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"City of Paris" was a San Francisco, California department store. The store closed in 1972 after more than 100 years in business. In 1982 a new Neimann Marcus store that incorporated the elaborate dome from the original City of Paris store opened on the site of the old store.This is a Photo Post Card on Kodak Paper. Facts about the City of Paris 1951 Christmas Tree are printed on the back of the postcard:
Measures more tha 50 feet high, erected as it comes from the forest. Adorned with 4000 ornaments and more than 2000 lights. Tree selected trained woodsmen weeks in advance…flame-proofed upon arrival in the city. Street roped off, doors removed to allow its entry late at night. Scaffolding with cat-walks allows even trimming by acrew of 30 men who worked 18 hours to make it ready for unveiling. Christmas 1951, the 51st tree, is the store's 101st year.
Department store Christmas trees used to be a big attraction for holiday shoppers. Some other stores that issued postcards showing their giant Christmas trees were Sterling Linder Davis of Cleveland and Barker Bros. of Los Angeles.
Bethlehem Pennsylvania's Hill to Hill Bridge is a concrete arch bridge with two metal truss bridge sections. It was built from 1921 to 1924 and joins Bethlehem and South Bethlehem. This undated linen postcard has a night view of the Christmas decorations on the Hill to Hill Bridge. Bethlemem, Pennsylvania was founded on Christmas Eve in 1741. The settlement was named after the town of Bethlehem in Judea, the birthplace of Jesus Christ. The city is known for its large 81-foot Christmas "Star of Bethlehem." In 1937, the Bethlehem Chamber of Commerce adopted the nickname "Christmas City, USA." Beginning after Thanksgiving and continuing until year end, Bethlehem offers many holiday-themed activities.
This Thanksgiving postcard is by artist HBG (H. B. Griggs), an artist who produced some of the liveliest and wittiest Thanksgiving postcards. Little is really known about the first Thanksgiving feast, and most of what we do "know" is really a myth. An article about the First Thanksgiving discusses some of the myths and concludes with a list of things that we actually do know about the first Thanksgiving:1. The first Thanksgiving was a harvest celebration in 1621 that lasted for three days.
2. The feast most likely occurred between Sept. 21 and Nov. 11.
3. Approximately 90 Wampanoag Indians and 52 colonists - the latter mostly women and children - participated.
4. The Wampanoag, led by Chief Massasoit, contributed at least five deer to the feast.
5. Cranberry sauce, potatoes - white or sweet - and pies were not on the menu.
6. The Pilgrims and Wampanoag communicated through Squanto, a member of the Patuxet tribe, who knew English because he had associated with earlier explorers.
7. Besides meals, the event included recreation and entertainment.
8. There are only two surviving descriptions of the first Thanksgiving. One is in a letter by colonist Edward Winslow. He mentions some of the food and activities. The second description was in a book written by William Bradford 20 years afterward. His account was lost for almost 100 years.
Massasoit was the chief of the Wampanoag Indians when the Pilgrims arrived at Plymouth. He signed a peace treaty with the Pilgrims after being offered gifts and told that the Pilgrims were only interested in peace and trading.A bronze statue by sculptor Cyrus Dallin was erected in Plymouth, Massachusetts in 1921. It was commissioned by the Imperial Order of Red Men and commemorated the 300th anniversary of the peace treaty. Dallin also created other well-known statues of Native Americans.
The Pilgrims anchored near present-day Provincetown, Massachusetts on Nov. 21, 1620. They spent time exploring the area and signed the Mayflower Compact there before landing at Plymouth on December 26, 1620 and establishing the Plymouth Colony. The first child born to the Pilgrims in New England, Peregrine White, was born aboard the Mayflower on December 16 while the ship was in Provincetown Harbor.
The date of the Pilgrims' first landing was first recorded as November 11 because England was still using the old style Julian Calendar until 1752. November 21 (sometimes dated November 22) is the new style date using the Gregorian Calendar.
For more Mayflower and Pilgrim history, visit http://www.mayflowerhistory.com/index.php
The sign on this postcard advertises the Covered Bridge Festival in Parke County, Indiana which considers itself the Covered Bridge Capital of the U.S.A. and the world. The information on the back of this card states that the "Covered Bridge Festival (is) held the 2nd weekend thru 3rd weekend of Oct. each year with tours of most of the 38 covered bridges."
The 51st Annual Parke County Covered Bridge Festival will be held October
12 - 21, 2007 and will offer tours of the remaining 31 covered bridges. The festival is headquartered on the courthouse lawn in Rockville, Indiana.
There is a Covered Bridge FAQ web page that answers questions such as "Why does Parke County have so many covered bridges?" and "Why did they cover the bridges?"
Sugarcreek, Ohio is known as the "Little Switzerland of Ohio." Sugarcreek's Ohio Swiss Festival is held annually the 4th weekend after Labor Day, usually the last weekend of September or first weekend of October. The 2007 Swiss Festival was held September 26 - 29.This postcard shows the Sugarcreek welcome sign. According to the information on the back of this postcard:In the Fall all roads into Sugarcreek are filled for
miles with cars as each Fall, the townfolk of Sugarcreek join with the Swiss cheesemakers of the vicinity in a two-day festival that has attracted nationwide attention. Known as the Ohio Swiss Festival it features Swiss wrestling, Swiss yodeling, Swiss dancing, and Swiss foods—with the accent on Swiss cheese which is a major product of the
community.
"City of Paris" was a San Francisco, California department store. The store closed in 1972 after more than 100 years in business. In 1982 a new Neimann Marcus store that incorporated the elaborate dome from the original City of Paris store opened on the site of the old store.
