What Two Real Photo Postcards Reveal About Early Twentieth Century Wheeling
Why are there so many real photo postcards (RPPC’s) postmarked 1906 or 1907?
The credit is due to George Eastman of Kodak fame, who acquired the rights to produce photo paper with a pre-printed postcard back and in 1903 developed an inexpensive folding camera that produced postcard sized negatives. A few years later, in 1907, he introduced the “real photo postcard” service allowing amateur photographers to turn any photograph into a postcard, inexpensively. The RPPC’s popularity exploded and people everywhere used them to chronicle events and small town scenes that might otherwise have been lost to history, having been largely ignored by professional photographers. RPPC’s depicting various Wheeling subjects frequently appear on eBay and other online auction sites.
Two examples — one from 1906 and one from 1908 — provide some interesting information about “German Wheeling.”
Prior to the First World War, Wheeling was a very German town, home to German language newspapers and a number of German singing societies, as well as German banks, insurance companies, breweries and other businesses.
For more on German Wheeling click HERE.
Saengerfest Aug. 1906
The first “German Wheeling” RPPC, created at Nicoll’s Art Store, shows Arion Hall at 20th and Main Streets decorated for the 1906 Saengerfest, a large music festival featuring numerous regional German singing societies. Wheeling hosted three such festivals in 1860, 1885 and 1906. In addition to choral concerts at the Court Theatre and other venues, the 1906 festival featured an elaborate parade and a picnic at Mozart Park, which was, at the time, essentially a beer garden for businessman Henry Schmulbach and his Mozart Singing Society. The image shows Arion Hall, headquarters of the Arion Singing Society, draped in patriotic bunting and German flag pennants in a manner consistent with other buildings along the parade route. The intact steeple of 2nd Presbyterian Church can be seen in the background.
German Day, 1908
The second “German Wheeling” RPPC was recently acquired by the Ohio County Public Library Archives, and depicts a group of men, many wearing striped aprons, posing in front of an industrial looking building. (By the way, any assistance in identifying the location of this image would be most welcome and appreciated. If you have suggestions, please add your comment below.)
Three of the men in the image are holding a sign printed in German. According to Dr. Adam Oberlin, German Teacher in the World Language Department at the Linsly School, the translation reads:
GERMAN DAY
THURSDAY, 27 AUGUST
MOZART PARK
FESTIVAL [illegible]
BIRD-SHOOTING
[illegible]
GREAT KING’S BALL IN THE EVENINGS
[illegible]
“The ‘bird-shooting,'” Dr. Oberlin explained, “is an old game that involves shooting a wooden bird high up on a pole from a certain distance with either a bow or a rifle, not actually hunting birds.”
Indeed, the Wheeling Intelligencer from August 26-28, 1908 included reports about a German Day at Mozart Park presented “under the auspices of the German Central Union” and featuring “amusements and novel sports,” including bowling and an “Eagle Shoot.” The newspaper estimated that about two thousand people attended the event, with the City and Elm Grove Railway providing transportation to Mozart Park. The event also featured a concert and a singing contest among members of the Mozart, Arion, and Beethoven singing societies. “The dancing pavilion,” the Intelligencer noted, “was crowded with trippers of the fantastic toe.” Paul Rigot of Benwood won the Eagle Shoot while Gus Hilderbrand won the bowling tournament, and was awarded a punch bowl for his efforts.
For all practical purposes, “German Wheeling” was essentially rendered extinct by the anti-German backlash of the First World war. Reminders can still be found both in architectural features still visible around town and in real photo postcards.
UPDATE: The response to this post led to two interesting developments that help illustrate why we launched Archiving Wheeling in the first place. Find out how these two postcards helped solve two Wheeling History Mysteries.
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What a great site…………..
Would like to see info on the “Wheeling Steel Program”. My grandfather, John Winchcoll, was the “Old Timer”.
Thanks for posting this. My grandmother attended a German language school in Wheeling–don’t know when or where. Do you have any photos of those German language schools? According to family lore, her father–Henry Specht –was a policeman and German language interpreter for the courts. Drusilla Ice
Hi Drusilla. We don’t have photos of a German language school per se, however, most schools in Wheeling during that period offered German language instruction. We have, for example, an ad for Cathedral (now Central) High School’s German class. All of the schools famously stopped instruction in the German language as a “patriotic” gesture during the First World War.
What a fascinating article! Love the pictures.
This is fascinating. I’m so glad there are so many wonderful pictures from so long ago.
The second photo looks like it might possibly be the Pollack Stogies building – see this photo: https://www.flickr.com/photos/ohiocountypubliclibrary/4661125216/ There would be 23 years difference between the two photos.
Bryan. We believe you are correct. Stand by for updates.
there was a meat packing company in fulton by the ace garage , possible location
I thoroughly enjoyed your article. I’m currently researching three different family lines that immigrated to Wheeling in the 1860-80s. Joseph Ritter who was a pretzel baker from 1883 until 1914. I wish I knew the name of the bakery. He was a member of the magnolia fishing club from 1885-1930s. There’s a photo of it from July 4, 1889 with many family members I wish I could find. Saw a microfilm image of it in the Intelligencer newspaper from April 11. 1942. He married Seraphine Wisiendortfer who’s father Paul and Brother Joseph started a Custom tailor shop at 2228 Market Street from 1895-1951.
Lastly is Nicholas Herbert who was a deputy sergeant with the Wheeling police department in 1887-? Was listed on city directories as a bartender on Main Street in 1896. Wish I knew name of bar. I have a photo of him in a group of police offices from the Images of America wheeling book.
Would you have any information on any of these men or families. I saw you have two books about Immigrants in Wheeling. Would there be any photos of these families and can I purchase these books. I live in Oklahoma and cannot visit your library. Any help or information you can share would be so appreciated to surprise my father with about his an esters. He has no living relatives to ask. I am happy to pay for some research time if need be.
Thank you so much.
Maryann Rollins