Travel

Philadelphia Neighborhoods is a compendium of historic views of the major residential sections of Philadelphia.

This book presents a snapshot into the past when old neighborhoods were not so old and when currently established ones were as yet new construction. Through the medium of postcards, readers are invited back to an era before automobiles dominated the streets, before many city roads were paved, and when the local grocery store was not located in a mall. Using chapters divided into subsections that detail the various regions of North, South, Southwest, and West Philadelphia, as well as the ""new"" Northeast Philadelphia, the author chronicles the vibrant, diverse communities that have helped shape the city's rich history.

Railroads and steel helped build the towns of Mahoningtown and New Castle, and then became a leading producer of tinplate and fireworks.

Founded in 1798, New Castle was a small borough located at the confluence of the Shenango River and Neshannock Creek. Mahoningtown, a small borough located just south of New Castle, was a thriving community founded in 1836. The two towns boasted flourishing industries, and in 1896, a trolley line was created to run between them. In 1898, Mahoningtown officially became the seventh ward of New Castle. By that time, New Castle was a third-class city, and railroads and steel were the area's major industries. Eventually many important products were manufactured here, including both Castleton and Shenango China, which were used in the White House. New Castle became known first as the tinplate capital of the world and, later, as the fireworks capital of the world. The stunning postcards featured in New Castle and Mahoningtown document the fusion of these two communities. Among the memorable views are the diverse scenery and amusements of Cascade Park and the parade for baseball manager Chuck Tanner, who led the Pittsburgh Pirates to their fifth World Series.

Until the opening of the Erie Canal in 1825, Buffalo was a sleepy town. Access to an abundant supply of fresh water led to a thriving farming industry, provided a means of transportation, and powered mills and factories.

Adding to the hustle and bustle of the city's busy new harbor was Joseph Dart's local invention of the grain elevator. Buffalo's location on Lake Erie, and its growth during the second industrial revolution, helped the city become the eighth largest in America and established it as the Queen City. It has been home to future presidents and inventors who have influenced millions. The city's original radial street design, the layout of its parks, and its majestic architecture make Buffalo fascinating and unique.

Kennett Square features vintage photographs which document the history of this Baltimore community.

Kennett Square, the mushroom capital of the world, began its long history as a mere crossroads on the Philadelphia to Baltimore road in the early 18th century. With the arrival of the railroad in 1859, the area grew to become a major agricultural and manufacturing center. It also produced some noteworthy individuals, including author Bayard Taylor, New York Yankee Herb Pennock, and several inventors. Kennett Square highlights many postcard and photographic images from the period 1890 to 1930. Many of the buildings shown are now gone, but thanks to the golden age of postcards, Kennett Square's historic scenes can still be enjoyed.

  A tiny hamlet on the Hudson River, Garrison has deep roots in our nation's history.

Author George Carroll Whipple III has compiled beautiful images of this tiny hamlet and made efforts toward restoring to its former grandeur the iconic 1881 Castle Rock, the estate of William Henry Osborn, a visibly prominent and renowned landmark for all who reside in or visit Garrison. Many wealthy New Yorkers such as William Henry Osborn, Edwards Pierrepont, and Hamilton Fish built their impressive summer estates here and many of those manors still stand today.

Page by page, picture by picture, step back in time and discover the remarkable history of Evanston.

Enjoy a trip through historic Evanston. See how Davis Street and Sherman and Orrington Avenues appeared around the beginning of the 20th century. Learn how Fountain Square has evolved and how the Merrick Rose Garden is connected. See Northwestern University as it was founded, along with early Evanston's lakefront, city hall, library, and post office. Many of the buildings shown in this book are still standing, while others have been demolished. In some postcard views the stately elm trees of later decades are seen as saplings. The Library Plaza Hotel, North Shore Hotel, and Georgian Hotel are here as well, along with the historic schools, churches, train depots, and, of course, Grosse Point Lighthouse, which all helped shape the city in its formative years.

The Mid Mon Valley celebrates the interesting history of this Pennsylvania community through a collection of striking postcards from the twentieth century.

As the Monongahela River snakes north into Pennsylvania, it twists into horseshoe bends and has few straight stretches. Tucked into these curves are a series of small towns that represent America at its best. The river, which is one hundred and twenty-eight miles long, is divided into regions by local residents, and the mid section encompassing the communities of Brownsville, California, Belle Vernon, Charleroi, Monessen, Donora, and Monongahela is known as the Mid Mon Valley. What unites this region, in addition to a common landscape and common architecture, is a heritage of ethnic pride, industrial achievement, and championship sports teams. The Mid Mon Valley celebrates this history through a collection of striking postcards from the twentieth century.

From 1631 to the present, Old Orchard Beach has had a singularly rich history among New England's summer communities.

Old Orchard was originally a small seacoast farming community nestled on the shore of Saco Bay. When the railroad came in 1873, the coast exploded into one of the grandest Victorian settings in Maine. It boasted famous religious camp meetings, transatlantic flights, big bands, big fires, harness racing, and automobile racing on the beach. The Kennedy family, Bette Davis, Fred Allen, Rosa and Carmen Ponselle, Pierre Trudeau, and Charles Lindbergh all rejuvenated themselves in this community. Old Orchard Beach is still a vacation mecca, and residents and visitors alike will find enjoyment and education within these pages.

Author Daniel E. Blaney was born in Old Orchard Beach and still lives in the house he was born in. He has been a member of the Old Orchard Beach Historical Society since 1970 and has served as its president, vice president, trustee, and historian.

A collection of rare and vintage postcards explores the history of New Jersey's largest city.

New Year's Day 1900 heralded the beginning of Newark's Golden Age-the heyday of the city's diverse population, beautiful mansions, varied industries, and prosperous insurance, leather, and jewelry companies. Newark's crystal-clear water attracted some thirty-five breweries, including P. Ballantine & Sons and Hensler's. Frederick Law Olmsted developed Branch Brook Park, the first county park in the United States. Transportation for industrial and personal use was booming, with barges, ships, trains, and trolleys running continually. Called ""the City of Churches,"" Newark became known for the numerous houses of worship used by its residents. Educational institutions grew, paving the way for the many schools and colleges in existence today. Newark: The Golden Age explores New Jersey's largest city through rare vintage postcard views that will captivate residents and visitors alike.

Sharing its name with a notorious ancient city, Babylon village has been the home harbor of Long Island baymen, a post–World War II suburban boomtown, and the birthplace of the nation's first professional black baseball team.

The modern village is well known for its picturesque Argyle Park and flourishing downtown, but it was once revered as a vacation resort destination for those near and far. The community has evolved from decades of residents, visitors, and experiences that have contributed to and created the history of Babylon village, one of the oldest established communities on the South Shore of Long Island.

The history of West Virginia is the story of coal and the people whose lives are forever changed by it.

Coal was mined in Southern West Virginia even before the state's birth in 1863 but was mostly consumed within a few miles of where it was dug. When the railroads arrived on the scene, they not only provided a means of getting that coal to market, they also brought in trainloads of workers to the sparsely populated region. With the mines generally located in remote, out-of-the-way spots, operators were forced to build housing for those workers and their families, as well as company stores, schools, and churches- everything needed in a small community. Overnight, the nation's demand for coal turned sleepy, little places in Southern West Virginia into boomtowns and helped cities such as Charleston and Huntington grow and prosper as gateways to and from the coalfields.

Beginning as a humble Army fortification in the 1790s, Fort Wayne became the second largest city in the state, as well as the cultural and economic center of northeastern Indiana.

Founded at the confluence of three rivers--the St. Mary's, St. Joseph, and the hence formed Maumee--Fort Wayne stands astride a rich and storied history that begins with the 1792 order issued by George Washington for Major General ""Mad"" Anthony Wayne to secure and construct a permanent fortification at the headwaters of the Maumee. Wayne arrived on September 17, 1794, and the fortification was dedicated as Fort Wayne that October. When the military garrison abandoned the fort in 1815, the town became an important frontier outpost by 1829 with only a population of 300 people. Bolstered by travelers on riverboats and later railroads, Fort Wayne was hit hard by the Great Depression, but bounced back in the post-World War II economic boom. In the 200-plus years of the city's history, it has become an icon of Midwest gumption, weathering many highs and lows, becoming a hub for both sports and cultural arts while a thriving city of over 250,000 people has emerged.Postcard History Series: Fort Waynecelebrates the growth and success of this city during the first half of 20th century.

Few roads can match Route 20's beauty, history, or contribution to New York's vitality. In 1926, Route 20 became a federal highway and evolved into New York's foremost east-west road. But unlike most early highways, it has survived almost completely intact. The story of Route 20 is told through more than 200 vintage postcards showing scenes from the Shaker communities in Columbia County to the Lake Erie Shore. The postcards show the personality of the road: main streets, the Finger Lakes, and scenic vistas. Not to be forgotten are the tourist courts, hotels, diners, and gas stations that made travel possible.

In The Revolutionary War in Bergen County, Carol Karels and her team of scholars weave a masterful account of the war in northeastern New Jersey. Here in Bergen County General Washington took the young Marquis de Lafayette under his wing; here in Bergen County the future antagonists Aaron Burr and Alexander Hamilton were baptized by fire; here in Bergen County families--in a prelude to the Civil War--split bitterly along Loyalist and Patriotic lines. From Washington's miraculous November 1776 retreat to the Delaware to the beginning of the Continental Army's epic August 1781 march to destiny at Yorktown, The Revolutionary War in Bergen County, comprehensively encompasses one of the Revolutionary War's most dramatic and pivotal fronts.

Shoreham and Wading River is an illustrated tale of two good neighbors vividly told through the magic of historic postcards.

Wading River, settled by New Englanders in 1671, is reminiscent of a classic New England town with its steepled Congregational Church, village green, ancient cemetery, horse farms, and colonial homes. Shoreham, settled at the turn of the last century, went high-tech with the arrival of brilliant inventor Nikola Tesla and his famous tower and laboratory and highbrow as an eastern outpost of the Gold Coast. The two communities are linked by geography and shared traditions, such as a railroad line (sadly abandoned in 1938), a beautiful beach for summer fun, summer camps galore, an equestrian tradition, and glorious tennis--an unbroken rivalry since 1924. Postcards are from the Shoreham Village historical archives, the Wading River and Suffolk County Historical Societies, and private collections.

In November 1834, Capt. Gilbert Knapp staked a claim to 141 acres at the mouth of the Root River, naming it Port Gilbert. This site became the city of Racine.

During the pioneer years, Racine was dubbed "the Belle City" of the Great Lakes (from the French word belle, meaning "beautiful"). The growth of this beautiful city and its harbor was captured in vintage postcards at a time when people sent little notes and messages to friends and family the way people use e-mail and cell phones today. These cards are like vignettes showing the changes that have taken place since one century ago - a pictorial documentation of Racine preserved for future generations to enjoy.

Discover the history of these beautiful islands on the Gulf Coast and how they became the eminent destination for shell seekers worldwide.

Sanibel Island was opened to homesteading in 1888, four years after the Sanibel Island Light Station was completed, and boats ranging from steamers to schooners were drawn to the islands. The islands' prairie-like savannahs, where the threat of freeze was rare, were perfect for farming. Inns and hotels appeared to service newcomers who came to stake a homesteading claim, fish for silver king tarpon, or explore the tropical frontier. Others came seeking seashells, as Sanibel and Captiva Islands were legendary among shell collectors everywhere.

Postcard images from the late 19th century to the mid-20th century show historic scenes of the first city established in Pennsylvania.

From the late 19th century until the mid-20th century, Chester was a bustling hub of industry, historic sites, tourist attractions, and entertainment. The first city established in Pennsylvania, Chester was famous for its many mills. The area was also home to a major shipbuilding center, the Sun Ship Corporation, as well as other industries, including the Chester Brewery and Blue Naphtha brand soap. The postcards in Chester showcase historic scenes of the city and highlight the long history of this dynamic community.

Montclair, New Jersey, like most American towns, has grown dramatically over the course of the last one hundred years.

Much of the early 1900s landscape has been disguised, and the town has come to reflect the popular styles and fashions of changing eras. Streets have been paved, the facades of commercial buildings have been updated, and homes have been altered to reflect contemporary tastes and accommodate modern conveniences. This volume of approximately two hundred postcards from the author's collection, most never before published in book form, captures Montclair as it was in the early twentieth century. The reader will see familiar landmarks such as the Montclair Art Museum, the Marlboro Inn, and the Bellevue Theater as they originally appeared, and discover the vanished predecessors of the Japanese-style mansion on Upper Mountain Avenue and the Rockcliffe Apartments off Crestmont Road.

By the middle of the 20th century, Suffolk had seen many changes. Railroads gave way to highways, and grand old hotels were replaced with motels. Yet within these pages the old Suffolk endures, depicted in the views and paintings of a vivid collection of postcards.

Calvert County documents the fascinating history of this

From its early Piscataway heritage to the advanced research laboratories of today, from the tobacco farms to the sandy beaches, Calvert County has had a fascinating and diverse past. Established in 1654, Calvert played a role in both the American Revolution and the Civil War. Hosting decades of vacationing beachgoers, the region has also been called home by the many who, for centuries, have built their lives on the bounty of the Chesapeake Bay.

This fascinating new history of the Catskills of New York showcases more than two hundred of the best, most evocative vintage postcards available.

From the 1890s through the 1920s, the postcard was an extraordinarily popular means of communication. Many of the postcards produced during this ""golden age,"" and even some from later years, can today be considered works of art. Postcard photographers traveled the length and breadth of the nation snapping photographs of busy street scenes, documenting local landmarks, and assembling crowds of local children only too happy to pose for a picture. These images, printed as postcards and sold in general stores and five and dimes across the country, survive as telling reminders of an important era in America's history.

Often characterized as the ""American Rhine,"" the Hudson is a vast tidal river that moves in two directions.

The Hudson River Valley, from the Capital Region south to where the river meets the Atlantic Ocean in New York Bay, is one of the most varied and exciting areas of America-a region rich in splendor and beauty, history and grandeur, poverty and decay. It shaped a region.

When Rome, Georgia, was founded in 1834, Col. Daniel R. Mitchell suggested the name because of the surrounding hills, much like those of ancient Rome.

Known today as ""The City of Seven Hills,"" Rome has been voted one of the most livable cities in the South. It is the medical center of Northwest Georgia with a population of over 30,000, and a thriving community with abundant opportunities for business, education, and recreation. Historic views of Rome, seen through the eyes of the traveling postcard photographer, fill the pages of this engaging volume. Longtime residents of the community will delight in remembering area landmarks, including the old Clock Tower, Shorter College, Berry College, Myrtle Hill Cemetery, the downtown business section of Broad Street, and the neighboring communities of Lindale and Cave Spring.

The Chain O' Lakes has been one of Chicago's premier vacation spots since the 1880s. Witness its rich history in this collection of vintage postcards.

The nine major lake basins that make up the Chain O' Lakes region - Catherine, Channel, Grass, Bluff, Marie, Fox, Nippersink, Petite, and Pistakee - are all connected by the Fox River waterway and have, for over 100 years, been northern Illinois's leading destination for inland boaters, fishermen, picnickers, or those just hoping to relax and play at the beach. Luxurious mansions and swank resorts once dotted the more than 6,000 acres of shoreline. Many are gone today; some remain but have been vastly changed, but none are forgotten.

Captured here in over 200 vintage postcards are scenes from the chain's heyday, scenes that will seem at once faraway and familiar to the water-skiers, windsurfers, and other outdoor recreationists who populate the Chain O' Lakes today.

The Great Depression came early to St. Augustine with the end of the Florida land boom in 1926, followed by the stock market collapse in 1929.

Hotels closed, a major bank failed, subdivisions folded, and tourism was reduced to a trickle. The city’s main employer, the Florida East Coast Railway, went into receivership in 1931, and public works projects sought to bring relief to the unemployed. The economy slowly improved toward the end of the 1930s, but it was World War II that brought economic recovery to the town. Local hotels were taken over for military training, and servicemen on leave from nearby military bases flooded the town, bringing prosperity once again to the Ancient City.

Established in 1820 on the banks of the Tennessee River, Decatur, Alabama, has always had its destiny tied to the water. It is the city's lifeblood and obstacle.

A railroad, an iron river between Tuscumbia and Decatur, was built to overcome the natural obstacle so it could be used as an asset. This effort worked. War, pestilence, economic downturns, labor, and social unrest all imbued residents with a resilience of spirit. Residents knew it, and visitors sometimes described it in quick notes on cardstock. These postcards from Decatur, Alabama, traveled across the land and the world. Presented here for the first time are some of those cards, dating between 1874 and the latter 1970s.

In its very early years, Butler County was a vast wilderness of untamed forests. The fi rst pioneers suffered insurmountable odds while scratching out an existence in this frontier west of the Allegheny River. With determination, they succeeded, and the 1800s brought the development of many towns from the scant settlements. Butler City, the county seat, was laid out in 1800, and many smaller towns followed suit. With the arrival of oil after the Civil War, the county grew. The railroads and trolley lines that expanded into the area furthered the growth and helped industries prosper. Butler County Revisited celebrates the history of the area with 200 postcards, including scenes of the Chicora Whip Factory, a Memorial Day parade in Evans City, the Buhl Trolley Trestle over Connoquenessing Creek, and a large bear wrestling his trainer on Bruin Street.

A fascinating journey through the history of Jacksonville, Florida with postcard images and anecdotes from the locals who experienced it.

Jacksonville's Consolidation of 1967marked the end of individual towns in Duval County, but it established Jacksonville, all 840 square miles of it, as the largest city in the continental United States.

Collectors and authors Andrew Bachmann and Maria E. Mediavilla, with the help of the historical society's Emily Lisska and local historian Dr. Wayne Wood, share their personal postcard collections and take readers on a captivating journey through Jacksonville's history. Featured are postcards that show the 1920s real estate boom and transportation across the St. Johns River. View postcards that document the ever-changing Hemming Plaza, a metamorphosis that continues even today. This second volume of vintage postcard images will give readers a deeper insight into Jacksonville's past and the great importance of historic preservation.

Jacksonville Revisitedis a visual and written documentation of how the city has grown and developed since the introduction of postcard communication. The changes in commerce and landscape are illustrated and preserved through postcards.