The Cornish-Windsor Bridge spans the Connecticut River on the border between New Hampshire and Vermont. It was built in 1866 and, at 460 ft., remains the longest two-span covered bridge in the country. The Bridge is also the longest wooden bridge in the country and remains open to two-way traffic. The first photo is dated 1943.

Brooklyn Wisconsin is located about 15 miles south of Madison. It has no stoplights yet is in two counties with approximately 1,500 residents almost evenly divided between the two.  Brooklyn was incorporated in 1905  by Dutch immigrants who wanted to recognize their New York roots. Several historic structures still exist so, in July 2017, armed with old photos, I toured the town one afternoon and met many friendly people. Several of the old photos came from their very active historical society.

Hotel St 1910

Hotel St. 1940

Undated. Note the boy on the mule. Click to enlarge.

Old Village Hall

Downtown 1930s

Blacksmith Shop 1899

Methodist Church. 1905

Dwelling 1907

Mesa Verde National Park was created in 1906 by Teddy Roosevelt. Located in the Four Corners area of the Southwest, it has 4,300 sites, of which 600 are cliff dwellings. Human occupation dates back to 9,600 BCE, but the area remained “undiscovered” until two cowboys came upon the major ruins in 1888. The most notable of these is Cliff House. It is seen here in an 1888 photo when immediate stabilization efforts were undertaken. The second photo is dated 1899–note the man on the tower pointing outward (click all to enlarge).

Other significant sites are:

Balcony House seen in this ca. 1895 photo:

Spruce Tree House  seen this 1907 photo:

Sun Temple seen in this 1925 photo:

Prior to a tunnel and current entrance being built in 1957, access to the Park was via the aptly named Knife Edge Road. The first photo shows the entrance in 1936 while the second photo dated 1920 illustrates where the name came from. Nowadays the old road is gone but the adjacent Knife Edge Trail is a good hike.

Lincoln Park Zoo in Chicago is currently celebrating its 150th birthday. It is not only one of the oldest zoos in the country, but one of a few remaining free zoos. It started in 1868 with the gift of two pairs of swans from Central Park in New York City. Much has changed in the 150 years of the zoo’s existence, yet several “then and now” opportunities are still there.

Landmark Cafe

The most noticeable of these is the Landmark Cafe, which was built in 1899 and is located in the heart of the zoo.  The first two photos are undated. The Cafe roof can be seen just over the lady’s shoulder in the third photo dated 1905. Click all to enlarge.

Sea Lion Pool

The Sea Lion Pool was built in 1879. Before it was completed, 18 sea lions moved in and then escaped. One ended up in Lake Michigan and the other 17 were found at a Clark Street restaurant!! Understandably, only seals reside there now. The first photo is dated 1889.

Cafe Brauer

Cafe Brauer (aka  South Pond Refectory) was built in 1908. From the early 1900s to the 1940s it was one of the most popular restaurants in Chicago. It sat unused for almost 50 years when in 1987 a 4.5 million renovation was completed. The first photo is a 1940’s postcard. and the third photo shows the Great Hall in 1925.

Grant Statue

The Grant Statue was dedicated in 1891 and, while it is located in Lincoln Park, Chicago’s Lincoln Statue is located in Grant Park!  The first photo is dated 1892.

The Shakespeare Statue in 1908.

A father and two children at a duck pond in front of the Lion House in 1915. They are gone but the Lion House is still there about to receive a 24 million dollar renovation.

The Lincoln Park Bridge shown in 1905.

Jackson Square is located in the French Quarter and is one of the most visited sites in New Orleans. The most prominent structure is St Louis Cathedral in front of which is the statue commemorating Andrew Jackson. Also in the Square are the Pontalba Apartments. They were built in the late 1840s making them the oldest in the United States. The first  photo is dated 1900.

The pirate Lafitte operated a blacksmith shop on Bourbon St. (among his many other activities) in a building that was constructed as a house between 1722 and 1732. It is one of the oldest buildings in New Orleans and is also one of the oldest bars in the U.S. The first photo is dated 1895.

The Maison-Blanche building is located on Canal St. It was built in 1908 and operated as a department store for many years. It is now a Ritz-Carlton hotel. The first photo is dated 1910.

Any visit to New Orleans should include a stop at the Old Absinthe House. It was built in 1807 and has hosted the likes of Mark Twain, Walt Whitman, P.T. Barnum, Oscar Wilde, FDR, Frank Sinatra, and……….me! The first photo is dated 1890’s.

The New Orleans City Park was built in 1854, making it one of the oldest urban parks in the U.S.. At 1300 acres it is twice the size of New York’s Central Park. It has 30,000 trees, including  the world’s largest and oldest collection of live oak trees, some of which are over 600 years old. The oldest is the McDonogh Oak–800 years old! Note the supports installed after Katrina (click to enlarge).The Peristyle Building in the Park was built in 1907 as a concert hall and dance pavilion. The second photo is undated.

New Orleans is known worldwide for its food, music, and festivals. It has one of the world’s largest and busiest ports. Tourism is a six-billion-dollar industry, accounting for 40% of the city’s revenue. Many of its streets are famous as well. Some examples are:

637 Royal St., 1930’s

Bourbon St., 1925

Canal St., 1910

In the early 1900s, so many Italians had immigrated to the French Quarter section of New Orleans that it was known as “Little Palermo.” This photo shows the Italian Headquarters ca.1900.

My favorite New Orleans street photo comes from James Shaw Photography. He shows a milk delivery man on Esplanade Ave. in 1903, then a current view, and then he combines the two (click to enlarge).