Occupations
At the turn of the century, most people in Montgomery County were still engaged in occupations relating directly to farming or milling, but this era also saw the proliferation of jobs in mercantile and professional businesses, small industry, and transportation. Below you can find representations of many varied occupations that Montgomery County residents engaged in during this era, though the list is not at all comprehensive.
At the turn of the century, most people in Montgomery County were still engaged in occupations relating directly to farming or milling, but this era also saw the proliferation of jobs in mercantile and professional businesses, small industry, and transportation. Below you can find representations of many varied occupations that Montgomery County residents engaged in during this era, though the list is not at all comprehensive.
Philip Reed outside his blacksmith shop in Darnestown, c. 1901
Blacksmith/Wheelwright/Cabinet Maker
Blacksmith/Wheelwright/Cabinet Maker
Formerly located on Darnestown Road near the intersection of Seneca Road, Philip Reed operated a blacksmith, wheelwright, and cabinet making business next to his home. These occupations overlapped due to the similar skills they required: the same metal-working tools that were used for horseshoeing could be used to make wheel-rims and other metal wagon parts; the same woodworking skills that created wagons could be used to make pieces of furniture for the home. As late as 1910, there were still approximately 60 blacksmith shops in the county.
Formerly located on Darnestown Road near the intersection of Seneca Road, Philip Reed operated a blacksmith, wheelwright, and cabinet making business next to his home. These occupations overlapped due to the similar skills they required: the same metal-working tools that were used for horseshoeing could be used to make wheel-rims and other metal wagon parts; the same woodworking skills that created wagons could be used to make pieces of furniture for the home. As late as 1910, there were still approximately 60 blacksmith shops in the county.
Liveryman
Liveryman
Closely related to the blacksmithing and wheelwrighting industry, the livery-stable keeper provided horses that were used in everyday tasks and transportation. The liveryman boarded horses for rent and also provided carriages and wagons. Compared to our modern world, the blacksmith-wheelwright correlates to the auto repair shop, and the livery to the car rental business.
Closely related to the blacksmithing and wheelwrighting industry, the livery-stable keeper provided horses that were used in everyday tasks and transportation. The liveryman boarded horses for rent and also provided carriages and wagons. Compared to our modern world, the blacksmith-wheelwright correlates to the auto repair shop, and the livery to the car rental business.
Pictured at right, an unidentified livery stable in Montgomery County.
School Teacher
School Teacher
At the turn of the century, teaching was one of the only respectable fields open to educated women who wanted to work. Many unmarried women worked as teachers during the 1900s, and in the early days, they were often required to leave the profession once they were married. The 1920 census indicates that Lewis Reed’s wife, Ethelene (pictured at left), was a teacher in the Maryland public school system until her daughter Mary Jane was born in 1922.
At the turn of the century, teaching was one of the only respectable fields open to educated women who wanted to work. Many unmarried women worked as teachers during the 1900s, and in the early days, they were often required to leave the profession once they were married. The 1920 census indicates that Lewis Reed’s wife, Ethelene (pictured at left), was a teacher in the Maryland public school system until her daughter Mary Jane was born in 1922.
Ice Cutter
Ice Cutter
Nowadays, we don’t think about ice very often, unless we have a power outage. But before the first successful ice-making machines were built, ice for refrigeration was obtained organically through a process called “ice harvesting.” Ice cutters would risk their lives going out with saws, tongs, and pitchforks to methodically cut and drag blocks of ice from a nearby frozen pond. Those blocks would then be stored in hay-packed icehouses, later distributed throughout towns and cities during the heat of summer. However, people did not put ice in their drinks as we do now. The possibility of debris having been in the water as it froze – even a bug now and then – discouraged the idea.
Nowadays, we don’t think about ice very often, unless we have a power outage. But before the first successful ice-making machines were built, ice for refrigeration was obtained organically through a process called “ice harvesting.” Ice cutters would risk their lives going out with saws, tongs, and pitchforks to methodically cut and drag blocks of ice from a nearby frozen pond. Those blocks would then be stored in hay-packed icehouses, later distributed throughout towns and cities during the heat of summer. However, people did not put ice in their drinks as we do now. The possibility of debris having been in the water as it froze – even a bug now and then – discouraged the idea.
Men harvesting ice with pitchforks and hand saws on a pond in Darnestown, 1910. Note the blocks of ice stacked up along the shoreline.
Store Clerk/Cashier
Store Clerk/Cashier
Above: Clerks at J. F. Collins General Store on East Montgomery Avenue in Rockville, 1914. At left is A. F. "Seen" Beane, who bought this store from Collins in the 1920s and continued doing business in downtown Rockville until his retirement in the 1960s.
The cash register was invented in the late 1800s, and by the 1900s almost every retail organization had one. Storeowners sometimes conducted business with their customers, but the more lucrative establishments would hire one or more clerks as assistants to interact with the public. For more on Montgomery County's general stores, see the General Merchandise section of this exhibit.
The cash register was invented in the late 1800s, and by the 1900s almost every retail organization had one. Storeowners sometimes conducted business with their customers, but the more lucrative establishments would hire one or more clerks as assistants to interact with the public. For more on Montgomery County's general stores, see the General Merchandise section of this exhibit.
By 1915, young women were doing more than half of all clerical work in America.
Chauffeur-Mechanics
Chauffeur-Mechanics
Chauffeur-mechanics of the early 1900s were the first group to earn a living working on automobiles. At the dawn of the early 20th century, society was transitioning from horse-drawn carriages to automobiles.
Chauffeur-mechanics of the early 1900s were the first group to earn a living working on automobiles. At the dawn of the early 20th century, society was transitioning from horse-drawn carriages to automobiles.
Having grown up in a blacksmith family, Lewis Reed was well positioned to move to the new technology. The 1910 census indicated that 23-year-old Lewis Reed was working as a machinist. Lewis Reed worked as a chauffeur from roughly 1910-1914, before he became involved in the business of selling and repairing automobiles. For more about Lewis Reed's time as a chauffeur, see the Automobiles section of this exhibit.
Having grown up in a blacksmith family, Lewis Reed was well positioned to move to the new technology. The 1910 census indicated that 23-year-old Lewis Reed was working as a machinist. Lewis Reed worked as a chauffeur from roughly 1910-1914, before he became involved in the business of selling and repairing automobiles. For more about Lewis Reed's time as a chauffeur, see the Automobiles section of this exhibit.
Above: First shop force of Rockville Garage, 1916.
Right: Lewis Reed, hand cranking an old car. The license plate is MD 10307 dated 1913.
Above, two workers pose inside an unknown mill
Motorman and Conductors
Motorman and Conductors
The debut of Rockville’s trolley cars in 1900 marked the beginning of a golden age of local mass transit. Each car had a two-man crew (a conductor and a motorman) one to operate the car and the other to collect fares. For more on Montgomery County's trolleys and streetcars, see the Rails section of this exhibit.
The debut of Rockville’s trolley cars in 1900 marked the beginning of a golden age of local mass transit. Each car had a two-man crew (a conductor and a motorman) one to operate the car and the other to collect fares. For more on Montgomery County's trolleys and streetcars, see the Rails section of this exhibit.
At left, a motorman and conductor on a Georgetown trolley car, ca. 1908
Mill Worker
Mill Worker
A mill is a building equipped with machinery that processes a raw material such as grain, wood, or fiber into a product such as flour, lumber, or fabric. In the 18th and 19th centuries, mills were powered by water in creeks or rivers. In a flour mill, water flowing over the mill wheel was converted by gears into the power to turn one of two burr stones. Kernels of wheat were then ground between the two stones. The grinding removed bran (the outer husk) from the wheat kernel, and then crushed the inner kernel into flour.* Flour mills were an important part of rural communities across the country, including Montgomery County, and millers were respected members of their community. For more on Montgomery County mills, see the Saw and Grist Mills section in this exhibit.
A mill is a building equipped with machinery that processes a raw material such as grain, wood, or fiber into a product such as flour, lumber, or fabric. In the 18th and 19th centuries, mills were powered by water in creeks or rivers. In a flour mill, water flowing over the mill wheel was converted by gears into the power to turn one of two burr stones. Kernels of wheat were then ground between the two stones. The grinding removed bran (the outer husk) from the wheat kernel, and then crushed the inner kernel into flour.* Flour mills were an important part of rural communities across the country, including Montgomery County, and millers were respected members of their community. For more on Montgomery County mills, see the Saw and Grist Mills section in this exhibit.
*Information taken from "Early 19th-Century Milling and Wheat Farming, from Werner L. Janney and Asa Moore, editors, John Jay Janney's Virginia: An American Farm Lad's Life in the Early 19th Century (McLean, Va.: EPM Publications Inc., 1978), 72-75.
Farmer
Farmer
At left is a photograph of three men in suits pumpkin picking in Thomas Kelley’s field of pumpkins in Pleasant Hills, circa 1920. Tom Kelly farmed much of the land around the Pleasant Hills homestead and was famous for his “Kelly Corn” farm wagon of fresh dairy produce during the summer months, as well as the corn that fed visitors to the Montgomery County Fair each August and, of course, his pumpkin patch in the fall.
At left is a photograph of three men in suits pumpkin picking in Thomas Kelley’s field of pumpkins in Pleasant Hills, circa 1920. Tom Kelly farmed much of the land around the Pleasant Hills homestead and was famous for his “Kelly Corn” farm wagon of fresh dairy produce during the summer months, as well as the corn that fed visitors to the Montgomery County Fair each August and, of course, his pumpkin patch in the fall.
Above: an agricultural tractor powered by a steam engine, a design used extensively in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
The turn of the century was a time of transition, and the families who went from horses to tractor horsepower witnessed the birth of mechanization on the farm. The newest farm machinery to hit the market near the turn of the 20th century were traction engines powered by steam; essentially the predecessor to today’s modern farm tractor. They could plow, they could haul, and you could put a big belt on the fly wheel and drive a saw mill. The engines would normally run on coal, wood, or even straw: whatever would sustain a fire.
The turn of the century was a time of transition, and the families who went from horses to tractor horsepower witnessed the birth of mechanization on the farm. The newest farm machinery to hit the market near the turn of the 20th century were traction engines powered by steam; essentially the predecessor to today’s modern farm tractor. They could plow, they could haul, and you could put a big belt on the fly wheel and drive a saw mill. The engines would normally run on coal, wood, or even straw: whatever would sustain a fire.
Steam helped improve the efficiency of most farm chores, including plowing, planting and harvesting. And steam-powered equipment also was used for other heavy duty tasks, including rock crushing and wood cutting, to aid in clearing the land. Francis A. Flack (1875-1961), a life-long resident of Montgomery County, was a successful farmer in the lower section of the county near Garrett Park. The work depicted below--sawing felled trees into usable lumber--took place on his farm in 1909. Flack is pictured in the lower left photo.
Steam helped improve the efficiency of most farm chores, including plowing, planting and harvesting. And steam-powered equipment also was used for other heavy duty tasks, including rock crushing and wood cutting, to aid in clearing the land. Francis A. Flack (1875-1961), a life-long resident of Montgomery County, was a successful farmer in the lower section of the county near Garrett Park. The work depicted below--sawing felled trees into usable lumber--took place on his farm in 1909. Flack is pictured in the lower left photo.
Ladies posing at the work site. This portable traction engine was built by Geiser Manufacturing Company, makers of the Peerless line of steam tractors.
As a Michigan farm boy, Henry Ford recorded his first sight of a traction engine:
As a Michigan farm boy, Henry Ford recorded his first sight of a traction engine:
“I remember that engine as though I had seen it only yesterday, for it was the first vehicle other than horse drawn that I had ever seen. It was intended to drive threshing machines and power sawmills and was simply a portable engine and a boiler mounted on wheels.”
“I remember that engine as though I had seen it only yesterday, for it was the first vehicle other than horse drawn that I had ever seen. It was intended to drive threshing machines and power sawmills and was simply a portable engine and a boiler mounted on wheels.”
It was the steam traction engine that inspired Ford to design and manufacture automobiles. By the early 1930s, gasoline-powered farm equipment, evolved from the automobile industry, had mostly replaced steam powered machines.
It was the steam traction engine that inspired Ford to design and manufacture automobiles. By the early 1930s, gasoline-powered farm equipment, evolved from the automobile industry, had mostly replaced steam powered machines.
Road Worker (Heavy Equipment Operator)
Road Worker (Heavy Equipment Operator)
Building a road requires moving earth and rocks, leveling the roadbed and digging trenches for drainage ditches. These tasks fell to those who operated the large steam-powered excavating machines and steam shovels. Below are rare, historical photographs that Lewis Reed took of the construction of Massachusetts Avenue in Washington, DC as it was being graded in 1912.
Building a road requires moving earth and rocks, leveling the roadbed and digging trenches for drainage ditches. These tasks fell to those who operated the large steam-powered excavating machines and steam shovels. Below are rare, historical photographs that Lewis Reed took of the construction of Massachusetts Avenue in Washington, DC as it was being graded in 1912.
Bucyrus steam shovel loading dirt onto a railway car.
Marion Shovel Model 60 in action cutting a high bank of dirt.
An early steam locomotive hauling away dirt, 1912
A steam shovel is a large steam-powered excavating machine designed for lifting and moving large amounts of heavy material such as rock and soil. Steam shovels played a major role in public works in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. When digging at a rock face, the operator simultaneously raises and extends the dipper stick to fill the bucket with material. When the bucket is full, the shovel is rotated to load the railway car. Steam shovels usually had a three-man crew: engineer, fireman and ground man.
A steam shovel is a large steam-powered excavating machine designed for lifting and moving large amounts of heavy material such as rock and soil. Steam shovels played a major role in public works in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. When digging at a rock face, the operator simultaneously raises and extends the dipper stick to fill the bucket with material. When the bucket is full, the shovel is rotated to load the railway car. Steam shovels usually had a three-man crew: engineer, fireman and ground man.
Above: Steam powered conveyor belt used for crushing rock.
Upper right: Portable engine. Though this combination steam engine and boiler had wheels, it was not self-propelling like the farm tractors in the section above; it had to be pulled by horses to the location where it would be used.
Lower right: Early excavator
Above: the two-story building that housed Hollerith’s card manufacturing plant, assembly plant, repair shop, and development laboratory, as it appeared in 1911.
Census Taker
Census Taker
The U.S. Census of 1900 reported about thirty Rockville residents employed by the federal government, with the majority working for the Post Office, War Department, or Census Bureau.
The U.S. Census of 1900 reported about thirty Rockville residents employed by the federal government, with the majority working for the Post Office, War Department, or Census Bureau.
Before becoming interested in automobiles, Lewis Reed was one of the original employees of the Hollerith Computing Tabulating Recording Company, a Georgetown-based manufacturing firm that eventually became International Business Machines, Inc. (IBM computers)
Before becoming interested in automobiles, Lewis Reed was one of the original employees of the Hollerith Computing Tabulating Recording Company, a Georgetown-based manufacturing firm that eventually became International Business Machines, Inc. (IBM computers)
The photos above are interior images of Hollerith’s Plant. Today, you can eat oysters where Hollerith churned through the 1890 census: the warehouse is now occupied by Sea Catch.
The photos above are interior images of Hollerith’s Plant. Today, you can eat oysters where Hollerith churned through the 1890 census: the warehouse is now occupied by Sea Catch.