Old Photo-. Pete Seeger and his folk's T.

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Model T Ford Forum: Forum 2014: Old Photo-. Pete Seeger and his folk's T.
Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Dane Hawley Near Melbourne Australia on Friday, January 31, 2014 - 04:47 am:

http://www.shorpy.com/node/16911


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Roger Karlsson, southern Sweden on Friday, January 31, 2014 - 06:04 am:

..looks like a heavy load to pull with a T.

trailer T


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Hap Tucker in Sumter SC on Friday, January 31, 2014 - 06:44 am:

Dane,

Thanks for posting the link and Roger for adding the photo. Interesting story of the people also. I would not have wanted to pull their “house/living trailer” that is shown behind the T on anything but relatively flat ground. Zooming in on the rear wheel it looks like it may have accessory brakes which would make sense for towing that rig. Many accessories, demountable 5 lug wheels, fender mirrors, rubber strip between two windshield halves, cover on the cowl / hood to help keep the rain off the coils/wood dash etc.

I believe the car is “around” the Apr 1917 time frame of production. The black radiator puts it in the 1917 and later time frame. The NON-riveted windshield bracket puts it in about Apr 1917 or later production. But the equal length windshield hinges put it in about the Apr 1917 or earlier to 1915 production. So it appears it is “around” the Apr 1917 time frame of production. And of course that assumes those parts were original to the car. Ref: ref: http://www.mtfca.com/encyclo/doc17.htm


----- Acc. 575, Box 14, #826, Ford Archives
Riveted style windshield frame and brackets were used in 1915 and 1916 and on the first 450,000 1917 cars. (Until about April 1917.)


APR 19, 1917 Acc. 78, Ford Archives
Windshield hinge (with the unequal length arms) noted.


JUN 14, 1917 Acc. 1701. Model T Releases, Ford Archives
Drawing of steering gear box changed. "Brought up to date by specifying this case to be nickel plated instead of black enameled."

The comment brought up to date could imply that the change was already in production and now the drawing was also annotated to reflect what was already happening. But I believe the steering gear case is painted black with a nickel cover.



Again thank you both for posting the link and the photo.

Respectfully submitted,

Hap l9l5 cut off


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Royce in Dallas TX on Friday, January 31, 2014 - 07:12 am:

I don't believe the T in the pictures with the Seeger family was ever a place to live. I think that description is wishful thinking by someone at Shorpy. It does not jive with Seeger's life story at all.

Seeger was a professor at a New York City college during the twenties and thirties. He had no reason to live in his car. I believe the trailer likely had something to do with music, perhaps a bunch of equipment for a local New York City show. You could tow something like that around NYC with a Model T. It would be completely out of the question for a big trailer like that to be pulled on the dirt roads outside of NYC by a T.


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Roger Karlsson, southern Sweden on Friday, January 31, 2014 - 08:15 am:

Actually there is a sentence in the Wiki article on Seger that fits in with this photo;
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pete_Seeger
"When baby Pete was eighteen months old, they set out with him and his two older brothers in a homemade trailer, on a quixotic mission to bring musical uplift to the working people in the American South"

Ok Royce, I know how you feel about wiki, but well read articles like this are soon corrected by someone if blatant wrongs are written there and in this case there is a note about the source - the info comes from a biography by Ann Pescatello, "Charles Seeger: A Life In Music", side 83–85.


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Jem Bowkett on Friday, January 31, 2014 - 09:08 am:

Notice the hood sides have been folded under to leave the engine exposed? Running a bit hot. I agree with Royce, more likely a portable stage than a living wagon, mother is carrying her violin (she was a noted concert violinist).


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Chris Landry, Hudson, NH on Friday, January 31, 2014 - 09:56 am:

The 1921 Washington Post article on the shorpy site says they were living in the trailer and that they were traveling between North Carolina and "the New England states."

'The Seeger "home" is a house of five and a half feet in width by fourteen feet in length, and contains all the comforts of home, including a sewing machine, a portable organ and games for the boys. It even has a front porch, which slides under the trailer while traveling.'


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Jem Bowkett on Friday, January 31, 2014 - 11:26 am:

I stand corrected, Roger was posting at the same time, but with more information!


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