This Old Paper

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Extending a warm This Old Paper welcome to Leo of Postcardiness, the newest site to be added to our Links page.  Leo inaugurated Postcardiness last month, just in time to participate in the Festival of Postcards 5th Edition: Quadrupeds.

Knowing that Leo is fond of postcards and tends to seek out county courthouses, I got this Stark County Ohio Courthouse postcard for him at the Hartville Marketplace.  Printed on the front: A 4608 Court House, Canton, O. Copyright 1905 by the Rotograph Co. On the reverse: the Sol-Art-Prints logo, The Rotograph Co., N. Y., City. (Germany.) Mailed with a Franklin one cent US postage stamp, it is postmarked from Canton Ohio Dec 10 8-PM 1905 to Orrville Ohio Dec 11 7-AM 1905.

There is activity pictured in this post card, someone going up the courthouse steps and someone else going down.  There is a gent dressed in white sweeping the street.  About thirty or so other folks were captured in this image and at least one quadruped – notice the horse and buggy parked on the lower left.

The first Stark County Courthouse building was built in 1817, this postcard is an image of what it looked like after a major renovation completed in 1895.  A history of Stark County here including the evolution of the courthouse.  Eventually, another renovation was undertaken, completed in 1995. Renovation of the clock tower and re-gilding of the four angels which represent Commerce, Justice, Agriculture and Industry, followed.  All thanks to Richard T. (Tom) Bower for posting the following outstanding photos on Flickr; the courthouse building, the clock tower and the angels.

Leo, this card’s for you!