History Mystery: What is the story on this personal post card from Destin?

On August 24, 1911 a personal post card was mailed to St. Louis, Missouri from the Destin, Florida Post Office. Another of the History Mysteries of Destin is who mailed this postcard and is the picture on the card what a homestead looked like in the Destin area in 1911?

A couple of months ago we discovered that the area that we call Miramar Beach today was known as Shoals, Florida, in the early 1900s. Before Shoals got its own post office, the residents sent and received their mail from the post office at Destin.

The person who mailed this postcard was George Delbert (Del) Knapp who lived in Shoals (just across from what is now the Walton County Line). Knapp became the first postmaster of Shoals when they established their own post office on March 9, 1915.

The picture on the post card is of Del Knapp’s homestead in Shoals. It was made into a postcard and mailed to Del’s sister Grace (Mrs. J. J. Googan) in St. Louis, Missouri.  Notice what he said: “Hello Sis, Reckon you know this place, Del.”

What the picture shows is a very simple cabin with no glass in the window that is visible. A person is standing on the front porch, and a horse and cattle are in the fenced front yard. A second person (probably Del) is standing with the cattle in the front yard. Choctawhatchee Bay is in the background, beyond the pine trees.

Sending and collecting picture postcards "was all the rage" in the early years of the 20th century. In fact, the period from 1907 to 1915 is now known as the Golden Age of Postcards. During the peak of the craze, the U.S. Postal Service estimated that a billion penny postcards were mailed each year and many more were sent in letters or purchased to be added to collectors' albums.

The first known post card was mailed in 1899. But in 1902, Kodak made thick photo stock with postal markings on the back so folks could make their own postcards. Then in 1903, Kodak invented its No. 3A, Folding Pocket camera, which used film specifically designed for postcard-size prints. 

The camera sold for $3.50. Amateur photographers were now able to have their own images printed by Kodak directly onto postcard paper and send them through the mail to friends and family. The postage was one cent.

These were called "Real Photo Postcards" or RPPCs. During this era, people made their own personal postcards, usually using themselves or their property as the subject. It wasn’t like sending a letter because you could only send your picture and a small message, sort of like sending a text, Tweet, or using Instagram today. Times have sure changed... or have they?

Note: If anyone has a Real Photo Postcard mailed from the Destin Post Office from 1903 - 1920 I would sure like to see it.  Just contact me at the e-mail address below or contact the Destin Log.

H. C. “Hank” Klein is a Destin historian who visits often and lives in North Little Rock, Arkansas with his wife (the former Muriel Marler of Destin). Klein recently published a historic book about Destin's pioneer settlers. DESTIN Pioneer Settlers...A Land History of Destin, Florida from 1819-1940 can be obtained from Amazon.com, Tony Mennillo of Arturo Studios at 850/585-2909, Dewey Destin's Restaurants, in Destin, the Magnolia Grill in Fort Walton Beach, or Bayou Books in Niceville.  Klein can be contacted at klein@aristotle.net.