Creepy Postcards

Painted heads of Civil War generals arranged around a red script title, with Grant and Lee large at center and Sheridan, McClellan, Sherman, Bragg, Beauregard and Stonewall Jackson around the edges. McClellan's name is printed "McCLELLAND" on the front; the back carries a short history of the war and a Scenic Art, Berkeley, Calif. imprint. (front of the card)

Famous Generals of the American Civil War c. 1960s

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32 of 33 still here

An aerial view over downtown Salt Lake City with the round, flat-topped arena of the Salt Palace and its long low exhibition hall in the foreground, the Temple spires mid-distance, and the Wasatch foothills behind. The back calls it the "new multi-million dollar convention and recreation center"; aerial photo by Aero-Graphics, distributed by Bonneville News Co. (front of the card)

Salt Palace, Salt Lake City c. 1970

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Aerial view of downtown Salt Lake City looking east, with the Temple spires and the domed Tabernacle among the office towers and the snow-covered Wasatch Range beyond. The back credits the photo to Hal Rumel and the publisher, American Western Enterprises of Murray, Utah. (front of the card)

Salt Lake City and the Wasatch Range c. 1970

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Illustrated map of Virginia on a red ground, dotted with landmarks: Monticello, Mount Vernon, Natural Bridge, Barter Theatre, hams at Smithfield and peanuts near Suffolk. Cardinal and dogwood blossoms are labeled as state bird and state flower; the back carries a state facts panel headed "Old Dominion" and a Dexter Press, West Nyack, N.Y. imprint. (front of the card)

Greetings from Virginia, State Map c. 1960s

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Chrome reproduction of L. M. D. Guillaume's painting of Grant and Lee seated at a small round table in the McLean parlor, with a row of officers standing along the back wall. Back text credits the painting as on display at Appomattox Court House National Historical Park; printed by Curteichcolor, 'color by William R. Wilson.' (front of the card)

Surrender Scene at Appomattox Court House c. 1960s

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Three views of Western Baptist Hospital in Paducah, Kentucky: a wood-paneled lounge with visitors and a nurse, a woman in bed beside a dial telephone and checked curtains, and the brick exterior with window air conditioners and parked cars. The back reads "A general hospital for sick and injured persons" and "The patients' welfare is our first consideration." (front of the card)

Western Baptist Hospital, Paducah c. 1960s

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A sagging wooden house with a patched, buckled roof and a collapsing lean-to sits in dry brush under a blue sky, a utility pole at left. Printed caption reads "Finally... Found A Place We Could Afford!" with "Kentucky" in yellow; the back credits Jonathan J. Klein and Blue Grass Souvenirs, Lexington. (front of the card)

Collapsing House, Kentucky c. 1990s

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Aerial view looking east along the Pennsylvania Turnpike at the Ohio state line toll plaza, with a lone truck in the foreground and autumn fields and woods on either side. The back calls it the "World's Greatest Highway" and notes 150 million travelers since its 1940 opening. (front of the card)

Pennsylvania Turnpike, Ohio Gateway c. 1950s

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The Kentucky State Capitol under an orange and blue sunset sky, with a red-orange dome, a flag at half height on the drum, and terraced stairs and lawns in the foreground. The back says the dome reproduces Napoleon's Tomb and the stairways follow the Paris Opera. (front of the card)

State Capitol, Frankfort, Kentucky c. 1937

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The adobe ruin of Casa Grande sits under a broad steel shelter roof on four angled legs, with crumbling wall fragments and a tall pillar of earth in the foreground. The back credits Father Kino with naming the 'Big House' in 1694 and calls it a monument to the Hohokam, 'ancient ones.' (front of the card)

Casa Grande Under Its Shelter Roof c. 1940s

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Two seal-point Siamese cats lying side by side on red fabric, both looking straight at the camera. The back titles it "Sophisticates of Siam," color photo by Clara Faulkner, published by Scenic Art of Richmond, California, card no. 4529G. (front of the card)

Sophisticates of Siam c. 1960s

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Four-view card with the red NASA logotype at center over "Space Shuttle, Kennedy Space Center, Florida": the orbiter riding the 747 carrier, rollout on the crawler "To Launch Pad," "Blast Off!" and "Perfect Landing" on a lakebed with a chase plane overhead. Back reads Mirro-Krome card by H. S. Crocker Co., San Bruno, CA, number HSC-448. (front of the card)

Space Shuttle, Four Views c. 1980s

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A long red brick school building with a pale stone entrance tower at center, a flag flying beside it, young trees along the walk, and a single dark motorcar parked at the right. No caption shows on the front; the back carries the Curt Teich & Co., Chicago 'C.T. American Art' imprint and a one-cent stamp box. (front of the card)

Brick School with Entrance Tower c. 1920s

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Bronze statue of Will Rogers on horseback, lariat at the saddle, in front of a sandstone building with an arched doorway and an American flag on the roofline. Printed in red: "WILL ROGERS / Oklahoma's Favorite Son." Back credits "Color photo by Steve Dodson," Scenic Color Card Co., Oklahoma City, and a Mirro-Krome card by H. S. Crocker Co. (front of the card)

Will Rogers on Horseback c. 1960s

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Painted heads of Civil War generals arranged around a red script title, with Grant and Lee large at center and Sheridan, McClellan, Sherman, Bragg, Beauregard and Stonewall Jackson around the edges. McClellan's name is printed "McCLELLAND" on the front; the back carries a short history of the war and a Scenic Art, Berkeley, Calif. imprint. (front of the card)

Famous Generals of the American Civil War c. 1960s

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A row of blast furnaces and smokestacks at the C.F. & I. plant stands along a raised trestle, with a crawler crane working between heaps of red and yellow ore beside the rail tracks. The back calls the mill 'the largest industry in Pueblo and Southern Colorado'; published by Elmer C. Clark of Denver and printed by E.C. Kropp, Milwaukee. (front of the card)

C. F. & I. Steel Mills, Pueblo c. 1940s

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Two views of King's Cafe on U.S. Hwy. 441: the stone-and-timber front with a sign reading "Breakfast, Lunch, Dinners" and an OPEN sign in the window, and a dining room of turquoise chairs looking out through glass walls to LeConte Creek. The back advertises the "new ultra modern dining room" and names Mrs. Otha King as manager and owner. (front of the card)

King's Cafe, Gatlinburg c. 1960s

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Two girls in Dutch costume, white winged caps, aprons and a green kerchief, embrace cheek to cheek in front of a frieze of blue Delft-style tiles showing a windmill and sailboats. The back is printed vertically 'Supplement to INDIANAPOLIS STAR.' (front of the card)

Two Dutch Girls, Delft Tile Frieze c. 1908–1912

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Pilgrims, mostly women in head coverings, kneel at the base of the crowned statue of Saint Anne holding the child Mary, set on a column inside a gilded sunburst at Sainte-Anne-de-Beaupré. A chapel at left is lettered "Saint Curé d'Ars," and a wheelchair is visible at the lower right. Photo by Laval Couët, distributed by Emile Kirouac, printed by Ronalds-Federated Ltd., Montréal, no. RF-205. (front of the card)

Statue of Saint Anne, Ste-Anne-de-Beaupré c. 1960s

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A rough-cut wooden sign on two tall posts reads "Deming Ranchettes" over a single-story stucco house, a small shed, and open scrub, with the jagged Florida Mountains behind. The caption on the back, partly cut off in the photo, names the place as Deming, New Mexico; the card was printed by Garrison Color Corp., 310 East 45th St., N.Y. (front of the card)

Deming Ranchettes, Florida Mountains c. 1960s

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Three bottlenose dolphins lift their heads out of a blue pool in a row, mouths open, framed by a marbled blue border with gold lettering reading "National Aquarium in Baltimore." The back identifies them as Atlantic bottlenose dolphins, notes they are "actually small toothed whales," and credits photographer George Grall. (front of the card)

Three Bottlenose Dolphins, Baltimore c. 1990s

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A wheat sheaf stands before a red harvest moon, with a farmhouse roof behind it and three apples at its base. The verse at right, under the heading "My Dearest Wish," reads "Upon this pretty card I make / A good big wish for friendship's sake – 'A Glad Thanksgiving'," with card number 1313A printed lower left. (front of the card)

Wheat Sheaf and Harvest Moon c. 1910s

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A two-story brick school with tall multi-pane windows, a single chimney, and an ornamented entrance wing at right, with a post-and-chain fence along the walk. Captioned 'Shead Memorial High School, Eastport, Maine' with the number 2828; published by American Art Post Card Co., Boston. (front of the card)

Shead Memorial High School, Eastport c. 1910s

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The white Greek Revival doorway of Shrewsbury House, seen through leaves and dappled shade, with orange-pink peonies in bloom across the foreground. The back credits architect Francis Costigan, 1846–49, and notes the house is "restored and open to the public as museum and antique shop." (front of the card)

Shrewsbury House, Garden Entrance c. 1960s

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Pictorial map of Tennessee crowded with industries and sights, from strawberries and meat packing in the west to Oak Ridge's "Atomic Industry" and Bristol in the east, with the iris and mockingbird along the bottom and a clown for the Annual Cotton Carnival at Memphis. The back lists state facts including the 1950 population of 3,291,718; a Tichnor Bros. "Lusterchrome," K-5991. (front of the card)

Greetings From Tennessee, Map Card c. 1950s

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If a card crosses the line, I reserve the right to refund it and will not send it.