Well I'm 52 & do remember the clothesline rules :). My Grandparents hung clothes out year round & yep they freeze dried in winter. Monday was wash day & never ever on Sunday.
The "stick" for propping up the line is called a "Clothesline pole or prop". My poles actually have 2 bent nails placed a few inches apart, so you can chose the height you want the line to be. My poles are never left propping up the line. They are taken down & laid on a bench. This prevents the wind from blowing the lines back & forth & stretching them out.
I don't hang clothes out much anymore due to huz's issue with dry skin, so everything has to be tumbled dry with farbic softener. Actually my Huz does all the laundry, except for washing drapes, rugs, etc :).