Heritage Hints From Mama – Days Before Air Conditioning
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Today my mother, Janice Davis, shares her memories of the summer days before air conditioning! I sure enjoyed reading this and hope you will, too. Gratefully, Christy
Do you remember the days before air conditioning? We got our first air conditioner when I was five years old and we moved into our new home. I remember the noise that it made. Until we got used to it, the sound was deafening.
Before we moved into the new home, we lived in a small house in a close knit neighborhood. We had a box fan that was installed into a window in the living room. All of us kids would sing into the fan. It made singing a great pastime as it threw the words back out at us. It didn’t hurt that we also had the cooling breeze in our faces.
My grandmother had a small oscillating fan that sat on a table in her living room. We loved to put our finger on the center circle of the fan as it spun around. The grownups always fussed at us and told us that we were going to cut our fingers off and not to do it. I think the danger of it is what encouraged us to always give it a try. No one ever cut their finger off that I knew of though – but that isn’t to say that today’s fans couldn’t accomplish such a thing (in other words, don’t try this at home!).
We lived next door to my grandmother. I remember one day that my cousin and I wanted to play in my house. My grandmother kept us during the day and we weren’t allowed to go in house because my parents were at work. We decided that if we were sweating really bad that my grandmother would be worried that we were too hot and would allow us to go there to cool off (We had air conditioning but Mama Reed didn’t). We went to the hose and doused ourselves from head to toe with water. I’m sure my grandmother knew what we had done but she let us go next door to play. I can still remember us trying to decide how wet we should be in order to be convincing enough.
Thinking back about the hot days of summer, I didn’t really remember the heat so much as the memories of the summertime days. Playing with friends and family and enjoying the carefree days took over the memories of how hot Southern summers were. I hope that you have nice childhood summer memories also.
All of these are memories that our children will never know. I don’t remember thinking that it was so hot outside or anywhere else we went. There was no air conditioning in stores, churches or restaurants. Everyone was used to the heat and seemed to cope pretty well.
Kids would get up in the morning, eat breakfast and then head outside for a day of play. There was no reason to stay inside since the temperature inside was usually at least 10 degrees hotter than outside. We ran, played in the hose, built clubhouses, and caught honey bees in fruit jars. Heat sure didn’t slow us down any!
Now parents have to try to get their children to go outside and play. Children nowadays are used to being inside where the air conditioning keeps the house nice and cool but I can’t help but think they’re missing out on one of the best parts of a childhood.
Do you remember the days before air conditioning? Do you remember playing in the hose because it was hot enough to fry an egg on the sidewalk? Did you have a large box fan in your window?
I look forward to reminiscing with you in the comments below and remember, Mama loves you!
Love,
Mama
Life is too serious to be taken seriously.
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We would close the shutters on the windows in the morning and then open them in the evening when it got cooler. Living close to the Chesapeake Bay we would go swimming and I guess it lowered your body temp. because we seemed much more comfortable after a swim.
We did not have air conditioning until after I got married, it made my mothers ears ache and so we just always had the fan in the window. I agree with Mama though kids do not play outside very much and they think they are being punished if you make them go out. We played tag, hide and seek, kick the can raced on our bikes, played in the sprinklers, raced down the hill in a card board box on the weeds. Can’t find an open field now days. Thanks for the great memories.
I have thought about today’s kids. Just think, we went outside because it was cooler. Today’s kids stay inside because it is cooler. Air conditioning sure has spoiled us. My dad still keeps his air conditioning turned up high so that he can tolerate the heat outside. We sure do have lots of great memories. Thanks for sharing yours with me. Mama
AWWW You brought back some great memories staying at my grand parents in Missouri for the summer. Grandma and Grandpa Harris never had air conditioner in their 2 story farm house. If we really wanted to keep cool we kids would swim in the creek or stay in their well house which was covered with ivy and would be so cool to spend the day. At night I remember sleeping with the windows open listening to the whip o’ wheel. Our kids don’t know what they’ve been missing. I wish I could take both of my kids back to my time and see how great it was without video games, cable, and cell phones. Thanks mama!!!!!
Yes,, I sure remember that and I also remember hollering that I was hot. My daddy would tell me to take one leg out from under the cover. I don’t know if it was just suggestive or if it actually worked but I got cool and went to sleep.
Sitting on the porch was great and holds many memories of my grandparents!
Janice, do you remember sleeping with your head at the foot of the bed when it was hot? We thought it was cooler, why I don’t know. After supper the adults would sit on the porch and we played under the street lights, usually until bedtime. We caught fireflies in jars at night told scary stories too.
Oh I remember sleeping with my head at the foot of the bed when it was hot!! I had forgotten all about that! My grandmother had a water cooler. It was a big fan that the air was cooled by water. She had a window air conditioner in the living room, but that was only if there was company and it took forever to cool down. She also had a whole house attic fan that was wonderful, it pulled cool air throughout the whole house. Oh the memories!
Don’t know how old you are (& being Southern am too polite to ask), but I am 66 and I lived with my grandmother when I was growing up. We did not have air conditioning-NOT EVEN an electric fan! (We did have the paper fans with the wooden handles that we got from church, ‘member those?) I remember we drew the curtains and blinds to keep the sun out & help keep cool. I do remember that the movie theaters in town had air conditioning though, so my cousins and I would stay all day Saturday (they would let you do that then) and memorize the movies word for word. My favorite cousin could even duplicate the sounds of the movies(Since we did not have a TV, this was before we even knew what an impersonator was, but my cousin had it down pat, as far as I was concerned. Great memories.
Well, even though you didn’t ask, I was 58 years old last month! It’s hard to believe but I sure have had a great 58 years so far. So many great memories! My best friend and I went to the movies and spent the day regularly. We loved Elvis movies and went to see Roustabout so many times that we wrote the script! It always amazed us that it was dark when we left the movie. We stood at the curb until our parents drove up to get us. Those were the days! Thanks for sharing your memories! Mama
We didn’t have air conditioning but had a window fan. I remember going to Bailes Department Store that did have air conditioning and later a “new-fangled” escalator. Saturday matinee movies where I could get in for 10 coke bottle caps. Wow -0wonderful reminder of my childhood in Anderson, S.C. Thank you!
I lived in the Mississippi delta as a child. I am sure it was really hot but we never realized it because we didn’t have A/C on fans. We played outside all day came in in time to eat lunch and supper and then back outside till dark. Even then we would get our baths and and sit on the front porch till time to go to bed. All of the neighbors sat on their porches also. We lived in the town of Greenville. What wonderful memories of those nights sitting on the porch laughing and talking with our parents. I think kids today are missing a lot.