So much freight was moved by railroads during the early 20th century that a job category of “Expressman” (originally, the security guard for gold, currency, and valuables shipped in the special Express Car of the railroad) was enlarged to describe the multitude of men involved in the loading, shipping, delivery, and warehousing or storage of merchandise.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Expressman
After World War I, an enormous number of young people were on the move- especially from farms and rural settlements to places where factories and offices were hiring.
The popular song of the early 20’s, “How Ya Gonna Keep ’em Down on the Farm (After They’ve Seen Paree)” reflected an actual shift in population patterns.
With people and goods on the move, there was significant growth of secure moving and storage facilities constructed in cities of the early 1900’s.
In Chicago, where a cataclysmic fire destroyed much of the city in 1871, the promotion of “fireproof” storage was a necessity.
The David Company erected a fireproof storage facility in 1916.
The building still stands and has a brick nameplate of the David Company although the space has been re-purposed.
A Wikimedia free-use photograph of the structure:
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:David_Fireproof_Storage_Warehouse_(37851600374).jpg
This colorful postcard was printed circa 1920, and appears to be a “change of address” notice for persons who used the services of the David Company.
I found this nice example of printing in a bin of old paper, and efforts to find the David Company led down the internet rabbit hole of “express men”, the history of storage, and population changes after World War I.
It is not clear why this postcard was never used.
One hopes that those who consigned goods to storage completed their relocation or change of address without difficulty.
