Title: The Monday After: Postcards portray Canton early in the 20th century

Author: Gary Brown

Publisher: The Canton Rep

Date: 5/31/09



"Dear Aunt," begins the cursive message alongside a historical image labeled "Canton, O, McKinley Vault West Lawn Cemetery."



But the words of personal nature continue, in handwritten form, beyond the death and interment of the nation's 25th president.



"Glad you are going with us," the scribbled note concludes.



The writer and relative were not following William McKinley into the afterlife. They simply were going on some vacation trip of the past.



The book in which the image is found -- "Canton," by former city resident Gay Morgan Moore -- is part of the Postcard History series put out by Arcadia Publishing.



The 128-pages contain more than 200 vintage postcards of recognizable Canton sites.



Many of the images in "Canton" date back to early in the 20th century. Most are from 1900 to 1920, the publisher notes, and all the images are from the author's collection of Canton postcards.



"The postcard collection takes readers back to when Canton grew from a small farming community to a wealthy industrial city, distributing products worldwide," notes publicity material from Arcadia.



"At the same time, Canton citizens built hospitals, schools, civic buildings, churches, homes, parks and even one of the state's finest amusement parks."



MEYERS LAKE



Indeed, an entire chapter is devoted to Meyers Lake Amusement Park. "Company picnics and reunions of all kinds brought crowds of as many as 20,000 per day to Meyers Lake Park," the author chronicles in a caption to a picture showing men and women posing in front of tents marked with a banner identifying the group as "Co. C, 36th Regt,"



Moonlight Ballroom, the park's bathhouse, water rides, Meyers Lake boardwalk, the beach, Lakeview Hotel and the Scenic Railway also are depicted in postcards sent by people who visited the memorable park.



" 'Harriet' sent this card in 1912 to Edna Snyder of Wooster telling her that she had spent the previous evening at the Meyers Lake Casino,'" explains a caption Moore attached to a photograph showing Meyers Lakes Scenic Railway ride. "The Scenic Railroad was a roller coaster owned and operated by George Sinclair.



"Park concessions, games and rides were owned by individuals, many of whom were associated with the park for many years."



ABUNDANT INFORMATION



Certainly, such historical and nostalgic information is included in abundance in the text of "Canton." Readers of the volume will learn much about 20th century Canton.



The facts about the author's hometown flow from a genuine interest in area history that has been fostered by four generations of her family during trips to local historical landmarks.



Moore's aunt, Mary Esther Myers, a local historian and former staff member of Canton Preservation Society, fueled the author's interest in Canton's past, said Emily Higgins, a spokeswoman the publisher.



"Like many area residents, she has many fond memories of summer visits to Meyers Lake Park, as well as Canton's many city parks," explains Higgins in publicity material, noting that Moore, who worked as a nurse and counselor, recently retired in Chattanooga, Tenn., after a career as a college professor.



But, beyond that knowledge to be gained about the city, and about life in the community, there also is to be found on the pages of "Canton" a glimpse at the people themselves.



Their words, scrawled on some of the postcard pictures, are both interesting and revealing.



"Shall answer your letter soon and enclose (for) you some cards," writes Edith Foster on a postcard depicting Water Works Park.



"This is a beautiful place, and near the McKinley monument," notes another sender named "Emma" on a West Lawn Cemetery card sent to Marguerite Rickett in Akron.



"I have had fun learning more about Canton, choosing postcards, and 'eavesdropping' on the lives of the people who wrote them," said Morgan, the book's author.





ABOUT THE BOOK:

TITLE: "Canton"

AUTHOR: Gay Morgan Moore

PUBLISHER: Arcadia Publishing

DETAILS: The softcover, 128-page "Canton" is part of the publisher's Postcard History Series. The book is available through area bookstores, gift shops, and online booksellers.



AUTHOR APPEARANCE:

Gay Morgan Moore will sign copies of her book from 1 to 3 p.m. June 20 at Sam's Club at 4790 Portage St. NW in Jackson Township.

Title: Canton history in picture postcards

Author: Gary Brown

Publisher: Canton Rep

Date: 8/16/09



History is found in the images offered by postcards included in Gay Morgan Moore's "Canton."



But, just as fascinating as the photographs are the stories told by the brief notes written on the back of the postcards.



"There is one picture in here of the Aultman home for the Aged, which was where the Civic Center is now," Moore recalled at a book signing Friday at National First Ladies' Library. "On the back was a message from a lady who lived there to her grandson, who lived in Salt Lake City. She thanks him for his cards and letters, and she says to him she hopes she gets to see him one more time. It's so touching."



BORN OF HOBBY



A former city resident, Moore was inspired to write "Canton," part of Arcadia Publishing's Postcard History Series, by the interest in history shown by her aunt, Mary Esther Myers, who worked for Canton Preservation Society and whom Moore continues to visit. "My family moved to Atlanta when I was a child, but I spent many summers here, visiting," she said.



The book grew from Moore's interest in collecting postcards. All the images in the book are from her collection. Many of them date back to early in the 20th century, and most are from 1900 to 1920.



"I've had a postcard collection for years and when I was here last year, I decided I probably had enough to do a postcard book," she explained. "So I did a proposal for Arcadia, and they accepted, and then I realized I didn't have enough postcards -- there are 227 of them in this book."



So, her husband, Sandy Moore, went online and found more postcards that related to the Canton area. "He found a lot of unique cards," she said. And both her collection and her book grew in scope.



AMONG FAVORITES



The author, who has written a parenting book ("New Rules to Live By, Parenting One Day at a Time") and a children's book ("Barney and the Missing Shoes") said that she has many favorites, among them postcard images taken from Meyers Lake Amusement Park.



"One of them is on the back of the book (cover)," she noted. "It shows the kids jumping out of the bathhouse."



But most of the postcards that are special to the author touch her as much with their words as they do with their images. Picture postcards, we are reminded, were for sending written messages on their postal sides.



"There is one on which a young man writes back to a friend in Carlisle, Pa.," she explains. He moved here from there and he's saying how wages are good -- 25 cents an hour -- but board is more expensive, and he's encouraging his friend to come here because there are a lot of jobs."



INDUSTRY LEADER



Three cards on pages 50 and 51 show workers at what was then called the Timken Roller Bearing Co., working on war production during World War II.



"Timken was a major supplier of war material in World War II," said Moore. "All it said on the back of the cards was 'Working for Victory at Timken.' I'd love to know who those folks are."



Moore, who plans to put together a similar postcard book for her current home, Chattanooga., Tenn., said she learned much about the Canton area's history from researching the book.



"I had a great time. One of the things I came to understand was how important Canton was to business and industry," she said. "This was an international business center and there was a lot of wealth here. A lot of the companies that are in the book produced for markets all over the world -- and it wasn't just steel."



ABOUT THE BOOK:

TITLE: "Canton"

AUTHOR: Gay Morgan Moore

PUBLISHER: Arcadia

PRICE: $21.99

DETAILS: The softcover, 128-page "Canton" is part of the publisher's Postcard History Series. The book is available through area bookstores, gift shops and online booksellers.

In the 50 years following the Civil War, Canton grew from a small farming community to a wealthy industrial city, distributing products worldwide. The city also became a center of political power as lawyer William McKinley rose from U.S. congressman and governor of Ohio to president of the United States. Following McKinleyÂ’s assassination, the city oversaw the building of his imposing memorial. At the same time, Canton citizens built hospitals, schools, civic buildings, churches, homes, parks, and even one of the stateÂ’s largest amusement parks. Along the way, the Professional Football League, forerunner of the National Football League, was created. This book features postcards of important Canton sites as well as a chapter dedicated to Myers Lake, the center of recreation in Canton for nearly 100 years.