Main Street and post office, Berne, Indiana
1911 postmarked postcard view of Main Street in Berne, Indiana. The street was snow covered and three horse-drawn sleds were in the street. The photographer was standing east of the Jefferson Street intersection and looking through that intersection to the west when he took this photograph. Only a handful of business signs were readable. Two of those signs are on the building at the southwest corner of Main and Fulton Streets. That building was discussed in the Tenth Anniversary Souvenir Edition, The Berne Witness (1906). Apparently, Fred Eichenberger and Emil Pluess built the building for their restaurant and bakery business around the turn of the century. The sign hanging above the sidewalk in this scene advertised a RESTAURANT AND BAKERY. The 1902 Sanborn™ fire insurance map set for Berne shows a restaurant and bakery at that location. The sign (or banner?) on the second floor of the building advertised BOARDING AND ROOMS.
On the north side of the street, the steeple in the distance probably belonged to the German Reformed Church. Below the steeple was a sign (possibly two) with the names OSB_RNE [OSBORNE?] and BIRDS_LL [BIRDSALL?]. That sign (or signs) was probably near Sprunger Street. Another sign in that same vicinity was only partially visible as well. It advertised SHARPLES__ [SHARPLESS?]. That building appears to have been on the west side of an alley. The awning on the east side of that alley advertising BOOTS & SHOES. East of that store, the POST OFFICE BERNE INDIANA sign advertised the location of the post office. A post with a small mailbox stood at the curb in front of the post office.
The only other readable sign in this view was the SPRUNGER, LEHMAN & CO. sign near the right edge of the postcard. This business was discussed in the Tenth Anniversary Souvenir Edition, The Berne Witness (1906) as well. “John A. Sprunger…organized a new firm under the name of Sprunger, Lehman & Co….and moved the stock of J. A. Sprunger & Co. into the new brick building on the northwest corner of Main and Jefferson streets.”
From a private collection.
Selected close-up sections of this postcard can be seen here, from left to right in the image.
www.flickr.com/photos/hoosier_recollections/13898699558/
www.flickr.com/photos/hoosier_recollections/14085279195/
www.flickr.com/photos/hoosier_recollections/14085771544/
Main Street and post office, Berne, Indiana
1911 postmarked postcard view of Main Street in Berne, Indiana. The street was snow covered and three horse-drawn sleds were in the street. The photographer was standing east of the Jefferson Street intersection and looking through that intersection to the west when he took this photograph. Only a handful of business signs were readable. Two of those signs are on the building at the southwest corner of Main and Fulton Streets. That building was discussed in the Tenth Anniversary Souvenir Edition, The Berne Witness (1906). Apparently, Fred Eichenberger and Emil Pluess built the building for their restaurant and bakery business around the turn of the century. The sign hanging above the sidewalk in this scene advertised a RESTAURANT AND BAKERY. The 1902 Sanborn™ fire insurance map set for Berne shows a restaurant and bakery at that location. The sign (or banner?) on the second floor of the building advertised BOARDING AND ROOMS.
On the north side of the street, the steeple in the distance probably belonged to the German Reformed Church. Below the steeple was a sign (possibly two) with the names OSB_RNE [OSBORNE?] and BIRDS_LL [BIRDSALL?]. That sign (or signs) was probably near Sprunger Street. Another sign in that same vicinity was only partially visible as well. It advertised SHARPLES__ [SHARPLESS?]. That building appears to have been on the west side of an alley. The awning on the east side of that alley advertising BOOTS & SHOES. East of that store, the POST OFFICE BERNE INDIANA sign advertised the location of the post office. A post with a small mailbox stood at the curb in front of the post office.
The only other readable sign in this view was the SPRUNGER, LEHMAN & CO. sign near the right edge of the postcard. This business was discussed in the Tenth Anniversary Souvenir Edition, The Berne Witness (1906) as well. “John A. Sprunger…organized a new firm under the name of Sprunger, Lehman & Co….and moved the stock of J. A. Sprunger & Co. into the new brick building on the northwest corner of Main and Jefferson streets.”
From a private collection.
Selected close-up sections of this postcard can be seen here, from left to right in the image.
www.flickr.com/photos/hoosier_recollections/13898699558/
www.flickr.com/photos/hoosier_recollections/14085279195/
www.flickr.com/photos/hoosier_recollections/14085771544/