Iowa

This is some of the most beautiful corn I've seen. Nice composition, color, and lettering.

And here are some more lovely views from this circa 1930 postcard folder.

Back to School - Cornell

Cornell students have been back in class and hard at work for a couple of weeks now.  Here are some old cards of Cornell, with not a student in sight.

The last card is the only one with a message on the back. It was sent to Mrs. George Collier in Warsaw, New York in 1927.

The message reads:

We are having a nice visit with the Judd family. Carrie

I found a little bit of information on the Collier family. The Perry Herald reported on May 12, 1926 that, Mr. and Mrs. George Collier motored to Buffalo on Wednesday and visited Mr. and Mrs. James Mauaher.

This announcement was followed by:
The farmers began sowing peas on last Friday.
Mrs. George Gould of Warsaw spent from Friday until Sunday with her daughter Mrs. Fred Adrian.
Mrs. Mildred Widrig was home from Geneseo for the week end.

Among many other announcements, it was also noted that, Mr. and Mrs, W.H. Scott called at the George W. Beardsley home Monday afternoon, and that, Mr. and Mrs. Guy L. Beardsley were Sunday dinner guests of Mr. and Mrs. S.C. Travis of Silver Springs.
Nothing got past those reporters, not even the fact that Charles Sage had purchased a new Chevrolet Coupe.

This one seems particularly appropriate, since Jane Austen books all revolve around visits between households and families:

Miss Jane Austin of Geneseo was a guest Sunday of her grandfather, E.G. Austin.

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.