Catalog Search Results
Author
Series
Language
English
Description
The town of Lake Ronkonkoma began as a small farming community. By the 1870s, the lake's reputation as a vacation destination was spreading among wealthy New York City residents. The completion of the Long Island Motor Parkway in 1911 made the lake accessible to early automobile enthusiasts, and over time, as more could afford automobiles, the rich and poor alike flocked to its sparkling shores for swimming, boating, and fishing. In 1921, local businessman...
2) New London
Author
Series
Language
English
Description
Founded in 1646 and known as "the Whaling City," New London has played an important role in American history since Colonial days. Its natural harbor at the mouth of the Thames River connects the city to the sea. Around the turn of the 20th century, New London flourished as the hub of southeastern Connecticut. With roots as one of the main ports for the whaling industry, the city became home to a wealthy summer resort called the Pequot Colony. Over...
3) Malden
Author
Series
Language
English
Description
By the turn of the 20th century, Malden had become a fairly large city and was home to wealthy families, immigrants, and workers. Farms disappeared as factories and businesses of all types and sizes grew. Elisha Converse, the city's first mayor and founder of the Boston Rubber Shoe Company, left his mark on Malden by funding a public library and hospital and designating land for development of Pine Banks Park. A vibrant downtown emerged at the intersection...
Author
Series
Language
English
Description
For nearly four centuries, St. Mary's County has been called "the land of pleasant living." The county's fertile fields and pristine waters invite visitors and natives alike to revel, relax, and renew. As the "Mother County" of Maryland, St. Mary's has a rich written history dating from 1634, when George and Leonard Calvert established the first American settlement founded on the principle of religious tolerance. After surviving British raids during...
5) Midland
Author
Language
English
Description
On the southern edge of the vast Llano Estacado, Midland began as a midpoint along the Texas and Pacific Railway. From its earliest days, entrepreneurs like the Scharbauers and Henry Halff built a city based upon their dreams. Land speculators, ranchers, farmers, financiers, oilmen, investors, and engineers each placed their own unique brands on Midland's landscape. Over time, the community earned a variety of nicknames--Windmill Town, Land of the...
6) La Crosse
Author
Series
Language
English
Description
La Crosse is situated between the Mississippi River and the picturesque bluffs of the Driftless Area. Founded in the 1840s, La Crosse's location at the intersection of three rivers attracted entrepreneurs. Fertile farmlands, scenic coulees, and prosperous industries enticed adventurous East Coasters and immigrants to settle in the area. From the 1850s to early 1900s, a boomtown atmosphere shaped the city's culture and fueled the construction of a...
7) Bisbee
Author
Series
Language
English
Description
Visually, the Bisbee of today remains a community frozen in time, with Main Street retaining its character from 1910. The discovery of copper deposits in the Mule Mountains brought forth a wealth that enabled a substantial community. Profitable mining ventures and a need for labor drew thousands of miners from around the world to work in Bisbee. These individuals added a distinct flavor to the area. Like countless other Western mining camps, Bisbee...
8) Winfield
Author
Series
Language
English
Description
Occupying land along the Walnut River that once belonged to the Osage Indians, Winfield grew from a small settlement in the early 1870s to a bustling center of culture by 1909, when it was called the "Little Athens of Kansas." Its colleges, picturesque limestone buildings, homes, churches, trolleys, and annual Winfield Chautauqua Assemblies were ideal subjects for the picture postcards popular at the time. These cards, which provided a window to the...
Author
Series
Language
English
Description
Following the establishment of Rocky Mountain National Park in 1915, promotional campaigns generated by the railroads lured wealthy travelers to the park with images of the great outdoors and the many luxuries offered by the finest hotels. Postcards were circulated proclaiming the park as the "Playground of the World." The gateway communities of Estes Park and Grand Lake became vibrant hospitality centers, and in 1920, when the two towns were connected...
10) Swannanoa Valley
Author
Series
Language
English
Description
The Swannanoa Valley lies to the east of Asheville, North Carolina, and is surrounded by some of the highest mountains in the eastern United States. The eastern boundary of the valley follows the crest of the Blue Ridge Mountains, and travelers entering through the Swannanoa Gap emerge into the beautiful "Land of the Sky." In the 1900s, multiple large religious assemblies were founded here. Montreat, Ridgecrest, the YMCA Blue Ridge Assembly, and Christmount...
11) Boise
Author
Series
Language
English
Description
Boise was founded on the Oregon Trail in 1863, shortly after the opening of Fort Boise, which was built to protect the gold that had recently been discovered in the Boise Basin around Idaho City. By the late 1800s, Boise had a very large downtown infrastructure, and it saw the addition of many multistoried buildings after 1900. In the late 1960s though the 1970s, Boise experienced a major urban renewal project with many of the historic buildings being...
12) Kalamazoo
Author
Series
Language
English
Description
Kalamazoo experienced a dramatic transformation during the first decades of the 20th century. Its factories churned out a wide variety of products, and the downtown area was being rapidly transformed by the addition of new skyscraper office buildings, hotels, department stores, theaters, parks, and government buildings. These turn-of-the-century developments coincided with the popularity of picture postcards. Not only did postcards offer a convenient...
Author
Series
Language
English
Description
The Hocking Hills is a term given to the area in southeastern Ohio located predominately in Hocking County. Millions of tourists visit the valley each year to experience the primary feature of the Hocking Hills: the beautiful and historic cave system that stands today as it has for eons. From 1900 to 1950, the caves were a popular subject for postcard images, and town and country residents who lived and worked in this area were captured on vintage...
Author
Series
Language
English
Description
For centuries, Presque Isle served as a way station for Native Americans and explorers. Lumbering and shipping led to the development of wooding stations along the Lake Huron shore, where settlements emerged. The roads created by loggers eventually led to the building of resorts and hotels for tourists. Postcard History Series: Grand Lake and Presque Isle explores Burnham's Landing, the abandoned community of Bell, Presque Isle's two renowned lighthouses,...
15) Caledonia County
Author
Series
Language
English
Description
Caledonia County, located in Vermont's "Northeast Kingdom," comprises 17 towns and villages. Early settlers cleared heavily forested land, and communities slowly took form. Businesses such as mills and factories emerged along the many rivers. Each town and village had many special attributes-Ricker's sawmill in Groton cut timbers until 1965, Peacham provided granite for monuments across the country, and St. Johnsbury manufactured goods like scales...
16) Augusta
Author
Series
Language
English
Description
Built in 1754 on the eastern bank of the Kennebec River, Fort Western became one of the first permanent settlements in what would eventually become Augusta and, in 1827, the capital of Maine. Through innovations in publishing by Gannett & Morse and Vickery & Hill, textiles by the Edwards Manufacturing Company, and lumber production along the Kennebec, Augusta thrived and prospered. Water Street flourished into the business and cultural center of the...
17) Bennington
Author
Series
Language
English
Description
Nestled in the southwest corner of Vermont, Bennington is rich in history and natural beauty. On August 16, 1777, the Green Mountain Boys and militia from surrounding states defeated British troops at the Battle of Bennington. Like other small towns in New England, this agricultural community soon found its waterways dominated by large factories. When manufacturing declined in the early 1900s, the town reinvented itself as a tourist destination. Postcards...
Author
Series
Language
English
Description
Philadelphia: South of Market and East of Broad offers a whirlwind journey to the older regions of the city. Along the way, readers will travel the length of South Broad Street from city hall toward the Naval Yard and the former sports complex and will wander by Market Street's former bustling shops-such as Gimbel's, Wanamaker's, and Leary's quaint bookstore-to the street's terminus at the Delaware River port and the Camden ferries. They will become...
Author
Series
Language
English
Description
Texas Oil and Gas documents in postcards the rapid growth of the Texas petroleum industry from its beginnings near Corsicana in the 1890s through the next several decades of oil booms throughout the state. The young 20th century opened with the Lucas Gusher at Spindletop in 1901. Thousands rushed from the oilfields of Pennsylvania, Ohio, and West Virginia to find work and riches. Continued drilling success along the Texas Gulf Coast transformed Houston...
20) Roycroft Campus
Author
Series
Language
English
Description
The history of the American Arts and Crafts movement is embodied in the Roycroft community. Founded by Elbert Green Hubbard, the Roycroft is more than just a National Historic Landmark in the charming village of East Aurora, New York. Roycroft's artisans and craftspersons flourished from 1898 to 1938, producing some of America's best and most important crafts, furniture, and books. This visual history through postcards and motto cards produced by...
Didn't find it?
Can't find what you are looking for? Suggest a purchase. Submit Request