Tuesday, November 10, 1936

The Cloak Room

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Cleaned the Cloak Room

and Reception Hall.

Nice day.

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Edna's daily life is filled with a lot of cleaning. Today, she is cleaning a cloak room and reception hall.

The Johnson family farm was located adjacent to one of four corners in Bowne Center. Across the street from the farm is the Methodist Church and the Ladies Aid Hall. Opposite the church is a one room school. On the corner next to the farm is a cemetery and, in 1936, the township hall which was later relocated near the church.

It's possible that Edna was cleaning at the township hall but she often references the Ladies Aid Society in her posts. I am betting that on this day, that is where Edna was working.

The term cloakroom feels very formal for a room in a public building in rural American in 1936. But according to the definition below, it is fitting. The Ladies Aid Hall did have a reception hall (which would likely qualify as an assembly hall).

cloak-room (n.) also cloakroom, 1827, "a room connected with an assembly-hall, opera-house, etc., where cloaks and other articles are temporarily deposited. Later extended to railway offices for temporary storage of luggage, and by mid-20c. sometimes a euphemism for "bathroom, lavatory."

Then and now, Cloakrooms are also locations where members of Congress of interact outside of formal meeting rooms.

I also discovered that theres is a gentleman's club named The Cloakroom in Washington D.C. Before realizing what it was, I clicked on a link taking me to their website.

OOPS!

I shut that tab on my browser down with lightning speed.

Edna would not approved of a gentleman's club but I bet she would have loved the opportunity to spend time with a member of congress in a Cloakroom.