Jersey Shore Pa. Picture Postcard Postmarked 1906

I picked up this beautiful old postcard of my little hometown of Jersey Shore. Pennsylvania back in her glory days. I have walked up and those same streets pictured (corner of Allegheny and Broad streets) for over 40 years. I miss home and these cards make me feel good when I miss home.

Obverse:


Reverse:


This is the building to the left of it circ. 1972

Now go stand in the exact spot where that photographer stood in 1905-6 and take a 2012 photo. Several of my postcard buyers on ebay have done exactly that, with terrific results.

What's that neighborhood like now?

I am quite intrigued by the postmark of Larrys Creek, PA. It's one of the few locations where Jim Forte's Postal History Web Site is in error, as they show Larrys Creek, PA post office having been discontinued after 1894, which of course, could not be possible given your postcard having a postmark of November 6, 1906.

I then checked the old Postal Bulletins and found that Larrys Creek, PA post office was actually discontinued on March 31, 1927, with all mail being forwarded to Larryville.

[edit] My mistake! I just found that Jim Forte's Postal History website does have the correct date of 1927 as the date of discontinuance of the Larrys Creek, PA post office.

Apparently it was known early on as "Larry's Creek" (with an apostrophe) through 1894, but from that date onto 1927 it was known as "Larrys Creek" (without the apostrophe) and a search of that Postal History website brings up both sets of information separately.

@ Doug & Zipper: I am going into Jersey Shore on Sunday and am going to do exactly that with all of my postcards from home. It has changed very little other than it's all in color now... Seriously though it has changed a lot as far as technology goes (paved roads and cement vs. the old flagstone sidewalks) all those buildings with the only exception being one hotel on main st. (The Gamble Hotel) is still there and still look much as depicted minus a porch or a balcony. I been wanting to take the same picture of the same buildings and perspectives for some time now but something always comes up when I'm down home that prohibits me from doing so but my grandmother and I are doing it together! (I called and made actual plans this time)


@ WT1: I collect this particular area's corks and dials/C.D.S.'s pretty heavily now and did know that. I been to Larrys Creek a thousand times I bet fly fishing! I need that book but I am acutely aware of it (Thanks to you!)

Step #2. When the pictures are done and printed, show them side by side to a few of the local merchants, and say something to the effect --

"I sure would like to buy some more old postcards or stamps on letters from this area, etc., etc., etc." No telling what might turn up.

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The mother and two children on your old postcard are long gone, and her grandchildren (if any) are now in their 70s or 80s. Isn't that amazing?

And note that, like many postcards of this era (until 1914), it was printed in Germany, our mortal enemy less than a decade later.

Particularly in the Northeast, families with German-sounding names even went so far as to anglicize them, to avoid discrimination.

Someone currently has this card listed on ebay. Looking at the "downtown" back in the day, at least people found it easy to locate the post office right on the corner!

Ahh.. I know that corner well but only from the view of the mountains which is Aichenbaughs Gap THIS is what that very same corner looks like now from Google maps and a clever screenshot. All those buildings are long gone and now on the right is Santino's Italian Cuisine and on the left is the Jersey Shore State Bank and parking lot where the post office stood.

The original postcard I posted is here. the picture was taken up at that intersection standing on the left hand side. I'll do this right when I get back into town, heck back to the US...lol

In the ebay postcard, what's that thing on the sidewalk outside the Post Office that looks like a refrigerator? A newspaper kiosk? And a streetcar in that small town!

Doug that was most likely a waste can of some sort or possibly a mail/packege pickup?. What you cant see off to the far left of the postcards view is a huge covered bridge that led across the Susquehanna River to Antes Fort, Pa. where there was yet another passenger station for the NYC Rail Road Also, YES there as a streetcar-many actually. Jersey Shore was home to a MASSIVE logging industry in it's very early days, then the NYC (New York Central) rail yard moved into town and the street cars were to shuttle the rail yard workers out to the shops to work and back.

Aesthetically speaking, "they" murdered a charming city.

If by "they" you mean the 1936 & 1972 and atleast 3 other floods earlier than that along with 2 catastrophic fires that almost completely consumed main street, then yes, yes they did!

The minute I heard Susquehanna River (above), I thought FLOODS.

Im finally back in the states. Im not going to be able to make it into jersey shore this month. I apologize but I too am sad about it for other reasons other than the now & then images. Ill make it happen soon. I just wanted to check in and let you know. :(

Here you go Zipper and Doug, that is if your interested?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jersey...Pennsylvania