Tonight’s entry finds me at the very northern end of the west side of Horton Avenue, where the road that evidently once continued on toward the Armory is blocked off by a flimsy little gate. On the very last little bit of sidewalk, there is a Department of Public Works stamp, using the style that was phased out between the 1920s and 1940s.
At first blush it appears undated. But wait, what’s this? Why does that look like… a handwritten 1980?
Well, now I’m very confused. While I have discovered that there is significant overlap in the years that the DPW used particular stamps, there is no way the oldest stamp style was still being used in the 1980s. They were two or three styles past it by then. Granting the date might be graffiti, but it still would have had to be done when the cement was wet.
I pass this one a lot and it makes me smile. Why? Well, I just like the fact that they apparently weren’t happy with the first print of their name, and did it a second time. I like really neat stamps but there’s also a kind of charm in mistakes and sloppiness.
Nothing too special today but I had a tough day and not enough time to do any research. This 1941 Department of Public Works stamp is on the north side of Jerome Street between Ferguson and Custer. I did find some houses that still have “winter” lights up, though, and that’s something. I always appreciate the cheer.
The stamp is down there somewhere. I admit my main goal in taking this one was to show off the house with Christmas lights across the street.
I’d seen this one before (in my list of stamps to visit later, I have the notes “almost visible” and “J. Bettany?”) but on my walk this evening the light seemed like it was making it as visible as it would ever get, so I decided it was time.
There is a pair, separated by a good distance, on the north side of Prospect Street just west of Lathrop. The eastern stamp is too worn to make much of, but the western stamp is hanging onto legibility by a thread.
The western stamp.
I ended up taking a route on my walk that took me past this same stamp a second time, and to my surprise, the light was even better on the return leg. Here is the western stamp again, making it clear that the name is J. DeHoney. Unfortunately I can’t make out the last number of the date. It might be a zero… it keeps shifting as I re-look at it.
The western stamp, taken on my return walk.
I believe that J. DeHoney is James Reynolds DeHoney. According to Find A Grave, he was born in Lansing in 1920, died in Detroit in 2000, and is buried in the Oakwood Cemetery in Grand Ledge. His monument says he was a WWII veteran, and I found his draft notice in the October 23, 1942, Lansing State Journal. It gives an address for him on Bensch Street in the Potter-Walsh neighborhood. The house is still standing.
Looking east on Prospect.
As for his cement work, I find a classified ad in the December 14, 1951, Lansing State Journal for “CEMENT Basement floors, garage, slabs, footings and general concrete construction. Free estimates. Satisfaction assured. DeHoney and Forsberg. ” Then on May 16, 1954: “CONCRETE Driveways, sidewalks and basement floors. Prompt efficient service. Bartow and DeHoney.” Just two months later, though, on July 24, I see “CEMENT WORK Driveways, sidewalks, approaches, prompt service, satisfaction assured. J. R. DeHoney.” I am assuming that’s the same DeHoney who previously worked with Bartow and Forsberg, but I don’t know for sure. He was still at it on April 1, 1963, advertising “WATERPROOFING Basement walls and floor. All work guaranteed. Free estimates. J. R. DeHoney, Inc.” A similar ad appears February 20, 1967.
The eastern stamp. It does look like 1950 in this picture, now that I look at it again.
Then something different happens. On September 26, 1975, there is an ad in the “heavy equipment” area of the classifieds: “AIR COMPRESSOR – (Chicago pneumatic) 6-cylinder engine, will run 2 jack hammers. Also 35 lb. hammer, 80 lb. hammer. Has 100 ft. air hose, several frost blades and points. Ph. 616-839-2296, Lake City, or write J. R. Dehoney, Rt. 1, Lake City, Mich. 49651.” I wonder if that marks DeHoney’s retirement from the concrete business. He would have been 55 at the time.
This is a beautiful 1924 Department of Public Works stamp on the west side of North Fairview Avenue between Vine and Fernwood. I’m really surprised to search the blog and find I haven’t done this one before. Back in August I mentioned it and said I would eventually come back to it. I don’t think I expected it would be this long.
1924 seems to be a common date for 1920s-era DPW stamps, though the months attached are more diverse. This stamp is about five years younger than the house it’s in front of.
I was delighted to find this pair of stamps on the west side of North Fairview Avenue between Fernwood and Saginaw. Why? Because they solved a previous mystery. I had found another Herb Riebow stamp on Vine Street, but was unable to fully read the last name.
The northern stamp.
Unfortunately, I can tell you little about Herb Riebow besides that he existed. The Traverse City Record-Eagle of April 10, 1947, reports that Mr. and Mrs. Herb Riebow of Lansing were in town staying with relatives, having been driven from their home by flooding. From this I infer that they must have lived near the river. The 1940 census places the Riebows in Ward 7, but I confess I don’t know where that would have been. Lansing currently has only four wards.
The southern stamp. Interestingly, they both face in the same direction, instead of opposing each other as is more usual for paired stamps.
The August 4, 1953, Lansing State Journal reports that “Herbert Riebow of Lansing was awarded a contract to install curb and gutter on S. Cedar St. in front of the new West Side grade school, and a sidewalk on the west side of S. Cedar, between Columbia and W. Ash, extending from Ash to the school, and also down the south side of Ash to connect with the existing walk.” Later in the 1950s and early 1960s, however, I find a few scattered classified ads suggesting that Riebow was now in the real estate business instead.
Looking north on Fairview with the southern stamp at lower right. The other stamp is on the next block.
Herbert S. Riebow is buried in Deckerville, having died in 1993 at the age of 84. Obituaries are often a useful source of information on people’s businesses, but they don’t seem to have run one in the Lansing State Journal and I don’t have access to the Deckerville Recorder.
This is a pair of Department of Public Works stamps on the east side of South Clemens Avenue between Michigan and Prospect. There are a handful of them from 1930 on this stretch of Clemens.
The northern stamp of the pair.
The southern stamp.
Looking north on Clemens, with the southern stamp at lower left.
I went to do some more exploring of Urbandale today, and had some nice weather for it. These stamps are on the east side of Leslie Street between Elizabeth and the 496 dead end, in front of a vacant lot. (I’ve mentioned before that Urbandale has a lot of vacant lots.) I haven’t been able to figure out who “S.C. Env.” is, so if you know, please leave a comment.
The southern stamp.
The odd thing about this one is that it’s one long pour, without any separation of blocks. I haven’t seen that before.
The northern stamp. It was filled with water due to the recent thaw.
This stamp is in front of Foster Garden, a community garden, on the east side of South Foster Avenue, south of Marcus. The date is clear enough; the name is illegible. It seems to end with -PA. The letter before that might be I, or might be part of something worn away.
Whenever the county doesn’t know what to do with a property that ends up in the Land Bank due to tax foreclosure, it says “um… tear the house down and build a community garden!” As a result there are a truly ridiculous number of community gardens on the east side, especially in the Urbandale neighborhood, and places where the houses are sparse.
For a couple of years in the 2000s, I want to say ’07-’08, I had a community garden plot in the Foster Garden. I would ride my bike there to tend tomatoes, herbs, and lettuce. It was exciting at first, and I even made a little sign declaring it the “[Lastname] Farm,” but eventually I got tired of having to scoop diminishing water from the provided rain barrels. I decided it was easier to stay home and tend my own garden, even though I can’t grow vegetables in it. (My yard is shaded in almost every part by trees.)
I’m surprised I haven’t done this one yet. It’s out in front of The Avenue, the bar where my pinball league met when there were pinball leagues, which is on the north side of Michigan at Fairview. Not sure why L & L is just “L L” this time, but I’m sure it’s them. There’s a lot of variety in their stamps.
I spent several hours in the emergency room today for what turned out to probably be food poisoning, and I still don’t feel too great, so this is going to be a short entry. I’m thinking to do a bit more research on this location later on.
For now, though, I’ll just note that in 2000 this was still Raupp Campfitter, the last remaining location of what had once been a small Michigan chain of camping supply stores. I never had reason to go there, but I get the impression that it was well loved by those who did have reason to go there. At this time of year, when the ivy has died back, you can still see the RAUPP letters over the rear entrance. It closed in 2004 and was replaced by a cybercafe called Girls Gone Wired, which rather quickly (fortunately) became just Gone Wired. My grad school buddy and I used to meet up there for “grading parties.” Eventually, under the same ownership, it evolved into The Avenue Cafe, which at first was a cafe by day and bar by night, and eventually just gave up on the last vestiges of the cafe aspect and became a straight up, evening-hours-only bar and live music venue. And, of course, the best pinball venue in Lansing.
Another angle on The Avenue. (The stamp isn’t visible in this one.)
