Interesting Ads from Don Pyeatt, Part 1

Advertisements are a fascinating way of finding out what life was like in any given period. The further back you go in time, the more interesting they become. Besides helping fill in historical gaps, they also frequently prove the old adage that they more things change, the more they stay the same. These, provided by Don Pyeatt, originally appeared in the Ft. Worth Star-Telegram.

First up is this ad for American Dye & Cleaning, located at 806 Throckmorton in 1920. The focus of the ad are the delivery vehicles and their drivers. Note that they are dressed in the typical style of gentlemen of that time; suits, vests, ties and hats. As for the delivery trucks, there's no way to positively identify them, but considering the vintage, they are most likely Ford vehicles.

For those of you who think that flour has always been produced at some distant location and then shipped into stores, I have a surprise for you. Before interstate commerce took over, flour...and most other food products...were produced locally. A prime example of this can be seen in an ad for Bewley's Best Flour. Take a look at the sack in the ad and you'll see that it clearly says Bewley Mills, Ft. Worth, Texas. Underneath in small letters is reg. u.s. pat. off.

Bewley Mills also sponsored a western singing group called the Chuck Wagon Gang on WBAP radio. According to a posting on the Fort Worth Forum, which can be found on the Fort Worth Architecture website, the Bewley Mills Chuck Wagon Gang went on location, serving biscuits made with Bewley Mills Flour, while the Carter Family became the Chuck Wagon Gang on radio. Incidentally, this Carter Family was no relation to the famous Carter Family.

Between the 1920 ad and the fact that Bewley Mills was still operating on the east side of downtown in 1963, you have a company with at least a 50 year presence in Ft. Worth and probably most residents never heard of them. Kind of an out of sight out of mind situation. But it does make you wonder just how many thousands of loaves of Mrs. Baird's Bread were made with Bewley Mills flour.

By 1920, the U.S. was getting cranked up for the decade (which actually lasted 13 years from 1919 - 1932) that would be known as The Roaring Twenties. Women bobbed their hair, Flappers were all the rage, bathtub gin was in as was any other form of bootleg booze, rumrunning, gangsters and dancing. Everyone wanted to learn the latest dance and, as a result, dance studios were just as popular as you would imagine.

How many dance studios or dance halls were in Ft. Worth during that time period is anyone's guess, but an example of what you could find is seen in this ad from 1920. Located at 310 1/2 Commerce, this establishment apparently targeted the more well to do members of society. Remember, at that point in time, there was still a considerable emphasis on proper behaviour and appearance. At least in public. Incidentally, when an address had 1/2 after it, that was an indication that it was usually upstairs.

You'll notice on the ad that lessons were given by Professor O.B. Rucker. Whether or not he was actually a Professor, the title definitely added a touch of class and respectability to the business. One other item of interest is the phone number: Rosedale 3246. Rosedale today is a major street, but then it was a telephone exchange.