The Presbyterian Church was the subject of two of the earliest Salem postcards from the years before 1907. This view of the church, from two decades later shows some changes. There's a good deal more foliage. The ivy has been cleared away. The buildings to the right of the church are the same as they were in the earlier cards -- and they'll stay the same for another decade or more, until the Post Office is built in the 1930s, and the manse next door makes way for Sunday School rooms in 1959. As is the way with small towns, many of the other cards in this collection can be associated with this one. In fact, so can the collection as a whole -- I joined the congregation at the precocious age of 9, as I remember it, submitting my profession of faith on my best stationery, which had a row of clowns across the top. Other connections: Ford Smith, who made such a success of the cabinet factory, was a member, and his widow was still a staunch attender almost half a century after this photograph was taken. Arthur and Henrietta McClintock, of the drug store family, were members. So were Reed and Carrie Boggs -- Reed was the son of E. F. Boggs, who took over the Benua Co. in 1919. Helen Roberson, a descendant of the Sinclair family that owned the State Bank, was a pillar. Saints all. This card is a real-photo view, identified in the caption line as "Bregstone P.T.V. No. 12." (For more on this series see the view of the East Side of the Square.) The card is unused. (3/27/03) Home | The 1920s | Next card