Hendersonville, North Carolina

Here are some views from a postcard folder of Hendersonville, North Carolina. No hurricanes in sight, but I'm not sure I like they way FDR is looking at those young women.

The historic Skyland Hotel is still standing, but it's now condos/apartments. You can rent one for about $500 per month. Here's a description of Hendersonville. It may be a little dated, but I love that they use the word salubrious in the text. How often does anyone say salubrious anymore?

Keokuk, Iowa

Here are some views from a postcard folder of Keokuk, Iowa. Today the town has a population of about 10,400, with lots of historic buildings and attractions.

Here's a view of Main Street, which looks very much the same today, except for the cars.

And here's a great view of the generator room at the power plant.

Here's a view of the Union Depot in better days. It's still standing, but has fallen into disrepair. The City of Keokuk bought the building in 2010 for $1 so they could add it to the National Historic Register, making it eligible for federal preservation grants.

The Hotel Iowa, built in 1913, is also still standing and was renovated in 2006.

Shepherd of The Hills

This postcard folder  from Branson, Missouri was postmarked in 1925. It has lots of pictures of Marvel Cave. I won't bore you with those, but I will show you the much more interesting views from Shepherd of the Hills. The card doesn't tell you anything about Shepherd of the Hills. I think it's assumed that you already know. I didn't.

In the pictures below, we see the postmaster and Uncle Matt and Aunt Mollie, parents of young Matt. Apparently, you are already supposed to know who young Matt is, because no explanation is provided.  It turns out that this all refers to a book called The Shepherd of the Hills, written in 1907 by Harold Bell Wright. Years later the book was made into a movie starring John Wayne. The story is loosely based on the residents of the area, presumably including Uncle Matt and Aunt Mollie. You can find out more about the book here. Re-enactments of the story have been produced in Branson since 1960.

Here's another photo of Ike, the postmaster.

And here's the back of the folder.