Highlights in Public Works History part 1

05 Tuesday Jun 2018

Posted by Ronald Parks in Archives, Baltimore, engineering, HISTORY

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Baltimore, bridges, engineering, FILTRATION, HISTORY, Museum, POLITICS, Public Works, Research, water history

Continuing with documenting and archiving, I found a collection of small posters concerning Public Works. I believe these were given out at the DPW Museum in Baltimore back in the 1980s during the time it was open. There are some missing and I hope to be able to find them, to complete the collection. Here are issues #1,3,4,6 and 7. #1 has some misinformation. The Roland Tower was completed in 1905 according to Annual Reports. Not sure what the word exhaneous, which is handwritten on the poster, means?

#3 comes from Abel Wolman’s booklet, “The Livable City”.

#4 from the exhibit: Baltimore’s Bridges and Their Builders.

#6 from 1985’s Women’s Week.

#7 is about our infrastructure.

Over the years there have been many attempts at posters, exhibits, newsletters etc. I wish they would start doing more of the history in a poster like the above or a new newsletter… The City attempted to try a new format of the Annual Report, but it is inconsistent and sporadic at best.

The Peale Center

13 Friday Apr 2018

Posted by Ronald Parks in HISTORY, Photography

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Baltimore, Barnum, Ghost, glass plate negatives, HISTORY, Museum, Peale Center, photography, Research, writing

The Peale Center, also once Baltimore’s City Hall and Colored School #1 and then a temporary Water Engineer’s office. Then the Municipal Museum and then a vacant…am I missing anything? It has been a lot of things since 1814 and I am really glad it is being restored to a museum.

View from across the street, at the Municipal Building – where the water engineers are now located. Workers had to move their scaffold out of the way so we could get in.

A walk out back. I think I would have placed this lamp elsewhere instead of in front of the relief.

Another gas lamp.

Back inside to await the history talk. Here is an artist rendition of what the Peale will look like when completed.

A nice model of the proposed renovations.

Holy H.G. Wells! A freakin’ time machine. Damn, still under construction!

Hum Bug!!

More bugs.

And the real reason for my visit – a talk by Peter Manseau on his book “The Apparitionist”. It was a really good talk. One thing that kind of stuck in my head was when he said, “There are about 50,000 deceased persons on Facebook. Still being visited by family and friends.” It is like a modern day seance in the electronic social media age. People get to see their departed loved ones, just like the photographs taken by 19th century photographers of dead people posing. But Peter’s book goes more into ghost being seen in glass plate images. I can’t wait to read his book…

Tying Up Loose Ends

21 Thursday Sep 2017

Posted by Ronald Parks in Photography, water history

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Baltimore, Dams, engineering, FILTRATION, glass plate negatives, Gunpowder Falls, Loch Raven, Museum, photography, Research, water history

Since my retirement is pretty much just around the corner, I need to start working on “Tying up some loose ends”, so to speak. At work, this means getting my files together and putting them in order so others may find important information. As far as my work on the DPW Museum archives, I do not think I will ever get this done. Just so much stuff.

I came back across an old box full of broken glass plate negatives. I guess it must be about 24 8″x10″ plates. Hard to tell because most are broken into a lot of small pieces. Some, like the one below, are in just a couple pieces, making restoration fairly simple. Years ago, before computer scanning and restoration software, the previous archivist either placed the pieces on a Xerox copier and scanned them or took a photograph of the pieces, placed together as best they could. They came out as negatives. I need to find those paper copies to help put the pieces back together.

Here is one of the better broken plates. The slivers from the crack will never be found by me. So I filled it in as best I could with the software. When I first started my water history research, I had no idea that Baltimore City built one dam on top of another. The upper right portion shown was built in steps, at an elevation of 188′. This was to be able to support the newer dam which would be built at elevation 240′. It was thought to be able to support a dam at 270′.

The jigsaw puzzle, restoration process is long and tedious and I don’t believe I will have the time to finish up this box of broken pieces. Let alone finish up documenting what is left to be done.

Random Labor Day 2017

18 Monday Sep 2017

Posted by Ronald Parks in nature, ocean city, Photography

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Farm, Museum, nature, ocean city, photography

Trip to Salisbury and Ocean City

Looking thru the screen.

Losing a feather.

Brave Molly chasing the heron away from the pond. The heron likes to eat all the fish in the pond.

The old barn and the shed.

He decided to land on top of the barn for a while.

Kathy’s photo of a knot hole in the barn.

And her photo of a morning glory.

My view of the mg.

A walk through the cornfield.

Rows of corn on the sandy soil.

Kathy looking at something…

How the corn holds on for dear life.

Corn on the cob.

Picture of Kathy taking a picture of me.

Turkey feather.

Spider.

Milkweed.

To the ocean Hon.

Rides not being…Hmm…grammar question. Would it be ‘Not being ridden’ or ‘not being rode’?

If you get a chance, go in the Life Saving Museum and look at the collection of sand from around the world.

Across the inlet. No ponies today.

Need more light.

It.

Two sisters shopping.

Favorite art store.

New York City

05 Monday Jun 2017

Posted by Ronald Parks in New York, Photography, vacation

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art, boats, Hiking, HISTORY, Museum, nature, Parks, photography

Did the Groupon Tour Bus to NYC the other day. Really nice trip and for $32 round trip, you couldn’t beat the price. Left the Carney Park and Ride at 7:26am and was parked in NY at 10:25am. Had to be back to the bus by 6:30pm. Nice long day of sight-seeing. It has been close to 30 years since I have been there. Back then it was smelly and dirty and I saw someone get robbed right outside of Penn Station…

First stop, Times Square.

St. Patrick’s Cathedral.

Inside the church.

Past Rockefeller Center and thru some back streets to this guy made of Coach bags. I was waiting for the girl to start singing… “Mothra…”

The first Trump property we saw. Armed Tactical Police outside with dogs. Secret Service inside with scanners. Looking down from the top of the waterfall.

From walking around mid-town to Central Park. Not sure what was going on with the woman in the pink top, to the left. It looks like her transporter malfunctioned.

On the hour and half hour, these guys rotate around the base of the clock.

Nice zoo in the park.

Model yacht sailing on one of the lakes.

Was goiing to ask Alice something, but she seemed pre-occupied knocking this little kid off her toadstool…

To the oblisk.

Then to Belvedere castle.

View of the turtle pond with many of them basking in the sun, along with the egret.

Across the pond to the Grand Lawn.

We were supposed to go to the Natural History Museum, instead, we were enjoying just seeing the sites, we kept on going…The Dakota.

Which then took us back to Central Park and Imagine.

Lots of people trying to pay their respects. This was the only rowdy scene all day. Some rickshaw driver started cussing out tourist as he was hogging up the photo-op for his passengers. Surrealistic.

Another Trump Property, for the man who would be king and have this in his hands.

Relections.

This was pretty neat – a wall of plants, just barely hanging on by their roots.

Lincold Center.

And of course, a bunch of water towers.

Chincoteague Va.

29 Monday May 2017

Posted by Ronald Parks in Hiking, nature, vacation

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birds, Hiking, kayaking, light house, Museum, nature, ocean, photography

Nice Memorial Weekend in Salisbury and Chincoteague. Again the weather was not cooperating for kayaking, but always a nice day for a hike.

Hung out at the visitor center a bit. Watched a film on the two distinct herds of horses and ponies. One in Maryland and one here. Down here they manage the size of the herd with birth control and an auction to benefit the volunteer fire department.

Hiked over to the light house. Too many people in line to go to the top. We will come back on a week day.

Sailors memorial behind the light house.

I always liked a B&W of various light houses.

Kathy’s mom hiked with us today.

It struck me as odd that the light house was on the bayside and not on the ocean. Pooling on the beach after high tide.

Windy and chilly. But lots of people on the beach. A few swimming. Safety zone flag.

On the opposite side of the ocean shore is Toms Cove. Some kayakers and bird photogs.

Clams, mussels and birds in the marsh.

Digging for dinner.

The brownish orange guy was chasing everyone out of his way.

Pony tails – nice gift shop. But we didn’t see a single horse or pony the whole time!!

Back on the farm – always a favorite view. It amazes me that the pines grew in such a straight line, about 20 deep…until Kathy’s father told me they didn’t just grow that way. He planted them that way! Ha! Dummy me!

Light City City Lights

10 Monday Apr 2017

Posted by Ronald Parks in art, Baltimore, Photography

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art, Baltimore, Jones Falls, Museum, photography, Public Works

Moon over Marriott.

Was able to go into the lighthouse this year.

Dusk view of umbrella boat.

A couple hours later.

Mesmerizing wheel.

Movie time

This is what happens when someone bumps you while taking a photo.

Bmore.

Alyssa and Patrick

Later found out these were up-skirt cameras??!!

In search of the egg.

Electric lit egg on water.

To be reborn through the egg…

Wonder what the resident falcons up there think of all this?

Looking up the World Trade building

The Eastern Avenue pumping station.

It was a very nice time. Lots of people. Friends and family. And a special thanks to the Operator Supervisor that let us park at the pumping station.

You Decide

03 Friday Feb 2017

Posted by Ronald Parks in Baltimore, HISTORY, POLITICS

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Baltimore, Druid Hill, HISTORY, Museum, photography, Public Works, Rec and Parks

Hands up, don’t shoot or a public shower?

Early entrepreneur, ready to run for office or just some kid in a box on a flooded street?

Good old days ice skating or the beginning of a race riot?

The negative comments I received after posting this last photo on Face Book was one of the many reasons I stopped using FB to post the museum archives. How in the world do you go from ‘The good old days’ ice skating at Druid Hill Park in the 1920s to ‘There’s a lot of racial tension here, look they’re carrying sticks’ to ‘it’s all Obama’s fault’!!??

The top two photos, although found in the DPW Museum Archives, I believe, are part of another collection, that the museum bought rights to use for one of its displays.

Road Trip, Museum and Hike

30 Monday Jan 2017

Posted by Ronald Parks in art, Photography

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art, Hiking, mills, Museum, nature, photography

Headed up to the Brandywine River Museum in Chadds Ford, Pa. where part of the Wyeth Collection is displayed. Kathy suggested we go to check out the Wyeth Family art work before we go see Andrew Wyeth’s granddaughter’s work at the Harford Artist Association next month.

Art gallery connected to a mill. http://www.brandywine.org/museum

A boy and his hawk (and I guess 2 pigeons to feed to his hawk?)

View from the second story window, actually thru the window. Meditation pyramid.

Not allowed to photograph the artwork, which was fine. Gave me more time to look at and enjoy the work (sometimes I photograph objects and their accompanying plaques, thinking I will read later…) Big Brass Bunny to start off our hike on the Riverwalk.