Wish you were here: Postcards of Waco
By Terri Jo Ryan
Tribune-Herald staff writer
Waco’s colorful history and sights have been deemed “pretty as a postcard” for more than a century, as scores of photographers have documented the city through their lenses.
These views of Waco, from the days of “Six Shooter Junction” through the modern era, are windows into the past that some folks consider worth collecting.
Dave Keel, a native son, said he started collecting Waco postcards more than a decade ago, after the 1995 publication of Agnes Barnes’ book, Waco, Texas: A Postcard Journey. Her assemblage of historical images, he said, awakened his own interest in amassing postcards of Waco.
While much of Barnes’ collection highlights the military experience of Waco, such as Camp MacArthur and Rich Field, Keel said his collection centers on the local railroads, Austin Avenue views and rare aerial images of the traffic circle in its infancy, before development sprang up around it.
Within the field of collecting Waco postcards, he said, one could pursue several areas of interest, including cowboys, Cameron Park, the ALICO building, local businesses and industries, Baylor University and area churches.
He and Barnes, he added, are interested in forming a Waco postcard club this spring and are planning a joint presentation with the Waco History Project on the topic.
To join in that effort, contact Keel at DKeel@hot.rr.com, or call him at 756-1558.
tjryan@wacotrib.com 757-5746
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