Postcard: Main Street with Vintage Car

Main Street, Essex, NY with Vintage Car (Credit: Unknown) — Main Street, Essex, NY with Vintage Car (Source: Geo Davis via Rosslyn Redux)

Every Monday we share a vintage image on the Essex on Lake Champlain Facebook page and invite our viewers to play some Vintage Essex Trivia.

Take a look at this old postcard! Do you recognize the street? It’s Main Street looking North. That a very old vintage car driving up the street — does anyone recognize the model? Dating it could help identify the date of the photo, although I think it would be safe to say early 1900s.

Can you recognize which buildings are shown along the street? All of them have had some cosmetic changes made since this photo was taken, but all still have the same basic shapes. Can you tell us about any of their histories?

Here’s what the community has already had to say:

Christine Herrmann: Main street headed north. Wright’s Inn on corner across from Community Church. And, according to the signs, Post Office on left and Essex Market in the brick building.

Steve Mckenna: I don’t see the post office. That would be two doors down from the house on the left, which used to be Mrs. Reithel’s house. Then there’s Brad Beers brick and the town hall…

Katie Shepard: That white building in the foreground has a sign that says “Post Office” — that’s where it was located before it moved up the street to its current location (in the late 1930s I believe).

Steve Mckenna: I shoulda saw the signs…

The first building in the photo (from left to right) is the former Post Office. It moved to its current location in the Van Ornam Building in 1937, which tells us this photo is pre-1937. The decoration (the fence-like bars) atop the small portico over the entryway is no longer there.

The building in the center with the large awning (now gone) is the Old Brick Store. As Christine noted the sign on the awning says “Essex Market,” and it has gone through several other businesses since.

The last building before the corner is Wright’s Inn also once known as the Adirondack Hotel and is today the Town Hall. Do you recall any of its other names? The porch on that building is no longer there.

And in the background behind the foliage you can make out a little part of the Essex Community Church.

Do you have more to share? Other changes you noticed? More history? Or memories? Leave a comment below!

Share Your Essex Artifacts

If you want to share your old photos of Essex (or brochures; postcards; menus; tickets; any artifact) on the blog please email us at editor [AT] essexonlakechamplain [DOT] com.

Vintage Photo: Old Stump Bridge at Whallon’s Bay (www.essexonlakechamplain.com)
Vintage Photo: Residence of H.H. Noble (www.essexonlakechamplain.com)
Vintage Photo: Essex Main Street Looking South (www.essexonlakechamplain.com)
Vintage Postcard: Between Essex Inn and Post Office (www.essexonlakechamplain.com)
Vintage Postcard: Essex Main Street Looking North (www.essexonlakechamplain.com)

About Katie Shepard

Passionate about reading and writing stories, Katie Shepard enjoys discovering more about her home while writing and editing for Essex on Lake Champlain. Katie graduated from SUNY Plattsburgh in 2011 where she studied English literature, philosophy, and Asian studies. Her first book Essex, New York Architecture: A Doodler's Field Guide was published in 2015. Connect with her on Twitter, Facebook, or at Linked.in. Or email her at katie [@] essexeditions [dot] com.