Slaughter Iron?

[rusty]

I probably would have assumed that was a sad iron heater if I ran across one, interesting little heater:)

There were still rural places without electricity into the 50's ya know...

[keykeeper]

I probably would have assumed that was a sad iron heater if I ran across one, interesting little heater:)

There were still rural places without electricity into the 50's ya know...

Quite aware of that, Rusty, but for the most part, the more populated areas had commercial electric plants and/or co-ops that provided their electric. I believe that these type of hair comb and curling irons, and even pleating presses were more prevalent in the later 1800's and into the first part of the 20th century. I would even wager a guess that into the 1930's to 1950's, in the rural areas, the ladies and girls probably heated these type tools on the wood cookstove or even an old Burnside Pot-belly stove. Hell, my mother grew up in that era, and they didn't even have indoor plumbing in that house until the early 1980's. So yeah, I'm acquainted with rural living, just a tad.

That said, I will say that I appreciate being set straight, that always makes me question my motivation for even commenting anymore.

I only comment, to help share what I know from personal experience growing up since about eight years old running flea market booths for my mother, learning about antique flipping, and reading everything I could about antiques since. Out of necessity, this was what we did to make a couple extra bucks in my family. Later, as an adult, I have put the same skills to use to make a couple extra bucks for my own pocket. Luckily, I retain a great portion of what I see, read, etc.

[rusty]

Sorry if it sounded like I was trying to 'set you straight' about anything. I have found that most population has this idea that the entire planet had electricity by WWII , so I mention that from time to time ....I probably could have worded it a little better tho...

Your original comment left a little leeway in dates, my point was only that non electric appliances can often be dated a little later than is generally thought....

Keep commenting, your comments are valuable :)

[Branson]

Sorry if it sounded like I was trying to 'set you straight' about anything. I have found that most population has this idea that the entire planet had electricity by WWII , so I mention that from time to time ....I probably could have worded it a little better tho...
Keep commenting, your comments are valuable :)

Honestly, learning about the lives of some of the other members here has rearranged my thinking about this.  In even the small cities, even towns, here in California, everybody had gas, electricity, phones in the '50s, most had them in the '40s.  My grandparents' first house, built by my great grandfather, was all electrified (as well as plumbed for gas) in 1933.   More than half the town I grew up in had television.   Here in Sacramento, my 1925 house was all set up for electricity.  A lot of people even my age would be shocked to learn that electricity wasn't universal by WW II.

And DO keep commenting!

[OilyRascal]

This home was finished in 1928 with no allowances for electricity.  Power came in 1953, along with the high-voltage distribution line that comes across the property.  It was part of the "get electricity to rural america" effort by our government post-war and affected property on both sides of my family.  It all makes for a very nice deer hunting lane here as it comes across a 40 tract.

"City Water" came much later in the late 60s.  There was well water before that - 3 wells still here, two with well houses over them.  My family needed to secure right-of-ways, pay to have a line laid, then "give" it all to the local water commission before "city water" could be had.  I'm reminded regularly that public water cost are less monthly than what it cost in electricity to run the private wells.  I'm also reminded of how much fun it was to fetch water before electricity for pumps on the wells; particularly when you have family visiting and everybody expected a bath.  I could go fetch two water draw buckets out of the barn.

Gas (the natural kind) was fed to the house via gas feed distribution lines from the oil fields.  There was a "main compressor" closer to where my dad lives (I grew up) that would receive gas from the wells as suction and compress it for use.  A vast distribution network existed all over the county for well gas.  Rural houses with an association to the oil fields were attached to this network at no cost - heck no usage metering methods were in place.  My grandmother says "They just came along in the late 1970s and said we're shutting it off".  We now have about 3 miles of privately buried gas line in order to hookup to public natural gas services.

[Papaw]

I grew up in the town, so we had water, gas, and electricity, but my Grandparents 4 miles away had a well and a pump for water and a very limited electric service. I do remember them having an "indoor" toilet, but it was simply an outhouse type setup under the stairs! Grandpa would pour lime and such in there quite often!
The kitchen was semi-detached and had no gas or electricity, just well water for washing dishes, etc.

[Wrenchmensch]

I remember farm families in the western part of Schenectady County who lived, in the 1940s without electricity or a public water supply.  One family I knew well used kerosene lanterns at night, had a pump at the kitchen sink, an indoor outhouse at the end of an ell, used chamber pots, and had a spring house to keep things cool in.  The family were older folks who lived well enough without the things we now view as essentials.