Back in the Day: Playing in fire hydrants helped beat the heat

A young girl in North Philadelphia jumps near an exposed fire hydrant in an effort to beat the heat.

— Tribune File Photo/Abdul R. Sulayman

The temperatures were unbearable on several days last week. It has been reported by meteorologist and climate specialist that the month of July has been the warmest in the history of our planet. In speaking with a friend about the scorching temperatures, our conversation turned to how we kept cool in the past by patronizing the swimming pools where we were permitted to swim. I hope that you noticed that I specifically mentioned pools we were permitted to use. This was intentional; there were pools in practically every community in and around Philadelphia that we were precluded from patronizing because of our skin color. There were also pools that we were permitted to use on specified days only; days that were set aside for Blacks. This column does not address the issue of Blacks being prohibited or limited in the use of swimming pools.

While this is a subject for another day, those who wish to delve into this matter are referred to the following articles: the undated internet article “Segregation & Swimming Timeline in the United States” that has been condensed from “The Pool: A Social History of Segregation” created by Dr. Jeff Wiltse, author of “Contested Waters: A Social History of Swimming Pools in America,” and “The Forgotten History of Segregated Swimming Pools and Amusement Parks” published by Victoria W. Walcott of the University of Buffalo on July 9, 2019. These articles detail the experiences of Blacks and swimming pools across the country including Philadelphia. But, let me get to the focus of today’s column.

As one who grew up “down the bottom,” an area in West Philadelphia from 33rd Street to 52nd and Market Street to Girard Avenue, I take considerable “ribbing” from friends and colleagues. Some folks identify 50th Street as the Western boundary as they lived on 50th Street, Paxton Street, 51st Street or other streets below 52nd Street and did not want to be labeled as being from down the bottom. They preferred to be identified as from “up the top.” I suspect that I would have been subjected to greater ridicule if I had grown up in the “black bottom,” the area below 40th Street to 33rd Street. The bottom is highlighted in today’s column as I sought friends to share comments about their experiences relative to swimming pools in the past. One shared his experiences growing up in Coatesville, Pennsylvania, a small community outside of Philadelphia where he would either swim in a creek or in the backyard pool of well-to-do friends. Another talked about having access to school swimming pools in Willow Grove, Pennsylvania.

Then there is the Black-owned Nile Swim Club that opened in 1959 and continues to operate today. Some came from families that had home swimming pools. A cursory review of the swimming pools listed in the articles referenced earlier will enable you to identify watering holes where you spent time in the past without issues. But what was the alternative to cooling off on those hot days in the past when there was no access to swimming pools? Come on, you know! Yes, there was the beach but my commentary about growing up down the bottom versus the top should be a dead giveaway. The alternative was something that those from the top or from Germantown, in particular, did not experience. They claim, the alternative, the fire hydrant or fire plug was not an option for them. The hydrant was strictly an alternative for those that lived in “the hood,” yes, places like the bottom, back in the day.

You may recall getting under the spray of the fire hydrant on a hot summer day. One person was known to have access to a hydrant wrench, a tool that was used to remove the cap and open the valve of the fire hydrant. This tool was usually obtained through mischievous means such as “borrowing it” from a fire station. In the absence of such wrench, adults were recruited by children since they could maneuver a box or open-end wrench to open the fire hydrant. Word immediately went out when the fire hydrant was opened. One friend told me that he ran barefooted outdoors with reckless abandon, ignoring the stones, glass and hot asphalt, and concerns some had about catching diseases to get under the water. Some got directly under the water being sprayed from the hydrant while others simply placed their feet in the water as it ran down the curbs. Not everyone wore a bathing suit from the Army and Navy Store; many were out in their underwear.

Were you one that placed water in small buckets or balloons and threw the water on others playing in the water or even the bystanders? You may recall that there was always at least one family that brought their 35 inch, galvanized tub outside to fill with water so that very young children could get in it, while being supervised, and have fun. Maybe you were among those that were given a bar of soap by their parents to wash up. This was considered a side benefit to playing under the fire hydrant. The person that placed his or her rear end over the hydrant’s opening was key to having fun as this enabled the water to spray everywhere. You may recall placing a bucket over the opening to spray the water. The images of recently washed and waxed automobiles being sprayed as they reached the fire hydrant remains with me. A promise was usually made that water would not be sprayed when the automobile reached the fire hydrant but the promise was not often kept. The result was often an argument or even a fight. Yet, some automobiles pulled directly in front of the fire hydrant to get a car wash.

You can imagine those sad moments when the police arrived to turn off the fire hydrant. But, this did not last long for as soon as the police left, the fire hydrant was turned back on. Now, here is a little tidbit for us Philadelphians; the invention of the fire hydrant is unofficially credited to Frederick Graff, chief engineer of Philadelphia Water Works in 1801. For many, the fire hydrant provided more fun than swimming pools and beaches, back in the day.

We know that the hot temperatures will return later this year. But, forget about where you live but do not allow this column to influence your behavior. There is a bit too much traffic today and greater risk for confrontations with the police for you to turn on the fire hydrant or fire plug and have fun as many of us once did, back in the day.

Alonzo Kittrels can be reached at [email protected] or The Philadelphia Tribune, Back In The Day, 520 South 16th Street, Philadelphia, PA 19146 The views expressed in this column are not necessarily those of The Philadelphia Tribune.

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