George Washington - Born February 22, 1732

It's not GW's birthday today. It's not Abe's either but it is President's Day 2014!

Abraham Lincoln - Born February 12, 1809

"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.

The Great Flood of 1913: Indianapolis

The 1913 flooding affected Indianapolis, Fort Wayne, Lafayette, Terre 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:  

www.indystar.com/article/20130322/NEWS06/303190109/

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.