At the moment I don't have more context for this - like how many people were dying, how fast autos could actually go, etc. - but it is interesting to note that speeding was already a problem in 1916 and an urban limit of 20mph seemed prudent and reasonable.
Now we tolerate speeds well above 20mph and try to shift the burden for safety from drivers to people on foot: Be cautious, wear bright clothing, and stay out of the way when walking.
Whitlock Vacuum is by George Post
A few details may need to be confirmed to button this up 100%, but this citation from 1916 suggest the entry in the downtown Historic District Nomination for one half of Whitlock's Vacuum needs some revision.
Here's what they said in 2001:
The D'Arcy Building was constructed around 1909 and conveys a clear sense of evolving historical development in the Salem commercial district between the early 1900s and 1950. The D'Arcy Building's upper facade was altered early on, when the building's use changed from a one- and one half-story movie theater to a two-story retail store.
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D'Arcy Building on right half of Whitlock's (from 2012 streetview)
Stylistic kinship with the McGilchrist Block |
The newspaper piece suggests the building is new construction from 1916, not a remodel of
the Wexford Theater or other building from 1909. It is also significant that it was designed by George Post, a fact the Historic District Nomination is ignorant of.
Post designed the Carnegie Library, McKinley School, the McGilchrist Building - and maybe others we don't know about. His architectural legacy in Salem is mostly lost and hidden at the moment.
Road Crew Deserts to Pick Hops
There's lots of hop picking ads and news in the papers in late summer 1916, but this note stands out. "The lure of the hop fields called four laborers of the paving crew working on the fair grounds road yesterday."
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