Source: Wikimedia Commons
The sidewalk used to be made of boards, raised several inches above the ground on timber stringers, running along the front of the buildings.
That elevation is the…
Source: Wikimedia Commons
It went up in May and came down in September, and it was not furniture.
A hammock needed two trees of the right size at the right distance…
Source: Wikimedia Commons
Towns used to pay somebody to water the streets, several times a day, all summer.
A horse-drawn tank wagon with a perforated spreader bar worked the business streets…
Source: Wikimedia Commons
A magic lantern is a real projector, not a toy. A bright light, a condenser, a glass slide and a lens, throwing an enlarged image onto a wall…
Source: Wikimedia Commons
Before plumbing, an American town had one water supply and it stood in the street - a pump or a well in a square, a corner or a…
Source: Wikimedia Commons
Towns used to form societies for the express purpose of arguing in public, and they met all winter.
Literary societies, lyceums and debating clubs gathered weekly or fortnightly…