Annie's Diary 1906 August 19th

August 19 – Sunday

As all of the principal churches in Hartford were closed, we decided to spend our morning in perfect rest and quiet. No sooner had we made up our minds to remain at home, when the Misses Tracy (Louise and Helen) came to see us. They are cousins of Fred’s and very charming girls.

After dinner we took a car to South Manchester, Conn., passed over the Conn River, and saw the new bridge which is now being constructed, and which will cost, when completed, about three million dollars.

Editor Historical Notes and Photographs:


In 1926 one of the Bulkeley Bridge's engineers speculated, probably correctly, that it was the last monumental stone bridge that would ever be built. Within a few years of its conception, concrete and steel had entirely replaced stone in the construction of large bridges. Not only was it the last of its kind, but also in many ways the Bulkeley Bridge was one of the greatest. Five of its spans are longer than any of the other stone arches in the state; 100,000 cubic yards of pink and gray granite were consumed in its construction; the tolerances for the stone-cutting were unbelievably close (less than 3/8" over the whole face of a 10-ton block); and its total cost, some $3 million, made it for many years the most expensive bridge built in Connecticut. Four people perished during construction, and the chief engineer suffered a nervous breakdown from which he never recovered.

The Bulkeley Bridge was built to replace Hartford's 1818 covered bridge, which burned in 1895. Hartford's civic and business leaders were determined that the new bridge would be "an ornament to the city which should endure forever." To create a proper setting, the bridge commission tore down rows of tenements and constructed wide, landscaped approach boulevards on both sides of the river. In designing the bridge, the numerous ancient European bridges were studied the primary architect and engineer decided that uncomplicated geometry and restrained architectural detailing would create the proper sense of "strength, beauty and dignity."

1906 Statistics

The average life expectancy in the U.S. was 47 years.
Only 14% of the homes in the U.S. had a bathtub.
8% of homes had a telephone.
A three-minute call from Denver to New York City cost $11.00.
There were only 8,000 cars in the U.S., and only 144 miles of paved roads.
The maximum speed limit in most cities was 10 mph.
Alabama, Mississippi, Iowa, and Tennessee were each more heavily populated than California. With only 1.4 million people, California was the 21st most populous state in the Union.
The tallest structure in the world was the Eiffel Tower; about the same height as an 81-story building
The average wage in the U.S. was 22 cents per hour.
The average U.S. worker made between $200 and $400 per year.
A competent accountant earned $2,000 per year, a dentist $2,500 per year, a veterinarian between $1,500 and $4,000 per year, and a mechanical engineer about $5,000 per year.
More than 95 percent of all births in the U.S. took place at home.
Sugar cost four cents a pound.
Eggs were $.14 a dozen.
Coffee was $.15 a pound.
Most women only washed their hair once a month, and used borax or egg yolks for shampoo.
Five leading causes of death in the U.S. were: 1. Pneumonia and influenza 2. Tuberculosis 3. Diarrhea 4. Heart disease 5. Stroke
The American flag had 45 stars; Arizona, Oklahoma, New Mexico, Hawaii, and Alaska hadn't been admitted to the Union yet.
The population of Las Vegas, Nevada, was only 30!
Crossword puzzles, canned beer, and ice tea had not been invented yet.
There was no Mother's Day or Father's Day.
Two out of every 10 U.S. adults could not read or write.
Only 6% of all Americans had graduated from high school.
Marijuana, heroin, and morphine were all available over the counter at the local drugstore.
18% of households in the U.S. had at least one full-time servant or domestic help.
There were about 230 reported murders in the entire U.S.
The population of the US was 85,450,000

Source: http://www.hoptechno.com/year1906.htm

Annie's Diary 1906 August 18th

August 18 – Saturday

The ladies walked over to Mrs. Bronk’s and gathered some vegetables for dinner.

Immediately after lunch, we went driving in a beautiful carriage. We drove through Elizabeth Park, Bushnell Park and Bronk Park, also the business part of the city, covering about fifteen or sixteen miles. We saw a great many elegant homes and beautiful lawns, which far surpassed ours in Atlanta.

After having taken in Hartford generally, and having spent a very delightful afternoon, we went back out to Luna Park to spend Saturday evening. The most interesting thing that we did was to roll balls in a Chinese shop, and get several pretty souvenirs of the place.

On our way back, a car just ahead jumped the track and naturally we were delayed, but finally reached our destination –a very tired-out party.

Editor's Note: Pictures at the top are of the Hartford Capital and the Rose Garden in Elizabeth Park.

Annie's Diary 1906 August 17th

August 17 – Friday

After much excitement, we left New York about 12:05 PM for Hartford, Conn. To visit Mr. and Mrs. Frederick V. Bronk. When we reached the depot neither were to be seen and on reaching the house, no one was in sight. We had just missed each other, so nothing left to be done but sit on the front porch and wait. Finally we saw them coming, so ran and hid, but some grew tired of this, so went in where we received a very warm welcome.

Spent part of the afternoon up town and for dinner we went out to Luna Park, which is very much like our Ponce de Leon and sure had a big old time. On our way back, a car just ahead of us broke down and after a long wait we finally started again on our way towards town. We saw the capitol which cost about $3,000,000, all lighted up, and it was certainly perfectly beauitful.

The Atlantians in the party noticed, upon their first view of Hartford, which much regret, the lawns and yards of that city far surpassed those of their native town.

Editor’s Note:

Frederick Bronk is Uncle Willie’s son-in-law. Frederick married William and Elizabeth’s daughter Helen Newsome Pendleton in August of 1904. His full name is Frederick Van Renssalaer Bronk.

This is one of the “mysteries” of our family and I am assuming that they were divorced because I found him in the 1930 Census living by himself.

Below is an article from the Atlanta Constitution 25 August 1920 announcing Helen’s remarriage.

Mrs. Bronk to Wed Mr. McClure at Quiet Home Ceremony Today
The marriage of Mrs. Helen Pendleton Bronk, only daughter of Mrs. William Micajah Pendleton, and Mr. John Elmer McClure, of Washington, D.C., will take place quietly this morning at 11 o'clock at the residence of the bride-elect's mother, Mrs. Pendleton, on East Fifth Street. The ceremony will be performed by Rev. Walter Anthony, pastor of St. Mark's Methodist church, and will be witnessed by only the immediate relatives. Mr. McClure and his bride-to-be will leave immediately for a wedding journey in the east and afterward will reside in Washington, D.C. where he is prominently identified with a wide circle of friends.

Annie's Diary 1906 August 16th

August 16 – Thursday

We visited Macy’s store, it certainly is the biggest thing I have ever saw. As the saying in New York is – “You can buy anything there from” an elephant to a rat.

At the dinner table the subject of the tenderloin was brought up and naturally we Atlantians asked what part of this great city was called by that name. Cousin Nelson spoke up and said “Annie, I will take you to the tenderloin, after dinner, after dinner. And I certainly saw it, and realized then that it comprised the blocks between (blank) and (blank) streets, which are always crowded with people. In front of the Imperial Hotel we met Mr. Parker, of the firm “Parker & Firm” and Mr. Keep, and had a very nice conversation with them. As both of these gentlemen are Southerners, our conversation naturally inclined to the South and the discussion of it’s greatest and finest city “Atlanta”.

After leaving the Imperial Hotel, we went to the “Waldorf Astoria” and it was then that I fully realized the immense wealth of this city. It is simply magnificent throughout.

Editor's Notes:

Pictures above are of the Waldorf-Astoria and of Macy's.

The Tenderloin was a once-seedy neighborhood in the heart of the New York City borough of Manhattan; the term was coined in the late 1870s. This district was in Midtown Manhattan from 23rd Street to 42nd Street and Fifth Avenue to Seventh Avenue, much of which is known now as Chelsea and the Garment District. The northwest corner of the Tenderloin was Longacre Square, now called Times Square. The Tenderloin was also a red-light district. The vice-ridden area was notorious for its graft and prostitution. A vice officer liberally helped himself to illegal cash and boasted that his new assignment allowed him to switch from eating cheap, tough chuck steak to expensive tenderloin cuts. Soon, among police, “tenderloin” meant any vice-filled neighborhood where easy cash could be picked up; and, probably because "loin" has sexual connotations, the word "tenderloin district" quickly came to mean an area filled with prostitutes. Gambling, prostitution, saloons, and dance halls stayed open all night.