Xenia Fire Dept

A postcard from Xenia Ohio Fire Department with the horse drawn equipment. Curious I paid a visit to the Xenia website. They have a history, unlike the village I live in which was incorporated in 1957. Xenia has had a Fire Department since 1875 and started phasing out the horses in 1914 and 1915, about the time this card was made.

WW I Postcards

Two postcards from the Great War era. One is trying to get us to buy Liberty Bonds to keep the howitzers thundering at the Huns. They must have been issued to the soldiers as the back says overseas post card and where the stamp goes it says "soldiers mail free". It was never mailed, maybe traveled in some doughboys gear home, it's in pretty rough shape I'm afraid.

The other card is in better shape and also was never used. The one with the tanks was apparently published by the Chicago Daily News, War Postal Card Department.

Tanks were a big "improvement" in warfare that came along during that war and sure have changed in the time since.

Elgin Illinois 1908

Todays post is a postcard of Elgin Illinois Fountain Square. The card was postally used in 1908. Since half of my known readership is familiar with Elgin I have been looking for things associated with there and had forgotten I had this. Elgin has changed so much it's hard to picture this as being there. Shame too that the photo on the card is small and not the best resolution.