Lives in Letters: Postcard of Alarm

Sometimes I come across a postcard like this one.

Postcard

Clinton Square
Syracuse, NY
February 20, 1913
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Addressed to

Miss Laura J-
Clifton Springs, NJ

Scribbled at top:

Mother
is ill.

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Message:

Dear Laura
Where have you
gone to – Are you
ill or what has
happened to you –
Ada N

Notes:

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Isn't it interesting to see this kind of message in writing? Today, if we were worried about not hearing from someone for a while, and concerned they might be hurt or sick, we'd pick up the phone. But in 1913, they sent postcards.

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And then they waited.

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Whose mother was ill? Ada included her last initial, so I doubt Ada and Laura were sisters.

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That picture was Clinton Square in Syracuse in 1913. Today you can see Clinton Square in real time via the clintoncam. Or you can take the virtual tour and see some better shots of how the square has stayed the same and how it has been updated.

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From penny-postcards to virtual tours? One thing's for sure, the times they have a-changed.