If this is Thursday it must be postcards, 488

 

 

 

 

Chậteau de Boussac, Creuse, France

 

This used postcard is a Photo Edition “France Regard” publication.  The picture shows the Chậteau de Boussac, on top of a hill, located in the department of Creuse, France. 

 

This site has been occupied since Roman times with the castle built or re-built around 1400.  There were also additional remodels and renovations over time.  The main part of the castle is rectangular in shape with one large round tower and two square towers.  The south-west tower still has remains of the former battlements. It is constructed of brown stones and topped with tiles.  There are skylights from the 15^th century, gabled hooks, finials and a pointed arch stair gate.  The windows of the first and second floors were altered in the 18^th century.  George Sand occupied the castle during the war of 1870.  Parts of the castle were dismantled in 1794 but the main body has remained almost intact..  The fireplaces and wood paneling from the mid 18^th century were classified as historical objects in the 1990s and the castle was decreed a historical monument in 1930.   The famous Unicorn tapestries, now housed in the Middle Ages Museum in Paris, were discovered in this castle  by George Sand. 

 

Once again, thank yous to my friend for sending this card.

 

For additional information, see:

 

http://www.frenchchateau.net/chateaux-of-limousin/chateau-de-boussac.html

 

 

If this is Thursday it must be postcards, 487

 

 

 

 

 

 Cathedral St. Étienne, Limoges, France

 

The number 87002 appears at the upper left corner on the reverse of this used postcard recently sent by a friend.  The Editions René – J. Forestier photograph shows the Cathedral St. Étienne on the right, situated on the hill above the town.  

 

St. Étienne’s (St. Stephen’s in English) is located in Limoges south of the river Loire in France.  It is a Gothic and Romanesque style cathedral that was constructed over centuries by several different building campaigns.  Beginning in the 3^rd century and onwards there are been religious buildings on this site thought to have been created by Saint Martial, the first bishop of Limoges as the first Christian community.  Around the 5^th century the basilica was dedicated to Saint Stephen (St. Étienne), the first Christian martyr.  Fragments of early low-reliefs, Roman inscriptions, and marble columns suggest that this site may have been anciently used as a Roman temple, palace or villa before becoming a Christian church. 

 

The Romanesque part of the cathedral was begun by bishop Alduin in about 1013.   Pope Urban II consecrated the cathedral in 1095 on his return from the Council of Claremont where he had launched the first crusade.  There were fires in 1074 and 1105 that damaged some of the exposed framework and required the construction of barrel vaults.  Only the crypt and the three lower stories of the tower remain today.  Part of the crypt has been filled in to support the bases and Gothic pillars.  The walls of the crypt have 12^th century murals.  It is still used as a burial place for the bishops of Limoges; however, the crypt is no longer open to the public.  

 

Many thanks to to my friend who sent this card and several others that will be shared over the next few weeks.  

 

For additional information, see:

 

https://www.cathedrale-limoges.fr/the-romanesque-period.html

[note: there is an English translation option available]

 

 

If this is Thursday it must be postcards, 486

 

 

 

 

Box Borders, Mount Vernon, Virginia, 1932

 

Today’s unused postcard has a picture of the boxwood borders found at the home of President George Washington in Mt. Vernon, Virginia.  The card is dated 1932 at the lower left corner. 

 

Boxwood or Buxus is a slow growing evergreen shrub or small tree.  There are several different varieties, some native to Europe, Asia, Africa and America.  It has been used as topiary in some gardens and is often trained or clipped into different geometric shapes and animals.  Sometimes the shaping is done by employing wire cages as guides keep the plant in the desired shape as it grows.

 

Mount Vernon is the former home and plantation of George and Martha Washington.  It is located on the banks of the Potomac River in Fairfax County, Virginia.  Designed as a National Historic Landmark in 1960 and it is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.  The original house, built of wood, was built by Washington’s father around 1734.  During Washington’s time the house was expanded twice.  After he died the home remained in the family for several generations.  In 1858 the house was saved from ruin by the Mount Vernon Ladies Association.  The Association still owns and maintains it as a trust.  It is open to the public every day of the year. 

 

The grounds originally covered 8,000 acres but today has 500 acres that includes the property upon which the house stands and the gardens.  The boxwoods were planted in 1786 by George Washington and now can be found along all the paths.  They have been trimmed into shapes.  The gardens also include a grassy bowling green, greenhouse, and vegetable and fruit gardens.  A museum on the grounds has exhibits of the surveying equipment George Washington used, weapons and clothing.  There is also a library open for scholarship by appointment only.

 

For additional information, see:

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mount_Vernon

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Topiary

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buxus

 

Update: Harry Oliver & Sigrid Landaas and others …

 

 

 

From time to time I get questions concerning the extended family groups and this post will not address all of those but will attempt to add information and pictures as an update to a previous post about Harry Oliver and Sigrid Landaas.  In that post there was a photo of Harry with one of his Belmont Dye Works delivery cars.  A request for more information about the delivery cars arrived about the time I was already reviewing material for the next volume of the Family Gathering books.  As it turns out there are a number of old photographs in Dick Thompson’s Scrapbook Collection that are not found in the Petra Landaas Lee Trunk Collection or the Lorig Picture Box.  The delivery car question prompted a second look at Harry and Sigrid as well as a couple of other people in the Landaas, Lee, Lorig and Thompson family groups. 

 

 

 Sigrid Landaas, ca 1907

Harry Oliver, ca 1907

To recap, in the early 1900s, and at least by 1910, Harry owned and operated Belmont Dye Works, a dry-cleaning business located at 508 East Pine Street in Seattle.  After they married in 1908, Sigrid worked as the bookkeeper for the company.  This was a position she kept until they retired around 1950.  Harry’s younger brother, Walker, worked for him as a presser in the 1920s and 1930s.  It is also possible that his older brother, Johnny, worked there as a driver for a short period of time.  In later years, Johnny was a coal and oil truck driver for a fuel company.  However, it is likely Johnny’s wife, Lena, worked in the laundry section of the Dye Works for several years.  James was a farmer in the Walla Walla area of Eastern Washington.  Lenard owned and operated a café in Seattle.  Lenard worked in the shipyards beginning in 1942 and probably as long as the military needed him there during World War II. 

 

The five Oliver brothers from the left:  Lenard [Leonard] born 1896, James born 1892, John born 1885, Walker born 1894, Harry born 1888, ca 1908.

 

As I was looking at the pictures of the Belmont Dye Works delivery cars, I noticed some differences.  My youngest son is a mechanical engineer and I showed him the photos and a couple of other earlier delivery wagon pictures to see if he could help identify improvements that were made in the designs. 

 

 I.C. Lee with City Laundry delivery wagon, before 1905

 

In this photo, taken before 1905, I.C. Lee is the policeman helping the pedestrian cross the street.  Just behind him is a horse drawn City Laundry delivery wagon.  Notice the design of the wagon cab, the overhanging roof and the protective barrier in front of the driver, and the lack of a door for easier access.  Part of the laundry load is stored on top of the wagon.  We can tell that this picture was prior to 1905 because I.C. was promoted to Sergeant in that year and here he is shown as a patrolman.

 

Star Bakery horse drawn delivery wagon, 1905

 

This next photo, above, dated 1905, shows a horse drawn Star Bakery delivery wagon with a similar design to the laundry wagon.  It is not possible to see the access way into the wagon but the overall design is almost the same as the laundry wagon.  In the scrapbook margin in addition to the date, Dick Thompson noted: “$2.00 a day, those were happy days.”  He arrived in Seattle in 1903 from Bergen, Norway and this was one of the first jobs he had here in America.  

 

 

 

Harry Oliver standing by his #2 delivery car, ca 1910-1912

 

Here we see Harry Oliver standing beside his No. 2 delivery car.  The cab looks remarkably like the horse drawn cab with the horse replaced by an engine, the metal or wooden wagon wheels replaced with rubber wheels.  It is probably a 1910-1912 version model T Ford.  The model T was introduced in October 1908 as a 1909 model.  Since only a limited number of unsuccessful model C and model N delivery vans or cars were made and sold prior to the model T, it is unlikely that Harry’s delivery cars were something other than a model T.   In the earlier post the photo was a faded sepia tone but I have changed the color to black & white to increase the definition. 

 

Some things to notice about the car include the manual, bulb operated exterior horn.  Harry has his arm resting on the bulb.  Brass tubing curves under the door opening to the horn mounted on the side of the hood just above the fender.  Brass was needed in World War I efforts; therefore, this type of tubing was not used after about 1915/1916.  There is a vertical double canister, called a Prestolite tank, attached to the running board that contained water and gas for the acetylene powered head lamps.  These tanks were either installed by the dealer or sometimes by the factory, 1909-1912.  The model Ts in 1913/1914 had a horizontal tank divided into three compartments and color coded that held, gas, oil, and water.  The fenders were designed to prevent mud splatter at a low speed.  The windshield is a simple small pane held in place by rods and mounted at eye level.  Since the car is numbered 2 it suggests that he had at least two of the vehicles.  

 

 

 The two newer Belmont Dye Works delivery cars, ca 1915 and later

 

These are newer model Ts, most likely 1915 and later.  The one on the right does not yet have a door, the bench is a basic flat seat, the fenders are similar to what is shown on the 1910-1912 model.  The horn and headlights have been electrified.  Beginning in 1913/1915 the horns were mounted under the hood with louvers in the hood added to help amplify the sound of the horn.  The windshield has been enlarged in size but is still held in place by rods that extend to the floor of the cab. The car is numbered 2 and most likely dates around 1914/1915.  Harry has added more advertising information on the side of the cab including a phone number and the words, Cleaning and Pressing.

 

The still newer car at the left, 1915/1916, now has a door and an improved, more comfortable looking padded bench for the driver.  The fenders have been changed to prevent mud splatters at higher rates of speed than the older models were capable of doing.  The windshield has been further improved and is attached at the hood level.  The bigger windshield protected the occupant(s) better at increased speed levels.  The roof of the cab is slightly more curved than the earlier model.  This is the newest delivery car that Harry owned at the time. The business design has added a line in back of the bell and placed the address at the left and the phone number at the right.  

It appears from these pictures that Harry must have had a schedule for replacing his delivery cars, probably every three years or so, alternating replacement between car #1 and car #2.  Both of the pictures with Harry’s delivery cars were made into postcards, a popular option for pictures during this time period. 

 

As general interest, Ford had manufacturing plants in Seattle beginning in 1914 that closed in 1932.  The first plant building was a 5 story structure located in the South Lake Union district of Seattle and the second plant was on E. Marginal Way South Seattle.  The plant on E. Marginal Way was added to the National Register of Historic Places in October 2013.  The South Lake Union plant was purchased by the W.P. Fuller Paint Company in 1936.  It changed hands a couple more times and most recently was used by Public Storage, a self-storage chain.

 

For additional information about the delivery cars, see:

 

http://pcad.lib.washington.edu/building/4902

http://www.mtfca.com/discu/messages/118802/179303.html

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ford_Motor_Company_Assembly

https://auto.howstuffworks.com/1903-1919-ford-trucks1.html

https://www.historylink.org/File/875

https://www.cogapa.com/history.html

https://en.wikipedia.org./wiki/Vehicle_horn

 

If this is Thursday it must be postcards, 485

 

 

 

Canal District, Amsterdam, Netherlands, ca 1977

 

This used postcard mailed from Amesterdam has a cancellation date of 28 August 1977.  A small map indicating the location and a title written in Dutch, English, French and German appears at the upper left corner on the reverse.  The identifying number CO 751 is found at the lower right corner on the reverse. Harry de Bruijn, is credited with the photograph and Euro Color Cards as the publisher/distributor.   

 

The Canal District or Grachtengordel is an area in central Amsterdam, Netherlands.  This district was added to the UNESCO World Heritage List in August 2010.  There are four main canals in the city:  Singel, Herengracht, Keizersgracht, and Prinsengracht.  In addition to these four main canals there are several smaller canals in this same area that ring the city.  Reguliersgracht, established in 1658 shown on the card, is one of the smaller canals in the district.  

 

 

[photo:  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reguliersgracht]

 

This aerial picture from Wikipedia.org shows how the many canals ring the city.

 

 

Many of the buildings along the canals date from the Dutch Golden Age, 17^th century.  Over time most of these buildings have undergone some reconstruction or restoration.  Several different architectural styles and facades are represented.  The picture on the card shows a couple of the many small bridges that cross over the canals.  Several museums and The Anne Frank House are located in this neighborhood.

 

 Of course, there are many canals in the countryside of Holland as well.  Communal green spaces for animal grazing can be found along the canals.  People had small boats tied up all along the waterway.  They are hard to see, but the white spots in the background are sheep.  These photos were taken while on a trip in 1982.

 

 

The stamp on the postcard has a profile of Queen Juliana who ruled The Netherlands from 1948 to 1980. 

 

For additional information, see:

 

https://en.wikipedia.org.wiki/wiki/Grachtengordel

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reguliersgracht