Racine City Hall with 1883 date on it. This is the city hall before it moved to Monument Square.
Reverse of the old City Hall postcard with a 1911 postmark.
This is the City Hall on Main Street prior to a new City Hall being built on Monument Square. The 1883 building date is visible on the upper part of the facade. In gold leaf letters on the first floor windows appear the following: Police Office, Realty Office, City Treasurer, City Clerk. In the second floor windows, I can read City Engineer.
Life Saving Station, Racine, Wisconsin. Postmarked Apr. 21, 1915
Life Saving Station, Racine, Wisconsin. Postmarked Apr. 21, 1915, reverse
I grew up walking, biking, driving, and boating past the Life Saving Station, and I’ve always loved the way it looks. I’m glad it’s been preserved rather than being torn down. I do like that this postcard shows the elaborate radio antenna that used to stand next to it.
The card has handwriting from a child that reads: “Dear Friend, I received your card and was glad to here [sic] from you am well I hope that you are well from your friend Sophia Zacharias.”
The card was sent from Cooper Station which was a post office on State Street.
Father Matthew’s Hall, 1906. Postcard by E. A. Bishop.
Father Matthew’s Hall, 1906. Postcard by E. A. Bishop. Reverse.
More information here
Looking south showing east side of Haymarket (Monument) square, about 1865
Looking south showing east side of Haymarket (Monument) square, about 1865 (reverse)
This is a postcard postmarked 1915, and it’s supposed to show Haymarket Square (later Memorial Square) 50 years before 1915, so that would be 1865. There are two churches on the east side of the square. I know that one of them is the Universalist Church, and I believe that the other is the Union Methodist church.
I believe the card is written in Danish. If we have any Danish speakers here who can translate, I would be grateful.
Christiansen family, ca. 1920, “Dalmatian dog”
Reverse of Christiansen family, ca. 1920, “Dalmatian dog”
Here’s a Racine postcard from Ebay that I just had to get because of the expressions of the people in it. We have seen lots of stern, posed pictures, but this picture captures a large, happy, healthy Racine family, the Christiansens in about 1920, according to a handwritten note on the back. Usually these postcards are from a little earlier — maybe 1910, 1915 — but I’ll give the inscription the benefit of the doubt. The street address on the house is 624, so all we have to do is to look for Christiansens at 624 Something Street in Racine, right? We’ll see. I haven’t tracked them down yet — maybe someone here will have better luck.
No. 37. Battery “C” Caissons — “Hitch” — Wright Photo – July 1917
No. 37. Battery “C” Caissons — “Hitch” — Wright Photo – July 1917 (reverse)
To:
Miss L. A. Sheehan
25 Vermilyea Ave
New York City
New York
7/23/1917
They have a nice open air theatre in a park here and I went to see a
Shakespearean play there the other night given by a sort of Ben Greet Bunch.
Joe D. still keeps his job but Ed Wesp is going to graduate August 1st.
Guess they’ll use girls.
— Joe
[or maybe Jon]
Battery “C” Caissons seems to refer to First Wisconsin Reserve Artillery Battery C.
Hotel Racine, 1905
Hotel Racine, 1905, reverse, addressed to Miss Cecile Tavernia, Chronic Insane Asy., Wauwatosa, Wis., Aug. 16, 1905
Great postcard from Edith M. to Edith Jorgensen in 1912. Edith M. makes a joke about Mound Cemetery being a “dead spot” on the front of the card.
Reverse
1907 Real photo post card of a sailor and his girlfriend or maybe female relative in Racine, Wis.
Reverse of 1907 Real photo post card of a sailor and his girlfriend or maybe female relative in Racine, Wis.
At first glance, this looks to me like a patriotic postcard from World War I. However, this photo was shot in 1907. So to me, it has more of a feel of a sailor looking good in his uniform, and either a girlfriend or a sister tagging along for the shot. She has a concerned look on her face, or maybe she’s being serious. She has wrapped herself in a flag, and there seems to be a long, rope-like sash around her waist holding the flag there. Odd!
This is what the card says on the back:
Dear Brother: Will leve [leave] Racine Monday morning. Will leve [leave] Milwaukee Monday night for Merrill [?]. Would it be necessary for me to com [come] that way. Pleas [please] anser [answer] shall I get Ellen forst [first]. from C S Brown.
Even without the postmark on the back of the postcard (1947) you would know this is from the 1940s because of the beautiful streamlined cars parked in front of the post office. Be sure to download the pictures or view them in full screen mode.
The Hotel Racine (second on this site) looks great, and I like seeing the stores in it at street level, including Lloyd’s Children’s Department. The Venetian’s sign further down Main Street looks great as well. I wonder what that dark building is to the right of the post office?
I’ve transcribed the handwriting as follows:
Addressed to: Mr. & Mrs. James Prentice, 61 Oak St., Warsaw, N.Y.
4/9/47 11:45 P.M.
Dear Mom, Dad & Alvin,
Have had a very fine week. Will leave Fri. A.M. Ran thru much water on way out. Made out very well in sales contest. Wish this were a Gideon Rally. Do not fit with this crowd. Glad of phone strike. It will save me money. Will talk with you soon about the store. Many opportunities in Massey-Harris.
Love, Merle.
North Cape baseball team, ca. 1905-1910
North Cape baseball team, ca. 1905-1910 reverse
Christina Tremmel-Pruneda: Using newspaperarchive.com, the earliest mention I found was from the Racine Journal Oct 13, 1898. They played the Yorkville Baseball team and lost the game. The last mention was July 8, 1915 Racine Journal News. In 1902 E J Amundson was their manager.
This is a nice Bishop post card from 1910-15 or so, facing south on Main Street. I can see the following shops: Schroeder dry goods, FFH Shoes, Dan and Sol’s, the Bijou, and Zahns.
1906 Monument Square real photo post card by Bishop, #88
1906 Monument Square real photo post card by Bishop, #88, reverse
Here’s a very nice real photo post card by well-known Racine commercial photographer Bishop. This is Bishop photo #88 and the post card is postmarked 1906. There is a lot going on in this photo.
First of all, you can see the first Hotel Racine with the turrets, and then to the right, you can see the old Post Office with its tall tower.
Of course, this is shot in Monument Square looking southeast. I like everyone sitting on the high curbs relaxing. If you download this photo and zoom in, you can see people on folding chairs on a platform to the right of the monument. Between the monument and the office building you can see a very fancy house which I believe we have discussed on this group in the past.
On the office building to the left of Hotel Racine, there is a sign advertising something for 25 cents, which is equivalent to $7.05 in 2017 dollars. Maybe a movie? Dinner?
St. Mary’s Catholic Church, 1948, College and 8th Street
This is a picture of St. Mary’s from the intersection of 8th and Wisconsin, looking southwest. What a beautiful church it was. The date on the postcard says August 7, 1948.
Apparently this church was torn down in 1961, to be replaced with what was considered modern at the time.
Parish house and Christo Rey, 2013, also from the intersection of Wisconsin and 8th looking southwest.
Racine High School, 1911
I found this postcard on Ebay and I got it because it looked to me like it was showing Racine High School from a slightly different angle compared to other postcards. I scanned this at 600 dots per inch, so you can zoom in quite a ways before the image breaks up into the tiny dots on the original card. This really reinforces my impression that the Racine High School was a massive, massive building.
Racine High School, 1911, reverse
Here is a transcription of the back of the card:
Postmarked August 11, 1911, 5 PM. Addressed to Roy Burroughs, Pretty Lake Farm, Dousman, Wisconsin.
Dear Roy:
Spending a week in Racine. You no [sic] it is such a large town I can’t see everything. Thank you ever so much for your postal.
Your friend, Gladys Berry.
(I had to look up Dousman, Wisconsin — it is a tiny place, population 2000.)
Kelly-Racine Rubber Works, Racine, Wis.
Reverse of Kelly Racine Rubber Works postcard. “Dear Myrna …”
This is an interesting postcard from 1911. It shows a very faded photo of a factory and reads as follows:
Racine, Wis. Sep 3 — 1911
To: Mrs. Myrna Warner, 936 W 16th St., Erie, PA
Hello Myrna. Well this is a picture of the K. R. R. W the place where I put in my time. Does it look like C. R. W.? Thanks for card. Albert L.
(On the photo side of the card)
Kelly Racine Rubber Works, Racine, Wis.
Here is a nice postcard from 1914 of the lighthouse at the entrance to the harbor. I especially like how beaten up the boards are on the boardwalk level. I’m guessing that the upper walkway has cast iron frames with a wooden walkway up top. Why have two levels? Because the waves are so high at times?
