SS - Johnston's Coffee Shop, Daytona Beach, Florida

Johnston's Coffee Shop of Daytona Beach, Florida was built in 1940 by Alice and Isham Johnston. The Johnstons operated the coffee shop until 1950. Although the Johnston's sold the coffee shop, it seems to have operated under the same name for a number of years.

I wonder how they determined they had the "World's Best Apple Pie." I imagine they weren't the only place making that claim. The restaurant does sound inviting with all the food being good and an unusually large variety to choose from!

Smorgasbord Sundays (SS)
restaurant and food postcards

PFF - Old View of Minnesota State Fair Grounds

This postcard shows an early twentieth century view of a portion of the Minnesota State Fair Grounds. The Minnesota State Fair is located midway between Minneapolis and St. Paul. It has been held at its present location since 1885. The 2010 dates of the Minnesota State Fair are August 26 to Labor Day.

The building shown in the background is the old Livestock Pavillion that was completed in 1906. This building was replaced by a new Coliseum in 1951.

SS - Dinah's Shack, Palo Alto, California

The legend is that Charles and Hazel McMonagle saw an old shack in 1926. The shack reminded Hazel of the black woman named Dinah who had cared for her as a child and she cried out, “It’s Dinah’s Shack.” The McMonagles bought the shack and turned it into a roadside carry-out restaurant featuring southern style food. Around 1950 the restaurant was sold and the new owner added Continental cuisine and a smorgasbord.

By the 1960s the Mammy logo and slave imagery became controversial. The owner painted the stable boy statues white, and some of these statues remained after the restaurant closed in 1989.

Source: Dinah's Shack: A Delicate History

Smorgasbord Sundays (SS)
restaurant and food postcards

PFF - 13-Dot Hong Kong Cartoon

13-Dot was a girls comic by artist Lee Wai-Chun. It was popular among young working=class women in Hong Kong during the late 1960s and early 1970s. "13-Dot" is slang that refers to fun-loving and mischievous girls in Shanghainese. Miss 13-Dot was a fashion-crazy teen-age girl from a rich family who was continually changing her costume. Fans would style their clothes after the ones in the comic.

This card was sent to me by a Postcrossing member from Macau, China. She wrote:

This is a famous cartoon in my parents' age. It republish when I was in junior high & it's one of my favorite too. It's a series of stories about a crazy but clever girl.

The postcard is from Hong Kong Comics: 30 Postcards.

VTT - Cute Kitties On Leather and Wood

Both of my cat thingies are about 100 years old. Both leather postcards and burnt wood (pyrography) items were popular around the same time in the early 1900s.

The leather Easter cat postcard is a little smaller than most postcards--3-1/4"X5-1/4". It was sent through the mail but only part of the postmark is readable "190_."

The pyrography plaque is a match holder. It's size is 7"X12". It has the date "April 22, 1914" and the initials "I.W" burned on the back.

I'm participating in Vintage Thingie Thursday

SS - Union Oyster House, Boston, Massachusetts

This postcard tells you more than you probably want to know about the Union Oyster House in Boston. The short version is that the Union Oyster House is the oldest restaurant in Boston and the oldest restaurant in continuous service in the U.S. The building has housed the restaurant since 1826, but has been there at least since the 1740s. It was listed as a National Historic Landmark in 2003.

More information about the Union Oyster House can be found on the restaurant website (where you will also find a gift shop and cookbook).

Smorgasbord Sundays (SS)
restaurant and food postcards

PFF - Dorothy Lamour's Home in Beverly Hills

Dorothy Lamour (1914-1996) started her career in the early 1930s as a singer. In 1936 she moved to Hollywood and began appearing in movies. She was one of the most popular movie stars from 1936 to 1952. Dorothy Lamour is probably best known for starring in the "Road to…" movies with Bing Crosby and Bob Hope.

Tours of movie star homes in Southern California were popular with tourists, and pictures of many of the stars' homes were published on postcards. Over the last couple of weeks, I participated in an extended "discussion" GOING HOLLYWOOOD on the Vintage Postcard Forum. You can see many other postcards of movie star homes as well as other attractions in Hollywood and Los Angeles there.

The Vintage Postcard Forum is a great site for anyone interested in vintage postcards. Hope to see you there!

P.S. Thanks to Beth for pointing out that today is Friday the 13th. I posted a Good Luck postcard in the Vintage Postcard Forum here.

VTT - More Girl Scout Things

The postcard above is "A Girl Scout Camp Post Card." It was mailed from Bovey, Minnesota in 1947 with the following message:

Boy am I having a lot of fun! I'll bet I gained at least 7 pounds. They feed you a lot. It's raining now though.

Some more of my Girl Scout things are in the photo below. The mess kit and utensil set got a lot of extra use on later camping trips. The belt is from my original fifth grade Girl Scout uniform. It was way too long then. I never shortened it, so it is the right size now.

Only a few of the songs in the songbook look familiar. One that I still remember is Make New Friends:

Make new friends, but keep the old.
One is silver and the other gold.

I'm participating in Vintage Thingie Thursday

SS - Manhattan Dinner House, Springfield, MO

Manhattan Dinner House was located on Route 66 in Springfield, Missouri and is mentioned in the book Route 66 in the Missouri Ozarks by Joe Sonderman. It was in business from 1947 until the 1960s.

The name of the restaurant, Manhattan Dinner House, seems a bit of a misnomer. Breakfast gets equal billing with dinner-- breakfast hours from 6 to 10:30 are advertised prominently out front. The restaurant is said to have specialized in steaks, so maybe the owner associated Manhattan with steaks.

Smorgasbord Sundays (SS)
restaurant and food postcards

VTT - Girl Scout Things

The postcard with the Girl Scout laws is something I bought for my postcard collection. The other things are from my Girl Scout years.

First is my Girl Scout handbook (1955 edition) with an official Girl Scout plastic bookcover. My pins and 100th Anniversary patch (1860-1960) are on top of the book.

Last is my badge sash. The badges continue on the other side. The last 10 badges are just pinned on. They have been that way for fifty years! I never got around to sewing them on because I no longer needed to wear the sash.

I still have a few other Girl Scout thingies that I will show in a future post.

I'm participating in Vintage Thingie Thursday

SS - Angelo's Place, Gulfport, Mississippi

Angelo's Place in Gulfport, Mississippi was owned and operated by Angelo Xidis, who was Greek. This is a 1940s view of the old Angelo's restaurant. This building was built of steel tile and glass and had live oak trees growing through the roof (photo here). This building was destroyed by Hurricane Camille in 1969. Angelo's restaurant was rebuilt and was there until 1985. There is now a Vrazel's Fine Food Restaurant at this site.

Spaghetti and meatballs, which are advertised on the sign out front, were a specialty. The sign on the roof, that proclaims in large letters "FOODS - WE FEED THE PEOPLE," is one of my favorites. This building was on U.S. 90 and faced the then "Sparkling Waters of the Gulf."

Smorgasbord Sundays (SS)
restaurant and food postcards