Bug Light Breakwater Lighthouse Portland Maine postcard

Breakwater Light or Bug Light, Portland Maine circa 1910

The breakwater lighthouse at Portland Maine - or Bug Light as it is known locally - was built in 1855, being replaced in 1874 when the original structure decayed and the breakwater was extended further. 

A tiny dwelling, a wood-frame structure with two rooms, was finally built adjacent to the lighthouse in 1889.

The house presented an unusual and precarious-looking appearance as it hung over the edge of the breakwater on both sides. 

The outhouse connected to a central shaft to the sea below. One resident reported that he was careful to check wind & tide before using the facilities! 

The keeper's house was demolished in 1935 and the light extinguished in 1942 during wartime. Fortunately, steps towards conservation were taken in 1985 and renovations in 1989 and late 1990s saw a relighting ceremony in 2002. 

Click the image for further details on the postcard. You can find out more about the history of the light here.

US Navy Ship Postcards

Most people are familiar with various types of mainline fighting ships used by modern navies - frigates, destroyers, missile cruisers, and aircraft carriers come readily to mind - but navies also have special purpose vessels that receive much less attention.

Here's a sampling of a few of the latter type used by the US navy in the late twentieth century.

Click on the pictures for complete details of these postcards.

The USS Norton Sound started out its service career as a seaplane teader with the Pacific Fleet at the end of WW II but underwent conversion to a floating laboratory platform for guided missile projects during the Cold War.

The USNS Observation Island was a forerunner for use in the Polaris/ Poseiden missile programs, operating in the Military Sealift Command of the US Navy.

The USNS Hayes served as an oceanographic research ship operated by the Military Sealift Command for the Office of Naval Research.  It's catamaran design was adopted to provide a stable work platform with a center well to operate research equipment at great depths.

Ship Postcards

The Kaiser Wilhelm II in New York Harbor

I've added more ship postcards to my store. Here's a sampling of new additions. 

Click on the picture for complete listing details. The ships category can be found under the Topics category on the store page.

The Christopher Columbus, whaleback steamer, between Chicago & Milwaukee, Lake Michigan

Steamer North Land off Mackinac Island, Michigan

Pinning The Postcard Depot on Pinterest

Want to keep up with The Postcard Depot's new listings? 

Follow us on Pinterest. 

Click on the image above to see our Pinterest postcard boards. 

The New Finds board is updated regularly to provide a sample of our new listings on multiple venues including our own The-Postcard-Depot.com web site as well as our auction venues hosted by eBay, BidStart, and Etsy. 

In addition to the New Finds board, we also have specialized boards where we pin postcards by category or theme, including Roadside America, Beach scenes, Lighthouses, Ships, Railroad, and major cities such as New York City, Chicago, Los Angeles, and San Francisco. 

Hopefully, you'll find something there to like and enjoy. 

Here are a few of our recent pins - click on the pictures for links.

Car Ferry Bayfield - Madeline Island Wisconsin 1960s postcard

 Mount Washington Bretton Woods Hotel White Mountains NH postcard

Main Street & Cars, Brockville, Ontario, Canada 1950s postcard

Roadside America - Tennessee Motels, circa 1950s

Lloyd's Alamo Plaza Court Motel, Shelbyville, Tennessee, circa 1950s

Cleveland Motor Court Motel, Cleveland, Tennessee postcard, circa 1950s

Can't get away this summer? Yearn for an earlier time when the pace was slower, life was simpler? 

Why not slip away to Tennessee for a few days and at the end of a long day pull into a roadside motel offering, as does Lloyd's in Shelbyville, electric heat - wait, no!, we need air-conditioning!!! - tile baths, and Beautyrest mattresses for a good night's sleep. 

 Click on the images for complete listing details.

Big Bear Lake California Large Letter Linen Postcard

Big Bear Lake California Large Letter Linen postcard

Produced in the linen era of postcards, circa 1935 to early 1960s, large letter linen cards have a strong following among collectors and local history buffs. 

Their influence lives on in the many derivative products that abound in the form of posters, decorative wall hangings in restaurants and so on today that encapsulate the large letter style. 

This example celebrating the outdoor western life to be found at Big Bear Lake, California, published by Curt Teich & Co, is typical of the stylish lettering, multiple images, and vivid colors of the genre. 

 Click on the postcard image to see the complete listing.