Alan Mays' photos with the keyword: towers

A Vintage Photos Theme Park photo for the theme of cold, freezing, or frozen . Handwritten caption: "Gladys & the Ice Burg, Moffat, Colo." This is a real photo postcard addressed on the other side to Miss Grace Roger, Rich Mountain, Ark., and postmarked Moffat, Colo., March 1, 1911. Message: "Moffat, Colo., March 1, 1911. Hello Girlie,You bet I recd your letter and answered it & am anxious for an answer. Want to hear the rest of that news you have for me. Does this look like spring. This is some of my own work. This is a water tank where the railroad engines get a drink. Say but I would enjoy a sweet breath from those fruit tree blossoms. There isn't such a thing in this desert. We are fine & dandy. Write soon you naughty girl. As ever, M." For a similar photo, see Frozen Water Tower .

A Vintage Photos Theme Park photo for the theme of shape up! (people exercising) . This is an early twentieth-century real photo postcard with the name "Lambert Weston & Son, Folkestone" embossed in the lower right-hand corner (the embossing isn't really visible in this image, unfortunately). The photo shows a number of men who are getting some exercise by running a footrace. The runners, strangely enough, are wearing neckties and white shirts more suitable for an office than an athletic field. A large crowd has gathered to watch the competition, and a large round building is visible in the background. The building in the background appears to be one of the Martello towers --"small defensive forts that were built across the British Empire during the 19th century"--and might be one of the towers that are located in Folkestone, Kent, England.

A Vintage Photos Theme Park photo for the theme of ship out! (taking a trip by any conveyance but extra credit by ship or boat) . A souvenir real photo postcard of tourists riding in a gondola on the Venetian Lagoon in Venice, Italy. It's dated 1952 on the other side. The dome of St Mark's Basilica and its tall campanile (bell tower) are visible in the background.

"A souvenir of Golden Gate International Exposition, 1939. A Pageant of the Pacific. Leland W. Cutler, president. H. C. Bottorff, exec. secretary. M128027."

Caption on this real photo postcard: "A wonderful view, 15 m. E. of Cumberland. Yonker's Tower, top of Polish Mt., U.S. 40. Elv. 1340 ft." Sign at the top of the tower (to the right of the flag): "Yonkers." Sign on the tower below the Yonkers sign: "Mountains of Imperial, The Cream of All Ice Creams. Greatest View in Md." Yonker's Store and Observation Tower was a place where motorists could gas up, get a bite to eat, and enjoy the view at a high point along U.S. Route 40 in Maryland. Mouse over the image above to see a close-up of the building and tower .

For more information, see the full version of this real photo postcard:

A photo of something beginning with T (in this case, T as in Tower) for the Vintage Photos Theme Park. "Bill's Tower, Bill's Place, Pa. Top of Rays Hill. Elev. 1958'." Bill Place, a roadside stop and service station along the Lincoln Highway (U.S Route 30) in south central Pennsylvania, was situated on Rays Hill at an elevation of 1,958 feet. Bill's Tower, as seen here in this real photo postcard, provided a 40-mile view of the surrounding area. Bill's Old Backhouse , the outhouse at Bill's Place, was also featured on a postcard (see below). For another roadside tower, see Yonker's Tower, Polish Mountain, U.S. Route 40, Maryland (below).

"World Trade Center Observation Deck, group, adult."

Postmarked Washington, D.C., Feb. 13, 1907, and addressed to Miss Camilla Paule, 3322 Newark Street, Cleveland Park, Washington, D.C. No message or signature other than what's written on the front of the card (in German?--I had trouble deciphering it). "Serie 319" printed on the back of the card.

A photo of public transportation (at the airport, or bus or train depot) for the Vintage Photos Theme Park. For this real photo postcard, mouse over the image above to see details showing close-ups of Uncle Tom , the Bald Eagle Lookout , and the Greyhound bus . Caption: "Uncle Tom's Cabin, 7 Miles West of State College, Pa., Route 322." Signs on the building: "Bald Eagle Lookout, see 75 miles, free tower." "See Bald Eagle, 1000 ft. below." "Free tower." "Coca Cola." "Uncle Tom's Cabin." "PeRo the ice cream, delicious." Bus: License plate 03219. Destination was Chicago. "Pennsylvania Greyhound Lines." "4188. New York, Philadelphia, Washington, Pittsburgh, Cleveland, Cincinnati, Indianapolis, Detroit." "PRR" (keystone logo of the Pennsylvania Railroad). "Pennsylvania Greyhound Transit Co. Pa. P.S.C Certificate 19425." "Pennsylvania Greyhound Transit Company, carriers & operators."

The two women on top of the Bald Eagle Lookout tower are posing for the photographer instead of viewing the mountains and valleys that are visible in the other direction. See below for the entire real photo postcard along with details showing close-ups of Uncle Tom and the Greyhound bus . Signs on the building: "Bald Eagle Lookout, see 75 miles, free tower." "See Bald Eagle, 1000 ft. below." "Free tower." "Coca Cola." "Uncle Tom's Cabin." "PeRo the ice cream, delicious."

Is that Tom (or whatever the proprietor's name actually is) standing there in the middle? And I wonder if the man at right is placing one of these postcards in the mailbox. In addition to this close-up of Uncle Tom, see below for the entire postcard and details showing the Bald Eagle Lookout tower and the Greyhound bus . Caption: "Uncle Tom's Cabin, 7 Miles West of State College, Pa., Route 322."

The bus driver is posing for the photographer while the customer in the background purchases snacks or souvenirs at the counter. See below for the entire card and details showing Uncle Tom and the Bald Eagle Lookout . Bus: License plate 03219. Destination was Chicago. "Pennsylvania Greyhound Lines." "4188. New York, Philadelphia, Washington, Pittsburgh, Cleveland, Cincinnati, Indianapolis, Detroit." "PRR" (keystone logo of the Pennsylvania Railroad). "Pennsylvania Greyhound Transit Co. Pa. P.S.C Certificate 19425." "Pennsylvania Greyhound Transit Company, carriers & operators."

"A Merry Christmas & Happy New Year. Toy Tower, J. H. Wiegmann & Son, importers and dealers in toys & fancy goods, S.E. Cor. Eighth and Cherry Sts., Philadelphia."

Although "TMI" simply means " too much information " to most of us, residents of central Pennsylvania also use it to refer to the Three Mile Island Nuclear Generating Station , a nuclear power plant situated on an island in the Susquehanna River that's three miles downriver from the borough of Middletown and twelve miles from the city of Harrisburg, the state capital. Thirty-five years ago--on March 28, 1979--one of TMI's two nuclear reactors experienced a partial nuclear meltdown , which the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission still calls the "most serious accident in U.S. commercial nuclear power plant operating history." The partial meltdown resulted in a release of radioactive materials, and pregnant women and young children living within a 20-mile radius of the plant were advised to evacuate the area. It took several days until plant operators were certain that the situation was under control. Gary and the Outriders, a local music group, recorded an original song, "Goodbye T.M.I. (The Ballad of Three Mile Island)," and released it as a 45 rpm record. Its catchy melody contrasts with its dire refrain: "Goodbye, goodbye to your life, T.M.I." To hear the song, check it out on YouTube: Gary & The Outriders - Goodbye T.M.I. (1979) . For another musical reaction to the TMI accident, see the cover of the record album, Potter County Was Made by the Hand of God But the Devil Made Three Mile Island , on Flickr.

A real photo postcard. Date and location unknown.

Located at the corner of Wilson and Wood Streets in Middletown, Pa., these two buildings now comprise Woodlayne Court, a 44-unit apartment complex. The building on the left formerly housed the A. S. Kreider Shoe Company ("Kreider's Shoes, Factory No. 1" is painted on the water tower) and later the Rough Wear Clothing Company. The Bayuk Cigar Company building on the right was later used by the Michael Bachman Shoe Company. Additional information and photos are available in David Ira Kagan and Edward William Sunbery, Middletown Borough (Charleston, S.C.: Arcadia, 2009), pp. 62-63.