My guess is that this is a church, newly built. We see a small pile of scrap lumber on the ground, and obviously there are no trees or large bushes, other than what we can see on the right, and this looks like something originating from the other side of the small hill that the building sits on. The season is winter or early spring: There are no leaves on that bush or small tree, and there are a few icicles hanging from the roof. I am no architect but have come to appreciate houses, churches etc. and their features, from pouring over online images and looking in the used book that I bought which identifies the different architectural styles of American homes. What I thought was a little unusual about this building is the fact that it has two separate front doors. I found what I believe to be the explanation for this from Frank D. Myers on his wonderful Lucas County, Iowa blog. In some churches, in days gone by, men and boys sat on one side and women and girls on the other, and they used separate doors. The other noticeable features about this structure are the widow’s walk, the cupola and the weather vane. One would assume there would be a bell in the tower but we can’t really see. It looks like what we do see is a spiral staircase leading up to the widow’s walk. So, was this church close to the sea, in order to watch for sailors on their return home? That would be a romantic thought, but perhaps it was to watch out for the parishioners or just a nice architectural feature that the congregation liked, or maybe it was even modeled after another church in the architect’s home town. Well, these types of suppositions could go on forever!
As far as the possible date of this postcard, per the excellent Playles.com website, this particular AZO stamp box has been found between dates of 1924 – 1949. If you notice the writing in pencil on the back that is just the price that was listed when I bought it. A little higher priced than normal if I payed that much (I forget) but these type of photos – a building standing alone, white background like a blank slate, the clarity of the photo, these type are impossible to resist.
Divided back, unused, Real Photo Postcard. AZO stamp box with squares in each corner and with the words “Place Stamp Here” in the center. Circa 1924 – 1949.
Price: $15.00
Source: Myers, Frank D. “World War II: Lessons in their dying.” Lucascountyan.blogspot.com. May 31, 2010. Web accessed January 17, 2015