On the Street Where I Lived Trivia Quiz

Answer: the Merry-Go-Round truck

It was music to our ears as we dashed to our homes to get a dime for the Merry-Go-Round truck! With its six stationery wooden horses enclosed by a strong red wire cage ,children used the short ladder attached to it to climb into the cage. We kids ran as fast as we could to be the first ones on one of the wooden horses that went up and down. Little did we children know that we lived in the city of the second largest manufacturer of merry-go-rounds.

The Philadelphia Toboggan and Coaster Company employed some of the most renowned wood carvers for the animals on merry-go-rounds.

Included among their employees were the famous wood carvers Leo Zeller, brothers, Daniel and Fred Mueller, and Frank Coretta. There was not enough room for a two-seater gondola on this small replica merry-go-round and we children would not have sat on it if we knew the popular nickname for the gondola was "the lover's seat".

Answer: P.S.P.C.A.

With fear in my heart, as I see the P.S.P.C.A truck approaching, I run screaming for my dog! My Mom comes out on our porch to tell me my dog is in the house. Owning dogs in those years (1940-1955), when most dogs and cats were let outside without a leash, could be terrifying. If it was not the fear of the dog-catcher it was the frightening experience of watching a dog-fight on your street. Thank goodness most dogs are walked on leashes in these more modern times. It would have been to our benefit to know that Colonel M. Richard Mucklé of Pennsylvania established the second government sanctioned law enforcement society for the prevention of cruelty to animals and was not our enemy but our hero. Colonel Mucklé advanced this humane cause by first addressing the cruelty to horses.

The Pennsylvania Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, (P.S.P.C.A.) was founded by Colonel Mucklé and chartered in April of 1868. Today the Society functions as a compassionate agency with its emphasis on the adoption, light veterinarian care, and the spaying and neutering of animals.

Answer: by taking photographs of us children

With our faces cleaned and our hair combed, Mom pays the Cowboy. The Cowboy stands beside his horse holding a large camera, and places a red neckerchief around our necks, tilts a cowboy hat onto our heads, helps us up astride the horse and "SNAP" our picture is taken! Sometimes we would have a vest and chaps placed on us, while the Shetland pony stood very still. We join the myriad of family albums that contain this type of photograph.

In researching this subject of earning a living by photographing neighborhood children in cowboy attire sitting upon a horse, I found a web site
that asked for vintage child cowboy photos to be posted and tell a story about their picture if the posters so desired. Many photos and stories were submitted to the site representing all areas of the United States. How much the photographer earned I do not know, but this occupation certainly provided a treasured childhood memory for many.

Answer: make a sandwich

We used to call these men hobos or tramps who would walk our neighborhood streets, knock on doors, and ask respectfully, "Madam, can you help a hungry man?" Mom always did. She quickly made a sandwich from our meat for dinner, and hurriedly brought it to the hungry man/tramp/hobo. What a good example she set for us modeling a corporal work of mercy to feed the hungry.

Today the more appropriate term used to describe these wandering men who once begged at our door is "homeless". Prior to this more respectful modern nomenclature, a distinction was made between the words "hobo" and "tramp". A hobo was known as a wanderer who begged at the door but would also offer to do an odd job to earn money or food. Tramps were more often identified as those homeless who begged for food or money without offering any work services.

Answer: played the illegal "numbers game"

The illegal playing of the numbers game is somewhat akin to the legal playing of the Pennyslvania State Lottery. Income tax evasion is one distinction between playing the numbers and playing the lottery. In Philadelphia blue-collar neighborhoods in the 1940s to late 1950's era, such as the Kensington section of Philadelphia, number playing for the most part was a common and socially accepted event. My grandmother would write three numbers on a slip of paper and this slip would be collected by the man who had knocked on her the door as well as her money/bet (usually a nickel).

The slips and money collected would then go to a "runner" who brought them to the "bookie" who kept the records of the bets made that day. There were many systems from which to choose the winning numbers.

The one most commonly associated in my grandmother's time and place were taken from the money pool of designated racehorse tracks. The three number bet could be played "straight" or as a combination. The combination bet payed less winning money.

Answer: to collect the pictures of movie stars on the lids

Dixie Cups came in two sizes, 2.25"'s or 2.75"s and these waxy cardboard containers were filled with either vanilla or chocolate Aristocrat ice cream from the Philadelphia Dairy Company. Small wooden spoons shaped like oars came with the containers. With high anticipapation we would remover the light plastic film over the picture to see which cowboy or Hollywood movie star would be printed on the lid.

In 1933, the Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc. (MGM), allowed the Dixie Company to put pictures of twenty-four of their movie stars (for no fee) on the lids. Prior to that year, in 1930 there were pictures of circus animals on the lids. In 1931, pictures from Nature, such as birds, butterflies, and fish were on the lids. American Presidents were featured on them in 1932. In 1954, the last of pictures printed on Dixie Cups were those of movie stars and baseball players.

Answer: a utility wire

Get ready for a Philadelphia street game. Almost daily, the boys would play Wireball. Either a white pimple ball or a pink ball cut in half was used.
The boy with the ball, in order to score a home run, had to be able to throw the ball and hit the utility wire without the defenders catching it. If you did not hit the wire and the ball was caught, you were out.
Boxball, Hoseball, and Handball were other types of Philadelphia street ball games. Jumping Double-Dutch played by the girls was the featured sidewalk game.
"Hey guys, watch out, the priest for the block collection is rounding the corner. Girls don't let the ropes hit the mailman!"

Answer: to sign up for the Thanksgiving Turkey Raffle

This was a solemn occasion on the blocks of the parish. Which streets were to be visited by the priest in a particular week were announced at the Sunday Masses. When it was our turn for Father C. to visit our home we would welcome him respectfully as we all assembled in the living room.

After friendly salutations, Father would go about the business of certifying he had the correct names and members of the household, whether all had made the essential sacraments relative to their age group, and then ask if there were any family issues they wanted to discuss.

In conclusion Father would take a small bottle of holy water from his pocket and ask the family to kneel while he sprinkled them with holy water and blessed them. As Father left the house, he would discreetly leave an envelope marked, "Block Collection Donation" on the arm of a chair.

This was one of the quieter interactions occurring on our street.

Answer: chairs

Because Mr. B. and his dad left in the very early morning hours, we children seldom saw them until later in the day. We did not know that that the first stop of their day was at the ice house where they picked up and loaded very large blocks of ice onto their truck. Once the ice was loaded onto the truck the deliveries on their route began. To deliver ice to a customer, Mr.B would place a large piece of cut leather onto his husky shoulder.

He would take an ice pick and chip the ice block to the requested customer size ordered, take large iron tongs to lift and hold the block of ice, place it on his strong shoulder and bring it into the home. Rarely were Mr. B and his dad home later than 4 o'clock in the afternoon.

When the coast was clear we children would scramble into the back of the ice truck and pick up the remaining ice chips before they would melt.

Answer: the department of education

I am sure you have surmised that my brother never became President of the United States, but at age 10 in 1951, he was a newspaper delivery boy for "The Philadelphia Evening Bulletin". My brother, and young Herbert, Dwight, and Harry today would have to go to their school Guidance Counselor's Office to obtain a minor's work form issued by the Pennsylvania Department of Education. By Pennsylvania Law a minor is defined as a child under the age of eighteen. There are some variances to the law about the minimum age of child employment in Pennsylvania. Jobs such as caddying, newspaper delivery, and babysitting are permitted as early as the age of thirteen.

Nothing governmental was needed for my brother or the rest of his age group in 1951. What was needed was an open route, and/or a sturdy pair of shoes, a wagon, a bicycle and a good throwing arm.
The difficult part of the job for a young boy was the Saturday morning collection. For a young boy to try to collect money from recalcitrant adults was no easy task. Receiving tips at Christmas time was one of its benefits.