January 25th

How the Automobile Changed the Hudson Valley Landscape: A Look Through Vintage Postcards

With David Turner.
Thursday, January 25 at 7 pm by Zoom.

Enjoy a pictorial history through vintage postcards showing the evolution of the Hudson Valley roadside, from the humble dirt roads of the early 1900s to the paved thoroughfares of today.  Included in the presentation will be dozens of images of the region that depict the progression of the automobile from a novelty item to a major driver of infrastructure development to support the needs of the masses. See Route 9 and Route 22 blossom with restaurants, motels, gas stations and hidden history you can still see today.

David Turner is a trustee of DCHS and maintains a significant post card and image collection of the Hudson Valley.

RSVP here to get the Zoom link:

We are grateful to Healey Brothers for their sponsorship of this event and our Virtual Event Space for the month of January.

This allows us to bring these events to the public without “admission” fees.

Some of the images you will see in the program:

From DCHS Collections:

1909 Poughkeepsie
Above: Franklin Roosevelt liked to tell the story of his first run for political office in Dutchess County in 1910 in which he toured in a Red Maxwell, that despite being described as luxurious in advertising, had no windshield.
Above: The emergency that was World War One in 1917 allowed women to do unthinkable things like drive an automobile as these women did in Pine Plains.
Fortunately for horses, gasoline powered engines replaced them just as “cars,” trolley cars, and busses were getting heavier. Main Street Poughkeepsie, 1880s.
Frederick Peck Wilcox, a single man, heir to the International Silver Company fortune, arrived at his new farm in Milan in 1915 ready to meet the right lady. Shown out on a date, Wilcox’s mother finds a special seat that allows her to keep an eye on potential developments from behind.
The Meyers family of Lafayetteville proudly display their new automobile.
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