These photos of Mom (Florence Wright) were taken next to the house at 406 N Geary on Easter 1944.
I was thinking about how spring 1944 was a milestone for Mom. For the previous ten years, she had either been pregnant or had at least one child under the age of two (or both). But as of January 1944, all her children were over two and she was not pregnant (and would not be for several years).
I’m undoubtedly biased, but I’d say Mom looks really good—especially after having had five children.
Yes, indeed she looks good for having already had 5 children! Quite an accomplishment! But of course the same could have been said of my daughter 20 years ago! (No prejudice/bias here!)
Indeed!
I’m curious about what looks like the wire and meters on the side of the house. It looks like it’s just thick, insulated wire running up the side of the house, and stapled to it at intervals. No conduit or anything O_O
Does this mean the house was built before electricity was installed, and they just added it later??
Good eye, Timothy. The house was only six years old in this photo, so I think it was built with electricity. I believe what you are calling “thick insulated wire” are cables, not unlike the romex cable that is used for inside residential wiring these days. (Although there was no plastic insulation in this time, so it would have been fabric and tar insulation.) Whatever it is exactly, you’re certainly correct that it would be in conduit nowadays.
My big question is why there are two meters. Sometimes you see that these days when there is a business in the home and they want separate billing for the business. But I can’t imagine anything like that applied to this house.
For awhile, during WW II, Mom and Dad had a couple, Stan and Earnestine Daniel (Stan in the army at camp Adair) living with them. I wonder if the extra meter was for their area???
Interesting idea. It could be, but I tend to doubt it. It would be a lot of work to add a second meter and a second panel just to feed their bedroom or whatever their living area was. Plus, according to Dorothy, Earnestine was the “household help” in at least partial exchange for their room and board, so I can’t see Mom and Dad making them pay for their own minuscule amount of electricity.
And wasn’t their last name “Wood”?
Yes, Wood!