Need Help With Post Mark Identification Please?

OK, I'm collecting Picture Postcards from my home town of Jersey Shore, PA. and this is one of an old hotel that I passed every day for years when I lived there. It was a bar and apartments up above. The bar was called "The Hole in the wall" haha However my Great Grandparents used to stay there on and off when it was the Hotel Leland and I have fond memories of them telling me about it.

I know that that the post card was literally sold at an establishment on Allegheny St. By a J. C. Mick and was mailed to an address in neighboring Williamsport Pa. but where it was mailed from I have NO earthly idea?
I been searching this site for clues but to no avail so I was hoping maybe someone with more expertise than I could help?



http://www.postalhistory.com/postof...asp?state=PA

The post card:

Obverse:


Reverse:

There's a Vilas in Pennsylvania. Seems to fit.

From Jim Forte's website:

Pennsylvania
Lycoming County

Vilas (1894-1912)

so a fairly short-lived Post Office.

Thank you! I lived in Lycoming Co. my whole life and have never heard of it?

According to the Postal Bulletin of that day, Vilas was a Postal Station connected to Jersey Shore. I suspect it was merely a section of the town that once had enough need for a post office of their own but later merged their operations with Jersey Shore. Here's an excerpt:



If you live in the area, I suspect your local public library may have some information on its history. It doesn't seem as though much of anything is available on-line about it.

I was literally born and raised in Jersey Shore PA. and have NEVER EVER even heard that name breathed! We have little sections of town such as "Cochran town" and "Staver town" named after prominent members of early Jersey Shore (also was called Waynsburg before the name change) but never heard of Vilas! Very intriguing and I am going down there tomorrow so I'm going to the library and research it. I'll post my findings if your at all interested? Thank you all so very much! I'm so curious about my little hometown and this adds to the mystery and the hunt!

I also found this beautiful postcard and it looks to be actually addressed to VILAS PA. Oh how I'd love to own this!

http://www.postalhistory.com/photo....rl=PA120712A



forgot the link! lol

Here's something I found on a long closed ebay listing that may aid you in your search. A picture postcard showing the Vilas, PA Post Office and Dry Goods Store:

For those interested in postmarks, there's a website which lists U.S. place names (but not old DPOs - check Jim Forte for that).

See www.placesnamed.com

You will discover, for instance, that there are numerous places named Vilas, which sounds faintly Lithuanian:

Vilas

Vilas, Colorado, United States [Populated Place] is in Baca County; location is 37°22'25"N 102°26'45"W [SourceGSP]
Vilas, Colorado, United States [Town]; population was 105 in 1990; housing units was 53 in 1990; location is 37°22'N 102°27'W; land area is 0.13 square miles (84 acres); FIPS code is 81030 [SourceCBP]
Vilas, Colorado, United States Postal Service Zip Code is 81087 [SourcePSZ]
Vilas, Florida, United States [Place] is in Liberty County; location is 30°13'8"N 84°53'9"W; elevation is 82 feet [SourceGSP]
Vilas, Indiana, United States [Place] is in Owen County; location is 39°10'12"N 86°50'24"W [SourceGSP]
Vilas, Kansas, United States [Place] is in Wilson County; location is 37°39'15"N 95°35'10"W; elevation is 932 feet [SourceGSP]
Vilas, North Carolina, United States [Place] is in Watauga County; location is 36°14'44"N 81°46'4"W [SourceGSP]
Vilas, North Carolina, United States Postal Service Zip Code is 28692 [SourcePSZ]
Vilas, South Dakota, United States [Populated Place] is in Miner County; location is 44°0'38"N 97°35'49"W; elevation is 1,478 feet [SourceGSP]
Vilas, South Dakota, United States [Town]; population was 28 in 1990; housing units was 12 in 1990; location is 44°1'N 97°36'W; land area is 2.32 square miles (1,487 acres); FIPS code is 67340 [SourceCBP]
Vilas, Texas, United States [Place] is in Williamson County; location is 30°50'27"N 97°18'12"W [SourceGSP]
Vilas, Wisconsin, United States [County] includes Arbor Vitae, Boulder Junction, Conover, Eagle River [Populated], Lac du Flambeau, Manitowish Waters, Marlands, Phelps, Presque Isle, Saint Germain, Sayner, Star Lake, Winchester [SourceGSP]
Vilas, Wisconsin, United States [County]; population was 17,707 in 1990; housing units was 20,225 in 1990; location is 46°3'N 89°31'W; land area is 872.81 square miles (558,596 acres); water area is 145.12 square miles (92,877 acres); FIPS code is 125 [SourceCBP]
Vilas, Wisconsin, United States [Place] is in Dane County; location is 43°5'23"N 89°14'5"W [SourceGSP]

"Vilas, Pennsylvania" is not included because it's no longer a place, as defined by the Census.

Regarding the postcard wt1 found, your "mission" is to stand where that photographer stood 100+ years ago, and take a 2012 photograph; that building may still exist.

It absolutely exists! I'll pass by it today and I believe that the image wt1 showed may be the same building! There was a sister building across the street that was a children's clinic in the '70s but a C.V.S. pharmacy stands in that location now. This is GREAT STUFF for me anyhow!

EDIT: It is in fact the "sister building" across the street from the "Hotel Leland" (I know it as The hole in the wall bar) only because I recognize the store-front like facade. It WAS the clinic and makes sense that it may have been a PO because it's near Stavertown up by RailRoad St. It was an apartment too for some time before it was unceremoniously demolished to make way for the CVS..

Doug, That would make PERFECT SENSE as there is a huge Lithuanian, Polish & German populations all over that region! There used to be an old gypsum corry up that way they used to build all the canals that are strewn ALL OVER Jersey Shore Pa. They are now relics of a bygone & forgotten era- just fenced off segments of the poor old gal- I love to walk through the old canal routs and wonder who was going where, and to tend to what business?...I so wish I could go back in time just to see it in all it's glory. I'll have to see if there is a postcard with a Canal theme from that area. That would be neat! Sorry for rambling...

One more bit of trivia that I found when searching for that postcard with Vilas, PA Post Office. It mentioned there was a dry goods store there also (you can see the signage that says just that, although a bit blurred, if you blow up the image). Anyway, there is reference that it was McCoy's Dry Goods Store. I suppose there must be some listing for it in an old city directory from that period.

NEW INFO.: Armed with the data that it was McCoy's Dry Goods Store, I searched the US Census for 1910 and found that one, James D. McCoy (age 39) and his wife Nora, resided on Allegheny Street, Jersey Shore, PA and his occupation was "store merchant". The next listing references one Mary J. Russell (age 51), also on Allegheny Street, with occupation listed as "Postmaster - Local Office". That "Local Office" was very likely Vilas, PA!

I didnt yet make it to jersey shore but I did stop into the ross library in lockhaven and no records seem to exist. Ill have to see if I can get to jersey shore tomorrow morning. At least to snap a picture of it.

I got another postcard given to me from Jersey Shore, PA. (I wish the C.D.S. was legible though) I really miss that place. Anyways, I used to live just across the street from "the Broad St. School" Now it's an apartment building, A very nice one at that. It was all re-done on the inside and out and the widows watch was put back on it true to the original. It's still a beautiful building and an interesting bit of town history for you. The town jail (back in 1900's) was located in the back side of this building before it moved to another building. That little nook is still there today bars and all.





Here is what she looks like now.

It's decided that I'm going to go to these places this coming month and take photos just like photo's above (and from the same angles and scale) of these structures. Even the Gamble hotel pictured on another thread, even though it's a grass field now. I've made plans to visit my Grand Mother and all this stuff is in walking distance from her home. I'm sort of excited about it as I really miss my childhood home and will be fun to walk around Jersey Shore again. -Jeff