Comments on: Bowling Pin Boys c. 1910

By: Earl Renner

Earl Renner — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 01:12:51 +0000

I set duckpins from the time i was 10 tell i was 16 i took quit a few hits to the head and still have the marks on my legs.
A very hard job but it gave us boys a good way to pick up a few bucks.
to BAD WE WAS REPLACED WITH THE AUTOMATIC MACHINES.
I set pins at raneys bowling alleys in hagerstown Md. they are now owned by Frank Turner

By: Jim

Jim — Sun, 25 Nov 2007 00:22:40 +0000

In reference to earl’s comment, we used to be pinboys in the early 70′s. The bowlers and pinboys both referred to it as “Kill the Pinboy” when someone was bowling to knock the pins (10 pin at that) off the lane and up to where we sat on a ledge above the lane’s end. Worst shot I saw was a headpin come out of the 6th lane and hit the guy in lane 1. We soon learned who was bowling like this and warned each other when they stepped up to bowl.

By: earl

earl — Tue, 20 Nov 2007 01:17:11 +0000

A cousin of mine, who set duckpins in the late 50′s, told me that some bowlers (usually drunk) would deliberately pick up spares in such a way as to hit the pin boy.

By: Alex

Alex — Mon, 19 Nov 2007 19:33:32 +0000

Oops, fixed now – thanks DrJones!

By: Tom

Tom — Mon, 19 Nov 2007 19:03:08 +0000

There are still pinboys in some bowling alleys. I did some duckpin bowling in the philippines with real pinboys, and some searching on flickr reveals pinboys in Milwaukee

http://www.flickr.com/photos/j03/1845526111/

By: Lauch McKenzie

Lauch McKenzie — Mon, 19 Nov 2007 18:44:05 +0000

Setting pins was my first job in the early 60′s. I worked at a three lane, five-pin, alley, usually with one other person. We were paid a cent and a half for each line (game), and later got a raise to two cents. On league bowling nites, I’d work from seven to ten for maybe a dollar and a half.

Many men at that time thought that it was quite macho to choose a small ball and loft it at least halfway down the lane … some were good bowlers, and they could make the pins fly, so it was important to make sure your legs were totally out of the pit. Even so, you couldn’t work a whole evening without taking a few knockout pins at full speed, usually below the knee. You always had to keep your wits about you because occassionally, a headpin would fly up three or four feet, directly at your face.

I was 11 or 12 years old at that time … they wouldn’t allow anyone to work in that situation, today, I’m sure, but I think it was a good experience and I was grateful for the pocket money.

By: DrJones

DrJones — Mon, 19 Nov 2007 18:43:01 +0000

“And you think you got it tought when you were young!”

Should be “tough”

I love old pics like this!

By: Sally J. (The Practical Archivist)

Sally J. (The Practical Archivist) — Mon, 19 Nov 2007 17:23:09 +0000

This was my Dad’s first job! He grew up in Chicago, and probably worked as a pin boy around 1940.

By: Mark

Mark — Mon, 19 Nov 2007 14:52:02 +0000

If you are a bowling fanatic you can always visit:

http://www.bowlingmuseum.com/default.asp