Linda Gross postcard collection of roadside attractions, motels, etc.
Creation: 1900-1989Abstract
Linda Gross is an avid collector of historical ephemera. Based in Wilmington, Delaware, she worked for more than twenty-three years as a reference librarian at Hagley Museum and Library. Deltiology is the study and collecting of postcards. While postcards existed as early as 1840, postcard collecting became popular during the early twentieth century. It was an accessible and inexpensive hobby, as postcards were plentiful. The postcards in this collection depict motels (including motor courts and cabins), restaurants, roadside attractions, and scenic views from thirty-ones states across the United States. The postcards depict famous and notable destinations like Hollywood Boulevard and the Lincoln Memorial, as well regional attractions and small tourism-based businesses.
Dates
- Creation: 1900-1989
Creator
- Gross, Linda P. (Collector, Person)
- Various. (Person)
Extent
1.5 Linear Feet
Physical Description
192 items (postcards) ; 3.5 x 5.5 in. 3 volumes containing 400 items, primarily postcards : color ; 3.5 x 5.5 in.
Biographical Note
Linda Gross is an avid collector of historical ephemera. Based in Wilmington, Delaware, she worked for more than twenty-three years as a reference librarian at Hagley Museum and Library. Prior to Hagley, she worked as a librarian at the Country Music Foundation and QVC International. Gross holds dual master's degrees: a Master of Arts in Folklore and Folklife from the University of Pennsylvania and a Master of Science from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in library and information science.
Historical Note
Deltiology is the study and collecting of postcards. While postcards existed as early as 1840, postcard collecting became popular during the early twentieth century. It was an accessible and inexpensive hobby, as postcards were plentiful.
Tourism became popular during the early 1900s as transportation became more accessible to the middle and lower classes. By 1915, railroads had greatly improved, and automobiles became increasingly available throughout the 1920s, fueling demand for tourist spots. During the 1930s, “leisure complexes” within hotels and motels became popular, and by the 1940s, visitation increased to amusement parks and beaches. Businesses utilized postcards for advertising and spreading the word about their businesses, services, and tourist destinations.
Scope and Contents
The postcards in this collection depict motels (including motor courts and cabins), restaurants, roadside attractions, and scenic views from thirty-one states across the United States. The postcards depict famous and notable destinations like Hollywood Boulevard and the Lincoln Memorial, as well as regional attractions and small tourism-based businesses.
There are three albums. Volume one focuses on Wigwam Village (all seven locations) and other Native American-themed roadside attractions. Wigwam Village is a complex of concrete tepees that were built in 1933 by Frank A. Redford (1899-1957). He developed the village as motel units around his museum/shop of American Indian artefacts. Between 1933 and 1949, six more Wigwam Villages were built. The first (Village #1) was located in Horse Cave, Kentucky. Additional locations were opened in Cave City, Kentucky (Village #2); New Orleans, Louisiana (Village #3); Orlando, Florida (Village #4); Bessemer, Alabama (Village #5); Holbrook, Arizona (Village #6); and San Bernardino, California (Village #7). Three Villages are still open today (Villages #2, 6, and 7).
Volume two includes Weeki Wachee, Florida, and other Florida Springs and roadside attractions. Weeki Wachee Springs State Park is an attraction best known for its live mermaid shows in a natural spring. The park also includes boat tours, a waterpark, river activities, and opportunities to view aquatic wildlife. The mermaid performers' underwater theatre was built in 1946, with the first live show being offered in 1947.
Volume three contains Hydrangea Blooms, Lucy the Elephant, Atlantic City, Nashville, the Great Smoky Mountains, golf courses, and other roadside attractions. It also includes cards related to bears and the 1939 New York World's Fair. Lucy the Elephant is a historic landmark: a six-story elephant-shaped building constructed in 1882 by inventor James V. Lafferty (1856-1898) in Margate City, New Jersey. In 1970, the structure was moved 100 yards to save it from demolition.
Most of the postcards are blank on the back; some have been used. The dates provided are postmarks, as the postcards themselves are not dated.
Existence and Location of Copies
View selected items online in the Hagley Digital Archives.
Access Restrictions
No restrictions on access; this collection is open for research.
Language of Materials
English
Subjects
Finding Aid & Administrative Information
- Title:
- Linda Gross postcard collection of roadside attractions, motels, etc.
- Author:
- Laurie Sather
- Date:
- 2025
- Description rules:
- Describing Archives: A Content Standard
- Language of description:
- English
- Script of description:
- Latin
Repository Details
Repository Details
Part of the Audiovisual Collections Repository
