Tuesday, July 27, 2010

Pics.

The following are postcards from the area and near the era I'm studying. They prove invaluable points of reference for understanding what ones' characters might be seeing and hearing...





Above is the Darke County Infirmary in Greenville, OH. The original measured but 48' X 80', and was expanded, doubling its capacity. It burnt down and this was built in it's place, and a separate Children's Home was built to better serve the population.

The present structure occupying the site bears no resemblance to the original, nor to the one pictured here.





Greenville City Hall pictured above.





Broadway, looking north to City Hall off in the distance.






Arcanum is a small town in Twin Tmp. once fed commerce via the Dayton & Union Railroad. The D & U long since dissolved, Arcanum has fallen into disrepair. People still live there, but it's littered with abandoned buildings and an empty church not yet modified for residence. Elsewhere nearby, you can find at least two churches that have been converted to residences as the population base that once sustained them dissipated, likely following employment into larger urban centers. It is the primary cause of most modern "Ghost Towns".





An old Opera House from Arcanum in its heyday.




Here's how it appears today.


I plan to pick up more postcards, especially of the RPPC (Real Photo Post Card) from neighboring Lewisburg, and the surrounding area if I can find them. They're not only great pieces of Americana themselves, but great reference for the historical writer to get their head in the proper time/space.