Installment #4: There's no place like home
Claudell was glad to be back home. One of the first things her grandmother said was, "I'll bet you're hungry." Indeed she was. Bertha gave her a jar of cherries she had canned. Claudell ate the whole jar. That jar of cherries was more than likely all the food in the house at that time.
In an earlier post, I mentioned the shack Bertha had purchased located on mining land. Zinc and lead mines in the Galena area were mined from the mid-late 1870s until the 1970s and were eventually exhausted. By the time the last lead and zinc mines closed in Cherokee County, nearly 2.9 million tons of zinc and 700,000 tons of lead had been produced.
Bertha's shack was only about 250 square feet and consisted of two rooms. The front door led to the living room. The wall to the right of the door had a window. In front of the next wall was a small table where a radio sat (there were no TVs back then) and a divan that resembled a futon. The divan had no arms and laid down, serving as Claudell's bed at night. Along the third wall were the coal burning stove and a door leading to Bertha's bedroom. In front of the last wall were a chair and a table where a lamp sat. It was in that chair that Bertha would sit and talk for hours with Claudell, who sat on the floor beside the table.
Against one wall in Bertha's bedroom was a "three-quarter sized bed." This bed was wider than a twin bed but not was as wide as a full-sized bed. The mattress was made of cotton and laid on metal springs. The headboard was made of dark wood. The next wall was where clothes were hung on a rod since there was no actual closet. Toward the end of that wall was a door leading outside. A cot and chest for clothing were along the third wall. Along the fourth wall of the room was a door to the kitchen and a vanity that looked similar to the one in the picture below.* The mirrors on each side swiveled so Bertha could see to check her hair or clothing.
The floors were wooden. There was an old rug on the living room floor. Curtains covering the living room window were made of lace and were purchased for 50 cents each.
Since there was no kitchen or bathroom, a government organization called Works Progress Administration (WPA) paid workers to build a small kitchen on the side of the shack and an outhouse in the backyard. The group also installed electricity and gas but didn't install plumbing. For more information about the WPA, please click here.
The kitchen was accessed by going through Bertha's bedroom. Along the wall on the right of the door was a square Maytag tub that didn't have a ringer. Each day the family that lived in a house across the street brought Bertha and Claudell enough water for the day's needs. For hot water, Bertha used a 2-burner stove to heat the water. It was then poured into the washing machine and P and G Laundry Soap (Proctor and Gamble) was added along with the clothes. The bar soap was shaved using a knife and the shavings dissolved in the water. The lid was closed and the machine turned on. After a period of time, either Bertha or Claudell stopped the machine to start the rinsing process.
There were two metal tubs that sat on the floor with rinse water. After the clothes were clean, they were rinsed first in the smaller tub and then had a final rinse in the larger second tub. The clothes had to be wrung out by hand before being transferred from the washer to the rinse tubs. Clothes were either dried on a clothesline in the backyard or on a clothesline strung across the kitchen.
The larger metal tub also served as a bathtub and P and G soap* was used for bathing and shampooing.
Along the back wall of the kitchen was a door to the outside, a small ice box and a long cabinet with shelves. A curtain was used to hide the contents of the shelves. Meals were prepared on a freestanding, 2-burner gas stove that sat on the countertop and was connected to a gas outlet previously installed by WPA. More cabinets lined the adjacent wall.
Each day a man delivered ice to the homes in Galena to be used in ice boxes to keep the contents cold. He would cut a chunk to fit inside the ice box. Kids in the neighborhood would follow him from house to house gathering any ice chips that would fall after the ice had been cut to fit the home's ice box. The ice box Bertha and Claudell had was similar to the one in the photo above.*
On the wall that was connected to the house you could find a folding table that was attached to the wall by hinges. To use the table, Claudell would lift it up and secure it with two legs that dropped down. Next to the table was an old pie safe which held flour and sugar. It also stored dishes, silverware, and tea towels. Any leftover food that didn't need refrigeration was kept in the pie safe for protection against rodents.
The kitchen floor was covered with used linoleum. Windows lined the walls of the kitchen. Bertha made curtains by hand from material someone had given her.
As did many families living in those hard times, Bertha and Claudell received commodities which consisted of flour, sugar, butter, oleo and lard for cooking, bread, canned goods and fresh fruits and vegetables when available. Milk was delivered each day at no charge.
Claudell was glad to again be living with her grandmother whom she loved dearly and affectionately called Momma. When Bertha purchased the tiny shack located at West First Street, she immediately put it in Claudell's name. She wanted to make sure Claudell always had somewhere to call home.
* This photo was found on the Internet and is believed to be copyright free.
In an earlier post, I mentioned the shack Bertha had purchased located on mining land. Zinc and lead mines in the Galena area were mined from the mid-late 1870s until the 1970s and were eventually exhausted. By the time the last lead and zinc mines closed in Cherokee County, nearly 2.9 million tons of zinc and 700,000 tons of lead had been produced.
Bertha's shack was only about 250 square feet and consisted of two rooms. The front door led to the living room. The wall to the right of the door had a window. In front of the next wall was a small table where a radio sat (there were no TVs back then) and a divan that resembled a futon. The divan had no arms and laid down, serving as Claudell's bed at night. Along the third wall were the coal burning stove and a door leading to Bertha's bedroom. In front of the last wall were a chair and a table where a lamp sat. It was in that chair that Bertha would sit and talk for hours with Claudell, who sat on the floor beside the table.
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| Floor plan Claudell made of the shack she and Bertha lived in. |
Against one wall in Bertha's bedroom was a "three-quarter sized bed." This bed was wider than a twin bed but not was as wide as a full-sized bed. The mattress was made of cotton and laid on metal springs. The headboard was made of dark wood. The next wall was where clothes were hung on a rod since there was no actual closet. Toward the end of that wall was a door leading outside. A cot and chest for clothing were along the third wall. Along the fourth wall of the room was a door to the kitchen and a vanity that looked similar to the one in the picture below.* The mirrors on each side swiveled so Bertha could see to check her hair or clothing.
The floors were wooden. There was an old rug on the living room floor. Curtains covering the living room window were made of lace and were purchased for 50 cents each.
Since there was no kitchen or bathroom, a government organization called Works Progress Administration (WPA) paid workers to build a small kitchen on the side of the shack and an outhouse in the backyard. The group also installed electricity and gas but didn't install plumbing. For more information about the WPA, please click here.
The kitchen was accessed by going through Bertha's bedroom. Along the wall on the right of the door was a square Maytag tub that didn't have a ringer. Each day the family that lived in a house across the street brought Bertha and Claudell enough water for the day's needs. For hot water, Bertha used a 2-burner stove to heat the water. It was then poured into the washing machine and P and G Laundry Soap (Proctor and Gamble) was added along with the clothes. The bar soap was shaved using a knife and the shavings dissolved in the water. The lid was closed and the machine turned on. After a period of time, either Bertha or Claudell stopped the machine to start the rinsing process.
There were two metal tubs that sat on the floor with rinse water. After the clothes were clean, they were rinsed first in the smaller tub and then had a final rinse in the larger second tub. The clothes had to be wrung out by hand before being transferred from the washer to the rinse tubs. Clothes were either dried on a clothesline in the backyard or on a clothesline strung across the kitchen.
The larger metal tub also served as a bathtub and P and G soap* was used for bathing and shampooing.
Along the back wall of the kitchen was a door to the outside, a small ice box and a long cabinet with shelves. A curtain was used to hide the contents of the shelves. Meals were prepared on a freestanding, 2-burner gas stove that sat on the countertop and was connected to a gas outlet previously installed by WPA. More cabinets lined the adjacent wall.
Each day a man delivered ice to the homes in Galena to be used in ice boxes to keep the contents cold. He would cut a chunk to fit inside the ice box. Kids in the neighborhood would follow him from house to house gathering any ice chips that would fall after the ice had been cut to fit the home's ice box. The ice box Bertha and Claudell had was similar to the one in the photo above.*
On the wall that was connected to the house you could find a folding table that was attached to the wall by hinges. To use the table, Claudell would lift it up and secure it with two legs that dropped down. Next to the table was an old pie safe which held flour and sugar. It also stored dishes, silverware, and tea towels. Any leftover food that didn't need refrigeration was kept in the pie safe for protection against rodents.
The kitchen floor was covered with used linoleum. Windows lined the walls of the kitchen. Bertha made curtains by hand from material someone had given her.
As did many families living in those hard times, Bertha and Claudell received commodities which consisted of flour, sugar, butter, oleo and lard for cooking, bread, canned goods and fresh fruits and vegetables when available. Milk was delivered each day at no charge.
Claudell was glad to again be living with her grandmother whom she loved dearly and affectionately called Momma. When Bertha purchased the tiny shack located at West First Street, she immediately put it in Claudell's name. She wanted to make sure Claudell always had somewhere to call home.
* This photo was found on the Internet and is believed to be copyright free.
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