Sanibel Island Causeway, Sanibel Island, Florida

postmarked January 26, 1967, Fort Lauderdale, Fla


1/26/67


Have you run out of ink.  Hope you are well and find things you like on T.V.  Remember Jeopardy on 21 at 12:00 to 12:30.


Halls & Mother plan to come on Sunday for a visit.  Don't know how they'll like trailer life.  Mother will stay longer.  Must get busy.


Love Margaret & C.A.


Mr. and Mrs H.W. McConnell
R.D. 2
Sharpsville, Pa 16150


Happy Mother's Day, everyone!  I thought I'd take a break from the Orlando postcards to bring you the best postcard dialogue I've seen yet.  There's no credible search results for an H.W. McConnell in Sharpsville, PA, so just enjoy the T.V. advice from "Trailer Life."

Federal Building and Post Office, Miami, Florida

Miami, Fla February 4, 1950

Sat.  

Dear Emma,

We came down here yesterday.  Martin & I drove down, stayed Tues.  It’s a long drive & I was tired when we arrived.  Its real warm here like our summers up home.  It’s a busy city and I am afraid too much traffic to suit me. 

Sincerely,

Ruth Burke

Miss Emma L. Ruth

E. Front St.

Lititz, Lanc. Co.

Pa.


Lititz, Pennsylvania was founded as a Moravian Church settlement in 1756 by Count Nicolas von Zizendorf, a figure in the renewal of the church in the 18th century.   Lititz has about 9,000 people today, so one would think it would be fairly easy to find an obituary for Ms. Emma Ruth, or some other record.    However, the state of Pennsylvania lists an old nursing license for Ruth Burke, so she would have been an excellent choice to make the pre-Interstate drive from Pennsylvania to Miami.

The Federal Courthouse pictured on the card was built in 1931.  Located at 300 Northeast 1st Avenue, the now named David Dwyer Federal Courthouse is still the largest limestone building in south Florida.  The Post Office left the building in 1976, but it is still used for Federal courts and offices.  If you're in Miami, follow Ruth Burke and check out the Mediterranean Revival building!

Entrance to the Clubhouse, Hialeah Race Course, Hialeah, Fla.

The beautiful Royal Palm Driveway to the Club House at Hialeah Race Course is familiar to thousands of visitors all of the year.

Miami Beach, Fla July 16, 1952

Have thought about you so many times since we are here staying over on the Beach for several days.

Alice and Albert W.

Mrs. C. K. Kettering

Annville, Penna.


It seems very likely that C.K. Kettering is related to the people that started Kettering Corner in this small Pennsylvania town of about 4,000 people.  Kettering Corner is an historic ice cream parlor that seems to cater to the students of Lebanon Valley College, also located in the town.  It's family owned, so we'll see if they can shed any light on C.K. Kettering or Alice and Albert.  

The Walking Ring and Clubhouse at Gulfstream Park, Hallandale, Florida

Miami, Fla.  February 20, 1954

Dear Patch-  Have just sent cards to my other furry friends (your Va. Cousins)  tried to find appropriate cards, so even though you’re a bit  young to follow the horses, thought those trees might interest you- or do you still prefer the rugs?

Master “Patches” Miller

c/o Ruth Ann Miller

R.D. #3

Lebanon, Penna.

The question that troubles me is the identity of “Patches.”  I’m guessing that “Patches” is an animal of some sort, and the sender of this postcard has transcended into full dementia, believing that this animal is truly interested in playing the horses over urinating on trees and carpets, unlike her other furry friends in Virginia. 

Lebanon, PA is a town of about 25,000 people today.  Ruth Ann Miller is a fairly common name, so a precise record of her living (or her death) in Lebanon is hard to pinpoint.  R.D. #3 is a curious abbreviation, and looking it up on Google Maps points to a Home Depot just outside of town.

Flamingos and Nests at Hialeah Park, Miami, Fla.

The famous flock of flamingos of Hialeah Park is always a centre of interest to all visitors.  This family was recently increased by 62 young birds which were hatched and are being reared in this flock.  The scene illustrated shows adult birds and their mud and grass nests.  Several eggs may be seen.

Hialeah, Fla. December 31, 1945

Dear Gramp

I saw these flamingos through a powerful looking glass.  They are really pretty.

Love Cindy

Mr. H. J. Taylor

556 W. Chestnut Street

Lancaster, Pa

Let's add these words:  “…on my rifle.”  “…and tasty.”  Love Cindy.

The flamingo is a native species of South Florida.  And is actually consumed as a delicacy in some Caribbean countries and India.  There are plenty of recipes on the internet, though finding flamingo meat might be a challenge.

The house at 556 W. Chestnut Street, built in 1890 still stands.  Unfortunately, the Lancaster County Online Property records do not go back far enough to show any activity regarding the property.  And in a city of 500,000 people, the surname Taylor is fairly common.  

Castillo de San Marcos with the Shrimp Fleet in Matanzas Bay, St. Augustine, Florida

CASTILLO de San Marcos with the shrimp fleet in Matanzas Bay, St. Augustine, Florida

This grim gray old fortress still protects the harbor entrance to St. Augustine.  Construction was started in 1672 and it was not completed until 1756.  It has been under siege by British fleets and Pirate hordes, but never captured  During one siege the entire population of St. Augustine lived entirely within its walls.

Lake Wales, Fla, January 31, 1957

Thursday 6 A.M.

Plan to start out across the Everglades today.  Spent the day on the beach in Fort. Lauderdale.  The water was wonderful.  Had beautiful weather so far.  Hate to think of cold weather.  Be seeing you.

Hazel, Ike, Ken

Mr. and Mrs. Wm. Murphy

N. Railroad St.

Palmyra, Pa.

It looks like Hazel, Ike and Ken are taking the long way to get to the Everglades.  If you can imagine a Nash Rambler, moving over an Indiana Jones-type map of Florida, the red line would be slowly moving to St. Augustine, south to Ft. Lauderdale, then across the state to Lake Wales, where the postcard is marked, and where the scene would fade to Nazi orange pickers.  Wait, what?

As a Florida native, I’ve been to Castillo de San Marcos many times, and see it on many vintage postcards.  (In the 1930’s, it was called “Fort Marion,” which has no connection to Indiana Jones movies.)  However, I forgot the fact that this fort took 84 years to complete.  Think of that when you’re waiting for that new Performing Arts Center or road construction to be completed. 

Palmyra, PA is a small town, but apparently not small enough for absolute general delivery.  Unfortunately, no records of someone from the Murphy clan residing on Railroad exist.

Park Lake, Orlando, Florida, Showing Park Lake Presbyterian Church, "The City Beautiful"

Park Lake, Orlando, Florida, showing Park Lake Presbyterian ChurchSurrounded by beautiful homes and a palm-lined boulevard.  Park Lakes is one of the thirty-three beautiful lakes within Orlando’s city limits.  There are 1,500 fresh water lakes of varying size in Orange County of which the city is the county seat.

Orlando, Fla. August 18, 1943

We are having a fine time.  Both Luella & Carroll look fine.  Enjoyed our trip very much. 

Sadie & Ralph

Mrs. Ida Shofe?

Aberlin, Pa.


The Park Lake neighborhood in Orlando is nearly as old as the city itself, and features the home used as an office by the renowned architect Ida Annah Ryan.  Working in the Prairie School under Frank Lloyd Wright, Ms. Ryan and her partner Isabel Roberts designed many buildings in central Florida, some of which are still standing today.

Gulfstream Park from Main Club Terrace Entrance between Miami and Hollywood, Fla.

Miami Beach, Fla

November 20, 1957

11/18

Dear Harold:

They make the race tracks here very beautiful and attractive so they can take your money away painlessly.  Fortunately no tracks are open now.  Only a few more days then back to the cold city.

RTS?

Mr. Harold Pownall

118 W. Gorgas St.

Philadelphia 19

Pennsylvania


The Florida Derby is happening on March 31 at this historic track, where it has been held since 1952.  Started at Tampa Downs in 1926, the Derby is the premiere event of the Florida horse racing season, which as our writer notes, begins in January and ends in April.  In fact, if RTS had stuck around for a few months, he could have seen Tim Tam win the Florida Derby, only to nearly miss out on the Triple Crown at Belmont.

The name Harold Pownall comes up on quite a number of retrieved records in a Google search and on the SSDI, but since none tie that name to the city of Philadelphia.

Florida Sanitarium, Orlando, Florida

Orlando, Fla. February 18, 1954

1419 A W. Smith Ave., Orlando

Dear Marian

Arrived here safely but not my suit case.  I waited five days.  It was a big joke to live in my same clothes.  Marion wears size 12.  Yesterday I had a letter from Arthur telling us Jeanette is in the Wilhemmem Hospital.  I have also had to go but hoped she would wait until I got back.  So I have something to think about.  Hope everything will be O.K. Marian & Harry fair.

Love, K. D. T.

Miss Marian Clarke

1343 Rockland St.

Phila. 41

Pa.

The house at 1419 W. Smith Ave is still standing, and according to Orange County Property records, was sold in 1985 by a Kelda D. Thatcher.  Ms. Thatcher is most likely the "KDT" writing the postcard, but the trail goes cold, even with her unusual first name.  The same can be said about Marian Clarke, whose common name is plentiful in Philadelphia.  

Florida Sanitarium is better known today as Florida Hospital.  Opened in 1908 with $9,000 and four patients, the Florida Sanitarium treated tuberculosis patients by providing them with sunshine and fresh air based on the sanitarium model utilized in Battle Creek, Michigan in the late 19th century.  By 1970, the small 20 bed farmhouse had grown into a campus with state-of-the-art medical equipment and was renamed Florida Hospital Orlando.  

The SInging Tower, Lake Wales, Florida

Edward W. Bok built the Mountain Lake Bird Sanctuary and Singing Tower at Lake Wales, Florida, as a token of his appreciation and gratitude for what America had given him.  The tower weighs 5,500 tons, has a square base of 51ft. wide and rises to a height of 205 ft. 2in.  It contains a carillion of 71 bells and is built for the most part from southern materials.  It is a concrete exemplification of Mr. Bok’s creed. 

“Make the world a bit better or more beautiful because you have lived in it.”

Key West February 24, 1954

St. Petersburg, Fla

Dear Clara:

We are here for month vacation and it is a very beautiful spot.  Today have travelled to Key West.  We saw turtles 500lb apiece. 

Love,

Van Clove?

Mrs. Clara Snyder

7524 Fayette St.

Phila (38

PA

The more postcard messages I transcribe, the more I realize that I’m looking at the 20^th century’s version of text messaging.  Text messaging that took days to transmit, but text messaging nonetheless.  “We are here.”  “Today have traveled to Key West.”  “We saw 500 pound turtles.”  Wait, wha?

The 1925 house, although since converted to condos, is still standing.  Ancestry.com lists a Clara Snyder who passed away in Erie, PA in 1959, but no specific results come up in a brief search. 

It is unknown if Van Clove was British and referring to what those turtles may have gone for in London, or if Florida was fending off a monster turtle attack in Lake Wales in 1954.  You may see some monster turtles if you attend the International Carillon Festival this weekend at Bok Tower Gardens?  (Again, I am not a paid sponsor.)

Beautiful Water Liles

Miami, Fla, March 18, 1948

Florida sure is a beautiful place.  If you ever get a chance to see it don’t miss it.  I haven’t had a chance to take many pictures, at a lot of places cameras aren’t allowed.

Minerva

Mr. and Mrs. Woodrow Good

West Main St.

New Holland, Pa.

Oh, Minerva.  The 1% don’t want your plebian camera taking pictures of their estates.  But points for a slogan that the Florida Visitors Bureau would love_ “If you ever get a chance to see it, don’t miss it.”

New Holland, PA is a borough of about 5,000 people founded in 1728 by Germans in what would become Pennsylvania's Amish Country.  They have a vibrant historical society, as do most Northeastern towns and boroughs.  Thankfully, the name Woodrow Good is an unusual name, and there's a few clues on the internet as to his identity:

From the Internet Archive, a transcribed (no photos) yearbook from William Jennings Bryan College in Dayton, Tennessee shows a member of the 1955 Sophomore Class named Woodrow Good, sponsored by a Mr. and Mrs. Woodrow Good.  This would suggest that Junior was home when the folks got this card from Minerva.

Three years earlier, the Indiana (PA) Evening Gazette listed at newspaperarchive.com lists a Woodrow Good as a 4-h Club winner in the Livestock Competition at the State Fair.  This would seem to solidify the existence of the Good's son.

In 1974, the Reading Eagle (archived at GoogleNewspapers) announces the retirement of a Woodrow Good, who started working at Sperry's New Holland branch as a truck driver in 1941.  So now we know where Mr. Good worked.  That might be why Minerva is so paranoid about the camera situation.

Lastly, and more mysterious, I keep getting a hit on paid "people search" sites of a 99 year-old Woodrow Good still living in New Holland, PA.  If Mr. Good is still living, and if this is the same Mr. Good, he would have been born around 1913, starting his job in his late thirties, and retiring in his early seventies.  There's a handful of age-appropriate Woodrow Goods that could be the son, but until the New Holland Historical Society replies, his identity is still just conjecture.

Washington’s Headquarters, Valley Forge, PA

July 29, 1918

Dear Friend:

I am glad to hear from Mrs. N. that you are all well and hope you will all have a good summer in spite of the heat here.  Well it can’t last forever. 

Yours, Mrs. Hammond

Mrs. Adams

Brookline, N.H.

R.F.D. 40

George Washington’s headquarters has been a tourist attraction since the birth of our country, but this little house, built by Isaac Potts in 1773, didn’t get designated as a National Historic Landmark until 1972, almost 200 years later.   Archeological digs have revealed quite a bit about life during and after the American Revolution- they even have a blog that documents recent activity at this National Park. 

Of course, my focus is on the identities of Mrs. Adams and Mrs. Hammond.  Postal addresses from the early 20^th century omit much of the information we take for granted today.  The town of Brookline, New Hampshire and surrounding Hillsborough County have historical societies that link to genealogical information such as marriages through 1912.  Further research shows there was an Alacia Hammond married to a Frank A. Austin in 1907, so perhaps in this small New England town, Alacia had a sister who traveled to Pennsylvania for some patriotic sightseeing. 

The record high for Valley Forge in July was 99 degrees set in 1988. 

As Mrs. Hammond states, “Well, it can’t last forever.”

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.