Mount Adams Incline - Cincinnati, Ohio

When the architect who steals my covers goes to Cincinnati later this year, he won't see the Mt. Adams Incline, because it's not there anymore. This spectacular funicular was built in 1872, one of five funiculars in Cincinnati and the longest running of any of them.  It was built to connect the downtown with the residential areas on the hill. The Mt. Adams Incline was closed in 1948, even though at the time it was the city's biggest tourist attraction.

Today, there are still some great attractions on the hill, including Eden Park, the Cincinnati Art Museum, a few theaters, and numerous restaurants and bars. It's unfortunate that as in many other cities, car-driven transportation planning worked to effectively fragment the city by building big freeways through the middle of it.  Here's a USGS photo from a website called Cincinnati-transit net, with a yellow line showing the site of the former funicular. The website has lots of great pictures of the Mt. Adams Incline and the other Cincinnati inclines, although it doesn't look as if there have been any  posts recently.

Here's the back of the postcard:

Draw That Bridge - Multnomah Falls

Two weeks ago I posted a card of Multnomah Falls in the Columbia River Gorge near Portland. That card showed the falls before the bridge was built in 1914.  I invited you to submit designs for a bridge. There was one submission, which was terrific, but I can't post it due to copyright issues. It showed the Jantzen bathing suit girl spanning the falls. Very clever, and I wish I could post it, but I understand Jantzen may not want their trademark used that way.  Anyway, as promised here is the card showing the bridge. It's also an old card (from about 1920)  but it doesn't look much different today.

 Here's the pre-bridge card again:

At 620 feet, Multnomah Falls is the highest waterfall in Oregon. The Benson Footbridge was built midway on the falls in 1914., allowing people to cross 105 feet above the lower cascade. It's a beautiful view and a great starting point for a number of hiking trails.


Here's the back of the card:

Streetcar Sunday - Sayre, Pennsylvania

Sayre, Pennsylvania is located in the Penn-York Valley along with the towns of Athens and Waverly.  The New York-Pennsylvania border cuts through the valley, but there are no physical borders between the three towns, which have seamlessly connecting street grids.  According to Ken Bracken, President of the Sayre Historical Society, the Waverly Sayre & Athens Traction Company provided streetcar service for  the three towns from 1916 until 1930.  Mr. Bracken also mentions that the street looks very much the same today, except for the bank on the corner, which was badly damaged by a gas leak explosion one night in the 1960s.

Sadly, after 1930, there was no public transit for a very long time. Today, the Endless Mountain Transportation Authority provides bus service in the area.

I also would like to mention a great website if you are conducting any history or genealogy research on relatives from Bradford and Tioga Counties in Pennsylvania or Chemung County, New York. Joyce Tice has put together an incredible genealogy and history website for the area.