Since the early 19th century, steamboats were the workhorses of the Mississippi River – carrying agricultural goods, manufactured products, and passengers throughout the middle of
Mrs. Ella Kinney lived in Taylorville, a city in Christian County of central Illinois. Taylorville is south of Springfield, and about 80 miles southwest of
Mrs. Charles Davis lived in Middletown, the largest city in Orange County of southeast New York State. (We recently saw a reference to Middletown in
The REO Speed Wagon was an early light- model truck, a forerunner of the pick-up truck. First manufactured in 1915 by Ransom Eli Olds (“REO”),
Miss Emma Bowes worked at the E. C. Nichols Company in Bangor, Maine. Bangor is large city and port in east-central Maine. Bangor is not
Sometime around 1910, Anna Mary Mann was given a postcard from George W. Gamble. Without an address or a postmark, it is very difficult to
Although Hawaii was annexed to the United States in 1898 and became a US Territory in 1900 (following a business-led overthrow of the Hawaiian monarchy),
Miss Pauline Fisher lived in Malden, a city in the hilly, woodland area north of the Mystic River in eastern Massachusetts. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Malden,_Massachusetts In September of
Mr. and Mrs. Anderson were traveling, and they sent a postcard photograph to their friends in New Jersey. The friends, Mr. and Mrs. Yanard, lived
In other postcard stories related to travel or road trips of the early 20th century, we have often noted that the majority of roads in
Miss Barbara Brauman lived in Buffalo, then a great center of industry and manufacturing on Lake Erie in western New York. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buffalo,_New_York In May of
Miss Carrie Gill lived in Cochranville, a charming populated place in Chester County – south of Parkesburg and northeast of Oxford. (This is a lovely
Polly and Mary Fritz were on a trip to New England. From their message, it appears that they lived in Union Mills, an unincorporated community
Broad Ripple is an area of the White River near Indianapolis. At the turn of the twentieth century, an amusement park, large bathing pool, and
Benjamin G. Stauffer lived near Lancaster, Pa. I believe that this is the same Benjamin Stauffer who received awards from his schoolteacher in 1910. In
Scranton, the largest city in northeast Pennsylvania, became an important center of the coal-mining and steel-making industries in the 19th century. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scranton,_Pennsylvania Vast quantities of
I love trains and train travel. If this nation had built upon the vast rail network that once connected the nation, we might enjoy a
Miss Ethyl Cox lived in Golden, Illinois – a village near the Mississippi River, at the westernmost part of the State (where Illinois “bulges” into
I have added this postcard illustration of balloons to the section on “Transportation” because the postcard represents the enormous public curiosity about airships that existed
In other postcard stories, we have looked at the role of railroads in the promotion of natural wonders – especially in National Parks. This linen
In an earlier postcard story, we saw a postcard photograph of the Whitefish Bay Resort on Lake Michigan. The resort was developed by the brewing
The story of Pan Am, once the largest and best-praised airline company in the world, is inherently interesting. The role of the clipper aircraft is
Readers of these Postcard Stories are well-aware of my nostalgic love of railroads. This postcard image shows a painting of Union Station in Chicago from
This postcard was not mailed, but I am sharing it because it reflects so well the popular enthusiasm for aircraft of all kinds in the
From the beginning of the automobile age, Americans also embraced the “road trip”. Early automobile associations were founded to promote “Good Roads” – indeed, the
Before the age of railroads, canals were the engines of trade and economic growth. They were the first large-scale infrastructure investments in the United States.
Howard Krueger lived in Ripon, the city in south-east Wisconsin. In September of 1936, Howard received a postcard from close friends or family members who
Mrs. N. D. Wright was living in Detroit, Michigan when she received a postcard from a friend who was traveling through Norfolk, Virginia. I cannot
Anna Mary Mann was a student at the Prospect Hill School. Her teacher was George W. Gamble. Sometime around 1910, Mr. Gamble presented a postcard
Miss Florence Dahm lived in Kinderhook, a lovely town in the Hudson Valley of New York State. As the name suggests, the town was first
Columbia was an important transportation hub throughout the 19th century. When the state of New York opened the Erie Canal in 1825, and construction began
Views of the RR bridge at the old Water Works for Lancaster, PA are not rare, but I recently found this night view that I
In December of 1925, William Dutton received a postcard greeting at his home in Harrisburg, PA. The postcard was mailed from Norfolk, Virginia by Chas.
We may have forgotten that the blimp or zeppelin was once a contender as a mode of international travel, rivaling the airplane. The Empire State
“Come away with me, Lucille, In my merry Oldsmobile…”. Circa 1908 The automobile changed the lives of Americans in dramatic ways. While some made fun
The Pennsylvania Railroad was the largest railroad company in the United States and operated hundreds of named trains. (The budget for the Pennsylvania Railroad was
We have seen several postcards related to blimps or zeppelins – the wonders of the sky in the early 20th century. (Other postcard stories featured
Here is an hand-colored, postcard photograph of Marietta Avenue, still a lovely drive westward from the city of Lancaster. The postcard was postmarked in Lancaster
Accustomed as we are to all manner of flying airships, it may be hard to imagine the mania that gripped the country with the appearance
Mr. Henry Coffman lived in Freeport, a borough of Armstrong County in the mountainous region northeast of Pittsburgh. Freeport lies on the Allegheny River and
The Pecos River flows from the Sangre de Cristo Mountains of New Mexico to the Rio Grande River near Del Rio, Texas. Near Del Rio,
At the end of the 19th century, a number of hotels, resorts, and taverns were erected on Neversink Mountain, one of the peaks overlooking the
In his documentary about our great National Parks (2009), Ken Burns noted that the railroads were great boosters of the efforts to create and maintain
The story of the Western Maryland Railroad illustrates how local railroad companies created an incredible network of rail connections across the United States. (I consider
In recent years of this century, I have ridden on Amtrak through the station at Norwood.Thus, I was excited to find this view of the
Some weeks ago, we looked at the Train Station in Norwood, Massachusetts- from which friendsdeparted after a visit to that town.Westfield is a community, adjacent
A few weeks ago, we read about the “Overland Express” – the famed train from San Francisco to Chicago.One feature of that historic route was
Sara lived in Lebanon, a city in the Lebanon Valley of south central, Pennsylvania – 26 miles east ofHarrisburg and 28 miles west of Reading.
The “Overland” railroad route between San Francisco and Chicago is one of the most-storied passages in US railroad history. After an intercontinental railroad line was
Harry S. may have intended to mail this postcard featuring a hand-colored photograph of the railroad terminal in Allentown. The photograph was made and published
Robert H. Coleman, iron magnate and once the richest man in Pennsylvania, was largely responsible for the development of Mount Gretna. The lovely spot was
I am astonished and envious when finding memorabilia related to the nation’s incredible transportation systems of the early 20th century. Readers of these postcard stories
The low-grade line across southern Lancaster County is one of the marvels of the Pennsylvania Railroad. I found this image with a lot of old
In south central Pennsylvania, where one still sees the grey buggies of conservative religious sects, it may not be as hard to imagine how ubiquitous
This handsome Station in the Beaux Arts style was erected in 1911, so it was the “new” station when this postcard was mailed in 1913.
Those of us who love to travel by train are often overcome by a deep longing to experience the days in which all major towns
I found this postcard, an uncolored photograph without attribution of the photographer, in an antique shop in Columbia, PA. Historians in the Facebook Group, “Trolleys,
The Train in the City – Carlisle, PA (circa 1920) These postcard images of trains are often posted with feelings of regret that rail connections
A Truss Bridge Near Ephrata, PA I found an uncolored postcard photograph of a “Rural Scene Lancaster County, Penna.” The photograph shows horses pulling a
The Railroad Station in Gettysburg – circa 1910 My laments about the tragic decline of railroad networks may be tiresome to readers. But, here is
Pennsylvania Canal and Bridge at Columbia This postcard, printed in the United States in the first years of the 20th century, bears a legend, “Pennsylvania
The B & O Railroad – circa 1910 Many people remember the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad only as one of the four railroads in the
Riding a Bicycle – York County (1908) Until the automobile became ubiquitous, the bicycle was the favored form of mechanical travel in the US. Improvements
Harry Kendig Writes to His Mother in Safe Harbor, PA – 1913 In September of 1913, Harry Kendig was in Erie, Pennsylvania and “so busy
Lil Explores the Mountains of Colorado – 1925 Lil was in Denver for a few days, but she was planning rail excursions into the mountains.
The Rotary International Convention -1926 Rotary Clubs are found around the world, bringing together professional people in many disciplines to support civic improvements and to
Tellings stories from the past.