1907 THE RACE TRACK STEEPLECHASE PARK CONEY ISLAND NEW YORK POSTCARD - $6 - (Greenbrier, AR)

HERE IS A POSTCARD "THE RACE TRACK, STEEPLECHASE PARK, CONEY ISLAND, N.Y". THIS WAS MAILED JULY 20, 1907, A WEEK BEFORE THE PARK WAS HEAVILY DAMAGED BY A FIRE. HERE IS A LITTLE INFO ON THE FIRE: On July 28, 1907, a Sunday in the middle of the high point of the season, a cigarette started a fire that burned down much of Steeplechase Park. The fire spread east of Steeplechase's grounds and into the Bowery area, razing Kensington Walk and proceeding as far as Schweickert's Walk, taking dozens of hotels and surrounding businesses with it. Hearing the news, a crowd estimated at 300,000 made its way to West Brighton on its one day off in the era of a six-day workweek to see the smoldering remains of Steeplechase. Entrepreneurs took pictures and quickly printed postcards, many of which are postmarked even within two weeks of the fire. The destruction initially was reported by newspapers to total $1 million, in 1907 dollars, which liked to embellish official figures to make catastrophes seem more exciting. Tilyou later said that for Steeplechase it was closer to $200,000, still a huge sum given that Luna Park reportedly cost around $600,00RT0 to build from scratch.

Posted in Greenbrier, AR, Collectibles
From ebay.com - 1 month ago