Bird's Eye View of Covington, VA

Uncirculated

Published by Curteich

Postcard Caption

Bird's-Eye View of Covington, Va.

Covington, Virginia was named after General Leonard Covington who was a noted leader in the War of 1812 and friend to James Madison and Thomas Jefferson.

City Website

He Can Eat Just About Anything Now

Postmarked 26 August 1952

Lancaster, Pennsylvania

Postcard Caption:

"Amish" Going to Market, Lancaster County, Pa.

Postcard Message:

Dear ---, Ines and I just got done with my ironing. Want to go to market(?) Ray went to D-S Mon and he can eat just about anything now course he must be careful but I'm so glad he seems better. More cheerful. He pushed the mower yesterday and it didn't seem to hurt him. You didn't tell me what time you will be in on sat eve. I'll order your ham today so they will be sure and have it on Fr. See you soon. / Love Lola

The Amish who settled in Lancaster County over 300 years ago still reside there living by the same traditions, including transportation by horse-drawn carriage. 

Giving This City the Run-Around

Postmarked 3 July 19XX

Baltimore, Maryland

Postcard Caption:

Night View of Baltimore, showing the city agleam after dark. This is the famous city where "The Star Spangled Banner" was born.

Postcard Message:

Dear Bessie and family - : / Sis, Manella, -lare, and I are really giving this city the run-around. Tell you more when I see you. / Mabel

Linen night views are among my favorite vintage postcards. I love the rich contrasting colors!

Last fall, I went to Baltimore for a quick trip to a conference. The night views were spectacular:

University of Chicago Football Team

Uncirculated

Published by Franklin Post Card Co., Chicago Ill.

Postcard Caption:

University of Chicago, Marshall Field, Football Team, Chicago.

I paid too much for this postcard, but I couldn't resist. I'd never seen the design before, and I had to have it. By the time I attended Chicago, we had a small football team. University President Robert Maynard Hutchins' infamous 1939 ban on athletics in favor of academics had come and gone. Under the first coach, Amos Alonzo Stagg, the football team enjoyed incredible success. That UC boasted the first Heisman Trophy winner gave some students pride, others a fun fact to pass on during trips home. 

University of Chicago Football Game, early 1900s, Library of Congress

Not too long after the 1939 ban, Enrico Fermi, Professor of Physics, oversaw the first controlled, self-sustaining nuclear reaction. The testing facility was built under Stagg Stadium (on a squash court, I read).

Argonne National Laboratory

Currently, the site is commemorated with a statue, Nuclear Energy, by Henry Moore.

References

• The Forgotten Ghosts of College Football - The Wall Street Journal
• Sports History - The Chicago Maroon

Marcellus Shale Documentary Project

I love it when our school's gallery distributes postcards to advertise new exhibits. The newest upcoming exhibit, the Marcellus Shale Documentary Project, archives the impact of hydraulic fracking on communities in Pennsylvania. 

A Study in Knees

Postmarked 11 November 1949
Callahan, Florida

Postcard Caption:

FRONT: Study in Knees at Cypress Gardens in Beautiful Florida 159

BACK: STUDY IN KNEES AT CYPRESS GARDENS Cypress knees come up from the roots of the trees in fantastic and gnarled shapes but never grow to be trees, only acting as breathers, the same as leaves do on other tress.

Postcard Message:

Nov 9 / Dear friend / We are buzzing along north of Miami Fla. Frank and I went deep sea fishing one day. He got 2 fish, I got a sun burn. But we had fun. I sure hate to go back tot he cold weather It is 85° here today. / Love / Thelma

I just returned from Orlando, Florida, home of Disneyworld. I was there for a conference, though, so while I did spend time with a number of friends, I didn't see anything more exciting than the inside of a hotel meeting room.

St. John's Bridge

Uncirculated

Published by Angelus Commerical Studio, Portland, Oregon

POSTCARD CAPTION:

FRONT: U.S.S Portland Passing Under St. John's Bridge, Portland, Oregon

BACK: The St. John's Bridge was completed in June, 1931, at a cost of $4,250,00, and its span of 205 feet above the Willamette River is sufficient to allow any type of vessel to pass under it. The Bridge is 3,833 feet in length.

According to Wikipedia, when the St. John's Bridge was constructed, it boasted:

• the highest clearance in the nation
• the longest prefabricated steel cable rope strands
• the tallest steel frame piers of reinforced concrete
• the first application of aviation clearance lights to the towers
• the longest suspension span west of Detroit, Michigan.