Harrisburg and Dauphin County, Pa.

W. H. Shoemaker, sheet music, pianos, organs, music books, No. 11 South Third Street, Harrisburg, Pa.

"J. Shisler, agt., dealer in selected family groceries, pure coffees, spices, and good teas, Third St. (opposite Opera House), Harrisburg." This is one of a six-part "Comic Visiting" card series printed by E. Currier & Co., Boston (probably related to the Currier of Currier & Ives but I'm not sure how). Other cards show a woman trying to attract a cat with a saucer of milk , a man peering through his eyeglasses at an owl, and a baby dangling a cup or something else to get a dog's attention.

"Fort Hunter Park Service Station, Wm. Penn Highway (Routes 11 and 22), 6 miles north of Harrisburg, Penna. Luncheon service in an atmosphere of dignity. Unusually complete touring camp and picnic facilities." The Fort Hunter Park Service Station building is now part of the Fort Hunter Mansion and Park , which is a division of the Dauphin County Parks and Recreation Department .

"Harrisburg Carriage Repository, Edward Boyer, proprietor, 1017 Market St., Harrisburg, Pa. Manufacturer of and dealer in carriages, surreys, runabouts, Stanhope phaetons, buggies, and business wagons. Repairing and remodeling of carriages a specialty." The Hub , a trade magazine for carriage, wagon, and automobile manufacturers, provided this laudatory description of the Harrisburg Carriage Repository and its proprietor in its August 1901 issue, p. 256: "Harrisburg, Pa., has no better, more strongly established or more popular house in any branch of business than the Harrisburg Carriage Repository, of which Edward Boyer, good man, expert mechanic, and energetic business man, is proprietor. Everyone in the capital, yes, every carriage man in the State, we might say in the trade throughout the entire land, knows Boyer, the man whose word is as good as a United States bond. He handles only the best and carries a stock to meet all demands. Mr. Boyer is general agent for the Richland Vehicle Co. and numerous other manufacturers of twentieth-century vehicles of every description."

Photographer: E. F. Eton, 329 Market St., Harrisburg, Pa.

"John D. Lemer, 1218 North 3rd St., Harrisburg, Pa." For the Vintage Photos Theme Park, a hand in the photo with the person cut off .* For more of the same, track down a copy of Linda Fregni Nagler and Gioni Massimiliano's book, The Hidden Mother (London: MACK, 2013), which is a compilation of over 1,000 vintage photos of mothers attempting to remain hidden as they comfort children who are being photographed. *I try to sort through my collection in order to post a brand new photo for each week's theme, but I came up short this week and had to use one that I had previously posted elsewhere on Ipernity.

An armless mannequin in a Soap Box Derby car at the Antique Automobile Club of America (AACA) Museum in Hershey, Pa.

The Kissmobile in front of the Antique Automobile Club of America (AACA) Museum in Hershey, Pa. See it in action! Take a look at A Close Encounter of the Kissmobile Kind (Video) .

We were driving down the highway through farmland in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, when suddenly to our surprise we encountered THIS .

Lecture To-night Rev. Thos. Coke Carter, D.D., will deliver his humorous lecture on Matrimonial Mistakes in the Oberlin U.B. Church, Thursday evening, October 4, 1900, at 7.45 o'clock. Dr. Carter is a lecturer of national reputation, and this is one of his most charming lectures. The press of the country speak in the highest terms of the lecture and lecturer. If you wish to drive away the blues, hear this lecture and have a good laugh. Admission, 15c. Two tickets, 25c. Advocate and Verdict Print, Steelton, Pa. -------- It's difficult to get a sense of what Rev. Thos. Coke Carter spoke about in his "Matrimonial Mistakes" lecture based upon this printed announcement, but the following account--published over six years later after Carter had become a bishop in his church--provides some details: Entertaining Lecture: Was "Matrimonial Mistakes" Delivered at the Court-house Monday Evening The lecture in the Court-house, Monday evening, by Bishop T. C. Carter, of Chattanooga, on Matrimonial Mistakes was a treat to all who heard it. From beginning to close the lecture was one of sound logic, interspersed with humor and adorned with sentiment. The many mistakes, their origins and fearful consequences were vividly pictured but the crowning feature, the full weight of the discourse, was directed to a higher and broader conception of matrimonial relations, the wisdom displayed in choice, and the blessings that reign over the homes of the fortunate in wedlock. If this lecture could be delivered throughout the country, it would prove a great blessing and would doubtless save many an erring one from a fatal step, disperse misery, and install happiness in many homes. The lecturer was introduced by Gov. J. R. Hindman in his usual happy manner, after listening to inspiring music made by the Columbia Band. In closing Bishop Carter dwelt on the tender memories of early life and paid a just tribute to home--one that impressed his many hearers with its many blessings, after which the Band played "Home Sweet Home." Adair County News (Columbia, Adair County, Kentucky), Wed., April 3, 1907, p. 1 , col. 1. Chronicling America: Historic American Newspapers. Library of Congress.

A 1971 Bus & Car Co. Golden Eagle 05 bus on display at the Museum of Bus Transportation , Hershey, Pa.

Flier announcing James Brown's appearance at the State Theatre in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, on October 28, 1966. The Big Show of the Year The Fabulous James Brown, Mr. Dynamite. "Man's, Man's, Man's World." "Is It Yes, or Is It No?" "I Got You." The Famous Flames. The Jewels, "My Song," "This Is My Story." Butterbeans & Dixie. Go-go dancing girls. James Crawford, "Honest I Do." Bobby Byrd, "Oh! What a Night." Extra added attraction, Swanee Quintette, "That's the Spirit," "Try Me, Father." James Brown's Big 18-Piece Band. Halloween Show, State Theatre, Harrisburg, Pa., Fri., Oct. 28. Two shows, 7:00 & 10 p.m.

Stamped on back: "Hill Studio, 1415 Derry Street, Harrisburg, Pa." Handwritten on back: "Dec. 23, 1947." A puzzling photo of a masked Santa Claus (evidently a woman wearing a skirt) sitting next to a pile of wrapped presents and a Christmas tree. Newspapers are strewn about on the floor, and the walls in the background seem to be either water-stained or wet (could it be the inside of an unheated shed or trailer with condensation running down the walls?). The tips of what appear to be ironing boards surround Santa on both sides. Could this show early preparations for a gift distribution of some sort? Or has a downtrodden Santa taken up residence in a storage unit?

"C. Lloyd Major and His Orchestra. C. Lloyd Major, Bell 3-4109. 1944 Chestnut Street, Harrisburg, Pa." C. Lloyd Major was active as a musician in Pennsylvania during the 1920s and 1930s. His musical group went by various names, including C. Lloyd Major and His Victor Recording Orchestra, C. Lloyd Major and His Merry Musicians, and C. Lloyd Major and His Tallo-Ho Ten.

National Theatre, 6th & Dauphin Sts. This ticket and 10c will admit 1 adult or 1 child. Clara Bow, "Call Her Savage." Our Gang comedy & Betty Boop. Wed. & Thurs., March 1 &2, 1933. Fri. & Sat. Tim McCoy, "End of the Trail."

Although "TMI" simply means " too much information " to most of us, residents of central Pennsylvania also use it to refer to the Three Mile Island Nuclear Generating Station , a nuclear power plant situated on an island in the Susquehanna River that's three miles downriver from the borough of Middletown and twelve miles from the city of Harrisburg, the state capital. Thirty-five years ago--on March 28, 1979--one of TMI's two nuclear reactors experienced a partial nuclear meltdown , which the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission still calls the "most serious accident in U.S. commercial nuclear power plant operating history." The partial meltdown resulted in a release of radioactive materials, and pregnant women and young children living within a 20-mile radius of the plant were advised to evacuate the area. It took several days until plant operators were certain that the situation was under control. Gary and the Outriders, a local music group, recorded an original song, "Goodbye T.M.I. (The Ballad of Three Mile Island)," and released it as a 45 rpm record. Its catchy melody contrasts with its dire refrain: "Goodbye, goodbye to your life, T.M.I." To hear the song, check it out on YouTube: Gary & The Outriders - Goodbye T.M.I. (1979) . For another musical reaction to the TMI accident, see the cover of the record album, Potter County Was Made by the Hand of God But the Devil Made Three Mile Island , on Flickr.

"Hoyer & Milnor, Great 99¢ Store, 29 Third St., Harrisburg, Pa." A Victorian-era advertising trade card with an illustration of an early tricycle.