The People's Palace

In 1903, the largest Congregational Church of New Jersey laid the cornerstone for the People's Palace in Jersey City. It was to accommodate not only Sunday school, but also dancing, card games, bowling, swimming, and all kinds of recreation. As the Reverend John J. Scudder said at the time: "The People's Palace will sanctify all legitimate amusements and not let the Devil have a monopoly of them. It will keep boys off the street, young men out of saloons, and young women out of dance halls. "

Lora Nichols sent this card to Ed(d) Weed in Milan. I think it's fair to say that it was Milan, New York and not Milan, Italy. The town of Milan is still fairly small, with a population of about 2,300.  Her message reads:
Many Kind thoughts of Jesus from Lora Nichols to Dear Mr. Weed.

Give My Regards to Broad Street

O.K., that's not how the song really goes.  The real chorus is:

Give my regards to Broadway, remember me to Herald Square,

Tell all the gang at Forty-Second Street, that I will soon be there;

Whisper of how I'm yearning to mingle with the old time throng;

Give my regards to old Broadway and say that I'll be there ere long.

Is there a song about Broad Street? If so, I'm not aware of it. As important as the street may be, it probably doesn't inspire the enthusiasm that Broadway does. Broad Street is in the center of Manhattan's financial district, but long ago it was the Broad Canal. Traders could bring their goods into the city via boat or canoe before it was filled in in 1676.

Here are three postcards from different eras, all taken around the intersection of Broad Street and Wall Street. The first one is an early view by the American News Company, looking up Broad Street towards Federal Hall.

If you could walk up the street and turn left at the Federal Hall onto Wall Street, you would have seen a view similar to this, with Trinity Church at the end of the street.

The third picture is from the same general area as the second, but from a number of years later and taken from a different direction.

Here are the backs of the cards in the same order.

Fresh Candy

Sometime between 1904 and 1918 there was an opportunity to buy fresh candy, and the experience was recorded on film. This photo was included with a bunch of other photos from Oregon, but if it's in Oregon I couldn't tell you where. The first two people on the left appear to be tasting the candy. Never mind the location, I wonder what kind of candy it was.