How did hobos mark houses?

How did hobos mark houses?

Three diagonal lines — not a safe place. A square with a slanted roof (signifying a house) with an X through it — the house has already been “burned” or “tricked” by another hobo. Two shovels — work available (shovels, because most hobos performed manual labour).

What are hobo markings?

Hobo signs/symbols could warn fellow hobos about dangerous towns or people, mark places where they had gotten free food and shelter, identify locations where free medical care was available, provide directions to areas where work was accessible, and much more.

What was hobo code?

From illegally jumping trains to stealing scraps from a farmers market, the hobo community needed to create a secret language to warn and welcome fellow hobos that were either new to town or just passing through. It was called the Hobo Code.

Are hobo symbols still used?

The hobo code tradition continues in the present day, but are now digitally enhanced since hobos now have access to cell phones and computers.

What is hobo Code graffiti?

So, you might be asking, what is “hobo code?” It’s a way that hobos, drifters, or “tramps” would leave coded messages for one another, sharing information about a neighborhood.

What is hobo slang for?

1 : a migratory worker. 2 : a homeless and usually penniless vagabond.

What did hobos do to help other hobos?

If the farmer was generous, the hobo would mark the lane so other hobos would know it was a good place to beg. Markings would be made on fences, buildings, trees, pavements — anywhere a message could signal help or trouble.

What did hobos write on their road signs?

To cope with the uncertainties of life, hobos developed a system of symbols they’d write with chalk or coal to provide fellow “Knights of the Road” with directions, help, and warnings. Hobo signs, California, c. 1870s.

What did the hobo hieroglyphs tell the travelers?

The Hobo Hieroglyphs: Their Secret Symbols, Explained These are the marks that told travelers whether a town or house was friend or foe.

How did the hoboes get off the farm?

Many people forced off the farm heard about work hundreds of miles away or even half a continent away. Often the only way they could get there was by hopping on freight trains, illegally. More than two million men and perhaps 8,000 women became hoboes.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JSd8oLUKjXU