Sunday, October 9, 2011

Sepia Saturday #95

(I guess I'm going to have to start calling these "Sepia Sundays" since I keep posting a day too late!)

A BANNER TOPIC

Alan's photo prompt for this week's Sepia Saturday was reminiscent of suffragettes and parades, and we were invited to select a theme. I chose the theme of "banners," and in so doing I offer the following:

The Chamberlin Building in Lewisburg, PA circa 1910. The banners and other patriotic decorations are to celebrate an I.O.O.F. convention. Two different stores occupied the commercial space in the "Iron Front Building" as pictured here, a general store on the left and a shoe store on the right. Built in 1855, the building, with a cast iron over brick facade, was also home to the Independent Order of Oddfellows, the Red Cross, county welfare, a hardware store and an electrical supply store. The building still stands today and is on the National Register.

In the next block, more buildings are decorated in a similar fashion, although the photo is undated. From the left: a grocery store, hardware store, pharmacy, and a dry goods store.

This is the Saturday News newspaper office, circa 1918, decorated to celebrate the end of WWI. The paper was owned by Benjamin Focht, who served as both a PA State legislator and as a US Representative. Given the relative size of his banner, it would seem politicians were ostentatious back then, too!

And finally ...
The Banner Store! Built in 1835, it housed, in its lifetime, the above dry goods store, a jewelry store and a drug store, among others. I remember it being a men's clothing store where my father often purchased clothing and accessories, long before the advent of mega-huge shopping malls and the internet.

For more variations on a Sepia Saturday theme, clicky ==>> HERE!!

**Photo of the Chamberlin Building is part of a private collection. Photo of Market Street buildings is in the Packwood House Museum collection. The Saturday News and the Banner Store photos are from the Union County Historical Society collection. Information about the buildings is from the book "Lewisburg" by Marion Lois Huffines and Richard A Sauers, part of the Images of America series by Arcadia Publishing. Buy the book here. It's fabulous, as are other books in the Images of America series.

10 comments:

  1. What a banner day you have made this! I never really thought of the origins of that expression until just now. The size of the flag in the third picture is amazing. But, the best is last! I had never really thought about who made the banners. Thanks for the town tour!

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  2. Great theme and photos. I find myself wondering if city ordinances today would even allow such shows of patriotism? While I still see banners here and there (not as large as these) I think digital signs have replaced them in the streets where I live.

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  3. Oh my goodness! These flags are just amazing...can you imagine the amount of material and time....I mean it all appears to be of such fine quality too...these are just great! So happy to view these lovely photos!

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  4. I guess they needed a banner store in that town. Great photos, thank you.

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  5. The day doesn't matter - what it misses on time it more than makes up for on quality. A great collection of images, fascinating to look at and fascinating to read about. Long live Sepia Sunday.

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  6. I love the kinds of patriotic buntings and banners shown in old photographs. Now we have small pennants hanging from light poles.

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  7. There must have been quite a large industry to produce the amount of red, white, & blue fabric that America used in this era. A great topical use of the theme.

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  8. i Love The Way Americans Are So Proud Of Their Flag.In Britain we are very shy of the Union Jack.Its almost assumed that to fly the National flag implies right wing racists.How Strange.
    God Bless Your Banner Store!Much better than Wallmart!

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  9. That's one hugh flag! Lewisburg seems to have a nice Historic District.

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  10. the banner store, with no banner...
    :D~

    the rest is spectacular!!
    they certainly weren't holding back on their patriotic fervor...
    :D~
    HUGZ

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