Ten of us children, including seven boys born consecutively, meant lots of laundry, heaps of it. Plus, back in the 1940s and located in the bustling shipbuilding center of Manitowoc, Wis., sleeping quarters were a precious commodity. Three of the bedrooms in our large framed house were rented out, and those monies were paid to the dentist for what Mother described as “million-dollar smiles”—a trade-off for laundering yet more piles of pillowcases and bedding.
Doing laundry is one of the oldest domestic tasks, and at our house it was done several times a week. Preparation began the prior evening, gathering and sorting the work for the following day: light-color clothing in one pile, dark clothing in a second. Water had to be poured into the copper boiler positioned on the…
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Good Old Days (Digital) - 1 Issue, March/April 2025