EVER WONDER by Jacque Scott: Strange Old Laws

Strange old Laws

Did you know that there are many old strange laws on the books in any states?  It costs a lot of money to get the laws changed and most of them are hard to enforce.  So, in many areas, these laws are still “technically” in place. Someone sent me several of these old laws with no name attached.

• In Wilbur, Washington, it was apparently illegal to ride an ugly horse. It makes you wonder who got to decide which qualities make a horse unattractive! And, breaking the news to the owner must have been hard.

• In Colorado, there is an old law that states that one must have a doctor’s prescription to take a bath. In other states baths were restricted: none on Sundays in Massachusetts and no baths at all for children in the winter in Wyoming.

     *An old law in Blue Earth, Minnesota says that no kids under 12 were permitted to use the phone in this town. It’s easy to imagine that this law was being broken on a constant basis! Somehow it seems doubtful that many arrests were made over this one.­In Los Angeles, California, no pickles were allowed to be manufactured in Los Angeles because of the smell they produced, which to be fair, might be pretty strong. In the recent past, residents who lived near the Irwindale, CA,Sriracha plant complained mightily of the smell of chilis in the air. Now to be fair, pickles may not be as odorous as chilis.

• We’ve all heard of blue laws concerning alcohol but once upon a time there was a law in Ohio that said you couldn’t even buy ice cream on Sundays because it was considered far too decadent for a Sunday. I wonder if Saturday ice cream runs became the norm.In Oregon, horses were permitted in bars…provided their admission was been paid beforehand.  I guess it got crowded pretty fast with those drinking buddies.

• A special ordinance in PA was intended to prevent wives from “hiding” dirt and dust from their husbands. Were they trying to boost the overall cleanliness of their homes with this law?

• In South Carolina, it is illegal for minors to engage in the following activities “including, but not limited to, incorrigibility or beyond the control of parents, truancy, running away, playing or loitering in a billiard room, playing a pinball machine, or gaining admission to a theater by false identification.” That means no back talk, no pool, and no pinball! This law was passed in 2008.

• In Florida, it was illegal to break more than 3 dishes per day or to chip more than 4. How does one prosecute for this offense? “These dishes were broken before I got here, officer.”

• North Carolina has some tough gambling laws. In particular, beach bingo games must be for less than a ten dollar prize and no game of bingo shall last for more than 5 hours unless the game happens at a fair. These laws are still enforceable today. So much for that high-stakes 6 hour beach bingo party you were planning.

  In Gainesville, Georgia residents must eat fried chicken with their hands. This 1961 law was tested in 2009 when a 91-year-old woman was pardoned after being spotted in public by the chief of police using a knife and fork to eat this Southern specialty

• In Nebraska, home permanents shall not be given to girls by their mothers without a license. This law would make more sense from a cosmetology standpoint if the law were restricting any unlicensed hairdressers from giving perms to children or others.

• In Rhode Island, it’s technically illegal to sell a toothbrush and toothpaste at the same time on a Sunday. You kind of need both to get the job done!

• In New Hampshire there will be no movies shown in the theater before 2pm. You’re going to have to scramble in order to catch the matinee before dinner.

• In Chicago, Illinois, it is illegal to fly a kite in downtown.  An aldermen in the ’70s tried to have this law revised. Certain beaches and parks near the water do allow for this fun activity, though.

  In Michigan, a 1953 law made it illegal to to buy, sell, or trade new or used cars on the “first day of the week, commonly called Sunday,” in case anyone was wondering which day that is!

• In Kansas, it is unlawful to hit a vending machine. More specifically, the law mentions that damage is illegal, so if you were to hit the machine that stole your money lightly, you might be ok. This law applies to any kind of vending machine, including gum ball machines and parking meters.

While a couple of these laws were passed recently, many of them are fairly old and reflect a different way of life. Back then life revolved around horses and unusual region-specific tastes could be made into law. It wasn’t so long ago that all kinds of things were illegal on Sundays..  God bless you.

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