A Visit by Taft and Hallowe’en in Memphis 1909

1909 postcard
1909 postcard

The last week of October, 1909 was a normal active week for Jessie with school, music lessons, basketball practice, club meetings and parties.  MXX (Mystic Twenty) had a Hallowe’en Party at Jessie’s home.  The next night the Merry Maids gave a Hallowe’en Party at Mildred Higham’s home. Everyone came as a ghost, but quickly took off their sheets at the party.  Too hot, I guess! Trick-or-treating was not yet popular on Halloween, but parties were popular.

Mayor Malone of Memphis and President Taft
Mayor Malone of Memphis and President Taft

The other big event of the week was a visit to Memphis by President William Howard Taft to formally open the new YMCA.  Governors of 40 states came to Memphis for the occasion. Taft arrived via the Mississippi River aboard the steamer Oleander.  Of course, Jessie was there to see the boats come in and the big parade which followed with the governors and over 200 autos taking part.

One final interesting thing to report for October — Jessie got her permit (October 6, 1909). She is 14 years old, will turn 15 in December, so I am guessing that it is her driving permit.

 

1909 Hallowe'en Card
1909 Hallowe’en Card

Happy Halloween!

Addendum to End of the Summer 1909

I just found two more photographs of Jessie’s trip to Colorado with her family. Enjoy!

scrapbook page1 2

Jessie’s family is from the left: Papa Latham, Ma Latham, Jessie, and Swayne – on one of the several mule rides they took.

scrapbook page1

Perhaps this picture was taken on their trip up Pike’s Peak. Jessie is the 5th from the right standing. Her mother is 3rd from the right. The little blonde boy in the middle is Swayne.

Fires and Shakespeare

Engine House 1, c.1900
Engine House 1, c.1900

In 1909 Memphis, going to see a fire was big entertainment, and there seemed to be quite a few of them.   It wasn’t until around 1912 that Memphis got its first motorized fire engine, so the horse-drawn steam pumper wagons and ladder wagons were still in use. Large hoses for fire-fighting had been developed in the late 19th century, and fire departments also used chemicals and large extension ladders to help douse fires.

1910 Last horse-drawn steam pumper, Memphis
1910 Last horse-drawn steam pumper, Memphis
Julius Caesar, 1908 Vitagraph Co.
Julius Caesar, 1908 Vitagraph Co.

The week of October 18, 1909, seems to have been ‘Shakespeare Week’ in Memphis. Jessie went to two lectures by Shakespearean actor, Frederick Warde. He spoke on “Hamlet” and on “The Wit and Wisdom of Shakespeare’s Fools.” This took place at the Goodwyn Institute, followed later in the week by performances of “Julius Caesar” and “The Merchant of Venice.”

Little Col. at Boarding SchoolcoverJessie read “St. Elmo” by Augusta Jane Evans, originally published in 1866. Later in October she began reading “The Little Colonel at Boarding School” (1904). This was one from a series of “Little Colonel” books. The character became popular to  later generations with the Shirley Temple movie “The Little Colonel.”

 

 

 

*Credit to George Whitworth for the photo of Engine House 1, and to historic-memphis.com for the two other fire fighting photos.

1909 Hallowe'en card
1909 Hallowe’en card

October in Memphis 1909

The school year is in full swing and Jessie’s days are getting more and more busy. This month she just became a member of the Junior Beethoven Club, an offshoot of the Beethoven Club, for which her piano teacher, Mrs. Tobey, was one of the early organizers. The Junior Beethoven Club was one of the first music clubs for young musicians, and from the beginning the purpose of the the Beethoven Club was (and is) to promote classical music and performance. Follow this link to the modern day Beethoven Club’s history page.

Jessie’s gotten her team uniform and spends many afternoons practicing basketball. She plays center on her school team. Unfortunately, I can find no picture of her in her uniform, so I am including some photos of girls basketball teams from 1909 so you can see the kinds of uniforms they may have had.

Girls basketball team from Washington, 1909
Girls basketball team from Washington, 1909
A high school basketball team from Chicago, 1909
A high school basketball team from Chicago, 1909
Milton, ND girls basketball team, 1909
Milton, ND girls basketball team, 1909

 

 

 

 

 

 

Majestic Theatre Lobby
Majestic Theatre Lobby

Nickel shows were very popular during this time, and there were several theaters in competition for customers. Short silent films were popular, and sometimes they were interspersed with live vaudeville type entertainment. Jessie mentions going to the Majestic Theatre in some of her diary entries.

Buffalo Bill’s Wild West Show was touring in 1909. Jessie and her friends went, escorted by one friend’s father, and they had a ‘fine’ time. The cowboys in the the cabinet card photo below were performers in the Wild West Show.BuffaloBillWildWestCowboys

Buffalo Bill's Wild West Show Program, 1909
Buffalo Bill’s Wild West Show Program, 1909
Halloween card, 1909
Halloween card, 1909

*Credit to historic-memphis.com for the photo of the Majestic Theatre’s lobby.

Women’s World 1909

This post is simply about women in 1909 — hairstyles, hats, fashion, art, and the fight to get the vote. Enjoy the photos!

Portrait of a Woman, Egon Schiele, 1909
Portrait of a Woman, Egon Schiele, 1909

hairstyle1909

1909 Edwardian Coiffure
1909 Edwardian Coiffure

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The cosmetics company L’Oréal was founded in 1909. It began with a hair dye developed by Eugène Schueller that he manufactured and sold to Parisian hairdressers.

L'Oreal Archives, Jean Claude, 1909
L’Oreal Archives, Jean Claude, 1909
Chapeau 1909
Chapeau 1909

1909 hairstyles

Actress Lily Elsie 1909
Actress Lily Elsie 1909

 

 

 

 

Votes for Women 1909

 

This 1909 poster, advertising the weekly suffragette newspaper Votes for Women, was designed by Hilda Dallas (1878-1958).

Maude Fealy
Maude Fealy

Maude Fealy was a silent film actress born in Memphis in 1883. I have included two pictures of her because, as you can see, she was quite beautiful.

Maude Fealy 1909
Maude Fealy 1909

 

 

End of the Summer 1909

scrapbook page-1

The last days of summer for Jessie and her family were spent on vacation in Colorado, mostly Colorado Springs and Manitou Springs. They hiked, rode burros into canyons, had picnics, went to the nickel shows, and visited relatives who were also in Colorado Springs (Aunt Imogen and Cousin Mary Katherine). In the picture above, Jessie is the last girl on a burro on the right. Her mother is standing to Jessie’s right.

scrapbook page2 2The picture on the left looks like Jessie and her Dad on burros. The photo below is probably from their burro ride through south Cheyenne Canyon and to Seven Falls where they had a picnic. From left to right — Jessie, Swayne, and cousin Mary Katherine(?).  scrapbook page2

When the weather was bad, they stayed in their hotel rooms and played games or read.  While she was in Colorado, Jessie read another Horatio Alger book, “Paul the Peddler.”Paul the Peddler

 

The last few days of their time in Colorado were spent in Denver.  They stayed at the Drexel Hotel.

Drexel Hotel, Denver, 1910-20
Drexel Hotel, Denver, 1910-20

 

 

 

Jessie mentions in her diary that they saw the Gentry Brothers Parade while in Denver. Between 1885-1934, the Gentry Brothers had one of the most popular dog and pony circuses in the U.S. By 1910 they were the largest traveling show in the country with an 18 piece band, a steam calliope, trapeze artists, trained dogs, ponies and monkeys, 7 elephants, and 4 camels.  Jessie also visited Denver’s White City in Lakeside. White City was a common name of dozens of amusement parks in the United States and Australia, all inspired by the White City of the World’s Columbian Exposition in Chicago in 1893.  Denver’s White City opened in 1908. According to Jessie, it was beautiful and had 60 amusements.

Postcard view of Chicago's White City Amusement Park.
Postcard view of Chicago’s White City Amusement Park.

 

August in Memphis 1909

Calhoun Street Train Station, 1906
Calhoun Street Train Station, 1906

August 14, 1909, Jessie and her Mother have just left for Colorado on the train. There were several train stations in Memphis, and Union Station would not open until 1912. The Calhoun Station, which was the first depot in Memphis, may have been the terminal they left from.

Joe's Luck

 

Jessie read “Joe’s Luck” by Horatio Alger during August 1909.

She often mentions playing with C.S. I think this was one of her cousins who lived in the neighborhood, perhaps Aunt Sallie’s little boy (Jessie does not spell this out in her diary).  Here is a photo Jessie took of Swayne playing with C.S. (in white) and a white rabbit. Another photo from Jessie’s scrapbook that I like — her Mother carrying a doomed chicken (or is that a rabbit?).

C.S., Swayne & the white rabbit Jessie Swayne Latham

Just before Jessie and her mother left for Colorado, they went shopping and purchased Jessie a new suit for the trip. The Edwardian styles were becoming less frilly and cumbersome and more tailored at this time.

Women's suits 1900s
Women’s suits 1900s

*Credit to historic-memphis.com for the photo of the Calhoun Street Train Station.

July 1909

gastonpark-1910Things were slower in Memphis in the middle of the summer. Jessie kept up with her music lessons and and her clubs, Merry Maids and Mystic XX.  There were band concerts in the parks many nights of the week — Gaston Park, Bickford Park, and Overton Park all had frequent band concerts. Jessie and her friends gave a concert themselves at Jessie’s house, for which they built a stage and sold tickets (making $27).

Jessie’s mother, Jessie Swayne Latham, was well known in Memphis for her civic and church leadership.  For many years she  served as President of the Board for the Porter Home and Leath Orphanage. Jessie followed in her footsteps a bit, often going to the Home for Incurables to play the piano for the residents.home-for-incurables-1912-GW

There were some birthdays in July. Dorothy Jane had her 10th birthday party, which Jessie attended. I don’t know if Dorothy was a cousin or just a little girl in the neighborhood that Jessie was fond of.  Jessie’s dad had his 55th birthday in July as well.

Jessie & Dorothy Jane
Jessie & Dorothy Jane
F.S. Latham & Jessie Swayne Latham
F.S. Latham & Jessie Swayne Latham

History can be Uncomfortable

We are all a product of our times and the environment in which we live. 1909 in Memphis, Tennessee was not that far removed from the Civil War. Many veterans of the conflict were still alive, and naturally there were organizations which sprang up to support the veterans and the families of veterans. Jessie writes in her diary (June 7, 1909) that she went to a meeting of the U.D.C., the United Daughters of the Confederacy.  At first I didn’t want to include this information, because to some that might scream RACIST! But it is history and it is fact. My grandmother was a southern born woman with deep roots in the South.  She was not a rebel. She was a genteel and sheltered 14 year old girl. 1909-great-paradeThe meeting of the U.D.C. was in preparation for a huge event Memphis was hosting – The United Confederate Veterans Reunion 1909. Memphis, being centrally located and on the Mississippi River, was accessible to many Veterans. It was a huge 3-day event, June 8-10, with parades, concerts, boat rides, etc.

ucv-1909-46On June 8th Jessie  rode in the yellow float of the Floral Parade. (Is that Jessie looking at the camera?) On the 9th she sang at several events, and on the 10th was the big Veterans parade. All of downtown Memphis was decorated with bunting. ucv-1909-pc-3Once again, credit for the photos goes to http://historic-memphis.com/memphis-historic/ucv/ucv.html. Check this website out for more historic photos and information about this event.

Burned Wood 1909

IMG_0868Quite a few times in 1909, and maybe 1910 too, Jessie ends a diary entry with “burned wood.” I couldn’t think what this meant. Did she build a fire in the fireplace or somewhere else? Was she smoking cigarettes and using “burned wood” as a euphemism? Finally, I remembered that I have a decorative wooden disk that came from Grandmother. It was made with with a woodburning pen to make a picture, a picture that looks a little like Jessie, or at least like a girl of her period. If you look closely on the bottom right, you can see her name that she burned into the wood. I remember these kinds of kits from my childhood, and you can still buy them today. I’ve also added a postcard of Memphis from 1907.

Memphis 1907
Memphis 1907