This image shows the county courthouse in the town of Portland, Indiana. This county and the building is named the John Jay Courthouse after the U. S. Supreme Court justice of that name.
There is no description on the back of this card The courthouse is still standing and in use as a government building in Portland today.
This card was used and is dated 18 August 1932, but the image likely dates from the 1920s.
Category: Postcards From Another Millennium
Postcards from various decades of the 20th century.
Wabash County Hospital, Wabash, Indiana
This image shows the recently constructed Wabash County Hospital building as it looked in the 1920s. It was located in Wabash, Indiana until demolished and replaced with a more modern facility.
There is no description on the back of this card. This was originally a black and white photo that was colorized for use as a post card. The best evidence of this is to the left of the building where the color of the brick has bled over into the sky, giving the building a pink aura.
This postcard was used and is dated 19 June 1929.
Highway 66, Central Ozarks, Missouri
This image shows a portion of the legendary U.S. Highway 66 as it passes through a cut in the hills of the central Ozark Mountains in Missouri.
This photo post card has no description on the back.
The picture calls out the large cut in the hill for the highway to pass through on a consistent level, but also notes that this is a four lane section of the highway, which was rare at the time. Much of U.S. Highway 66 was two lanes for a considerably longer period, particularly in the remote areas of the west. When the U.S. Highway system was supplanted with the Interstate System, the four lane sections of 66 were often reused, while the two lane sections were either enlarged, as happened here, or abandoned for better roadbed and routes.
This image likely dates from the 1940s.
McKinney Brothers’ Cafe, Jefferson City, Missouri
This image shows the interior of the McKinney Brothers Cafe, a very typical restaurant for this time. To the right are tables for diners, and to the left a long counter with stools for individuals to eat at.
The description states:
We are now in the second generation of the McKinney family, specializing in Missouri Cured Country Ham and other appetizing, economically-prepared meals. All our equipment is of the latest modern design and our Dining Room is completely AIR-CONDITIONED.
Located on High Street three doors west of the Central Missouri Trust Company Building.
–Displayed in the case under the register is a considerable selection of cigars. The object in the curving glass display appears to be a cured ham. On the wall to the left of the telephone is a postcard display, the likely location of this card when purchased.
The establishment closed under the old name some time ago, and another diner reopened in the same location in 2010. This postcard likely dates from the 1950s.
Night View, Missouri State Capitol, Jefferson City, Missouri
This image shows the same building from the same perspective but as it might look during nighttime. The lighting is inconsistent with the illustration, as the moon is behind the building, but the front is brightly lit by some other ambient light.
The description states:
The magnificent $4,000,000 Capitol Building, located on a bluff 150 feet above the Missouri River, was completed in 1918. The building, surmounted by a dome of unusual beauty and surrounded by graceful fluted columns, is an excellent example of Renaissance architecture. World-famous murals and a great resources museum attract thousands of visitors.
–The river passes behind the building, out of sight from this perspective. The card was used, and is dated 1 July 1953.
Missouri State Capitol, Jefferson City, Missouri during daytime
This image shows the front of the Missouri statehouse in Jefferson City, the capitol of Missouri.
The description states:
The magnificent $4,000,000 Capitol Building, located on a bluff 150 feet above the Missouri River, was completed in 1918. The building, surmounted by a dome of unusual beauty and surrounded by graceful fluted columns is an excellent example of Renaissance architecture. World-famous murals and a great resources museum attract thousands of visitors.
–The building is more reminiscent of Greek Revival than the Gothic of the Renaissance, and such buildings are typical of statehouses throughout the country.
This postcard was used and is dated 1 July 1953.
Appian Arch, Stark Caverns, Eldon, Missouri
This image shows a tourist path through Stark Caverns, featuring the narrowed ceiling described as the Appian Arch. Presumably this is in reference to Roman arches along the Appian Way, an ancient Roman road.
There is no description on the back of this photo card. The woman in back is a common feature intended to give a sense of scale to an otherwise difficult to interpret scene. The path is obviously prepared and maintained for tourists.
This card likely dates from the 1940s.
Chandelier Lane, Stark Caverns, Eldon, Missouri
This is an image from a time before the recent postings, this time in black and white, of a sheet like formation in Stark Caverns near Eldon, Missouri.
There is no description on the back of this card, as it is a photograph printed in postcard form with address and note markings on the back.
The ‘chandelier’ is the large formation centered in the picture, a complex formation made of multiple flows of water over limestone.
This card likely dates from the 1940s.
Onyx Falls, Stark Caverns, Eldon, Missouri
This image shows the large vertical formation known as Onyx Falls in Stark Caverns, Eldon Missouri. The green stone deposit in the background is an onyx deposition.
The description states:
ONXY FALLS AND GARDEN OF THE GODS
STARK CAVERNS, HIGHWAY 54
ELDON, MO.
A fine example of mother nature’s handiwork carved in stone. It’s rich. Gorgeous coloring in reds, grey and blues make it truly one of the definitely different type formations found in Stark Caverns. Garden of the Gods can then be seen beyond the falls and is trill a masterpiece created by nature.
–The ridge in the lower foreground is a containment for water which is flowing in this area. The level seems to have dropped some since this picture was taken, as indicated by this more recent photo.
Fountain of Youth, Stark Caverns, Eldon, Missouri
This image is an illustration based on a photograph of the cave formation known as the Fountain of Youth in Stark Caverns, Eldon, Missouri.
The description states:
FOUNTAIN OF YOUTH, STARK CAVERNS
HIGHWAY 54 — ELDON, MISSOURI
One of the truly different type formations found in Stark Caverns. A fine example of water cutting through solid limestone depicting the effects of erosion — a marvel of mother nature. Thousands drink from this fountain each year.
–The attraction has been renamed Fantasy World Caverns. This feature was constructed from a flowing spring in the cave to create a large pool with a controlled outflow.
This image likely dates from the 1940s.