For years, I have chuckled when someone mentioned the “Hysterical” Society, usually in reference to blocking some modern development.  I never paid much attention.  That has changed and for the good!  On Monday, May 18, the Belfast Historical Society sponsored a lecture at the local library on Charles A. Townsend.  Maybe not a figure of national reputation, but this guy took a boatload of photographs of Belfast in the first thirty years of the 20th century, and made many into postcards of particular quality. Whereas Townsend’s postcards sold for four for a quarter, other postcards sold a “dime a dozen” .  Of extraordinary interest to us were the photos taken of our house, The James P. White House.  A very kind gentleman here who collects old postcards gave us several of our house mailed back in the early 1900s.  Santiago and I are now the newest members of the old post card club.  The first picture is a postcard of the White House, circa 1903, and the second is circa 1904.

Random fact #1: in 1898 the US Congress authorized the postcard to be used in the US Mail system; one side was the picture, the other was reserved solely for the address.  Random fact #2: in 1907, the Congress authorized writing on one half of the side with the address. Bet you did not know that!

ciao, Diana