The "Store-room"

[berwynson]

The front porch of the old brick bungalow (1805 S. Harvey) was fairly large, up the 8 stairs or so, open to the street with big brick arch over the opening, open to the side (north) opposite the front door, the back wall facing the street was the front bedroom wall, complete with window having a nice stained glass scene (which I broke as a kid, story elsewhere).

The porch floor was concrete, and directly beneath it in the basement was the "store-room", which had brick walls 3 sides, which supported all that brickwork and concrete floor above. Opposite the entry to the store-room, at it's far end, the brick wall was actually the north wall of the whole house. Up near the "roof" of the store-room, there was a vent provided to the outside; I had always seen it from the outside, as a kid, the openings being maybe 4 feet up from the ground,  but never inside, so I think someone had covered it over in the store-room.

The "vent" holes outside were rectangular in shape, about 2 inches wide and 4 inches high, if memory serves me, the brick being laid in such a way as to provide the rectangular holes. I just know I probed those holes as a kid, finding dirt, sticks, other debris.

Once, I heard sounds! Close investigation revealed a mama bird had built her nest within one of those holes, a fact amazing to me, due to the small size. My own mama's upbringing must have been adequate given those conditions, I immediately left the area, having been warned some animals abandon their babies under surprise circumstances!

Check out your vents!   

berwynson

[berwyn senator]

Isn't that the same room where the wine was kept?

[PamF]

My 'store' room is actually a room with a door on it and it has it's own window (so no vent necessary).  That's where our sumppump is located.

[EC]

That's where I keep my wife.

[Mrs.Pete]

That's where Mama put all the stuff she canned during the summer. It was the coolest place in a house with no air conditioning. Papa also had room for his dandelion wine.

[Berwyn Patsy]

The one we had was almost like a dark hole leading into God knows what!  It had a glass window that had a hook on it which you hooked it to the top of the cement wall.

Every time one of my kid's asked, "what's in there"?  I would say that's where we put the bad kids!
No wonder they never wanted to go to the basement for any thing!  Lol!

[berwynson]

That's where Mama put all the stuff she canned during the summer. It was the coolest place in a house with no air conditioning. Papa also had room for his dandelion wine.

Our neighbors were Polish. They made dandelion wine, as well as something they called "jezinuvka", which was I think cherries they picked and left whole, submerged in a mix of alcohol and water, maybe with some sweetener added. That stuff was HOT!!   

Yes, the storeroom was usually used for home-canned goods. I expect lots of "hootch" made illegally during Prohibition was also kept there. Reason I say this, my folks' friends, the Stiftners, lived in the 1900 block of 60th. Ct.; in their storeroom there were innumerable clay jugs and crocks of all sizes, as would be used to ferment & store the "juice"!   berwynson

[berwyn senator]

Once many years ago I sampled Jezinuvka,two drinks was all I had and lights were almost out.