This thread is for the oldest pictures you can find of where you are living. Not necessarily taken by yourself. Please add a description and date if you can. "When the morning fog cleared on Sunday February 10th 1907 this was the sight which greeted the eyes of the astonished people of Margate in Kent. The 5,000 ton Norwegian steamer "Coronel" had blindly blundered onto the Longnose at Foreness Point on a falling tide during a voyage from Rotterdam to Barry Docks for a refit, the efforts of "Coronel" to free herself had simply resulted in turning her bow seawards, the stern with its deeper draught remaining firmly wedged. an offer of assistance from the lifeboat was refused but the Margate surf boat "Friend to all Nations" was employed to run out anchors to assist the vessel to get herself off on the evening tide.With her own steam winch and a pull from the Ramsgate tug "Aid" the "Coronel" floated clear and continued her voyage undamaged. During the day she had attracted the attention of large crowds of sightseers"
In the 1920's it was fashionable to put on ones best togs and 'promenade' up and down the sea front here in Margate. Baby Grumpling does not look impressed ... her mind is screaming............. 'I am NOT with these two, please rescue me.' .
This picture is not Alabama, and since I am an Idaho native, born and raised, most of the older pictures that I have are from there , or from one of the trips that my family went on before I was born. This picture would be from the late 1920's, and it was a trip that my folks, along with relatives that lived in Oregon, took to Southern California. I am not sure where along that route this picture was taken, and this is not my mom in the picture (but maybe my aunt), and I remember my dad telling me that they had to fix a lot of flat tires on that trip.
This picture has been hand colored but is over a hundred years old and shows bathing machines in Margate, Kent, they were described in 1805 as ; four-wheeled carriages, covered with canvas, so that the bather descending from the machine by a few steps is concealed from the public view, whereby the most refined female is enabled to enjoy the advantages of the sea with the strictest delicacy.
OK, @Jeff Tracy , help me out here. How are the bathing machines supposed to help? And won't all that horse poop mess up the water?
In Victorian England people were very fond of various health fads. One of these was 'Dirty Dunking' where a couple would hire a so called 'Bathing Machine' and have it towed out into the sea where it would be left for a while. The aforementioned couple would then engage in a game of 'Hide the Sausage' with great vigour until upon consummation they would hold hands and run naked out the back of the 'Bathing Machine' and leap into the air screaming 'Victoria and Albert' . The effect upon the participants circulation and general health were said to be most meritorious. A few unfortunate accidents involving jellyfish were occasionally reported but these were insignificant compared to the benefits. The horses were fed solely upon freesias and peonies thus adding an aromatherapy aspect to the whole experience. In recent years this fine old custom has been revived in your area Shirley and now you can disconnect from your hectic life for a week or weekend and reconnect with the love of your life . . . along the 32 miles of white-sand beaches of Gulf Shores and Orange Beach.......... 'Dirty Dunking' has stood the test of time, you and your special someone can enjoy a romantic beach getaway on Alabama's Gulf Coast. It is marvelous for one's complexion says actress C.C.L'amour of Fresno I go twice a week Book now to avoid disappointment................
@Shirley Martin , are you in Alabama, too ? For some reason I thought you were in one of the Carolinas, and your avatar does not say where you are from;but I thought I was the only one on the forum who lives in Alabama.
This pagan grotto was discovered in 1835 and has rather quaintly been called the 'Shell Grotto' but its contents are very sexually orientated. The whole cave system is inlaid with millions of sea shells ; . . . .. THE ENTRANCE . . ..
@Yvonne Smith , I live in North Carolina. Here's to the land of the long leaf pine, The summer land where the sun doth shine, Where the weak grow strong and the strong grow great, Here's to "Down Home," the Old North State!
@Jeff Tracy , I'm not sure but I think you may be pulling my leg about those bathing wagons. The Grotto is incredibly beautiful. Have you been there?
Wow, that is totally incredible, @Jeff Tracy ! ! The pictures are gorgeous, and the intricate work of fitting all those shells (so many different kinds !) is just incredible. What planning it must have taken for them to build this. I have been reading about the ancient civilizations , who seem to have been highly advanced, and not the primitive people we have been taught that they were. There are structures which we cannot even duplicate today in our modern age that were built thousands of years ago, and the premise lends to the idea of an ancient civilization that somehow collapsed, and left people eventually living primitive lifestyles because the technology was lost. Thank you for sharing this with us ! !
Oh yes, several times. A very powerful atmosphere in that place ... like when you were a little child and went to a massive church or cathedral