Patrick H
Lt. Colonel
- Joined
- Mar 7, 2014
I like all of these photos, but I'll call attention to this one out of curiosity. Notice the excavation. Does anyone know what is happening there? Could it be the installation of curb stones to line the street? Or could it be a foundation being laid? I can see something which appears to be one or the other on the near side of the dirt piles.
My hometown still has the original limestone curbs, which greatly pre-date the paving of the streets. Typically, we will see lengths of limestone anywhere from four to perhaps eight feet long, laid end to end. They are about 5 inches wide and usually about that high above the street level. What no one can see until a street is dug up is that these stones are up to two fee tall and most of their height is buried. I suspect that's what we're seeing here. Notice, too, the tall stone corner post, which keeps wagons (and later cars and trucks) from jumping the curb while turning the corner. We still have these in numerous places in our town--most typically at alley corners to protect building walls which are not set back very far from the paving.
Bringing the