Greenwood Cemetary

 

A bit of an apology on this one.  Stereoview cards have a curve to them.  The card stock on this one is thick, and so even after putting a couple of books on top, I still couldn't get the card flat, so the focus isn't as good as it should be.  

There is a caption on the back, "The widely known cemetery is situated on Gowanus heights and covers an area of 474 acres.  The number of bodies interred up to July, 1896, was 290,000 or an average of about 5,000 per annum since it was opened."  

The Keystone View Company was founded by B.L. Singley in 1892 in Meadville, Pennsylvania, and finally went under in 1963.  Keystone originally specialized in humor and entertainment but eventually pivoted to educational imagery. 

It's Only Fido

 

A bit of comic relief.  I have no idea how color is added to these old, photo-based postcards.  The photographic elements can be clearly seen, but the added color doesn't seem to be in the right place.  Perhaps some sort of offset printing process. 

So, this card was mailed and there is a message written on the back. "Rec. your card.  Glad to hear you are well.  Take care of yourself.  Love, Betty" It was mailed to "Mr. C. C. Barker, Box 80, Station 6, Toledo, Ohio."  And the postmarks, one from the sending post office, and one from the receiving. "CORRY, PA  5 PM, MAY 6, 1924" "TOLEDO, OHIO STA. 6., 430 PM, MAY 17, 1924."  

Corry is in Erie County, and not all that far from Toledo.  I guess the mails were slower back then. 

The Pennsylvania Turnpike

  

I have a high level of confidence that the original source material for this postcard was a photograph, so I'm posting it here rather than on my Fair Use blog that has some of the few bits of non-photographic ephemera that I've picked up over the years as well as all sorts of images I've found online. I'm guessing that this postcard has more interest for me rather than most visitors to the New Found Photography. I grew up in Pennsylvania and spent quite a few hours traveling on the Pennsylvania Turnpike. 

The turnpike was built in 1940 as the great depression was ending. It's a limited-use toll road that connects Philadelphia, Harrisburg, and Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania's three largest cities without actually going into those cities.  For those who hate getting stuck on interstate highways while crossing large urban areas, that was the original vision of President Eisenhower when he envisioned the interstate highway system, and the PA Turnpike, with its toll booths and limited entrances and exits, had to have been somewhat of an inspiration for the current highway system we have. The Pike starts on the Pennsylvania, New Jersey border at the Delaware River interchange and crosses into Ohio near the North Beaver Township tool booth. Monroeville, in Allegheny County, was the nearest entrance to where I grew up. Today, the Turnpike is designated I-76. 

This card was published by "C.T.ART COLORTONE." and was "DISTRIBUTED BY J. B. HOFFMAN & SON, HARRISBURG, PA."  The caption, "The Pennsylvania Turnpike, five miles west of Bedford, crosses over the Lincoln Highway.  The two lane road looks antiquated. Some distance past the Bedford "Interchange" the Turnpike crosses the Lincoln Highway again, runs past the ruins of the historic iron works at Everett, then crosses the Lincoln for the last time."  The Lincoln Highway was the first true interstate highway in the U.S. but not limited access or multi-lane. The Narrows mentioned on the front of the card is a gap in Evitts Mountain. The postmark, "CARLISLE PA OCT 24 7 PM 1951." 

There is a message written on the back. "Hi Dad, I am going to the hospital the 1st of the month am taking the whole month off. Hope to see you at Thanksgiving as we're expecting you. John C." It's addressed to John J. Hofaloom, apt. 6B, 442 Main St. Hartford, Conn."  I'm not 100% sure of dad's name. 

Along the Youghiogheny

 

Not the most exciting postcard in the world, but I grew up in western Pennsylvania, and while the Yough wasn't that close to me, I did some walking along the river.  The river actually starts in West Virginia, flows through Maryland before entering Pennsylvania.  It was damned in 1944, just north of the Pennsylvania border, but apart from that reservoir, it's mostly free-flowing.  I don't know exactly where this photograph was taken, so it could be in any of the three states, but it was published by "The Union News Company, New York and Pittsburgh" so I have a feeling that the location is near Unionville, PA.  Ohiopyle State Park in Pennsylvania was somewhere I liked to visit from time to time.  The Youghiogheny meets the Monongahela at McKeesport, PA.  The Mon meets the Allegheny in downtown Pittsburgh and forms the Ohio. 

R. E. Stadelman, The Snake Guy

 

Written on the back, "R.E. Stadelman & Todos Santos Indians at 116 Palace Hotel, Guat. City, Nov. 29, 1940.  R.E.S. & T.S."  There's also a processor's stamp, "Foto-Reinet, B766, Guatemala."  Every once in a while, I find a photo where I can actually do a bit of research.  I don't know what the R.E. stands for, but it looks like he was some sort of scientist.  The Smithsonian has at least one collection of gastropod shells in their collection that was found by Stadelman, dated February 1931.  There's also a stereo photo of Stadelman himself in the California state archive, captioned, "Mr. R. E. Stadelman of the laboratory who extracts venom from the snakes. H.K. Mulford Laboratories.  Glenolden, Pa."  Okay, a bit weird grammatically, but that's what it says, and the picture is of the same guy in this photo. The H.K. Mulford Corporation was founded by pharmacist Henry Kendall Mulford in Philadelphia, PA, in the late 1880s, and was sold to Sharp & Dohme in 1929, though the Mulford name was retained.  They had a laboratory complex located in Glenolden, PA, that made diphtheria, smallpox, and rabies vaccines, digitalis, and antivenin, hence the need for a snake guy.  

The Reading Pagoda

 

Navigate back to the beginning of the month, and you'll find a post about the Grand View Ship Hotel, a local tourist attraction from western Pennsylvania, not in Pittsburgh.  This is another postcard dedicated to a tourist site that I visited in my childhood, though, since it was on the other side of Pennsylvania, only once.  (For the life of me I can't remember why we ventured to the other side of the Appalachians.)  So, the caption on the back of the card, "READING'S PAGODA, Reading's pagoda is situated on the southwest extremity of Mount Penn at the terminus of Duryea Drive.  This unique structure is Reading's top tourist attraction and at an elevation of 886 feet above sea level and 620 feet above the city of Reading, it affords its many visitors an exceptional birds-eye view of the surrounding hills and suburbs of Reading, Pennsylvania."  Now why someone thought building a seven-story Japanese-style pagoda in Reading, Pennsylvania was a good idea, well I'll never know.  Built in 1908, as a luxury hotel, eventually, it fell on hard times and was purchased by the city.  Unlike the Grand View Ship Hotel, which burned down, it's still there.  

Erie Catholics 2

 

All three of these photos are labeled, "Elizabeth Gibson, Erie PA."  The same Elizabeth Gibson mentioned in the first post of this series as being a friend to Father Lester Quinn.  In addition, the first photo in the column also has this written on the back, "A typical jovial Tillie enjoying life abundantly. A heartfelt smile with a hearty chuckle."  I grew up near Erie, Pennsylvania.  I did a MapQuest to get mileage, and it came out to about 140 miles.  Of course, as is typical with the site, that route included a significant dogleg to pick up the interstate.  When we drove there, it was a straight shot on back roads, so fewer miles.  Too, there's a Gibson Park a dozen or so miles northeast of Erie, so I'm thinking the Gibsons may have been a prominent family.  If nothing else these photos give the appearance of financial wellbeing.  Click on Erie Catholics in labels to bring everything up. 

Erie Catholics 1

 

I haven't put up a multi-part collection in a while, so here goes.  There are only nine images, so I'll post three parts, three photos each.  I'll put them up without interrupting the series with other posts, and I'll label them all Erie Catholics so one click will bring them all up.  

Written on the back of the top photo, "Erie PA Father Raymond Quinn & Father Lester (?) Quinn-(special friend of Elizabeth Gibson) with their mother & 2 sisters."  The second photo, "On the O.L.S orphans outing June 1924.  Fr. Raymond Quinn, Erie, PA."  And the third, "Erie PA Mrs. Loval Gibson."  

So, brother priests?  The question mark may call the first name, Lester into question, but the writer seems sure of the last name.  My guess is all of these pictures were taken around the same time, perhaps not all in 1924, but certainly in the twenties.  Are the three women in the top photo mother and sisters of the priests?  Sure looks that way. Some of the pictures yet to be posted are labeled Elizabeth Gibson, and the older woman in the bottom photo isn't her.  Probably Mrs. Loval Gibson is Elizabeth's mother. 

The Grand View Ship Hotel

  

I used to visit this place when I was growing up.  I can remember that it was on the side of a mountain, and yes it was a pretty good view from the top.  We never stayed at the hotel, but we did eat in the restaurant and bought souvenirs in the gift shop.  The caption, "S.S. GRAND VIEW POINT SHIP HOTEL ON LINCOLN HIGHWAY 17 MILES WEST OF BEDFORD, PA.  ELEVATION 2,464 FEET.  GRAND VIEW SHIP HOTEL, at the most beautiful spot in U.S. Summit of Alleghany Mts. 17 miles west of Bedford, Pa. on Historic Lincoln Highway, overlooking 3 states and 7 counties.  Elevation 2,464 feet."  

Okay, I know that that is one messed up caption, but I've double-checked, and I have transcribed it as printed on the back of the card.  And by the way, I assume that people know that the hotel wasn't really a ship. It was an old roadhouse that had a ship's facade nailed on, made of wood, it eventually burned down. 

Music To My Ears 7

I had hoped to use the name of the act to hunt down some actual information about this duo but the best I could find was the location of The Hotel Penn Alto.  Philadelphia? Pittsburgh?  Nope, Altoona, home of the horse shoe curve rail tracks.  I've been to Altoona though it's been so long that I don't really have any memories of the place.  I figured that this picture was probably from the 1950's so I did look up some census numbers.  In 1950, 77,177.  In 1960, 69,407.  Basically, Altoona is one of those medium sized American cities that has been in a state of decline for a very long time.  The fact that the act was playing the hotel lounge in a small city hotel helps explain why this duo left almost no record of their careers.  Acts that headline in Altoona don't get a lot of recognition.  Still, it's almost impossible to make it in show business.  For every job, there are hundreds of talented performers capable of getting up on stage and entertaining people.  It's why so many of them quite and get a regular job.  Mary Reagan, or Ann Parker or whatever professional name she was using when this picture was taken actually made a living as a singer.  That's admirable.

Click on Music To My Ears in labels to see more.

More Swapped Photographers

 

Every time I run across a group shot, whether it's two, three or more people, I always know that one member of the group didn't make it into the frame.  The photographer just doesn't make the cut unless the camera gets passed around.  Now, these are very small prints.  I can cover them with my drivers license.  After I scanned them and they came up on the screen something didn't seem right to me.   So, I enlarged them as much as possible, and I think all four of these people are men.  I could be wrong, but I don't think I am.  Labeled, "Berwick, Pa 1919"  Berwick is near Wilks-Barre, anthracite country, lots of coal mines.

Welcome to the Civic Arena

This one brings back memories.   I grew up in  small town fifty or so miles from downtown Pittsburgh, just close enough to make the occasional visit to the big city.  The Civic Arena opened in 1961, the first major venue in the United States with a retractable roof.  I can remember making a visit not long after the building was completed.  We weren't there to see anything in particular, but just to walk around the building and take a look at the newest wonder in the city.  The original tenant was the Civic Light Opera, which despite it's name didn't stage operas so much as musicals.  Sadly, the acoustics were terrible, so seeing My Fair Lady at the Arena wasn't such a big deal.  Still, despite the echos, over the years, there were a lot of rock concerts there.  What the Civic Arena was really famous for was sports.  It started with the Pittsburgh Hornets of the AHL.  (1961-1967)  I saw the Hornets play there a few times.  With the first expansion of the NHL, the Pittsburgh Penguins became the first major league tenant.  I also saw quite a few Penguin games as well.  Dunc McCallum was my favorite from their first season.  In addition to the Penguins,  the Civic Arena was also home to basketball teams like the Pittsburgh Pipers, Condors, and Rens.  World Team Tennis, the Pittsburgh Triangles,  (I saw a few of their matches.)  Indoor soccer, roller derby, wrestling, and boxing.  The building closed and was demolished in 2010. 

The caption on the back, "Public Auditorium-Pittsburgh, PA.  The world's largest movable dome, as seen from the promenade deck atop the Gulf Building.  This all purpose sports arena, convention hall and auditorium-theater, built at a cost of 22-million dollars is one of America's engineering wonders.  The huge stainless steel roof, weighing more than 3,653 tons can be rolled back in two and one-half minutes, for open-air events such as operettas."  The card was never used.

Going to the Dogs

I've seen horse races on television and once, live.  I've never seen a dog race, and it doesn't look like I ever will.  In the last election Florida voted to ban the sport, and since 11 of the 17 dog racing tracks in the United States were in Florida, I suspect it's a dying sport.  I wonder what will happen to the greyhounds?

The message on the back, "The The weather is fine 78 to-day.  We will bring some sun shine home.  The nites are a little cool.  Saw Mrs. Olson Monday on our way down.  She is failing, but her mind is good.  She asked about every body.  Harry & Edna."  Addressed to, "Mr. & Mrs. Ernest Matson, Washington St, Ligonier, Pa 15658."  I'm always amazed that there was a time when someone could just write a street without a house number, and still have it delivered.  I wonder if the post office still does that?  Oh, and the postmark is dated "2 MAR 1973."  And yes, there are two the's at the beginning of the message.

 Ligonier is a fairly small borough in Pennsylvania, home to Fort Ligonier, or at least a reconstruction from the French and Indian War, and it's also close to Idyllwild, one of the oldest amusement parks in the country.  I can remember a single trip I made there as a child, about fifty years ago.

Vote For Hugh-Hugh's For You

At least that's what it says on the back of the card.  I was born in Pennsylvania, and for much of my early life, Hugh Scott, Jr. was my senator.  He was born in 1900, not in Pennsylvania, but Virginia.  After getting his law degree, he moved to Philadelphia, in 1922, and joined his uncle's law firm.  After World War 2, he entered politics.  After serving in the house of representatives, in 1959, he was elected to the U.S. senate.  He became minority leader of the senate in 1969.  He was one of the Republican senators who told Richard Nixon that it was time to go.  He was what was once known as a Rockefeller Republican, pro business, but liberal on social issues.  Despite his southern background, Scott was a supporter of civil rights and voted for all of the major civil rights legislation that came before congress during his tenure. 

Also on the back of the card, "Dear Friend:  U.S. Senator Hugh Scott has seniority and experience that work for us in Washington.

He fights for what is right, as in the Bobby Baker investigation and in the many bills he has cosponsored which are now law.  Both labor and industry have praised Hugh Scott for helping to create jobs for Pennsylvania. 

Don't trade his record for a promise.

Please remember to vote for your U.S. Senator Hugh Scott, on Tuesday, November 3.

Sincerely," 

The Aerotrain

What can I say?  I like trains.  The Aerotrain wasn't a very successful model.  Part of it was that the age of passenger rail was in the process of dying.  Part, despite the great styling, it wasn't a very good way to travel.  It was manufactured by General Motors and designed by their chief designer, Chuck Jordan.  The passenger cars were modified buses that ran on twin axles with air suspension.  The air suspension was supposed to give a smooth ride, sadly it did not. 

Only a few railroad lines bought the Aerotrain.  This postcard is from the Pennsylvania Railroad.  In 1956 the Aerotrain ran from New York City to Pittsburgh.  From 1956 to 1957, between Philadelphia and Pittsburgh.  This particular shot was taken near Paoli, PA and dated 1956, which would put it on the Philadelphia to Pittsburgh route.  It's credited to photographer Clarence Cade.  I found a lot of photos of his, on line, but no biographical information.

Light Rail In Pittsburgh

I grew up in a small town about fifty miles from downtown Pittsburgh.  We didn't make many trips to the city, but when we did, I always wanted to ride the trolleys.  My family looked at me like I was an idiot.  Why would anyone want to ride a trolley when they had a car.  I still ride light rail, in Los Angeles, and yes, I own a car.

The caption on the back, "PITTSBURGH 1653  Pittsburgh Railways PCC car 1635 on route 40, Mt. Washington negotiates the curve on Sycamore near Bertha, July 5, 1963.  R McMurdo photo-N.D. Clark Collection." 

Ladies, Parasols, and Burning Oil

It may be necessary to click on the image and bring it up in a bigger window to see, but there are ladies, with parasols who have come out to see the burning oil tank.  What a fun way to spend a sunny afternoon.  And for the record, I'd come out to watch a burning oil tank, though I would keep a greater distance.

Published by "HARRY H. HAMM, TOLEDO, OHIO." 

Pittsburgh and the Point Bridge

If I had thought this on going series of riverside postcards through, I would have posted this with the the Mount Washington Incline card.  Oh well, the rather spectacular looking bridge is long gone.  It's been replaced by a much more common looking structure.  However, downtown Pittsburgh, spelled with an H on the end is far more interesting.  A piece of advice, if you ever fly into Pittsburgh airport, wait until the sun goes down before entering the city proper.  The way the view opens up on exiting the Fort Pitt Tunnel, with the city lit up and the three rivers, is one of the great urban landscapes in the United States.

This card was sent to "Lewis C. Eames, North Bethel, Maine."  The message, "Sept 8, Dear L, You can sit in the swing chair with Myra or any chair if you come up 2 think.  Love B"  No idea if Myra would be coming with Lewis or if she lived with B.  Postmark, "GRAFTON MAINE, SEP 8, 1908."

Mt. Washington

I grew up in western Pennsylvania, and lived in Pittsburgh for a couple of years.  I rode the Mt. Washington Incline all the time.  Get to Pittsburgh, use the incline and get a great view of the city.

This is one of the old undivided back cards.  It was mailed to "Miss Josie Johnson, 301 West Erie St., Chicago Ill."  It was postmarked "BLAIRSVILLE PA FEB 19, 1907"  I grew up about 25 miles from Blairsville, and have been there hundreds of times.

Allegheny City

I have to confess, I would have never bought this postcard if it hadn't been of Allegheny Park.  I grew up about fifty or so miles from Pittsburgh, lived there for a few years, and visited this park, and yes it's still there, hundreds of time.

Allegheny Park was opened in 1867, in Allegheny City, a community that was first laid out in 1788.  It was annexed by Pittsburgh in 1907, and it was not voluntary.  One of the interesting things about this card is that it was mailed, and has a 1906 postmark, yet the park is identified as part of Pittsburgh, a year before the annexation became official.  Famous people born in Allegheny City; painter Mary Cassatt, dancer Martha Graham, poet Robinson Jeffers, Steeler founder Art Rooney, writer Gertrude Stein, and early film pioneer and director, Lois Weber.

The postmark is from Crafton, PA, "JUL 24, 10 AM, 1906,"  It was mailed to "Lillian Clark, Johnstown, Pa."  Think what the country was like when that was all that it took to deliver the mail.