Greetings from The Crematory

I keep discovering postcards of cemeteries in my collection - and now I find a card of a crematory.  I hope it's not an omen. This is the Gardner Earl Memorial Crematory in Troy, New York.

It turns out that this crematory was built by William Earl as a memorial to his son. That may seem a little peculiar. After all, he could have funded a school or other building with more cheerful associations as a way to memorialize his son. But there was a reason behind this choice. It seems that the son, Gardner Earl, a sickly young man, had gathered enough strength to make a trip to Italy when he was in his 30s. I'm not sure what the other highlights of his trip were, but apparently young Gardner was very impressed with cremation methods in Italy. It makes you wonder about his travel itinerary, doesn't it?

So impressed was young Gardner that after his return he drafted a document stating that upon his death he would like to be cremated. His parents had probably faced many worries and a lot of heartache taking care of their sickly son. And now this. When he died a few years later, they had to cart his body off to Buffalo, the closest place where cremation was available. This inspired Gardner's parents to build a crematory in their hometown of Troy, New York in his honor. The building was completed in 1889. It's still strange if you ask me, but at least there is an explanation of sorts.

That said, this building has some amazing details, including Tiffany windows, exotic marble, carved stone and wood,  and decorative copper details on the roof. The chapel and the reception room are simply stunning. The building was designed by Albert Fuller, and has been nominated as a national historic landmark. Oakwood cemetery, the setting for this crematory, is also known for it's beautiful gardens. A number of prominent Americans are buried here.

The back of the card has no message, not even "wish you were here." Sorry, Lisa B.

Thanks for Coming Along

The Daily Postcard is celebrating its second birthday today. Whether you just stopped by for the first time or you've been checking in for the last two years, I thank you for coming along for the ride.  Reader comments really add a lot to the stories behind these cards, so thanks to all of you who have contributed historical information as well as opinions and observations.

I don't know who these two fellows are, but I think they're heading into town to get a couple shots of whiskey in celebration of this blog milestone.
Here's the back of the card. Based on the stamp box design, this card was printed between 1904 and 1918.

Josephine of Binghamton

In response to the Sepia Saturday theme post, Beatriz of Spain, I give you Josephine of Binghamton! Josephine Tomecek was born in Binghamton, New York in 1931. She was a bright spark all her life, with a positive outlook that often defied reality. Here she is in about 1937 with her brother Milton.

Josephine had known her husband John from an early age, but he didn't pay much attention to her until he returned from World War II and found that she had matured into a lovely young woman. They were married in 1949. The picture below is thought to be an engagement photo.

John and Josephine had five sons. I married one of them. After raising the boys, Josephine suffered cheerfully through many physical ailments until she died on September 3rd three years ago. She was an inspiration and is greatly missed.

Josephines's parents, Gabriel and Elizabeth, came from Strážnice in the South Moravian Region of the Czech Republic. After they came to the United States, they both worked at the Endicott Johnson Shoe Company in Binghamton. I will post some cards from the Endicott Johnson Shoe Company next week.