Saturday, February 1, 2014

"The Original Perry's Nut House" - Belfast, Maine


Perry's Nut House is a tourist stop and store on Route One in Belfast, Maine. Opened in 1927, Perry's Nut House is a classic example of an American roadside attraction. Located on the coastal road to Bar Harbor, Perry's Nut House features giant painted animal sculptures outside. 

In the early 1950s, Perry's Nut House used a catchy radio jingle: "Pack up the kids. Jump in the car. Drive to Perry's Nut House, and there you are. Right on the coast, route number 1. Belfast, Maine, Oh golly what fun."

Perry's is still alive and well! Read more here:  www.perrysnuthouse.com/our-history


Hotel Coeur D'Alene - Spokane, Washington


Converted from a variety theater into a hotel in 1909 by self-made mining man “Dutch Jake” Goetz and his partner Harry Bauer, this is one of the oldest and best known structures in Spokane. I couldn't find any information regarding the "steamship" on the roof.  Below is a photo of what the hotel looks like today.




The Durand Mansion - Pasadena, California


In April of 1902, John Durand, a millionaire Chicago businessman, purchased 10 acres-half a block of property known as "Arlington Heights" in Pasadena, California. With 17,000 square feet of floor space - fifty rooms in three stories - the home was said to be the largest in Southern California, if not the entire southwest. The property remained with the family until John M. Durand III died in 1960. The furnishings and art objects were then sold at public auction in 1961, and the home was razed. The card was mailed in 1915.


Thursday, January 23, 2014

The Great Flood of 1913: Indianapolis


The 1913 flooding affected IndianapolisFort WayneLafayetteTerre Haute and most locations along White River, the East Fork of the White, Wabash and Whitewater rivers. Rainfall for the five-day period beginning March 23 ranged from 2 inches in Northwest Indiana to more than 11 inches in the Richmond/east-central Indiana area.

The AZO stamp box dates this RPPC as being anywhere from 1904 to 1918. More info and a short video about the disaster is available here:  



Thursday, January 16, 2014

Excelsior Institure - Excelsior Springs, Missouri


Excelsior Springs owes its existence to a natural spring that for ages gushed forth from remote depths of the earth at the edge of a pretty river near the western border of what is now Fishing River Township, Clay County, Missouri.

I think these days they would have just "photo-shopped" the bank out of the picture rather than the attempt to use "white-out"...interesting that they still accented the banks window awnings.

Tuesday, January 14, 2014

Alto Tourist Court - New Orleans, Louisiana


On the back: "New Orleans - America's Most Interesting City"

The Suicide Table and The Sawdust Corner Cafe - Virginia City, Nevada



If you want to see the "Suicide Table" these days you'll need to go to the "Delta Saloon and Cafe" in Virginia City where it is presently on display and protected by a Plexiglas case. No idea why it moved venues but one might assume that suicide may have been involved...

Neither of these RPPCs is postmarked but the stamp box on the "Suicide Table" card dates it as being from the 1950's. "The Sawdust" cards stamp box is not legible.