Thursday, December 31, 2015

Who wants sauerbraten, bacon muffins & tangle britches?

I've had far too few recipes posts on Papergreat this year. This is only the fifth one. I resolve to do much better in 2016! (That won't be my only official resolution, though.)

So let's close out 2015 with some recipes from Pennsylvania Dutch Cooking, a 48-page staplebound booklet distributed by the Dutchcraft Company of Gettysburg many, many moons ago.

First, an excerpt from the booklet's unattributed introduction:
"The Pennsylvania Dutch are a hard working people and as they say, 'Them that works hard, eats hearty.' The blending of recipes from their many home lands and the ingredients available in their new land produced tasty dishes that have been handed down from mother to daughter for generations. Their cooking was truly a folk art requiring much intuitive knowledge, for recipes contained measurements such as 'flour to stiffen,' 'butter the size of a walnut,' and 'large as an apple.' Many of the recipes have been made more exact and standardized providing us with a regional cookery we can all enjoy."

And now some recipes!

Sauerbraten
2 inch thick piece of chuck, pot roast or tender boiling beef. Place in dish or bowl and cover with solution of half vinegar and half water, put in two large onions sliced. Do this two or three days before the meat is wanted. On the day before it is to be cooked cut 3 or 4 slices of bacon in 1" pieces and chop fine 1 tablespoon of the onion which has been soaking in the vinegar. Cut holes in the meat 1 or 2 inches apart and stuff bits of bacon and chopped onion into the holes. Put the meat back in the solution, add 1 tablespoon whole cloves and 1 teaspoon whole allspice. Bake the meat as a pot roast in part of the solution, until tender. Use more of the solution, adding sugar to taste, in making the gravy which will be almost black.

Apple Ring Fritters
  • 1 cup sifted flour
  • 1½ teaspoons baking powder
  • 2 tablespoons sugar
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • ¾ cup milk
  • 1 egg
  • 4 large apples
Sift dry ingredients. Add milk and egg. Beat well. Peel and core apples and slice in rings about ¼ inch thick. Dip rings in batter and drop into skillet containing ½ inch of hot melted shortening. Fry until golden brown on both sides. Drain on paper towel. Mix sugar and cinnamon together and sprinkle over fritters. Makes 16 to 20.

Bacon Muffins
  • 2 cups flour
  • 1 tablespoon sugar
  • 3 tablespoons melted shortening
  • 1 cup milk
  • 3 teaspoons baking powder
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • 1 egg
  • ½ cup bits crisp bacon
Sift flour, add sugar, salt and baking powder and sift again, add beaten egg and milk. Add melted shortening beating in quickly. Add bits of crisped bacon. Bake in hot (425 degree) oven for 15 to 20 minutes. Serve with orange marmalade.

Tangle Britches
An old York County recipe
  • ½ pound butter
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 6 eggs, beaten
  • ½ tsp. cinnamon
  • about 5 cups flour
Cream together the butter and sugar. Add the eggs beating well. Sift in the cinnamon and enough flour to make a stiff dough. Roll out the dough very thin on a floured board to about ⅛ inch thick. Cut into rectangular pieces 3 inches by 5 inches. Make 5 cuts lengthwise in the dough ½ inch apart and 4½ inches long, so that the rectangle remains in one piece. Fry in hot deep fat (360 F) for 2 minutes or until they bob up to the top of the hot grease. When dropping them in the fryer, pick up the 1st, 3rd and 5th strips and pull them upward. Let the 2nd, 4th and 6th sag downward so that in frying they get all fahuudelt (tangled) or as the Dutch say, all through each other. Dust with powdered sugar or dribble molasses over them and eat hot.

(That last one sounds a bit like funnel cake. Read some Tangle Britches memories at Helen Gobble's Bits and Pieces and More.)

Related goodies (mostly Pennsylvania Dutch)

Tuesday, December 29, 2015

From the readers: Howlers, poker chips, monkey astronauts and more

Ashar is a big fan of refrigerator magnet poetry, which is about as ephemeral as it gets.

And now for something completely different — the final "From the Readers" post of 2015, featuring 20 percent more Crunchy Frog.

Best copy of "The Boys' Life Book of Outer Space Stories": Tom from Garage Sale Finds writes: "I have that same book. I picked it up at a garage sale this past year. How can you resist a book about an monkey astronaut? I know what you mean about books with lives. I've been meaning to write a post about the things I've found in books over the years."

And here is a bundle of additional great comments from Tom, whose thoughts and feedback I appreciate greatly...

19th century advertising card: Liebig Company's Fleisch-Extract: Tom writes: "As a kid, I loved the smell of bouillon cubes dissolving in hot water, but I never went as far as to suck on one."

I think everyone should try sucking on a bouillon cube at least once. It's very ... intense.

Thanksgiving postcard from 1914, plus a little guffaw: Tom writes: "The mysteries can drive you nuts. Things forgotten to time, never to be known."

Vintage Christmas postcard: "Kiss Me Quick!" Tom writes: "It's kind of creepy that light is shining through that little Dutch girl's head. It's like her skull cap is levitating."

Agreed! I almost mentioned the shadow of the girl's head in the original post, too. I don't think the postcard artist fully thought that through.

A 1910 postcard that was processed on Christmas Day: Tom writes: "I have some postcards from around the turn of the century that were postmarked after 11 p.m. on Christmas Eve. I too was surprised that they would have been working so late."

12 toys Mattel wanted you to buy for your kids in 1967: Tom writes: "Great stuff. I would love to have that Fright Factory Thingmaker for the graphics on the box alone. I never knew there was a Twiggy doll, and it's almost as thin as the real Twiggy!"

* * *

Cheerful Card Company can help you earn extra money for the holidays: There have been two new comments on this popular 2012 post.

Anonymous writes: "I am 87 years old and this was my second job. My first was selling Cloverine white salve from the same type of ad."

And Tommy Samaha writes: "I sold these as a child back in the 1950s. They were beautiful cards. You could even have your name printed on the cards. This company was a legitimate company."

* * *

A postcard mailed in 1910 and some Sunday night reading: Anne Hagberg of Laurel Cottage Genealogy writes: "I'm thinking 'Tiney' might be the dog's name. An odd spelling, of course."

* * *

1942 U.S. Civil Defense tips, courtesy Strack & Strine Funeral Home: Joan, in a possible attempt to poke fun at Yours Truly, writes: "Are calamity-howlers related to weather alarmists?"

Answer: Calamity Howlers are lesser individuals than Weather Alarmists. Weather Alarmists live to protect and serve, to let no potential snowflake go unmentioned. Calamity Howlers bring about chaos and panic and have no noble intentions.

As the holiday gift-buying season ramps up, consider opulent owls: Joan writes: "I want one very badly. But I have Some Concerns about who is painting it and the end results."

* * *

Illustration: "Revolving Poker Rack" from Pacific Game Company: Todd Scott writes: "I still keep a set of poker chips in this same box I got from my grandparents. Any idea how old it is? It is numbered 2043."

I think this particular set is circa 1970-1972.

* * *

Beautiful handmade bookmark and the "Alice and Jerry" readers: Janifa Prince writes: "I remember reading a book and one of the stories in that book was entitled Hastings Mills. I forgot the name of this book would love to remember the name and own a copy of it."

Janifa, here is a blog post on Vicki Lane Mysteries you might want to check out for further leads. Good luck in finding your book!

* * *

The 1970s: When air travel was like a big, wacky sitcom: Anonymous writes: "Is that Ricardo Montalbán? And where is Jennifer Aniston? Didn't she just do a commercial by the bar? Oh, wait, that was a different airline."

* * *

Kindertrauma to the rescue: It was Lon Chaney Jr., with a puppy: Sandi writes: "I wonder if the other scary movie you recall is The Dark Secret of Harvest Home. It was actually a two-part made-for-TV flick from the late 70s."

I don't think that's it, either. I would have remembered Bette Davis. (And Norman Lloyd was in it, too!) But keep the ideas coming!

* * *

Macmillan Reader presents a very 1950s in suburbia Christmas: Jean wrote in an email: "My mom [Janet Page] was an inker at Disney in the late 1930s and 1940s. She worked on Pinocchio, Bambi and Fantasia while there. She went on to do other illustrator jobs after she left Disney. We had many of her sketches that she'd bring home from work only to discover years later that she'd thrown them away! She didn't consider them to be worth anything. Hence I'm trying to track down whatever I can find. She passed away back in 2000."

Unfortunately, I had to tell Jean that I no longer have the copy of The Christmas Tree, featuring artwork by Page, that I wrote about in that 2013 post. If I did still have it, I would have sent it Jean's way. But I'll keep my eyes open for these books moving forward!

* * *

Mystery portrait taken in Littlestown, Pennsylvania: Anonymous writes: "I think it's a woman with white hair and a fancy black cap."

Interesting thought! I don't think that possible answer can be ruled out.

* * *

1913 Christmas postcard from A.M. Davis Company of Boston: L.F. Appel writes: "That is my article on postcardy.com. I have been thinking of doing a new A. M. Davis article on my new postcardy2.wordpress.com blog/website."

Also in regard to this post, Sandi offers the following thought: "The signature looks like 'Sebastian B. Bishop' to me."

* * *

Saturday's postcard: Enjoy the view of Finhaut, Switzerland: Anonymous writes: "I have two of these stamps the 20 Helvetica on a envelope A. FRANCKE AG. BERN POST MARKED 1948 WHAT DO I HAVE."

YOU HAVE TWO VERY NICE STAMPS. THANKS FOR WRITING.

Monday, December 28, 2015

"Use of power saws — why not?"


The red-ink note shown above was written on the last page of a copy of 1971's A Layman and Wildlife and A Layman and Wilderness by Tom Messelt.

The copy once belonged to H.A. Streed of Whitefish, Montana, who put one of his return-address labels on the inside front cover. Whitefish is host of the annual Huckleberry Days Arts Festival, which includes a huckleberry dessert bake-off contest.

Huckleberry Days will next be held on August 12-14, 2016, if you want to mark that on the spiffy new calendar you just received for Christmas.

But I digress.

Here's the interesting transcript of that red-ink note at the back of A Layman and Wildlife and A Layman and Wilderness. (I'll forgo the ALL CAPS nature of the text.)
"They Call It Progress"
1. Gypsy crew trail mtce [maintenance?] — why not?
2. Use of power saws — why not?
3. The "fly in the ointment" is the true lack of experience. To gain this is hard work along with some personal initiative.
4. A degree bars no one from work.
5. Jobs are competitive, and the feeling of security for some hangs in balance.
6. The big problem in the big picture is just too many people.
7. "Chinaization" is something I never want to see again, never in this country. Still we have a good start in that direction.
"Casey"

— On Progress —
"Bigger isn't necessarily better and more can be less."
(an old adage)
Thoughts on any of this? I don't reckon we'll ever know the context of these notes, but they're certainly intriguing.

Friday, December 25, 2015

Peace and Goodwill 2015

Peace and goodwill to all
السلام والنوايا الحسنة لجميع
La paz y la buena voluntad para todos
Мира и доброй воли для всех
和平與善意所有
سب کے لئے امن اور خیر سگالی


Raphael Tuck & Sons "Christmas" Series No. C. 5328
"Art Publishers To Their Majesties The King & Queen"
Chromographed in Bavaria
Postmarked at 7 p.m. on December 22, 1912, in Niagara Falls, New York
Mailed to Miss Edna Berger in Foltz, Pennsylvania
"a merry Xmas to all from brother Frank"

Previous postcards to the Bergers

Thursday, December 24, 2015

Ruth Manning-Sanders' signature on Christmas Eve 1930


Eight-five years ago today, on Christmas Eve 1950, Ruth Manning-Sanders inscribed a copy of her verse novel Pages from the History of Zachy Trenoy with "To Sheila."

This book came into my collection this year, and I wanted to share the signature with you on this Christmas Eve. It's very similar to her signature from Christmas 1931 that I post previously.

I'll write more about this rare volume in a future post, but, for now, Merry Christmas.

Wednesday, December 23, 2015

"Christmas Greetings" postcard mailed to Palmyra, N.J.


Today's timeworn vintage Christmas postcard features an elaborate border, a starry sky, a peaceful-looking forest church and snow, something that we won't be seeing any time soon here in the Northeastern United States.

The card was mailed about a century ago, but the postmark is only partially legible, and I cannot tell what the year was. It was mailed with the green, one-cent Benjamin Franklin stamp, which was part of the Washington-Franklin Issues that began in 1908.

It was mailed to Miss Anna Olson of Palmyra, New Jersey, in care of G.A. Peterson. The only thing written on the message side of the card is "From Home."

A couple of notable tidbits about Palmyra:
  • It was the northernmost tip of the colony of New Sweden (1638–1655), which stretched along the Delaware River.
  • Baseball Rubbing Mud is taken annually from the the banks of the New Jersey side of the Delaware River, near Palmyra.

Tuesday, December 22, 2015

Postcard: The helter skelter at Santa's Workshop in Colorado


This postcard, postmarked in 1972, shows off the Santa's Workshop village and children's amusement park, which is located near the base of Pikes Peak, Colorado, and has been in operation since the summer of 1956.

The card was mailed in October 1972 to an address in Baltimore, Maryland, with this note:
Hi Dear,
We made it to the North Pole. Amy & I came down Santa's Giant Slide twice & she rode everything in sight. Santa was a big hit c̅ her too.
1 We took lots of pictures — Amy feeding the reindeer & all — but the day was cold & cloudy so I don't know how they may turn out.
Love
Me & Amy
Didn't even get to see Pikes Peak from clouds
The Santa's Workshop in Colorado was modeled after the Santa's Workshop in North Pole, New York, which has been in operation since 1949.

You can read all about the Colorado attraction on its website. The ride featured in the center of this postcard is still there. The park refers to it as the "Peppermint Slide" on its website, and the 1972 postcard refers to it as "Santa's Giant Slide."

The spiral slide around the outside of a high tower is an uncommon U.S. example of a ride called a "helter skelter" in Britain. The name "helter skelter' dates to about 1905 in the UK and, yes, it inspired the song by the Beatles.

If anyone has been to the Santa's Workshop in Colorado (or in New York), share your thoughts and memories in the comments section.


Footnote
1. Yes, that's exactly what's written on the postcard: "Santa was a big hit c̅ her too." The letter C with the line over it is a shorthand abbreviation for "with" that is most commonly used by doctors when writing prescriptions. So it's possible this postcard writer was a doctor.

Monday, December 21, 2015

Embossed postcard: A hearty Christmas Wish


As we kick off Christmas Week in the soon-to-be-sweltering Northeast, here's a mystery vintage postcard (no date, no publisher indicated) featuring a well-dressed girl pulling a small sled that carries her doll.

She has what looks like a sprig of some evergreen tucked into her hat, which is a festive touch.

Almost everything on this "A hearty Christmas Wish" postcard — girl, sled, borders and text — is embossed. The longer piece of text states:

I wish you a Merry Christmas
Just as grown Folks do and
I wish that all your Christmas
Dream may really come true


The postcard was never stamped or mailed, but there's a short note written on the back, in light pencil. Something about William, a cousin and "he will be taken." The sloppy cursive is too difficult to fully decipher.

The only other clue on the card is the "C-174" in the lower-left corner on the front. Which is not much of a clue.

I did discover a postcard, on CardCow.com, that clearly came from the same series back in the day. That one was used and postmarked in 1915, which sounds about right for this one.

Sunday, December 20, 2015

Kindertrauma to the rescue: It was Lon Chaney Jr., with a puppy*

Lon Chaney Jr. in Dracula vs. Frankenstein (1971)

On October 29, in the midst of Fortnight of Mild Fear, I wrote a post about a pair of hazy movie/TV memories that were lodged permanently in my brain and were driving me batty because I didn't have enough details to identify them.

Here's what I wrote about one of the mysteries:
There's very little to go by on this one. It's the ending of a horror movie from, I'm guessing, the late 1960s or early 1970s (based on my hazy memories of the production values and costumes). The "bad" guy, who is either a Frankenstein's monster type or a hunchback/Igor type, is trying to escape the police via a rooftop. But he is shot and falls to his death. Here's the part that stuck with me, though. He was carrying something bundled up in his clothes. As he lay dead on the ground, a few kittens emerge from his grasp and mew pitifully while walking around on his chest. That's it. That's all I have. I've long hoped that the moment involving the cats is specific enough to help lead me to answer. But, thus far, I've had no luck.
Tom from Garage Sale Finds recommended that I seek help from the brilliant and disturbed Kindertrauma website. I did, and Kindertrauma posted my two queries on November 9. That same day I got an answer to the above mystery.1

Turns out I was remembering 1971's Dracula vs. Frankenstein, a horrific dud of a horror film if ever there was one. I was correct about many of the details, too. And the Igor-like character was played by none other than the iconic Lon Chaney Jr. (1906-1973), in what was, sadly, his final film role.2

My biggest memory error involved the kittens. There were no kittens. It turns out there was only one animal, and it was a puppy — the only friend in the world that Chaney's character (named Groton) had.3

There are more than 40 online reviews of Dracula vs. Frankenstein, according to this index on imdb.com. Here's a representative excerpt from one of them, written by Nate Yapp at classic-horror.com:
"The mad scientist is developing a serum made from the blood of exceptionally traumatized women. His specimens are collected by his hulking, mute manservant Groton (Lon Chaney, Jr.), who clutches a puppy to his chest when he's not wielding an ax. ... His body bloated from years of alcoholism and his voice silenced by the ravages of throat cancer, Chaney is a pathetic figure who lumbers through the movie, desperation etched into the lines of his face. His character, Groton, spends much of the film in a child-like state, so Chaney mugs wildly and pets a puppy, a shadow of his Lenny from [1939's] Of Mice and Men."

Footnotes
*Sorry to plop this down right sugar plum in the middle of the Christmas season, but I've been itching to get this posted.
1. My other query remains open, as far as I'm concerned. Regarding my memories of a short tale of evil spirits and a burning inn, someone has suggested that I'm remembering an episode of Kolchak: The Night Stalker. But I don't think that's right. The mystery lives on.
2. According to Wikipedia, Chaney Jr., who portrayed Larry Talbot/The Wolf Man in so many memorable Universal movies, died of heart failure at age 67 on July 12, 1973 in San Clemente, California. His body was donated for medical research and was dissected by medical students. The medical school kept his liver and lungs in jars as specimens of what extreme alcohol and tobacco abuse can do to human organs. There is no grave to mark his final resting place.
3. I might need a tissue now.

Saturday, December 19, 2015

Postcard: The original Christmas Tree Shops location


It's the last Saturday before Christmas, and you probably have some shopping to finish today. (Good luck with that.) In keeping with that theme, today's old postcard1 features the original Christmas Tree Shops location in Yarmouth Port, Massachusetts.2

The description on the back of this unused card states:

THE CHRISTMAS TREE GIFT SHOPS
Corner of Willow St. and Route 6A
Yarmouth Port, Cape Cod, Mass.
Cape Cod's Most Distinctive and Charming
Gift Shops.

A short history of Christmas Tree Shops goes something like this:

  • In the 1950s, a barn in Yarmouth Port doubled as a holiday gift shop called The Christmas Tree Gift Shop. It sold Christmas gifts and ornaments from May through October.
  • In the early 1970s, Chuck and Doreen Bilezikian bought the barn/store and began to transform the business into "a destination for one-of-a-kind items and real bargain prices." Three shops made up the first location: Front Shop, Back Shop, and Barn Shop. That's why the company name is Shops instead of Shop.
  • The Bilezikians began to expand the business to other New England (and then national) locations in the 1980s.
  • In 2003, Bed Bath & Beyond bought Christmas Tree Shops.
  • The original stores on Route 6A, pictured on this postcard, closed 2007, but the site is now occupied by independent stores called Just Picked Gifts and owned by the Bilezikians' son.3
  • Today, there are more than 70 Christmas Tree Shops stores.
  • You probably know somebody who shopped at one of them this week.

Footnotes
1. It's a "Natural Color K Card" from Kodachrome. Other credits on the back of the card include:
  • A Mike Roberts Color Production, Berkeley 2, Calif.
  • Published for Bromley & Company, Inc., Boston 16, Massachusetts
  • SA887
2. Yarmouth Port is located about two hours south of Innsmouth, if you want to make a full day (or long night) of it.
3. For more, see this December 2014 article on Boston.com.

Friday, December 18, 2015

1913 Christmas postcard from A.M. Davis Company of Boston


Here's an interesting vintage Christmas postcard that I believe might be making its debut on the Internet. It was published in 1913 by the A.M. Davis Company of Boston. It's printed on a thicker stock than most postcards. On the back of the card, there are poetic instructions for what to do on the two sides.

On the left side, it states:

WITH PEN
AND INK
THE THINGS
YOU THINK
WRITE HERE

On the right, it states:

YOUR UNCLE
SAM WILL DO
THE REST
IF THIS GOOD
CARD IS WELL
ADDRESSED
RIGHT HERE


On Postcardy.com, L.F. Appel wrote a little about A.M. Davis cards and shared some other nice examples of their work. Appel writes: "The design style of the A.M. Davis cards also differs from other postcards. Most have an Arts and Crafts look dominated by text in Gothic or other distinctive typefaces and decorative borders. Most designs also have gold accents. Occasionally the cards have an embossed panel, but the pictures and text are not embossed. I like to look for these cards in boxes of unsorted cards. They are usually inexpensive, and I feel as though I am finding a diamond in the rough."

The A.M. Davis cards were also discussed in a 2014 post on the Vintage Recycling blog.

The postcard feature here was mailed in 1913 to Mr. W.K. Miller of the Prudential Insurance Company in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. The note states: "With Kinds regards and a Merry Xmas to your family and self." And then there's a signature I can't quite decipher.

Thursday, December 17, 2015

A 1910 postcard that was processed on Christmas Day


This vintage "Merry Christmas" postcard, with its warm and cheery colors, was postmarked at 9 p.m. on December 25, 1910, in Williamsport, Pennsylvania, which likely means that some Grinch of a boss made at least one postal employee work on Christmas night.1

Also, in addition to being Christmas, it was A SUNDAY.

I hope Krampus made a visit to that boss.

The postcard was mailed to Helen in Duboistown. The simple message states: "A Merry Xmas & Happy New Year. Your cousin, Frances K."


Footnote
1. That year's Anti-Grinch was Texas Gov. Thomas M. Campbell, who, on Christmas Day, pardoned about 100 men, including 50 "friendless" prisoners who had been serving life terms. "Some have been in prison so long that their existence seems to have been forgotten," stated one account.

Wednesday, December 16, 2015

Vintage Christmas postcard:
"Kiss Me Quick!"


The vintage "Kiss Me Quick!" Raphael Tuck & Sons postcard was mailed in 1912 and was No. 507 in their Shadowgraph Series of Christmas postcards. It was printed in Saxony, Germany.

Raphael Tuck & Sons cards have been featured numerous times on Papergreat. I should probably put together an index of those posts some day. This December 2012 post discusses a bit about the London company's history, if you want to check out it out.


The back of the postcard indicates that it was postmarked at 9 p.m. on December 21, 1912, in Williamsport, Pennsylvania.1

Mr. Charles Spuler of the Northern Central Trust Company (which was based in Philadelphia) was given the following message:

Where is the blanket?
"Cabin Party"

Sounds like Charles was going to have a cozy fun Christmas!


Footnote
1. Also on December 21, 1912, according to Wikipedia:
  • Norway, Sweden and Denmark jointly proclaimed their neutrality, refusing to favor either side in a European war.
  • Prince Katsura Tarō was appointed as the new Prime Minister of Japan.
  • President Taft departed the United States on board the new battleship USS Arkansas for a visit to the Panama Canal.

Tuesday, December 15, 2015

Clambake at Cabbage Island (Maine): Then and now

This is an undated brochure for the famous Clambake at Cabbage Island in Boothbay Harbor, Maine. Stamped on the front is "DAMARISCOTTA INFORMATION BUREAU U.S. No. 1 MAINE."

Damariscotta is a small town about 16 miles north of Boothbay Harbor.

With the help of the brochure and the Cabbage Island Clambakes website, here's a short history of the island and the clambakes:

  • Cabbage Island belonged to the Holbrook family during the second half of the 19th century. Cabbage, fertilized with kelp, was grown there. And there was a population of goats on the island.
  • The Holbrook family sold Cabbage Island to Dr. Frank J. Triggs in 1905 and it was renamed Independence Island.
  • From 1925 through 1948, there were several transfers of ownership of Independence Island.
  • In 1948, Donald and Ruth Leavitt purchased the island from Boothbay for $3,600. (About $35,000 in today's dollars. A bargain!)
  • In 1957, the Leavitts petitioned successfully to have the name changed back to Cabbage Island. That summer, they began operating twice-daily clambakes. Passenger boats Linekin I, Linekin II, and Linekin III brought customers to the island.
  • In 1983, Ruth Leavitt sold Cabbage Island to an Ohio company that operated clambakes for one summer. After that, there was no activity.
  • Wayne Moore purchased Cabbage Island in 1986 and, with the blessing and recipes of Ruth Leavitt, the Moore family has operated the Cabbage Island Clambakes since the summer of 1989.

I believe this brochure was published around 1965. There is reference to the Leavitts owning Cabbage Island for 17 years, and 1948 plus 17 years equals 1965. The tourists' attire has the mid 1960s look, too.



So, what was the Clambake at Cabbage Island like, circa 1965? First off, the cost will make you long for the past. Reservations were necessary, but clambake tickets were just $5.50, which included the $1 for the boat trip. And what did that $5.50 get you? To quote the brochure:
"A steaming cup of delicious New England Fish Chowder, luscious bright red lobsters, tender white steamed clams wrapped in foil, sweet golden corn on the cob, new Maine potatoes, onions baked in their skins. For dessert you will love our famous Blueberry Cake by the yard and gallons of coffee."
Or, if you preferred to head to the island for lunch, this was the menu:
"...boiled Maine lobsters and clams fresh from the sea, hot lobster stew, giant lobster rolls with clear meat, fried Maine shrimp, toasted hot dogs and hamburgers, French Fries, cold soda and beverages, Ma's homemade pies, Blueberry cake, at in town prices."
The clambakes were described as being "cooked in seaweed from top to bottom, covered with tarpaulins and rocks to capture all the flavor and sweetness of Maine lobsters and clams."

And what about the Cabbage Island Clambake today? As with everything, the prices have gone up. You'll now pay about $62, plus tax, per person. That gets you the boat ride on the Bennie Alice, too. The Moore family still cooks up the clambake the same way the Leavitt family did it, with seaweed, tarps and rocks. The menu sounds almost the exact same, too:
"This authentic meal includes a steaming cup of traditional New England Fish Chowder, two luscious bright red lobsters, tender white steamed clams wrapped in foil, sweet golden corn on the cob, onion, and new Maine potatoes. For dessert, you will love our famous Blueberry Cake with hot fresh coffee or iced tea."
The Cabbage Island Clambakes operate from mid-June through mid-September. Maybe you want to add them to your Summer of 2016 vacation list? Here's their Facebook page, too.

It couldn't hurt to ask, with a wink, if you could get the 1965 prices, for old time's sake. Here are some magnified blast-from-the-past photos from that brochure...


Sunday, December 13, 2015

Papergreat's Holly Jolly Very Merry Directory of Christmas Posts

"SANTA'S MOTEL, Route 86, Lake Placid, N.Y., Telephone 644. Open All Year, Individual Heat Control. TV in all units. Private Baths. Private Beach. Walking Distance to Ski Tow. Owned and Operated by Claire and Ed Zampieri."

Before I start in with this year's batch of Christmas-themed ephemera, here's a directory of the 100-plus holiday posts that have appeared on this blog from 2010 to present. Bookmark it! Dive in on a night when you have some free time and a mug of hot chocolate by your side. There's more dandy old Yuletide ephemera here than you can shake a sleigh bell at.
(UPDATED: December 2, 2016)

Postcards
Greeting cards Recipes Books and magazines Fashion and decorations Miscellaneous merriment

Vintage photo: Outdoor birthday party with doll


This undated black-and-white snapshot, acquired in southern York County earlier this year, measures 2¾ inches by 4½ inches. It features a young girl and her doll enjoying a cake with four candles in a well-maintained backyard.

The girl could certainly be four years old, so perhaps that's her cake for the special day. Also, that table and chair look too nice to be regular outdoor fixtures. I'm guessing they were just set outside for the special occasion.

It's too bad we'll never know the name of this girl and her doll...


Saturday, December 12, 2015

Great links to help while away the balmy days of mid-December

Woodrow Wilson's bookplate (Source: Library of Congress)

Thanks, perhaps, to climate change, we're not exactly having the kind of weather here in southcentral Pennsylvania that makes you want to get all bundled under an Amish quilt and spend the weekend reading. Truth be told, it's more like "time to mow the lawn" weather.

But we shouldn't let nice weather stop us from doing educational and recreational reading. Here's Papergreat's latest collection of links to cool, thought-provoking and quirky things to read on the interwebs.

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Snapshots from a foggy morning at Prospect Hill Cemetery

Here are some Instagram shots from this past Thursday morning (December 10) at sprawling and historic Prospect Hill Cemetery in York, Pennsylvania.

The fog and bare trees made for some beautiful setups.