Alan Mays' photos with the keyword: trucks

A photo of parades and/or flags for the Vintage Photos Theme Park. The dealer's notation on the back of this real photo postcard says, "Welcome Home Day, Sunbury, Pa., 1919." The city of Sunbury , Pennsylvania, held a Welcome Home Day for returning World War I soldiers in 1919. This was one of the floats in the parade that was part of the celebration. Take a look at a cropped version of the photo for a better view of Lady Liberty and the other riders on the float.

Lady Liberty stands in the middle of a parade float in Sunbury, Pa., in 1919. A sailor and a soldier are in front of her, and a nurse and another woman are at the back of the float. For more information, see the full version of this real photo postcard.

A steam calliope in a snapshot dated March 1971. This calliope is known as Getz's Steam Calliope after the three brothers—Noah, William, and Robert Getz—who operated it for many years. Hauled around on a tractor trailer, the calliope still makes regular appearances at parades and other events in south central Pennsylvania. Head over to YouTube to see it in action at a Homecoming Parade in Millersville, Pa., on October 13, 2012, and at the July 4th Parade in Pottstown, Pa., in 2017.

Caption at bottom (difficult to see): "179. Copper River Salmon, Cordova , Alaska. Photocraft." Sign on building: "Northern Meat [Market]." Addressed on the other side to Bob Bern, Seward, Alaska, and postmarked Cordova, Alaska, Sep. 30, 1937. Message: "Dear Bob, How is everybody in Seward? Cordova ain't so bad, but I haven't met any girls yet. We are about a half a mile from town so I go every day. Write some time and let me know how you are. Vic Hughes, c/o Wright & Stock, Cordova, Alaska."

The Keystone Auto Transit Company used this business card to signal big plans--service to five cities, $1.5 million in authorized capital, a full slate of officers--when it started up in 1917, but it seems to have stayed in business for only a short time. The company placed an advertisement in the Philadelphia Inquirer on Sunday, October 21, 1917, offering motor freight services that were intended to compete with the railroads. The ad promised quick delivery of freight by "trackless locomotives," a term that was sometimes used to refer to trucks and cars in the early twentieth century. "Freight in a Day" was the title of an article (though it reads like another advertisement) that appeared in the same newspaper a week later on October 28, 1917, and it also used "trackless locomotives" and other railroad terminology to describe the company's operations: "The Keystone Auto Transit Company have inaugurated a freight and express service between New York, Philadelphia, Atlantic City, [and] Harrisburg, employing a great fleet of tractors and trailers [early versions of today's tractor-trailer trucks] that carry as much as thirty tons to the load. "These big trackless locomotives [ trucks ] and their trailers will leave a specified station in each of the cities at exactly 11 A.M. and will undertake to deliver to the consignee's door on the day of shipment, which, of course, provides for early morning collection. "These collections are made by more than fifty lighter and even faster trucks, which carry the individual shipments to the general depot [which was a truck depot, not a railroad depot] for loading on the overland trains [over-the-road trucks ]. These trains [ trucks! ] are scheduled to meet frequently on each route, so that drivers and supplies are always available should an accident occur." Although it's obvious that the Keystone Auto Transit Company intended to compete with the railroads, the venture apparently failed, and I haven't been able to uncover much besides this business card to document the company's existence. For some interesting details about the challenges facing early trucking companies like this one, take a look at Wikipedia's article on the History of the Trucking Industry in the United States . Keystone Auto Transit Co. (Incorporated) Incorporating with auth. cap. $1,500,000. Large Shipments Especially Solicited. New York. Pittsburgh. Atlantic City. Baltimore. Philadelphia Service Station, 1714-16-18 Callowhill St. Bell Phone, Spruce 3826. Keystone Phone, Race 5090. J. W. White, President. F. T. Finch, 1st Vice President and Traffic Mgr. Pres., Phila. Motor Service Corp. V. E. Kugler, 2d Vice President and Treasurer. Treasurer, Blair Eastern Co. F. H. McNerney, 3d Vice President. Mgr., Western Furniture Mfg. Co. F. J. P. Hildenbrand, Secretary. General Insurance, Philadelphia, Pa. Hon. W. H. Fisher, District Mgr. Oaklyn, N.J. Represented by

"S. F. Brooks' Patent Combined Ottoman Cradle, Patent Toilet Mirror, and Game Box. No. 110 Milk Street, Boston." A newspaper (see below) described Sylvanus F. Brooks (1832-1884) as "an eccentric and wealthy real estate owner" at the time of his death. His business card (above) suggests, however, that he was also an inventor who held a number of patents. According to the book published for The Ninth Exhibition of the Massachusetts Charitable Mechanic Association at Faneuil and Quincy Halls in the City of Boston, September 1860 (Boston: Geo. C. Rand and Avery, 1860), p. 81, Brooks displayed some of his work in the Cabinet Furniture and Upholstery section at the exhibition. The entry in the book simply indicates, "S. F. Brooks, Boston. Ottoman Cradle, Game Box and Mirror. A very neat and tasty contrivance." This confusing comment about a single "contrivance" seems to suggest that Brooks displayed only one item at the exhibition. But what exactly is a "Ottoman Cradle, Game Box and Mirror" and how does that relate to what's listed on his business card? After sorting through the information from the business card, the brief entry in the exhibition book, and some documents describing his patents (see links below), I was finally able to determine that Brooks actually listed three inventions on his card, entered all three in the exhibition, and received patents for each of them. To make sense of it all, I've collated the info below. Before Sylvanus F. Brooks died in 1884 due to a sudden "paralytic shock of the heart," as the newspaper luridly reported it, he came up with one final combo-invention. In 1876 he patented a "Combined Sled and Truck" (see link below) that had both runners for children's use as a sled in the snow and wheels for adult use as a horse-drawn truck for hauling heavy loads. Combined Cushion Settee and Cradle . U.S. Patent no. 27,964, dated April 24, 1860. . Listed as a "Patent Combined Ottoman [and] Cradle" on the business card and "Ottoman [and] Cradle" in the exhibition book. "The object of this invention is to combine a settee or cushioned stool and child's cradle in one and the same article of furniture in such a manner that the cradle may be transformed to an ornamental settee or vice versa, as may be desired without any additional attachment, or troublesome manipulations." Combined Looking-Glass and Drawer . U.S. Patent no. 27,965, dated April 24, 1860. Listed as "Patent Toilet [and] Mirror" on the card and "Mirror" in the book. "The object of this invention is to combine in a suitable manner with a hanging mirror, or looking glass, a draw[er] for holding toilet articles, such as pomades, perfumery, combs, brushes and such like articles that are generally used in conjunction with a mirror." Game-Box . U.S. Patent no. 28,733, dated June 19, 1860. Listed as "Game Box" on the card and in the book. "This invention is a novel constructed box for the purpose of holding game boards of a variety of descriptions, and protecting their faces [i.e., the surfaces of the boards] from injury in playing at the games, by a glass plate placed in the frame of the box." Combined Sled and Truck . U.S. Patent no. 185,014, dated December 5, 1876. "The object of my invention is to provide an improved combination sled and truck of simple construction, that may be readily used for either purpose, being adapted with equal facility for carrying large loads by horse-power, and in smaller scale for the use of children." ________ "Death of Sylvanus F. Brooks, " Cambridge Chronicle (Cambridge, Mass.), Saturday, October 18, 1884, p. 2: "Mr. Sylvanus F. Brooks, an eccentric and wealthy real estate owner in the lower Port, died suddenly of heart disease, on Monday last [October 13], at about 10.30 o'clock. He was seated in front of the bakeshop of Mr. J. C. Ludemann, when first taken ill, and fainted from the effects of a paralytic shock of the heart....Deceased was born in Boston in 1832, and came to live in Cambridge when but a child. He owned considerable property, and for some years past had been in the real estate business. He never married, and for the past few years lived at 359 Main street, where he had a furnished room. His brother, Mr. E. D. Brooks, [whose residence is No. 21 Lee street] is his only surviving relative."

"Lyndhurst Electric Farm, Geo. J. Hoopes, owner." The Lyndhurst Electric Farm was located along the Lincoln Highway in Caln Township, Chester County, Pennsylvania, somewhere between the towns of Coatesville and Downingtown. The "Electric Farm" name came about in an obvious way sometime in the early twentieth century: "Township manager Sam Moore, a lifelong resident, remembers the excitement when one farm had its barn wired for electricity. Local residents immediately christened it 'The Electric Farm'" (see Jeff Gammage, " Caln Highway: Extension of History's Path ," philly.com, Nov. 1, 1987). Brian Butko, in his book, The Lincoln Highway: Pennsylvania Traveler's Guide , 2nd ed. (Stackpole Books, 2002), p. 76, mentions that "Lyndhurst was a farm and tourist home operated by George J. Hoopes," but I haven't been able to uncover any additional information regarding the Lyndhurst Electric Farm or its owner.

"Davidson Modern Movers. Agents: United Van Lines, Inc. Pre-planned moving in sanitized vans. Davidson. Fast motor freight. Proven dependability since 1896. 'Feature' matchbook. Pat. 1,839,845-6. Lion Match Co., Baltimore, Md." A die-cut matchbook cover.

A ships/boats photo for the Vintage Photos Theme Park. This slide, taken in the 1950s by an unknown photographer who was visiting Bolivia and other South American countries, shows a sailboat transporting a pickup truck across Lake Titicaca , which is located high in the Andes mountains on the border between Bolivia and Peru.

"All Seasons Greetings from your milkman, Don Griffith, St. Lawrence Dairy. Spring. Summer. Autumn. Winter. Burnish." See also the folded view of the card :

"All Seasons Greetings from your milkman, Don Griffith, St. Lawrence Dairy. Winter. Burnish." For the entire unfolded greeting card , see:

"A Merry Christmas. A Happy New Year. Johnstown Sanitary Dairy Co. Foster Hostetler." The following road and place names are listed on the map that's superimposed over the wintery landscape: Happy Town, Holiday, Friendship Highway, Merrytown, Pleasantville, Joyful, Joydale Road, Friends, and Peaceful Center. For the front of this card, see Greetings from Your Milkman :

"Greetings from Your Milkman. May all your road and paths lead to...." For the inside pages of this greeting card, see:

A 1970s photo for the Vintage Photos Theme Park. In the original scan of this photo, the Pennsylvania license plate on the back of the truck looks like it has a "74" or "75" sticker in one corner, so I'm reasonably sure that it dates to the 1970s.

"Season's Greetings, Elmer Myers, Your Rutter's Driver. Rutter Bros., Inc., Dairy Products, N. Geo. St., Ext'd. Golden Guernsey, America's Table Milk." Mouse over the image for a close-up of the milkman and his milk truck .

For the full greeting card, see Season's Greetings from Your Rutter's Milkman (below).

License plate on front of car: "Middletown Bi-centennial, 1755-1955, July 11th-16th, 1955, Keystone State."

"Consumers Cigar Box Company, Red Lion, Pa. Manufacturers of fancy and novelty boxes. Capacity 15,000 per day. 'If It's wooden boxes we make them.'"