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Grist for the MillA bimonthly Publication of the Freeport Area Historical Society - February/March, 2008 |
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MEETINGS NEW (OLD) BUILDING Progress on the building has been a little slower than we would like, but we keep plugging away. Don Collar, Al Bennett, Rodney Chapman, and Bob Hunter have been removing walls, ceiling, floors. We still have a long way to go, but we would like to thank everyone. And we thank those who just stop in to say hello. Many are residents who are curious, and they are showing us support. We will be getting a roll off box in mid March or early April. Believe it or not we've already filled one. We'll let you know when the dumpster will be there because more hands will be needed and appreciated. It appears we will be able to open the whole room upstairs. This will be a community meeting room. There will be a small kitchen and bathroom upstairs, and a handicapped accessible bathroom, downstairs. Tentative plans are to move the staircase to the opposite side of the room. This may be necessary because of the condition of the present steps, and the sagging in that area. Many changes are planned. We would like to hear what you think. If you come down, Saturday mornings between 9:00 and noon, we would welcome your help. Don Collar has been working on a list of what we need to make our building energy efficient and comfortable for all. We are looking at 2 x 6's, windows, insulation, heating and cooling items, drywall, plumbing, brick repointing, and more. The total cost should be in the $34,000.00 range. We presently have a grant application in at the new Wal-Mart. It will open on March 7. We are also using the "Wish" list for grants from other businesses, including the National City Bank, 84 Lumber, etc. Obviously, it will take a couple years to complete all this work, and a lot of funds are needed. If you can help, in any way , PLEASE let us know. We need you NOW!! FROM JACOB SHOOP'S WEATHER BOOK 1846-1870 The first steam boat went up in the fall of 1861 was on the night of 6 Oct 1861 the river raised 4 feet Oct first…On 7 Oct 1861 the Echo Steamboat Stoved on the peers their is from 3 to 6 rafts stoves on the peers every Day from the first Oct 1861 to the 10th hi water.…on the 14 Oct 1861 the Solders left Kittanning their was 1 thousnet men they went to Missouri they went on the valley railroad it was a good site here…the first frost we had in the fall of 1861 was Oct 21…Old Edward Milligan Died Oct 31 1861…on the night of Nov 2d l861 the river raised 10 feet it rained 30 ours in sucsesion hevy it was new moon a the time on a Saterday theirteen Steam boats com up next day & lay here on account of hi water at the dock…the first snow we had in the fall of 1861…on the 24 Nov 1861 the wether set in very cold it lasted 3 days then got soft raind sum & mudy…the Edy frose over on 25 Nove 1861 for the first…I went to Pittsburgh on the Canal Boat Nov 20 1861 & we had ice to run throu before we got to Pittsburgh I com home the same night…the first day of Dec 1861 was Stormy Snow & tel 3 in afteroon then commenced to rain…the 2 Day of Dec was clear to 12 then clouded up & som snow cold & frosty...the 3 Day of Dec was cloudy & cold & a little snow…the month of Dec was rather a worm month…the month of Janr was rany open wether hi water…the month of Feb was…the first mush ice we had on the river in the fall of 1861 was the 4 Dec 1861…Ember Day Dec 17 th 1861 clear smoky warm cam it is like Indian Summer very plesent & it was the pretest day I ever saw in December…on 23 Dec 1861 was the most disagreeable Day we had this fall it snowd & blod all day…Crismas Day in 1861 was a soft delight full clear Day but 2 inchs Snow on the ground it thawed Som in the sun but froze in the shade…our Canel packets of Freeport stoped running on Crismas Day 1861 the business was good for packets this seson the produce was plenty this fall of 1861 was a late & butiful fall to N years…New Years Day 1862 was the Stormest Day I ever saw it blod ever thing before it the river could not be crost for a while it was not cold their was no snow on the ground & no ice on any accout only shore ice…the river closed here with ice this winter on 5 Janry 1862 for the first time the river was very low…on the night of 5 Janry 1862 about 6 inches snow fel & very cold Mr. Righerd Preched here Same Day…their was good slaing & cold wether from the 5 Janry 1862 to the 8 when it commenced to thaw & rain & took the snow away & mudy…the river broke up 10 Janry 1862 first time they only walked over the ice 2 Days at this time…I was in Pittsburgh 13 & 14 Janry 1862…we had a soft spel of wether from the 15 Janry 1862 to the 20 it rained all the time…on the morning of 20 Janry we had hevy rain & thunder…we had hi water on the 20 Janry 1862 the river raised 12 feet & their was 28 feet water at Pittsburgh…on the night of 24 Janry 1862 4 inches snow fell & cold…William Fullirton was burred Janry 26d 1862. Spelling, etc., are as written by Jacob Shoop. TIDBITS IN TIME Ford announces creation of 8-cylinder model HOW DID THAT EXPRESSION BEGIN? In George Washington's day one's image was sculpted or painted. Some paintings of George Washington show him standing behind a desk with one arm behind his back; others showed both legs and both arms. Painters charged prices NOT based on how many people were to be painted, but by how many limbs were to be painted. Painting all arms and legs would cost the buyer more – hence the expression, “Okay, but it'll cost you an arm and a leg.” Personal hygiene left a lot to be desired. Men and women took baths twice a year – May and October…..peeeuuuu! Women kept their hair covered, but men shaved their heads (because of lice and bugs) and wore wigs. Wealthy men could afford good wigs made from wool. They couldn't wash them, so to clean them, they would scoop out the middle of a loaf of bread, put the wig inside the shell and bake it for 30 minutes. The heat would make the wig big and fluffy. Today we often say, “Here comes the Big Wig” because that person appears to be or is powerful and wealthy. Because of the lack of hygiene many people developed acne scars by adulthood. The women would spread bee's wax over their face to smooth out their complexions. If a woman would stare at another woman's face she might be told to “mind your own bee's wax.” If a woman smiled, the wax would crack, hence the term, “Crack a smile.” If they sat too close to the fire, the wax would melt resulting ion the expression In the late 1700s many houses consisted of a large room with only one chair and a long wide board folded from the wall to be used for dining. The “ head of the household” always sat in the chair while everyone else ate sitting on the floor. Occasionally a guest, usually a man, would be invited to sit in the chair during the meal. To sit there meant you were important and in charge. They called this person the “ chair man.” Today we use the expression or title “Chairman” or “Chairman of the Board.” Ladies wore corsets that laced up the front. A proper and dignified woman wore a tightly laced corset and thus the expression “straight laced” came into being. Even two centuries ago we tried to avoid taxes as much as possible. Playing cards was a common entertainment – but there was a tax levied when purchasing playing cards, applicable only to the Ace of Spades. To avoid this tax, many people would purchase the other 51 cards. Since most games still required 52, these people were thought to be stupid or dumb because they weren't “ playing with a full deck.” Early politicians needed feedback from the public to determine what people considered important. There was no TV, radio, email, blackberries, etc., so assistants were sent to local taverns, pubs, and bars. They were told to “go sip some ale” and listen to people's conversations and political concerns. They would be sent to various places at various times, as in “you go sip here” and “you go sip there.” The two words “go” and “sip” were eventually combined resulting in the word “gossip.” And speaking of taverns, etc., people drank from pint and quart sized containers. A bar maid's job was to keep an eye on the customers and keep those drinks coming. She had to pay attention and remember who was drinking in “pints” and who was drinking in “quarts” and so we have the expression “minding your P's and Q's.” In the heyday of sailing ships, war ships and freighters carried iron cannons. They fired round iron cannon balls and it was necessary to keep a good supply near the cannon. To keep them from rolling around on the deck, a storage method was devised with a square based pyramid, one ball on top of four, resting on nine, resting on sixteen. So a supply of 30 cannon balls could be stacked in a small area right next to the cannon. But they had to prevent the bottom layer from sliding around or rolling from under the others. They made a metal plate called a “monkey” with 16 round indentations. If the plate were made of iron, the balls would quickly rust to it. The solution to the rusting problem was to make “Brass Monkeys.” Brass contracts more and much faster than iron when chilled. So, when the temperature dropped too far, the brass indentations would shrink so much that the iron cannon balls would come right off the monkey. This happened when it was “ cold enough to freeze the balls off a brass monkey.” And, we're guessing you sort of thought that was an improper expression! Rafts and other craft sometimes “stoved” on the piers of the Freeport Aqueduct. Steamboats especially resented this aqueduct and the ones at Pittsburgh, because they were lower than most bridges, and steamboats, with their high chimneys, were taller than other rivercraft. Besides waiting for the water to raise high enough to navigate, steamboats sometimes had to wait for the water to lower to a level that would allow them to pass under the aqueduct. |
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