Wednesday, September 10, 2008

Boot scrapers

During the Colonial era, streets were largely unpaved or lined with brick and mud. Sturdy and made of wrought iron, boot scrapers were positioned into the front stoops of homes and other establishments to persuade visitors to remove grime and grunge from the bottom of their boots prior to entering.

Those featured here are located in Old Town Alexandria. Several remain in their initial position while others have been carefully removed from the original concrete and reinstalled during a renewal of the stoop.



















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5 comments:

Anonymous said...

thanks for sharing this, if I would have seen these before I would have wondered what they were used for. I swear I learn something everyday from blogs!

teaorwine said...

lena... should you pass a boot scraper anytime soon, you will know exactly what to do!

Content in a Cottage said...

I have always loved antique boot scrapers. Thanks for showing so many in actual use. Could you do door knockers next?

teaorwine said...

c in c... super idea! Will do.

Fifi Flowers said...

GREAT collection!
Only thing I see like that.. and definitly not the same... cleat scrappers at the course... we have no charm like the East Coast in California... sigh!