As I promised yesterday, here's a Pasadena sidewalk stamp. This one's from contractor J.E. Haddock in 1928. A closer view is below.You find these around town, from different contractors. They're not everywhere, just the older neighborhoods. Further study would tell us when these were most commonly used. If you know, I'd love to get your comments. My guess would be this began after 1900 and stopped before World War II.
13 comments:
Mr. Haddock wanted to make sure you knew who made this sidewalk no matter which way you were walking apparently. -:)
Yes, and I wonder if his instrument looked like a branding iron.
Wow, Petrea - I have seen so many of these stamps over the years, and I never understood the significance. I learned something new!
I remember these imprints in downtown Sacramento too. There were times when contractors were proud to sign their work, and the good condition of that cement attests to their enduring quality. These days, you'll see such things crack and crumble before a decade goes by. (Boy, I sound like a sour old biddy).
Thanks for showing us this. I wondered what it would be like. Very interesting.
Here they should do the same to know who is responsible for the holes!
Why thank you, Pont Girl. I wish I'd found more information for you. I Googled Mr. Haddock but there was scant information about him online.
Elaine, you don't sound sour so much as realistic. As Chuck points out, these guys were proud of their work. The sidewalks they made are still in good shape, except where the tree roots overcame them.
Thanks, Marley. It's funny to think of sidewalks as interesting!
Good idea, Uma Por Dia!
Wow, never seen stamped sidewalks before, nice pictures.
Thanks, DR.
In looking at the first photo again, I can really see the difference between Mr. Haddock's sidewalk and the concrete driveway (cracked, in the upper part of the photo) that someone else poured, probably much later. If you click and enlarge the photo, you can see Haddock's concrete has a different grain.
I never thought I'd find much to say about concrete. Now that I think about it, I wonder if "concrete" and "cement" mean the same thing?
I love the symmetry of this shot!. We don't have these kinds of stamps where I live, so I found this idea very interesting.
We don't have these!
Although, I did see a stamp on a bridge, that said Jack - with a depiction of a thistle, I wonder if that is the same thing.
Cement is an ingredient in concrete. The cement is like a glue that binds the concoction of gravel, sand, water, etc., together. The wrong ratio can leave you cracking up.
To see more contractor stamps go here. These are from the City of Berkley, California.
Hi Knoxville Girl! I wonder if this is just a western thing, considering Jules's comment.
Thanks, Jules, for the excellent info, and especially for the cool link.
Ararat: I can picture that, I know exactly what you're talking about, and I know you're funnin' with me, but I can't remember what it means.
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