At the start of the 20th century, Birmingham was one of the fastest growing cities in the South, sometimes referred to as the "Magic City." It began as a town located at the intersection of two railroads and then quickly expanded and took in neighboring communities. Around this time, photographers traveled around the United States taking photographs of towns and cities and turning the photographs into postcards. The postcards collected here show historic Birmingham's downtown, hospitals, parks, communities, schools, hotels, and industries. These images serve as a record of everyday life in this bustling Southern city.

Birminghams surrounding hills comprise the only place in the world with a plentiful supply of all the ingredients for iron making. This spurred the city of Birminghams charter in 1871 around the crossing of two railroads. The citys development into a leading industrial center is shown here in photographs and postcard views, some a century old.

Although he was a native of Bullock County, Alabama, Wade Hall -- teacher, writer, poet, critic, interviewer, folklorist, and documentarian -- spent most of his fifty-year career in Kentucky. But he was never emotionally far from his home as evidenced by his passion for collecting vintage Alabama postcards. In his lifetime he amassed 10,000, which he then graciously gave to the University of Alabama Libraries and Troy University in a large joint bequest that also included rare books, quilts, folk art, letters and more. These postcards date from the late 1800s to the mid-20th century and offer a fascinating and diverse picture of the state. The meaning of postcards that could be purchased as a travel souvenir is largely forgotten today when cameras are commonplace. But the value of Hall's stunning collection cannot be missed. The some 400 cards featured in Greetings from Alabama are revealing of scenes familiar and rare. From Birmingham's Vulcan to Mobile's Bellingrath Gardens, from Enterprise's boll weevil monument to Huntsville's rockets, from Helen Keller's home to William Rufus King's resting place, the scenes offer captivating glimpses of Alabama history.

At the start of the 20th century, Birmingham was one of the fastest growing cities in the South, sometimes referred to as the "Magic City." It began as a town located at the intersection of two railroads and then quickly expanded and took in neighboring communities. Around this time, photographers traveled around the United States taking photographs of towns and cities and turning the photographs into postcards. The postcards collected here show historic Birmingham's downtown, hospitals, parks, communities, schools, hotels, and industries. These images serve as a record of everyday life in this bustling Southern city.

Poetry is as simple as reflecting on things and putting it down on paper. My few thoughts are from observing others and trying to imagine myself in their place.

Panama City began as three 640-acre homesteads in the late 1800s and was incorporated in 1909. The seat of Bay County, this thriving port city of nearly 156,000 is home to Tyndall Air Force Base and the Naval Coastal Systems Center. This volume contains more than 200 vintage postcard views of Panama City from its earliest years through the 1970s. Scenes of neighboring Panama City Beach include early beach institutions like the Hangout at Long Beach Resort, Jenkins Drive In, Mitties Tavern, and Little Birmingham. Those who remember the FoCsle Grille at the Verde Mer Cottages in Laguna Beach deserve a gold star.

From the 1890s through the 1920s, the postcard was an extraordinarily popular means of communication, and many of the postcards produced during this "golden age" can today be considered works of art. Postcard photographers traveled the length and breadth of the nation snapping photographs of busy street scenes, documenting local landmarks, and assembling crowds of local children only too happy to pose for a picture. These images, printed as postcards and sold in general stores across the country, survive as telling reminders of an important era in America's history. This fascinating history of Macon, Georgia, showcases more than 200 of the best vintage postcards available.

"The Golden Age of the Post Card was 1898 to around 1913. Millions of them were produced, and many think the oldest ones are the most valuable, but that is not necessarily true. There are still large numbers of them still available. Birmingham began producing them somewhere in the middle. As the automobile became available to the average person, the roads began to be so much better, and families began to travel more easily. They liked to bring home something that reminded them of their trip. They also liked to send postcards to family and friends, as they traveled farther from home. The Post Card Exchange was started in 1909 by William H. Faulkner. He first appeared in Birmingham in 1903, and apparently was a traveling salesman and roomed in a boarding house downtown. He went to work for the R.D. Burnette Cigar Company, who also had begun printing postcards locally. That is apparently about when Faulkner decided to go into the business himself."--Page 4 of cover

This fascinating new history of Pennsylvania's Southern Chester County showcases more than 200 of the best vintage postcards available.