Friday, October 31, 2008

Old Antique Vintage Postcard of Downtown Dalton Georgia 1947

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I just could not resist this view of downtown Dalton Georgia on a 1947 Curt Teich postcard. The Dalton Hotel is in the right foreground and the First National Bank is just down the street. This is the typical small southern town and reminds me of the town in Texas where I grew up. I have been forever grateful for #1, where I grew up and #2, when I grew up and would not have it any other way if I could choose. You can find this postcard in my Georgia listings along with 10,000 additional post cards on my website Moody's Postcards.

CATCH POSTCARD FEVER!! A great way to go back home.

Thursday, October 30, 2008

Old Antique Vintage Postcards of Detroit Michigan in 1904 & the 1940s

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Detroit Michigan has a rich variety of homes and buildings and I want to highlight a couple of them today. The first is a bird's eye the Henry Ford Hospital shown on this 1940s Tichnor postcard which gives you some idea of the size and scope of this massive complex. The description on the back of the post card describes it as "One of the largest and most complete hospitals in the Country. Located on West Grand Blvd, a short distance from the General Motors Building."

The second building is a 1904 view of the castle like Museum of Art, which is a real work of art in itself, shown here on a Detroit Publishing post card. Both of the postcards can be found in my Michigan listings along with 10,000 additional postcards on my website Moody's Postcards. CATCH POSTCARD FEVER!! Your front row seat to the rest of the world.

Wednesday, October 29, 2008

Old Antique Vintage Postcard 1906 Woodward Dancing Pavilion

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I have written about dancing pavilions on old vintage postcards on several occasions before but have located another one that I want to share with you. This is a circa 1906 view of Woodward's Dancing Pavilion at Paw Paw Lake in Michigan. All of the previous dancing pavilions were high and dry but this one is built out over Paw Paw Lake and is 40 x 150 feet or 6,000 square feet in size. Dancing began at 8:30 every day except Sunday and I am sure a good time was had by all. I would also bet that obesity wasn't a problem then either. This postcard can be found in my Michigan listings along with 10,000 additional postcards on my website Moody's Postcards. CATCH POSTCARD FEVER!! Your ticket to many evenings of entertainment.

Saturday, October 25, 2008

Old Antique Vintage 1906 Postcard Coney Island NY Globe Tower

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The 1906 S. Langsdorf & Company old antique postcard shown here played a part in a huge fraud that began in 1906 with plans by Samuel Friede to construct the Globe Tower on the property of Steeplechase Park on Coney Island New York. Coney Island, due south of Brooklyn, was the ultimate amusement park destination in 1906 and actually consisted of three amusement parks including Steeplechase Park, Luna Park and Dreamland Park. With access for New Yorkers by auto, streetcar, railroad and a steamship landing, there was no shortage of patrons for the diverse attractions available including roller coasters, which by the way, were invented there. Steeplechase Park was opened in 1897by George C. Tilyou and Captain Paul Boyton opened Sea Lion Park the same year and the boom began in earnest. In 1903 Sea Lion Park was bought by Frederick Thompson and Elmer Dundy. They renamed it Luna Park, installed 250,000 lights and it became an overnight success. This opportunity attracted William Reynolds who built Dreamland Park in 1904 and added one million more lights to the Coney Island skyline.

This success and the wonderland excitement created the atmosphere that would make it possible for Samuel Friede, the inventor of Globe Tower, to pull of one of the larger swindles of the time. Friede began by leasing a small plot of Steeplechase land on Surf Avenue from George Tilyou which would be the location of the base of the tower. Eight huge pedestals would support a massive globe that would be 700 feet high with eleven floors and the largest building in the world. A transportation center with a parking garage, railroad station, subway and link to the steamship pier would be underground at the base of the globe with elevators to carry patrons to all levels of the globe. The first level would be 150 feet above ground level with the other floors 50 feet above each other. The first floor would contain a restaurant, skating rink, casino, bowling alley and other amusement park fair. Another floor would contain the Aerial Hippodrome with non-stop circus acts as well as a miniature railroad. The floors would increase in their snob appeal as you moved up with other floors containing a revolving restaurant surrounding a ballroom, more restaurants, a hotel, an observation area, a U. S. Weather Bureau and at the top would be revolving searchlight. Donald Trump would be proud!

An ad was placed in the New York Herald in May of 1906 offering investors a chance to get in on this investment in the Globe Tower that was projected to cost $1,500,000 and was expected to pay up to 100% interest annually. Not unlike current times, investors flocked to the project and plunked down their hard earned dollars with visions of a fortune in their future. There was a ceremony for laying the cornerstone on May 26, 1906 with the usual pomp and circumstance. By the end of the year, the foundations were still not laid and investors began to get nervous so on 17 February 1907 another ceremony was held and the first piece of steel was installed. Promises were made to be 50% complete by 15 May and 100% complete by the end of 1908. By 1908 the fraud was evident, the dream was dashed and there was no government bailout. BUT, we did get some very nice postcards. This postcard along with 10,000 additional vintage postcards are available on my website Moody’s Postcards. CATCH POSTCARD FEVER!! The only catch is that it might be habit forming.

Thursday, October 23, 2008

Old Antique Vintage Postcards of Excelsior Springs Health Resort

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Health resorts abound today with luxury many of us can only imagine but this is not a new phenomenon. Today, most of these resorts are privately owned and operated. Excelsior Springs Missouri is a popular spa destination today and can trace its founding to 1880 when a farmer used the spring water from the bank of Fishing River to treat his daughter for Tuberculosis with excellent results. Another farmer sucessfully treated his rheumatic knees and a recuring sore from the Civil War and the rush was on. The town of Excelsior was formed in August of 1880 and grew quickly as word spread of the healing qualities of the springs. Our first post card is a 1925 Curt Teich view of The Elms Hotel in Excelsior Springs.

The next postcard was published by C. E. Wheelock and is a circa 1908 view of Sulpho Saline Spring house. Springs continued to be found in the area until 20 different mineral springs gave the town the distinction of having the world's greatest collection of mineral waters which provided four distinct types of treatment.

The last postcard is a 1911 Curteich view of the entrance to the Lithia Water Spring #1 where you can buy 1 glass or 10 gallons and they "Shipped to any point". Lithia was actually water with Calcic-Bicarbonate. All of these postcards can be found in my Missouri listings along with 10,000 additional postcards on my website Moody's Postcards.

Monday, October 20, 2008

Old Antique Vintage Postcards on Camping in Michigan & Alabama

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Fall is definitely in the air here in Georgia so it is a good time to go camping and enjoy the cooler temperatures and autumn leaves. Camping post cards are a popular subject so we will start in Sault Saint Marie Michigan before the lakes freeze over with this 1922 Curt Teich postcard. Lots of tents are already up in this camp site overlooking the boat channel which at that time saw an average of 100 vessels passing each day.

The second postcard is a 1920s Auburn Post Card Manufacturing Company product and shows Camp Nutt on the Escatawpa River near Citronelle Alabama which is about 30 miles North of Mobile Alabama. This camp shows several tents set up and a covered eating area. Both of these post cards are available on my website Moody's Postcards in the Michigan and Alabama listings. CATCH POSTCARD FEVER!! See how they did it in the "good old days".

Sunday, October 19, 2008

Old Antique Vintage Postcards 1930s Union Pacific Trains

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Railroad trains and depots are a very popular post card topics and the diversity among the railroad postcards available is huge. The first 1930s vintage Albertype postcard shows Union Pacific Railroad train "No. 3" passing Granite Canyon Canon Station in Wyoming being pulled by two engines.

The second 1930s Albertype postcard shows Union Pacific Railroad train 1822, "No. 4 Atlantic Express", on the Fort Steele Bridge in Wyoming. This train appears to be stopped as the engine smoke is going straight up and there are 3 men standing on the between the second and third car back. You can also see a track in the foreground running under the bridge. Both of these postcards can be found in my Wyoming listings along with 10,000 additional postcards on my website Moody's Postcards. CATCH POSTCARD FEVER!! Take a trip back in time.

Friday, October 17, 2008

Old Antique Vintage Postcards Monroe & Ruston Louisiana

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It is amazing how many different postcards can take you back to your childhood or bring back memories of a friend or relative from long ago. Both of the post cards today are very popular subjects for that very reason. The first is a 1946 Curteich linen view of the Ruston Hospital in Ruston Louisiana. People are always looking for the hospital where they were born or their children or relatives were born or it might be where they worked at one time. Fortunately, hospitals were always a favorite subject for towns to show off their public buildings so most hospitals have been pictured at one time or another.

Another all time favorite is the local swimming pool, or natatorium as they are sometimes called especially when they are enclosed. In fact, this 1939 Curt Teich linen postcard showing the Municipal Natatorium in Monroe Louisiana is the first time that I have seen "natatorium" used on swimming pool in the south and the pool is not enclosed. These are always popular because many fun filled days were spent at local swimming pools. Both of these postcards can be found in my Louisiana listings along with 10,000 additional post cards on my website Moody's Postcards. CATCH POSTCARD FEVER!! Your ticket to the past.

Thursday, October 16, 2008

Old Antique Vintage Postcards with Town Views

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Town views are very popular postcard subjects because people are looking for the town they grew up in or where their parents came from. The first one today is a 1936 Curt Teich bird's eye view of Ryan Street looking South from Pujo Street in Lake Charles Louisiana.

The second town view is a circa 1908 post card of Central Street showing downtown Winchendon Massachusetts with lots of shoppers out and about for a town of only 5,678 in that time frame. Both of the postcards can be found in my Louisiana and Massachusetts listings along with 10,000 additional post cards on my website Moody's Postcards. CATCH POSTCARD FEVER!! Your time machine awaits.

Wednesday, October 15, 2008

Old Antique Vintage 1908 Postcards Fairhaven Massachusetts

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Today I want to show you two beautiful stone buildings in Fairhaven Massachusetts. These circa 1908 post cards were printed in Germany and the back shows H. S. Hutchinson & Co. in New Bedford Massachusetts but the actual publisher is not shown. The first postcard shows the Unitarian Parsonage with an impressive combination of wood and stone.

The second post card shows an all stone Unitarian Parish House which has enough similar characteristics to the Parsonage to convince me that the two buildings were done by the same architect. Unfortunately, I could not find a postcard on the Unitarian Memorial Church to see if it had the same style.Both of these postcards are available in my Massachusetts listings along with 10,000 additional postcards on my website Moody's Postcards. CATCH POSTCARD FEVER!! Expand your horizons.

Friday, October 10, 2008

Old Antique Vintage Postcards of Augusta Georgia 1906-1908

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In today's fast paced world we often forget the "good old days" at the turn of the last century. Postcards will quickly reconnect you with the way it was and our first post card shows the Union Railroad Station in Augusta Georgia. This is a circa 1908 Illustrated Post Card Company product showing the rather large depot which reminds us that the railroad was the primary mode of people and goods within the country because it was fast, efficient, widely available and much faster and more comfortable than a horse and buggy or stage coach.

The second Augusta Georgia post card is a circa 1906 Raphael Tuck & Sons card and shows a "sand bar ferry" across the Savannah River which could carry several buggies or wagons as well as horse back riders. You can see a railroad bridge in the background but the ferry was the way for everyday traffic to cross the river. Both railroad depots and ferries are very popular subjects in the postcard world. Both of these vintage post cards are available in my Georgia listings along with 10,000 additional postcards on my website Moody's Postcards. CATCH POSTCARD FEVER!! Your ticket to the "good old days".

Wednesday, October 8, 2008

Old Antique Vintage Postcards of Michigan Bank Interiors

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Most post cards of buildings show the exterior so the ones that take you inside are of great interest to postcard collectors. The first old antique post card below was mailed in 1911 and shows the interior of the New Exchange Bank in Mt. Pleasant Michigan. It shows two enclosed teller windows on the right and a drinking fountain on the left built into the marble wall. Mt. Pleasant was a town of 3,972 people at this time which would explain the modest size of the bank.

The second vintage postcard was printed in 1923 by Curt Teich Co. and shows the much larger main banking room of the Grand Rapids National Bank in Grand Rapids Michigan. There are at least 9 teller windows visible, a down stairway in the right foreground and even the ceiling appears to be covered in marble. Both of these old postcards are available in my Michigan listings along with 10,000 additional post cards on my website Moody's Postcards. CATCH POSTCARD FEVER!! A postcard image is worth at least a thousand words.

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Monday, October 6, 2008

Michigan Old Antique Vintage Hotel Postcards 1906 & 1912

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Early 1900s hotel post cards make a great category to collect because they are plentiful, reasonably priced and usually beautiful. The first post card below is a circa 1906 view of the Park Hotel and Bath in Mt. Clemens Michigan which is unusually large and would probably be a four or five star hotel today.

The second postcard shows the somewhat smaller but beautiful and sizable four story Hotel Marquette in Marquette Michigan. This one is an E. C. Kropp postcard that was mailed in 1912. Both of these postcards are available in my Michigan listings along with 10,000 additional postcards on my website Moody's Postcards. CATCH POSTCARD FEVER!! Visit the world and enjoy the views.

Saturday, October 4, 2008

Old Antique Vintage Postcards of Birmingham Alabama

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We are going down south today to look at airports and country clubs. Our first stop is a 1931 Curt Teich linen post card with a great aerial view of Birmingham Alabama's "Million dollar airport". Considering this is from 77 years ago, the cost, size and number of airplanes is amazing but the security looks a little lax.

Our second stop in Birmingham is the Club Rex, a beautiful country club and one of several in the city in the 1940s. Shown is the back side of the country club and a spacious swimming pool for the members. Both of these post cards are available in my Alabama listings along with 10,000 additional postcards on my website Moody's Postcards. CATCH POSTCARD FEVER!! Visit the places on your "bucket list" today.

Thursday, October 2, 2008

Old Antique Vintage Tulia & Texas City Texas Postcards

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Today we are going back to my home state to visit a couple of small Texas towns. The first post card is a 1940s interior view of the Longhorn Inn showing the lunch counter complete with deer and cow horns on the wall and deer skins on the ceiling. What else would you expect in at the Longhorn Inn at 322 Texas Avenue in Texas City Texas? This is an exceptional postcard with lots going for it including small town, lunch counter, local business and lots of activity.

Our second small town is Tulia Texas with a population of 1,216 in the 1910 census and that is the year this post card was mailed. This is C. U. Williams postcard #7773 and is a great picture of the High School with a barbed wire fence around it to keep the kids in and cows out. C. U. Williams is one of my favorite publishers because his pictures are only found on his postcards and always have a great scene selection, focus and angle. They are easy to recognize by the unique lettering of the titles. Both of these post cards are available in my Texas listings along with 10,000 additional postcards on my website Moody's Postcards. CATCH POSTCARD FEVER!! The hobby where you can go back home.