A Postcard-Worthy Destination

While many of us head for vacation getaways (or dream of doing so), fun to recall that Prospect Park South was once a postcard-worthy destination of its own. My favorite postcards (this one’s still for sale on eBay) are those with writing on them; often the messages are brief and perfunctory (the cards themselves were a casual collectible), but sometimes they evoke a fragment of human drama or playfulness.

This one was sent to young Marjorie Glover in Washingtonville, Orange County, NY in September, 1906, and the cryptic message hints at summer fun.

“‘Quick! Pull your left oar!’ How is Mr. Newboy? Tell him Mildred, Bess and (are there any more?) that I will send them postals later. You girls will bankrupt me! Was awfully good of you. Tell Nell I forbid her rolling downhill. Just because I can’t, that’s all. Oh, dear, haven’t any more room. Your friend, Mildred.
Are those your foot prints?”

I wonder where Nell enjoyed rolling downhill–perhaps in Prospect Park? And I wonder if any readers could identify this precise corner by the few visual clues, like the brick porch foundation on the right…

Brenda Becker lives in Caton Park and enjoys searching eBay and other sites to delve into another world. She writes at Crazy Stable and Prospect: A Year in the Park.