|
|
|
Men's Clothing |
|
Ladies' dresses |
|
 Sewing machines and supplies |
Even though this was the turn-of-the-century, most of the people wore
store-bought items. The people who worked the oil fields - the roughnecks
and roustabouts and drillers - were a relatively modern group. Most bought
their food and their clothing, including shoes, work clothes, and dress
clothes, and did not make things for themselves very often. They worked
for wages and purchased their consumer goods.
Notice the ladies' fancy dress shoes and the fine furnishings that are
available at the Dry Goods Store, as well as men's clothing.
The ladies' dress shoes
in the exhibit were for Sunday church or other special occasions. For
everyday wear, Mrs. Edie Bennett, who grew up in Port Arthur in the early
days of this centure, said the ladies wore sandals. This makes a lot of
sense in light of our hot and humid environment, which certainly has not
changed markedly in the years since the boom.
The sewing machines are period machines and were an important item in
homes of the day. They were invented in the 1850s and were commonplace
by the turn of the century.