By Steve Flairty
NKyTribune columnist
When Carl Howell looks back on his professional work career, a highly successful one, he feels a sense of pride. He served for a period in the state of New York as an FBI agent, and later came home to practice law in his native Hodgenville with his father until the elder Howell’s death in 1983. Carl retired in 2014, ending his long professional tenure at a storied small town in Kentucky.
But what Carl most likes to talk about is the fact that he is a deltiologist, the name given to the hobby of postcard collecting. And when it comes to the practice of deltiology in the state of Kentucky, his early 1900s collection of approximately 20,000 cards, along with his well-studied knowledge, is likely second to none.
The strongest evidence might be the impressive and comprehensive coffee table book that he and his collector friend Robin Milby recently released, Kentucky’s 120 Counties: A Postcard Album (1900-1925), published by Butler Books, in Louisville. It recently won the bronze medal in the “best regional non-fiction” category for the southeast region of the United States from the 2019 Independent Publisher Book Awards (commonly called the “IPPY Awards”).
It’s an impressive work and, in my opinion, should sit on the coffee table or bookshelf of every person who is in love with the state of Kentucky. Not only is it a book to admire visually, it’s chock full of interesting historical tidbits of counties and tiny communities. Its allure entices the reader to make identifiable connections to our state’s past and beckons a sense of human commonality.
Postcard: Latonia Race Track — car races
After perusing the craftily-done work, I can unequivocally agree with the accuracy of the words on the book flap, that the book is “a panoramic view of the Bluegrass State and America in the early 1900s.” There are more than 1,300 images, and many of them, according to the book, were postcard photographs captured by non-professional enthusiasts, most often created to be shared with family. The idea that those cards would one day be featured in a 434-page piece of literary and visual excellence probably wasn’t a thought at the time.
On a recent Saturday afternoon, I spent an enjoyable couple of hours with Carl and Robin at the Howell home, where Carl resides with his wife, Sharon, a few miles from downtown Hodgenville.
After showing me a couple of framed pictures made from enlarged postcards on the first floor, one a peaceful view alongside the Ohio River at Carrollton during the early 20th century, the three of us moved to the second floor. There, we entered “The Lincoln Room,” the great depository of Carl’s vintage cards.
Right away, Carl showed me his Abraham Lincoln postcards. “This album of cards has some of the rarest that exist,” he said. “Three presidents came to Larue County during the apex of the postcard era. They were Theodore Roosevelt, William Howard Taft, and Woodrow Wilson.”
All three leaders participated, at various times, in ceremonies regarding the Abraham Lincoln Birthplace National Historic Park, on the Sinking Springs farm. Postcards of each are included in the new book.
Postcard: Latonia Race Track — car races
“There were five major collectors of Lincoln postcards back in the 1930s through 1960s,” Carl continued, “and one from Chicago was the biggest. He died and Bill Morris and I went to Chicago and the widow sold us the collection.” Pulling out a card from the album, Carl showed me what he termed a “mystery card,” a photograph of an African American man wearing a top hat with the caption: “A friend of Abraham Lincoln.” He is unsure of its origin but noted that he bought the card for only $4.00, and treasures it.
Many of the postcards are products of the efforts of Albert Kraemer, founder of the Kraemer Art Company, located in Cincinnati. Kraemer reportedly created postcard images in at least 75 Kentucky counties during the early 1900s. “After he took the glass negatives, he shipped them to Germany where they were hand-colorized,” noted Robin. Carl has collected most of the known Kraemer postcards from the 75 counties.
Carl’s friendship with Robin began a few years back when the two happened to attend a local estate auction. “I wound up sitting next to Carl,” explained Robin, “and some postcards came up for bid.” Carl passed on the cards because he already had them, and Robin made the purchase. Having a mutual interest, the two soon got together at the Howell household.
“I came over one night during the World Series and we spent about three or four hours looking at his postcards and watching the game,” Robin said. “Then we started going to postcard shows together.”
Robin, a retired Dow Chemical employee and former sports editor of the LaRue County Herald newspaper, has learned a ton of hobby information from his astute mentor, and he’s learned the right things, he noted. “Carl has always been forward-thinking…and he’s collected stuff that matters.”
It’s been a great spirit of cooperation built on mutual respect that allowed the two to spend two years and a half completing the book. Robin, skilled in the graphics area, worked steadfastly on preparing each postcard image in the book for publishing. The two worked together on researching the background information. Both have a penchant for the finding the “little stories” that add texture to an historical accounting.
Robin, who adds to his growing collection mostly from online purchases, called the era covered in the book, especially the years 1905 to 1915, a special time, when “the best source of visual images was postcards.”
In ways resembling today’s recording of news events aided by citizens on the scene with cell phones on hand, picture postcards of the times proved crucial to the historical accuracy of the period. “People often took photographs of catastrophes like train wrecks or fires,” Robin said. “Sometimes those images would be discovered on postcards in ensuing years. Those ‘snapshots in time’ would provide historical context for those events for future generations.”
Carl Howell and Robin Milby
As I looked over a sampling of the prolific number of card albums and admired the hundreds of old books on Carl’s shelves, he shared that his health has been a concern in recent years. He’s had some difficulty walking, along with experiencing some double vision and occasional slurred speech. Despite those challenges, Carl is in good spirits and exudes positivity.
He profusely praises his wife; he loves to talk about his grandchild Allison Whelan, a seventh grader, who recently scored second place in the state spelling bee. The book, he said, is dedicated to his grandson, Cross Justice Goodwin, who died tragically about a year ago…“a wonderful young man,” Carl noted.
Carl has story after story to tell about small-town people who lived a century ago, and he enjoys sharing how vintage postcards developed in the 20th century as a force for good in Kentucky and beyond. And, he greatly appreciates the friendship of his friend Robin, with whom, he said, he engages in an ongoing conversation about their common interests.
Carl and Robin enjoy presenting illuminating programs about their hobby, in particular about the latest book. Call Carl at 270-234-7772 or Robin at 270-766-4379 for information.
Steve Flairty is a teacher, public speaker and an author of six books: a biography of former Kentucky Afield host Tim Farmer and five in the Kentucky’s Everyday Heroes series, including a kids’ version. Steve’s “Kentucky’s Everyday Heroes #4,” was released in 2015. Steve is a senior correspondent for Kentucky Monthly, a weekly KyForward and NKyTribune columnist and a member of the Kentucky Humanities Council Speakers Bureau. Contact him at sflairty2001@yahoo.com or visit his Facebook page, “Kentucky in Common: Word Sketches in Tribute.” (Steve’s photo by Connie McDonald)
