Wednesday, June 5, 2013

#2: Moonlit castle in Massachusetts (Postcard Blogathon 2013)



Title: "Winnikeni Castle by Moonlight," Haverhill, Mass.
Publisher: The Metropolitan News Co., Boston, Mass., and Germany
Year: Not listed. Pre-1907, though, because it's not a divided-back postcard.
Used: Sort of. The back is addressed to Mrs. Steppie at 37 Herschel Street in Manton, Rhode Island. A green 1¢ Benjamin Franklin stamp has been affixed, but there is no postmark, so it was probably never mailed. Also, along the left-hand side on front of the card is some cursive writing that appears to state "From H. Giles."

Comments: I love illustrations and images of moonlit scenes. And so did postcard publishers. Early postcards featuring buildings flooded with interior light (pre-Kinkadean) standing in the midst of gloom on moonlit nights are quite common. ... It appears that this postcard maker spelled the name of the castle incorrectly. The front of the card states "Winnikeni Castle." But according to the official website, it's "Winnekenni Castle." Here's an excerpt about the castle's history from the website:
"In 1861, Dr. James R. Nichols, a brilliant chemist and agriculturist, bought the Darling Farm, which sat on a hill overlooking Kenoza Lake to use for his experiments with chemical fertilizers. In 1872 he visited England and was inspired by their long-standing stone structures. He returned with an idea to build a summer home from native boulders and rocks. He was quoted at the time as saying ... 'we desire to prove to farmers and others in a practical way the value of boulder rocks (so common on almost every New England Farm) as building materials.' Construction began in 1873 and was completed two years later in 1875. He called the building Winnekenni Castle and the surrounding farm Winnekenni, an Algonquin Indian word for 'Very Beautiful!'"
Check out the website for more details about the castle's construction. Currently, Winnekenni Castle can be be rented out for a variety of events. And, according to the website, "in October, the property is transformed into a Halloween attraction that will scare your pants off." (IN! Let's go, Joan!)

Other posts about castles

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Papergreat's Chris Otto is spending June 5, 2013, blogging as many vintage postcards as possible. It's "The Fast and Furious" (and hopefully also "The Fun") for ephemera lovers and deltiologists. Read all of the posts starting here.

1 comment:

  1. Should you go, don't pronounce the second H in Haverhill. The locals will snicker. Sort of like how Lancaster is hasn't an A after the C.

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