“VISITING DAY” at Orphanage! | Grandma’s Stories

Nov 7th “VISITING DAY” at Orphanage!

This is not the best picture – it is a “LONG SHOT” – just to see how many Visitors we can see gathering together in “FAMILY CIRCLES” for the very few hours – that they will have to share so much in such a small time frame!

But, because I was writing about the “Laundry” yesterday and have no inside the “LAUNDRY” pictures – just thought an outside of the building will give everyone an idea – for the size of the “INSTITUTIONAL” laundry!

The “two-story” building in the background and to the left of this picture is the laundry. The entrance for the “Laundry” can be seen – just past the people standing and looking this way! There is a nice large size door – on the corner of the building. When you enter and on your left side – where you see the windows across the front of the building – on the inside and along the window side of the building are the large “Washing Machines” – and I’m guessing the size of the two were – each a 5,000 gallon-size. The clothes – had a very distinctive smell – from the home-made lye soap that was used, back in those days – lots of cleaning products where made at home.

Almost and to the opposite corner of the building they had two large “Institutional” Mangle Irons used for the folding and pressing of the large covers, blankets, sheets and I guess – what you might call – the large flat work .The older and taller girls would work with these machines – passing the items into the machine from this side – and another two or three girls on the other side to receive the items and either pass thru the machine for further folding – or if to the stage that they could finish the folding and stacking the items in bins – to be brought to the main building to whatever correct department for usage?

When I was in the Orphanage – I worked in all these areas – and was a very good worker. Not all of us, girls – were created equal in strength and in being tall enough to reach and hold the linens up and off the ground – after being cleaned – You would hear about it – if you were a “SLACKER!”