gallon butter churn for $1.98. Her hand coffee grinder with sliding box in the bottom to catch the fine ground coffee was .52¢. If you lived in an area where telephone lines existed, you could obtain a large wall type telephone for $7.80.

To do the family washing, a wooden wash tub and frame to hold her baskets was priced at $7.68. For the kitchen she could get a complete l7 piece of Peerless gray enameled ware (pots, coffee pot, tea kettle, dippers and plates) for $2.73, or a stylish and elegant 36 piece assortment of pressed cut glass ware for $3.39, and to do her ironing, there was the latest in irons. A set of three sizes with a snaphandle that could be fastened to a different iron while the other two were getting hot on the top of the kitchen range.

If you needed a new set of kitchen chairs, you had your choice of five straight backed designs. These ran from .93¢ each for the plainest to $1.25 for the fanciest design.

Through a mail order catalog the man of the house could order a Carlsbad china shaving mug with floral designs and gold rim for .12¢, plus .15¢ for postage or a second style of genuine Austrian China mug with beautiful floral and gold decorated designs for only .24¢ and .16¢ postage. If your home was unfortunately infected with bed bugs, you could buy a liquid exterminator for .17¢ per 1/2 pint can or $1.85 by the gallon.

For a period of time each weekly paper had a column "Why I am a Methodist" or other church denomination written by a church dignitary. I failed to find a column "Why I am an Infidel". I am certain there were quite a few.

To keep up with the current events, two regular columns were—"From Harrisburg" and "Washington Letter". For local news the column was "Bedford's Budget". No, this did not refer to financial matters. It was all the events and happenings about the County and Town. The long space, "Purely Personal, " kept you informed of everybody who visited the Boro during the week, both for business or pleasure. The paper must have had a 'roving reporter' on the streets talking to every non-resident who came to the little city. Names of people from every hamlet and cross-roads appeared here as he was seen walking on the street during the week.

The weather was no exception. The community of Rainsburg had been hit with a severe blizzard. Temperatures were 16 below zero, and all roads were drifted shut. Mail could not be delivered in or out of town from a Thursday to Tuesday.

An amusing story appeared about two umbrella menders who wandered into town. Somewhere and somehow they found "Bug Juice" instead of broken umbrellas. They made such fools of themselves that the police had to put them in the 'cooler' for the night.

Even the County Commissioners activities made news. Apparently the citizens objected to tax assessments because this report appeared—"The County Commissioners are not yet through with the appeals though long since they began to wish they had never been elected to endure such treatment".

Apparently game cock fighting was held in the area. The "little office bird" reported that the latest game cock fight almost ended in a man fight. It further suggested that if less "tanglefoot" were used on such occasions, more real pleasure might be afforded to patrons of the sport.

The sportsmen of the State received startling news with an announcement that "the law relative to the killing of game in the State is likely to be changed. A bill has been read in place in the Legislature making it unlawful to kill game for a period of three years". Nothing further was found on this reading, thus it must have been defeated. About the only species of game being scarce in this area was the deer. I remember hearing one old hunter telling the story many times how he and three other men trailed a deer for two days on the Allegheny Mountain. They finally killed it at a spot which is now within the Borough limits Central City. This was the last deer to be seen for many years.

These were the good old days prior to the turn of the century.