Author Don Martin, an avid postcard collector, selected cards that depict Austin buildings and life from the 1890s to 1950. He has a driving curiosity that has led to a variety of historical collections, including Republic of Texas memorabilia, Texas maps prior to Texas statehood, and of course Austin postcards.
Title: Postcard book offers glimpse into Austin's glorious past
Author: Will Pafford
Publisher: Westlake Picayune
Date: 4/30/09 Horse-drawn buggies, turn-of-the-century automobiles
and electric streetcars bustle along Congress Avenue on a
black-and-white postcard postmarked 1903. It is a scene that
existed for only a few years, captured on a postcard as a window
into Austin's past. This postcard is just one of about 220 in the
latest installment of the Postcard History Series from Arcadia
Publishing, titled "Austin." Westbank resident Don Martin is the
author of "Austin." The scenes in "Austin" are only a sample of
Martin's 1,500-postcard collection, which mostly features Central
Texas and Galveston, Texas. Although the collection began as a
casual hobby about 10 years ago, the postcards accumulated as time
passed. Postcards are fascinating to Martin because they capture a
moment in time. One of his favorite postcards that illustrates this
idea is a card that features a photo of the Littlefield Memorial
Fountain on the University of Texas campus with the original Old
Main building in the background. The Old Main building was
demolished in 1935 to make way for current administration building
and the landmark UT Tower, according to the caption under the
postcard. Most people today wouldn't recognize that scene from the
campus, Martin said. "There were only two years when that image
existed," he said. "I think that's really pretty cool." Martin
already had the postcards when he wrote a proposal to Arcadia
Publishing for the book. The work came when he had to research the
history behind each card by diving into books and online resources.
Through this process, Martin learned the many interesting stories
of Austin's past. "The research process was by far the most
interesting part of the project," he said. "There is a lot I
wouldn't know about Austin if I didn't have the opportunity to sit
down and research this book." One interesting story was the battle
between the Scarbrough Building and the Littlefield Building for
tallest building in Austin. The Scarbrough Building was built in
1910 and was the first skyscraper in Austin at eight stories tall,
according to "Austin." The Littlefield Building quickly followed
across the street at the same height, In 1915, however, George
Washington Littlefield added one more floor, securing the bragging
rights for tallest building in Austin. Martin also recalls talking
to a woman about when she would go to Dacy's Shoe Store on Congress
Avenue, where customers could look at their feet in an X-ray
machine. He later found a postcard of the shoe store, which he
included in the book, with the slogan "We fit by X-ray" on the
backside of the card. "Austin" is filled with the background
stories of these historic buildings and destinations. "It's nice to
know the story behind many of these iconic Austin structures,"
Martin said. "And I can bore my friends with a little history
occasionally." Martin's history is limited, however, because the
postcards usually feature mainly buildings or tourist attractions,
and the postcards only date back to about 1890. "I just wish
postcards went further back," he said. Martin limited the dates of
the published postcards to between 1890 and 1950, what he calls
"the golden age of postcards." Martin said he enjoyed piecing the
book together from his collection, and he hopes readers will have
fun thumbing through the images from Austin's past. "It's just been
a delightful process," he said. "Austin" is available at Barnes and
Noble, Walgreens and other local bookstores.
 |
Ask a Question About this Product More... |
|
