Biscayne Boulevard and Bayfront Park, Miami, Florida

Bay Front Park completed in 1928 at ta cost of $2,500,000.  It is a haven of dense tropical foliage and blooming plants with many varieties of palms.  Almost the entire area, 62 acres, is reclaimed land.  It has a band shell where, throughout the year, concerts draw large crowds.  Beautiful Biscayne Boulevard starts at this point.

Miami Beach, Fla., March 8, 1937

3/6/37

Hello girls,

Having a swell time.  Wish you all could be here with us.  Its very hot here today.

Love, Helen

Misses Tillie, Anna and Evelyn

300 W. Madison St.

Baltimore, Md.

Helen’s having such a swell time that she forgot to get this card to the post office for two whole days!

SInce there are no surnames on this very old postcard, it's hard to find the identity of the sender or the recipients, who if they were children in 1936, could possibly still be living today.  The property at 300 W. Madison St. is across from the Maryland General Hospital, and could possibly be one of the two older buildings, but Baltimore County online records do not go back that far.  Plus, if the buildings were apartments, rather than single family structures, there would be no rental records accessible from my laptop.    

However, Bayfront Park is still around, and its Klipsch Amphitheater (which is the second replacement for the original structure) has hosted concerts by Manu Chau, Gloria Estefan, and the annual Miami JazzFest in November.  The entire park was renamed in the 1980's for Mildred and Claude Pepper, the long tenured Democratic congressman from south Florida.  

New Hoffman Hotel- Bedford, PA

July 18, 1949

Here we are at Bedford, you would like this town very much.  This is a very nice hotel.  How is Cecil coming along?  I will write when we get to Detroit. 

Much Love to all.

Elizabeth

Mrs. Julia M. Bryan

2812 W. North Ave.

Baltimore, Maryland


This is a very nice hotel indeed!  Now owned by Omni Hotels, the Bedford Springs Resort beckons travelers to enjoy the many springs that are around the town of Bedford, Pennsyvania.  The town itself was incorporated in 1795, and the resort hosted U.S. Presidents and industry titans, who vacationed here extensively.  The name change to the New Hoffman Hotel must have been brief, as there is little mention of it in articles about the hotel.  However, the current pictures look exactly like this scene from 1949, so there is no mistaking this building.

Bryan is a common surname, and Baltimore is a large city, so it is very difficult to discern the identity of the recipient of this postcard.  There is a Julia Bryan who is an assistant professor at the University of Maryland, but it is unknown if she is a descendant of the recipient.

The house at 2812 W. North Ave, built in 1920 is still standing, and thanks to GoogleStreetView, we can see where Ms. Bryan lived while Cecil was "coming along" from his unknown difficulties.