Post Master
CENTER TWP — When browsing an antique shop 10 years ago in Ohio, Larry Parisi stumbled upon a postcard of Butler County.
Although Parisi discovered that treasure by accident, he since has acquired some 3,000 others by seeking them out on purpose.
Looking at yard sales, conventions and on the Internet, Parisi has compiled 10 large binders, each containing more than 300 postcards in special sleeves. The postcards all feature local images and are cataloged alphabetically by place name.
Parisi has duplicated many of the cards onto display boards, which he presents each year at the Butler Farm Show and by appointment to civic groups.
Retired from 18 years at Pullman Standard and 20 years at Western Penitentiary in Pittsburgh, Parisi also has published two books, "Butler County" and "Butler County Revisited," both available at local bookstores or through Arcadia Publishing.
With most dating between 1905 and the 1950s, the postcards range from color images preprinted on linen paper to one-of-a-kind real photo cards taken with a Kodak "trap door" camera. With those postcards, a photographer could open the camera and use a metal stylus to write a caption on the negative.
Muted pansies adorn one that reads "Greetings from Saxonburg" in cursive handwriting. Another depicts an expansive store and soda fountain labeled as Johnston's Crystal Pharmacy at 106 N. Main St., now the site of National City Bank in Butler.
<table width="300" height="275" border="0" align="right" valign="top" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"><tr><td><embed src="/assets/mov/BE62998114.MOV " width="320" height="250" autostart="true" loop="false" ></embed></td></tr><tr><td align="center"><a href="http://www.apple.com/quicktime/" target="_blank"><span class="style11">Requires Quicktime Media Player </a><br><font size="1" face="Tahoma, Times New Roman">Video by Brandon Gerthoffer</font></span><td></tr></table>Still others document accidents."I guess they liked bad news back then, too," Parisi said, explaining how the images of train and trolley wrecks have provided a well-rounded history lesson.With many having gone through the postal system, the cards often contain correspondence that can educate as well as raise questions.One woman inquired after her father, with whom she had boarded a train and then discovered he apparently had jumped off before their stop.Whatever the sender's reason, mailing postcards was once common, Parisi said."There was a golden era of postcards from (about) 1905 to 1920," Parisi said."If someone left Butler and went to Chicora, they probably sent 10 to 15 messages."Parisi said the postmarks and correspondence often don't affect a postcard's price, which can begin at $50 when containing an authentic photograph."The Internet — eBay — drove the price right up on postcards, but it brought the postcards home," he said, explaining many local postcards are sold online by out-of-state sellers."We have some serious collectors in Butler County. They tend to run (the bids) up," he said."But no matter who gets that card, we've brought the card home. It's going into an album. It's going to be protected."Given the many real photo cards in existence, Parisi continues to find images he doesn't own. But he sometimes must consult his collection before purchasing, since it's difficult to commit the thousands of images to memory.In addition to the Internet, Parisi attends "the grand daddy of all shows" hosted annually in York by Mary Martin Ltd., a Maryland-based vendor.One of six annual shows offered by the company, owner Mary Martin said the York show draws about 1,000 collectors.Called deltiology, postcard collecting is likely as popular as stamp collecting, she said."They are becoming more and more collectible," she noted. "They appeal to so many more people because topics on postcards are so broad."Martin said despite the vast array of postcards, most collectors share Parisi's goal: to seek out items from their homes.But when browsing several years ago on eBay, Parisi found one card that fulfilled that goal specifically. He came across a postcard of his childhood home on Fenelton-Chicora Road near Chicora — produced long before his family had lived there.Like any collector who discovers a rarity, Parisi upped his bidding limit."I bid (a maximum) $200 bucks on it," he said. "And I got it for $30."
<b>WHAT: </b>A presentation by Larry Parisi on historic Butler County postcards<b>WHEN: </b>11 a.m. Jan. 15<b>WHERE: </b>Bruin Senior Center, Bruin United Methodist Church, Main Street, Bruin<b>INFO: </b>Call the Bruin Senior Center at 724-753-2922 or Larry Parisi at 724-287-8479.<b>WHAT: </b>A presentation by Larry Parisi on historic Butler County postcards<b>WHEN: </b>11:30 a.m. March 11<b>WHERE: </b>North Central Senior Center, West Sunbury United Presbyterian Church, 215 E. Church St., West Sunbury<b>INFO: </b>Call the North Central Senior Center at 724-637-2959 or Larry Parisi at 724-287-8479.
