Life in 1900 Wysokie (1) [original page 17] During the year 1902 the all-Jewish village of Visoko, [Lithuania,] Russia, and its inhabitants, appeared serene and calm, as they no doubt had been for many generations. People walked about slowly, talked slowly and sniffed from their snuffboxes slowly. The sameness was the rule every day, varying only on holidays.
The Fire of 1900 One exception was when, in 1900, the village had a very serious fire during a dark summer night. The women and children were safely evacuated from their homes, with some of their possessions, to the middle of the main street, and were told to run to the river in case the flames came close. All were trembling with fear and eyes were glued to the roaring flames, as yet a distance away. The men were in a frenzy, running with buckets toward the river for water to extinguish the fires, which were more than a block away, hollering, Pashar, Pashar (Fire!) to awaken anyone who might still be asleep. The wind blew in our favor against the stone walls of the marketplace, and the rest of the village was saved.
Thursdays and Fridays
The main street was almost deserted most of the time, except on Thursdays, when the peasants came into the village to buy and sell a variety of items. Late Friday afternoons and on holidays the Shamus (sexton) made good use of the main street. It was the duty of the Shamus of the shul to stop at various locations in the village and holler at the top of his voice a number of times, In Shul Arrine, In Shul Arrine! (Time to go to shul!) Few residents were rich enough to own a watch or clock. Our family was one of the “have-nots”.
Our Streets
[original page 18] Except for the cobblestone paved main street, all other narrow side streets were muddy most of the time and were just wide enough for a horse and wagon to squeeze through; thus they were seldom used for that purpose.
Our Houses All the houses were one-story with attics, built with extra-heavy planks that were well seasoned with age. Paint was not affordable. All houses had steep roofs to keep out rain and melting snow. The attics were loaded with layers of straw for insulation against heat or cold. Some of the houses had straw-covered roofs. (Extreme fire hazard!) Tar paper had either not been heard of or was also unaffordable.
