Hickory St., DPW, 1921

This is one of my favorite curiosities to catalogue, a diagonal stamp. All of the diagonal Department of Public Works stamps I’ve found date from 1921 except one (which has a 1924 date). Some specific foreman must have favored diagonal stamps around that time, or at least that’s my theory.

This stamp is near the northwest corner of South Holmes Street and Hickory Street, just barely on Hickory.

The date is hard to see if you don’t know where to look. It’s underneath and at an angle to the name stamp, facing vertically in this photo. This is taken from just east of the stamp, facing west.
This one is taken from the south edge of the slab, facing north, in order to orient the date right side up.
Standing at the corner of Hickory (on the left) and Holmes (on the right). The stamp is on the extra-wide block in the center of the photo.

Hickory St., Minnis & Ewer, 1911

I walked a bit around the neighborhood west of Hunter Park, and fortunately got a stamp photographed before the heavy snow started in the second half of my walk. I haven’t surveyed this neighborhood for sidewalk stamps very much yet, so I was delighted to find a Minnis & Ewer stamp I haven’t recorded yet, on the north side of Hickory Street between Pennsylvania and Jones.

The western stamp.

Most Minnis & Ewer stamps are very clear and crisp. This is the most faded one I’ve encountered. It’s not entirely legible, and I could recognize it mainly by shape. I could not read the month, but at least I could make out the 11 for the year.

Looking east on Hickory. This is quite close to the Pennsylvania intersection.

There is a second one, even more worn, in front of the next house to the east, which might be the other half of a pair. Supporting this is that it faces in the opposite direction. I haven’t observed any obviously paired Minnis & Ewer stamps before, but it might just reflect how many of them have been lost over the years.

The stamp to the east, possibly part of a pair.