Postcards

in
ed8fa1e9-c6af-4561-a1f4-98a8b34310f5.jpg

This afternoon, like many other island history buffs, I watched “Galveston in the Rage of Postcards, 1898-1918,” a live lecture by local native son and collector Richard Eisenhour. The presentation was hosted by the Galveston Historical Foundation and accessible via Facebook and the GHF website. (I understand the presentation will now be archived and accessible via #GalvestonHistory.com).

The presentation started at 2 p.m. and lasted for about 90 minutes and, due to the talents of the presenter, the time flew by far too quickly.

One by one, dozens of historic postcards appeared on screen as the enthusiastic and highly knowledgeable Eisenhour educated us about their origins and significance.

Admittedly, I came to the presentation with high interest, as I too am (and have been) an avid postcard collector. Now, I don't claim to possess any museum-quality postcards, but I do have a personal collection that dates back to my childhood.

Long before I bought The Bungalow, I was visiting Galveston and picking up local postcards to send to friends - and to keep. Thanks to Eisenhour, I’m now looking through all of them again to see exactly what I have.

The Flagship Hotel

Eisenhour suggested looking for postcards with pictures of landmarks that no longer dot the landscape of the island, indicating those would be considered significant now.

And, guess what? I found a few postcards just like that.

Old Galveston Causeway

• One of the Flagship Hotel
• One of the Balinese Room
• One of Murdoch’s before Hurricane Ike
* One of the Old Galveston Causeway

What fun it’s been to find these old postcards and how nostalgic it is to look at them again; it’s as though I’m looking at photographs of long-lost friends.

I will always fondly remember The Flagship Hotel and The Balinese Room and Murdoch’s the way it used to be.

As for the original causeway…? Well, I don’t remember it as depicted in this old postcard. And, that’s probably good. I would not have enjoyed driving across Galveston Bay on a low bridge with such low side rails. In this case, it’s far better for me to simply hold on to this postcard — evidence of the island’s uniquely historic past.