Free Travel in Texas

From the back:  "Discover the fun, the contrast, the world of difference awaiting you in Texas -- America's Fun-tier!  A colorful packet of Texas travel materials -- where to go, what to do and see -- is yours free!  Just fill in your name and address below, and mail this postcard."

Just don't get sick while you're there:
http://www.nydailynews.com/life-style/texas-ranked-worst-nation-health-care-gov-t-agency-article-1.1109193

An Exercise on the Piano

The caption is a little hard to read, but it says "An Exercise on the Piano."  Postmarked on the back in 1909, this was about as titillating as you could get at that time!

Three Little New England Libraries

Three old libraries with lots of character.

In Rockland, ME, the library was one of the Andrew Carnegie libraries, built in 1903-1904. 

Carnegie librariew were built with money donated by Andrew Carnegie, the Scottish-American businessman and philanthropist.  Almost 1,700 were built in the United States between 1883 and 1929, with money made available to towns through a grant system.  By 1919, half of the libraries in the US were built using Carnegie grants.

The Calais, ME library was built in 1892  .The yellow brick building, designed by A.H. Vinal, was constructed at the cost of slightly over $10,000 and was first opened to the public on July 4, 1893. Vinal was greatly influenced by the architectural style of Henry H. Richardson, designer of Boston's famed Trinity Church.

 

In Laconia, NH, the Romanesque Revival-styled library was originally a gift of Napoleon Bonaparte Gale, a local banker who died in 1894.  Construction began in 1901 and the buidling was dedicated in 1903.  

All three libraries are still in action today.  They have additions, but they're in the style of the original buildings.  Way to preserve these great architectural gems of the past!

Pool Party!

Come with me to the Catskills for a Pool Party!

The top card is from the Hotel Zeiger in Fallsburg, NY.  The back of this card advertises "Best in entertainment -- sports -- accommodations and cuisine.  Dietary laws observed.  Beautiful Aquacade Pool and Sun Deck."  This resort later became the Eldorado, then the Palms.  Some say it then became a religious bungalow colony, but for the most part it's abandoned.

The middle card is from the Concord Hotel in Kiamesha Lake, NY.  At its peak, it had 1,500 rooms and was one of the larger hotels in the Catskills.  For sad pictures of this resort in ruins, use this link: http://www.uer.ca/~bratchny/catskills/12530/.  As of recently, however, Concord owner Louis Cappelli has been negotiating with the casino company Mohegan Sun to revive his defunct luxury hotel and racino plan on the site of the one-time jewel of Catskill resorts.  Let's see what the future brings!

The bottom card is from the Raleigh Hotel, in South Fallsburg, NY, another Catskill classic.  This one is still in business, focusing on Orthodox Jewish clientele.  Surprise!

Beach Time!

Memorial Day Weekend is the start of the Summer Tourist Season in Maine.  A great place to visit is Old Orchard Beach, a pristine white sand beach that has been hosting summer visitors since the 1860's.

The newest of this trio of cards is the linen one, with the dozen bathing beauties -- a dozen good reasons to visit Old Orchard Beach, so the card claims.

Slightly older is the middle card, the white border card of children enjoying their ponies on the beach.  Throughout its life, the beach has not only been home to ponies, but to airplane and automobile races as well.

The oldest card is postmarked 1908.  Like the first,it shows swimmers in the beach garb of the day.  Slightly more coverage than today!

Two Men - Two Guitars

I know nothing about these two men, posing with their guitars, in front of an old horse-drawn wagon.  They look proud -- the man on the right is nearly smirking.  I wonder how they sound?

Twin Lobsters

Here's a pair of lobster postcards to whet our appetites for these delectable crustaceans!

The first is a nice linen card from Boone's Restaurant in Portland, Maine, my home town.  The locals don't eat at Boone's -- it's for the tourists, so the man with the bib on is definately "from away."

The second card is from Eugene's Seafood, at the Hotel Juneau in Milwaukee.  I have seen other postcards on the web for Eugene's, but this is the only one I've seen with a photo of him and his trusty manager Mrs. J. W. Pfeifer.  The back has a nice description of the place:

When in Milwaukee, Stop at...Eugene's Hotel Juneau.  Milwaukee's Lake Cooled All Modern Hotel.  807-15 East Wisconsin Avenue.  Downtown overlooking the Lake.  Beautiful Juneau Park, Elks Club and one-half block from C. & N. W. Depot.  Rates with bath $1.75 and up; without bath less.  Convenient parking space.  Famous for sea food.  No larger variety anywhere.  Air conditioned dining rooms. Coffee Shop, Tavern and Lobby.  Recommended by Duncan Hines.