Colorful Macaws, Parrot Jungle, Miami, Fla.

Miami Beach, August 20, 1956

How do you like these parrots, bet you like your parakeet better.

Regards, love?

Uncle Gio?  Eunuch Gro?

Miss Anita Lennar? Lemar?

2984 Westbrook Ave

Cincinnati, Ohio

"So tropical is south Florida the wild parrots live in the hammocks and get along as well as native birds."

So tropical is south Florida that wild invasive species get along just fine with native fauna as they edge them out of their established ecosystems.  If you live, or have ever visited the suburbs of south Florida, you may see wild macaws comfortably establishing themselves as in this YouTube video.  Basically, “Eunuch Gro” is right- the parakeet is better.

The house at 2984 Westbrook Ave is still standing.  According to the Hamilton County Auditor's Office (fun fact- the auditor's name is Dusty Rhodes), the structure was built in 1952 and sold in 2003.  Thanks to “Uncle Glo’s” spastic script it is hard to determine Miss Anita’s surname, but given she is referred to as a “Miss” in 1956, it is fully conceivable she is still alive as of this writing.  

Pool and Ocean Bathing- Municipal Casino, Lake Worth, Florida

Greenacres City, Fla.  September 2, 1954

Just a few lines to let you know we arrived safely August 18 eve we had a very hot trip especially the first 2 days there where a cooler breeze coming towards the ocean.  Best wishes from the Kehrs

Mr. and Mrs. Norman Galada

17007 Glendale

Cleveland, Ohio


The Lake Worth Casino was not a beachside gambling hall, but a community gathering spot, public pool and changing house built in 1922 to replace a wooden structure that had burned in 1919.  Currently, the City of Lake Worth is rehabilitating the structure for a grand re-opening.

According to Trulia, the house at 17007 Glendale was built in 1941.  Cuyahoga County online records only go back to 1979, where for almost 30 years the house was owned by members of the Brooks family, until being transferred to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs and sold to the current owner.

Norman Galada, according to the Social Security Death Index, passed away on December 9, 1999.  However, he has a son that lives in Ohio.  Unfortunately, WhitePages does not list email addresses, so I'm sending him a postcard with a link to this post.  As always, I'll update this post with any information about the Galadas or the Kehrs and their hot trip to Florida.

The Hotel Winecoff, Atlanta, GA

January 28, 1933

Sat. A.M. Here we are at the bus station getting breakfast.  Leave here at 9 o’ clock our time 8 their time.  Was so cold here last night and this A.M.  Notion to go back to Toledo.  Colder here than it was at home when I left.  Have to get my underwear lined I guess.  Ha!  Ha! 

Love Maude

Miss Virginia Rusher

2008 Calumet Ave.

Toledo, OH

The Winecoff Hotel in Atlanta, GA was built in 1913, and is the site of the deadliest hotel fire in U.S. history.  13 years after Maude sent this postcard to Miss Rusher,  119 people died leading to better building codes.  One of the survivors, Daisy McCumber was photographed jumping 11 stories by Arnold Hardy, who went to become the first amateur photographer to win the Pulitzer prize for photography.   Mr. Hardy passed away in 2007, but his photograph is still noted for it's haunting depiction of that eventful night.  Today, the building has been restored into the Ellis Hotel, after about 20 years of vacancy.

As to the identity of the recipient, there are quite a number of Virginia Rusher’s in various geneaological sites that have partial information that could indicate a probable match for the unmarried recipient of this card.   One puts Virginia Rusher's birth at 1899, making her 34, and another places her as being born in 1915, making her 17 when she received this postcard from Atlanta.  As far as the identity of "Maude" is concerned, I stumbled across a 2004 obituary from the Salisbury (Ohio) Post for a Anna Owen Troutman, daughter of a Maude Rusher Owen.   It lists a Nora Lee Barbee in the contact for memorials, so perhaps Ms. Barbee will Google herself and provide some more insight into the Rusher family.


The house at 2008 Calumet Drive was built in 1924, and is still standing.   Lucas County's property records are difficult to access, but perhaps this home is still owned by descendants of the Rusher family.

Hotel Lizotte, Pass-A-Grille Beach, FL

March 22, 1913

Dear Paul,

Had a (short?) dinner today at this place.  It is a fine day and warm- oh my!  We go to Clearwater tonight and write you then a letter. 

(Love?) (Ardell?)

Mr. Paul W. Rusher

Toledo, Ohio

c/o Goulet and Co.


Today's card is a well-weathered missive from Pass-A-Grille Beach, FL.  Pass-A-Grille Beach, homesteaded in 1886, has been a beautiful beach destination for many generations and is home to the historic Don CeSar Hotel.  A Pass-A-Grille history blog run by Bill Kneppler of Prudential Tropical Realty has two entries (near the bottom of the page) from a Boyce Keith Smith,  whose Great Grandfather George Henri Lizotte "built the very first hotel The Bonhomie," later called the Hotel Lizotte.   According to Mr. Smith, George Lizotte was the "very first Post Master and the very first Post Office for Pass A Grille was located in his Hotel."   Mr. Lizotte "also had the very first restrauant located in the Bonhomie then his other hotel the Lizotte," where the sender ate a short? dinner.


Mr. Paul Rusher, was married to an Ardell Van Vorce, had a daughter in 1914, Virgina Rusher, who may have been the recipient of the Hotel Winecoff postcard seen in my earlier post.  It's hard to make out the handwriting, but Ardell seems to be the sender of this card.  Both Paul and Ardell Rusher died in 1916,  at the ages of 44 and 26 respectively.  Why was Ardell in Florida two years before her death, traveling separate from her husband, who was busy working at Goulet and Company?  And what became of the couple who died at relatively young ages in the same year (or day)?  

City Hall, Orlando, FL “The City Beautiful”

August 16, 1962

Dear Lois, Just a line to let you know we are all doing fine as far as you can tell.  The doctor said Joyce could come home Sat.  Sent the pkg. yesterday.  The kids left their ball at our house.  You also left all those black plastic bags.  Guess we will leave here Sun. or Monday.  It sure is pretty here.  Write a letter when I get home. 

Mom

Mrs. Jas. T. Wagner

3789 W. 117^th

Cleveland, Ohio


A small departure from the usual "Florida/weather/leaving the cold is great/beautiful/better than shoveling snow like you're doing cards.  What did the doctor tell Joyce?  What was in the mysterious package?  Were all those black plastic bags for a massive killing spree, starting with those kids who left their ball AGAIN?

Or leaves.  Leaves is a possibility.

Orlando's City Hall was famously imploded in 1992 for Lethal Weapon 3, taking great care not to damage the new City Hall directly behind it.  The marble slabs from the demolished building are still being used at the White Wolf Cafe in Orlando's Antique Row on N. Orange Avenue.  Bill Frederick, Mayor of Orlando at the time, even has a small cameo in the film as a policeman!

Cleveland, Ohio is the largest metropolitan area in the state, and has a large number of Wagners.  For example, there is a Jason Wagner who owns the Lion on Lorain Bar and Grill.  There is another Jason Wagner who was murdered in prison in 2000.  However, both of these Jason Wagner's seem to be the wrong age to receive this postcard from Mom.  Today, the house at 3789 W. 117th is home to Stan's Beauty Shop, owned by a Stan Woo.  Cuyahoga County property records do not seem to be searchable by address, and no Wagner records seem to exist for that address.  Perhaps the Wagners just rented that little corner house while Mom was vacationing in the City Beautiful.