Listers, this post was so interesting, I had never heard of these storage tanks, Mr. Brown later told me they were filled with dirt when they were no longer used. As I am writing this, MSNBC news broadcast is airing a segment on the Mattell toy/lead paint, etc., evidently parents are suing the Mattell Co. for the cost of the lead testing needed. Just think, people had these tanks back then, which had to be dangerous, I remember the entire neighborhood of children following the truck with the mosquito spray, (I honestly don't know why we did that, it didn't smell good, I guess it was just something to do) we were permitted to play in the sun forever, no sun protection, and my grandchildren were slathered with sunscreen. What a change. The only thing I remembered ever being truly lectured about was going with strangers anywhere. Having 4 brothers, I was assigned to a brother if I wanted to go anywhere, like up the street to visit a friend, or to the store to get a pop. Pepsi and Coke were not kept at our house, my parents loved lemonade and iced tea, and drinking pop was a treat. I am stopping now, I am starting to feel so old. This is almost as bad as when I was interviewed by my grandson about things that I didn't have when I was growing up. He was astonished my family didn't have a microwave oven. In a message dated 8/21/07 6:52:42 PM Eastern Daylight Time, [email protected] writes: > Just to add my two-cents worth to what Phil Steffon has already said. Yes, > "Storage Batteries" were used to provide power but for the most part not for > lighting - that's why you had kerosene lamps, candles or perhaps if you were > more affluent, gas lights. My homestead had a big tank underground in the > yard which had calcium carbide in it and a water supply. Drip some water on > the Carbide and you generated gas. Which you piped into the house for the gas > lamps The storage batteries were used to power up your "Philco > Superhetrodyne Radio" so you could stay in touch with happenings in the nation and around > the world. Of course batteries were expensive [either to rent or to buy > (but then you had to charge them up in someway - usually by hooking them up to > your automobile)] and you just didn't waste them listening to anything. > Baseball games were OK, the News too (Walter Winchell), and if you were really > lucky you could listen to Tom Mix, Captain Midnight, or some other radio serial. > > Annie Whiteman PABlair List administrator Annie Whiteman/Steve Patz Blair County Coordinators http://www.rootsweb.com/~pablair <BR><BR>**************************************<BR> Get a sneak peek of the all-new AOL at http://discover.aol.com/memed/aolcom30tour</HTML>