Local Postcards - Houma

Local Postcards - Houma, Louisiana

      They were small pieces of cardboard or linen that sat in racks 

on many store, restaurant and bus station counters.  Primarily meant for tourists as an inexpensive memento of their visit hundreds of thousands were sold to either be mailed to friends and relatives or to wind up stored in some box hiding in a closet or under a bed.

       These little paste boards depicted buildings, places and people from the location where they were sold.  Landmarks, historic places and current events were just a few of the things depicted in these picture.  Here, then are a few of those that depict a bygone era in the Houma area.

       

Then and Now

Then and Now

      As I stated in an earlier post a lot of things can be found in old picture postcards.  Views and vistas from the past are lurking in those old pieces of cardboard.  Many are probably tucked away in some closet or a box under the bed.  Sadly, far too many of those printed eventually became part of the local landfill; gone back into the ecosystem from which it came.  

      Here is a rare gem that is just part of the treasure that is out there, much of it still concealed away.  

     Visible are the old Grand and Bijou Theaters, the Palais Royale sign and the rooftop Citizens National Bank Sign in the background.

The store next to the Grand is the F. W. Woolworth store that had a lunch counter.  The Earl Williams store and the People's Drug store are still there, to the best of my knowledge.   

     Leave a comment if you have further information about this picture or decide to look in that old picture box and find something I could use here.  

Downtown Houma - 1948

This is a picture I found quite by accident on the Internet.  I believe the caption is sufficient explanation.  

I did enhance the picture a bit for better clarity.

 

 

Images From the Past

Images From the Past -  Houma, Louisiana

Images of the past can take on many forms and can be found in many places, some of which may not be quite so evident.  Sometimes it’s the minutiae of pop culture that tells a bigger story or a more fascinating one. 

Such things as old matchbooks, postcards, bus or railroad time tables, Oil company road maps that were once available in abundance at your local gas stations, political ads, football programs, calendars or even high school yearbooks.

The pictures here are an example of what one can find in the advertising sections of those high school annuals. 

                     The marquees on the theaters pinpoint the time each was taken. 

From the 1968 THS Trawler   -  A picture that depicts some places that are no longer there. 

And, who knows what gems may be lurking in some box filled with pictures  or other things that have been tucked in the back of your closet or some storage shed.  Take a look.  Your may be surprised at what lurks there – and the memories it may bring back.