Pennsylvania (Various Counties)

Fellow citizens, be vigilant! The invasion has begun! Sighted along State Route 255 near Penfield, Pennsylvania, on Sunday, October 26, 2014, at approximately 1354 hours. Now I wish I would have listened when they said that the Flying Saucers Are Real!

A trick or treat photo for the Vintage Photos Theme Park. Stamped on the back of the photo: "Sta-Nu Prints. Jun 26, 1940, Hayes Photo Service, New Hope, Pa." Although these kids look like they're ready for Halloween, the month (June) that the photo was developed and the warm day (note the open windows of the school building behind them) lead me to suspect that they were dressed up for a play or some other school activity.

"Hotel Langford. Lighted by electricity. Heated by steam. Everything new. Sample room for traveling men. Near the passenger station. Baths--hot and cold. Rates, $2.00 per day. Susquehanna, Penn. F. F. Langford, propr." This nineteenth-century business card indicates that the Hotel Langford catered to salesmen (called "commercial travelers" or "traveling men" at the time) by offering them "sample rooms" where they could display their wares for potential customers.

"Compliments of A. D. Harding, artistic photographer, 42 Main St., Susquehanna, Penn'a. Satisfaction guaranteed." For a delightful collection of similar cards with photos, see Photo_History's set of Calling Cards, Business Cards, and ID Cards over on Flickr.

"Notice!!! No delivery Monday in order to give our drivers the day off to go deer hunting. Your Monday order will be delivered Sunday. Thanks you. The Shuman Dairy." Pennsylvania's firearms deer hunting season traditionally begins on the first Monday after Thanksgiving (December 1 in 2014), and many schools and businesses are closed for the day. This notice from the Shuman Dairy, which was located in McEwensville, Pa., was intended to let customers know that milkmen would make their deliveries on Sunday instead of Monday so they could go hunting on the first day of the season. The card likely dates to the 1950s or 1960s when home delivery of milk and other dairy products was still common.

See also a 1908 version of this pass. Pennsylvania Railroad Co., 1909 Pass T. D. Leader and wife, foreman carpenters, Altoona Car Shops, over the Eastern & Western Pennsylvania Divisions, during the year 1909, unless otherwise ordered when signed by G. W. Creighton. Not good on Penna. Special or Penna. Limited or Trains 43 or 44. Employee. 593. G. W. Creighton, gen'l supt., Eastern Penna. Div. S. C. Long, gen'l supt., Western Penna. Div.

See also a 1909 version of this pass. Pennsylvania Railroad Co., 1908 Pass T. D. Leader and wife, foreman carpenters, Altoona Car Shops, over the Eastern & Western Pennsylvania Divisions, during the year 1908, unless otherwise ordered when signed by G. W. Creighton. Not good on Penna. Special or Penna. Limited or Trains 43 or 44. Employee. 2217. G. W. Creighton, gen'l supt., Eastern Penna. Div. S. C. Long, gen'l supt., Western Penna. Div.

"Visit the City Furniture House, opp. Seely House, Towanda, Pa." A Victorian trade card with skating frogs.

A photo of folded arms and/or crossed legs for the Vintage Photos Theme Park. "...Base-ball Club, Boswel....weg. [or neg.?] by Wm. Hicks." This is a damaged real photo postcard of a baseball club from Boswell , Somerset County, Pennsylvania, dating to the 1900s or 1910s. Although part of the handwritten caption is missing due to the torn-off corner, the baseball club name appears to have been the Regulars, judging by the shirt worn by the man standing on the left with his hands on his hips. Other players are standing with their arms folded, and some are sitting cross-legged on the ground. William Hicks was a 24-year-old resident of Boswell when he listed his occupation as photographer on a marriage license application dated November 25, 1907 (as viewed on the Ancestry web site). His wife-to-be was Catharine E. Henry, who was 18 years old and also lived in Boswell. I haven't been able to locate any additional information about William Hicks and his photographic work, but I'm guessing that he may have been the photographer for two other real photo postcards from the same town: Nicollette at Boswell, Pa. , and Atlantic Coal Company's Mine, Boswell, Pa.

A let's dance photo for the Vintage Photos Theme Park. This is a real photo postcard showing the winners of promoter George L. Ruty's "walkathon," which was held at White City Park, an amusement park located near Pottsville, Pennsylvania, in 1934. Walkathons were related to dance marathons , and both involved endurance contests that required participants to walk, dance, and perform other tasks over the course of days, weeks, or months in order to win cash and prizes. Spectators paid an admission fee to see the proceedings and often attended regularly to find out how well their favorite individual or couple was doing in the contest (fans could purchase photos of each couple, too--see below for Mary O'Connor and Charlie Cucci's , for instance). Some contestants made the rounds of different walkathons and dance marathons, and a few became popular locally or nationally. Frank Loveccio, who's wearing a striped shirt and suspenders and is standing third from left in the photo above, eventually parlayed his walkathon and dance marathon appearances into a wildly successful singing, songwriting, and acting career under the name of Frankie Laine (see below for another group photo that shows Frank Loveccio/Frankie Laine during his dance marathon days). Prize Winning Couples, Geo. L. Ruty's Walkathon, White City Park, 1934 Team #21 - Mickey Sheehan, Itsy Bachrach Team #10 - Frank Loveccio, Frances Leonard Team #29 - Aaron Sinton, Bobbie Smith M.C. - Phil Murphy Team #6 - Eleanor Johnson, Ralph Stanside Team #9 - Mary O'Connor, Charlie Cucci Judge - Fred Clifford

"Dancingly Yours, Mary O'Connor, Chas. Cucci, Team #9." This real photo postcard is one of a series of photos that was used to promote George L. Ruty's "walkathon" (a contest similar to a dance marathon), which was held at White City Park, an amusement park located near Pottsville, Pennsylvania, in 1934. For another photo taken in front of the same bandstand, see Prize-Winning Couples, Ruty's Walkathon, White City Park, Pottsville, Pa., 1934 .

"C. C. Armbruster, restaurant and lager beer saloon, no. 41 South Sixth St., three doors south of Hamilton St., Allentown, Pa." A Victorian-era advertising trade card.

"Lehigh House, South Bethlehem, Pa. Convenient to university. Newly refitted. European and American plans. Reduced rates for students. P. Alexander Hunt, prop. Free 'bus." As far as I can determine, Lehigh House was a hotel located in what is now Bethlehem , Pennsylvania ("South Bethlehem" is no longer used as a place name). I haven't been able to figure out the hotel's exact location, but its proximity to Lehigh University ("convenient to university") was apparently why the proprietor offered "reduced rates for students" and a "free [omni]bus." The only mention of the Lehigh House hotel that I've uncovered so far is in Alfred Mathews, History of the Counties of Lehigh and Carbon, in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania (Philadelphia: Everts & Richards, 1884), p. 144: "In 1833, [Caspar] Kleckner built the hotel now known as the Lehigh House, which he kept until 1841, when his son-in-law, John G. Schimpf, took possession of it, and remained as landlord until 1858. Following him there were two or three other landlords, who remained for short terms, and in 1862 the house was sold to James Allen Trexler, whose son H. A. Trexler, is the present proprietor." I suspect that this business card dates to the 1880s or 1890s, when P. Alexander Hunt presumably succeeded H. A. Trexler as proprietor.

A printed birth and baptismal certificate for John Elmer Miller (1868-1934), who's final resting place is the United Church of Christ and Lutheran Cemetery, Madisonburg, Centre County, Pa. Mouse over the image above to see enlargements of the brightly colored top portion and middle portion of the certificate. For a German-language version of this certificate, which was also printed by Theo. F. Scheffer, Harrisburg, Pa., see Geburts und Tauf-schein , which is part of the Pennsylvania German Broadsides and Fraktur collection at the Penn State University Libraries. Record of Birth & Baptism: To These Two Parents: As Benjamin F. Miller and his wife Catherine, a daughter of J. Schmeltzer, was born a child on the 27th day of July in the year of our Lord 1868. This child was born in Miles Township in Centre county, in the state of Penn'a. in North America; was baptized by the Rev'd Wm. G. Engle and on Oct. 4th 1868 and received the name of John Elmer. Witnesses: His parents. (H.E.W. 1874). Printed and for sale by Theo. F. Scheffer--Harrisburg, Penn'a.

Detail from John Elmer Miller's Birth and Baptismal Certificate, Centre County, Pa., 1874 :

Detail from John Elmer Miller's Birth and Baptismal Certificate, Centre County, Pa., 1874 :

Despite its discoloration, this small novelty ticket for the Philadelphia and Erie Railroad (1861-1907) is notable for its use of rebuses (see my translations of the pictures, numbers, and letters below) to indicate the children's fares and to request that passengers keep their feet off the seats. The back of the ticket (see below) indicates that this was a "Through Check." On railways where they're still used today, through checks are more commonly called seat checks. As I understand it, a conductor typically first inspects a passenger's train ticket, marks the destination on a seat check, and then places the check on or above the passenger's seat. This allows the conductor to keep track of passengers and which stops they need to get off at. Apparently, T. E. Metzgar was the only conductor who used a seat check like this, since it specifies on the back, "Good for this day and train only. With any other conductor it is useless." My best guess, then, is that Metzgar had these printed himself and may have used them on special occasions or perhaps just for children. Has anyone else seen anything similar? Philadelphia & Erie R.R. Rebus: "Key-P UR Boots & Shoes off the Seats." Translation: "Keep your boots and shoes off the seats." T. E. Metzgar, conductor. Rebus: "5 Children Free." Translation: "Children under 5, free." Rebus: "12 Children 5 Half Fare" Translation: "Children over 5 and under 12, half fare."

The back of a small novelty ticket (or, more specifically, a "through check" or "seat check") used by T. E. Metzgar, who was a conductor on the Philadelphia and Erie Railroad . For more information, see the front of the ticket (below). Through Check - Erie to . . . Langdon's - 9.0 Waterford - 18.5 Union - 26.2 Corry - 37.0 Spring Creek - 44.0 Garland - 50.0 Irvineton - 59.7 Warren - 65.5 Sheffield - 78.8 Ludlow - 85.4 Kane - 94.5 Wilcox - 103.7 Johnsonburg - 110.1 Ridgway - 118.2 St. Mary's - 128.3 Rathbun - 137.5 Emporium - 149.1 Cameron - 155.0 Sterling - 158.6 Driftwood - 167.6 Round Island - 177.8 Keating - 182.7 Westport - 189.3 Renovo - 195.2 Lock Haven - 222 Williamsport - 248 Sunbury - 288 Harrisburg - 344 Philadelphia - 449 Baltimore - 426 New York - 443 Good for this day and train only. With any other conductor it is useless. If you wish to stop over, notify the conductor.