Some additional real photo postcards showing Oxenden, Ontario have been added to the site.

A new page has been added featuring real photo postcards from Wiarton, Ontario, and the adjacent settlement of Oxenden.

I’ve begun migrating some of the no-longer-accessible content from the old website format into the current site format for my Real Photo Post Card (RPPC) collection. I’ve started with a section on cards from the Bruce Peninsula. I’ll add more sections as time passes.

After a protracted hiatus, I’ve added a couple of real photo postcards showing scenes in the former village of Thistletown, now part of the City of Toronto. The first view looks west along Albion Road at the corner of Islington Avenue, showing the southwest corner of the intersection, where the Albion Hotel was located, G. Swift, Proprietor. A couple of customers appear to be entering the hotel, while it looks like George Swift stands in the doorway, watching the photographer.

The hotel was originally known as the Albion House, and had a large ballroom, above the adjoining shed, that was used for many community gatherings. The hotel was a popular place for farmers on their way to mills in Weston, so a large stable was erected on the northwest corner of the intersection capable of housing 100 horses. The shed can be seen at the extreme right of the image. Some farmers travelled from as far north as Collingwood, and would stay overnight at the hotel en route.

Later, the hotel was in decline, losing its liquor license, and then the ballroom was closed due to a sagging floor structure. The hotel was later renovated into a pair of houses.