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Photo Archivist's Selection of the Month: July 2004

Postcards: Fun at the Beach

A Selection of Postcards from Shippan and Shippan Point

Undated postcard titled 'Shippan Point, Stamford, Conn.' Long Island Sound. Long Isalnd Sound with sailboats.

The Shippan peninsula and Shippan Point in the late 19th and early 20th centuries were a popular summer resort, both for Stamford residents who had summer cottages there, and for others to rent cottages or to stay at the Ocean House Hotel. When Michael McDevitt bought it, he renamed it “Shippan House.” By 1890, he had added a pavilion, bath houses, a casino, and a carousel from Asbury Park, N.J. It was situated at the spot where later the Woodway Beach Club was built. The Hotel was renovated in 1911 by Leonard Barsaghi. We do not know when the hotel was torn down. Information is greatly appreciated.

History of Shippan, 1985

William Ennis had a bathing pavilion in the water which was wrecked by a storm in 1894. In 1890, the Stamford Yacht Club was founded, and the Halloween Yacht Club near Cummings Park in 1923. Halloween Park, later called Cummings Park, was developed in 1906, when Mayor Homer Cummings cast the deciding vote on Halloween Night.

The Stamford Street Railroad Company operated the Shippan Trolley.

Gradually, real estate was developed by James Jenkins of the Shippan Land Company, with landfills, and the summer resort places disappeared.

But we still have some of the beaches…

…and remembrances, such as the one by Philip Kleinert in 1991. 		Undated postcard titled 'Shippan Point, Stamford, Conn.' A gentleman looks towards the Point.

Summer Cottages, unknown date. Clarence immortalized himself on the pier.

Uncancelled postcard of summer cottages dated January 6, no year given, with inscription. Undated postcard of summer cottages with inscription. The wtriter put his name on the pier.

Several Views of Shippan Beach and Casino.

Undated postcard titled 'Casino and Beach, Shippan'. Postcard titled 'Shippan Beach, Stamford, Conn. Cancelled July 10, 1909. See inscription below.

undated

Postcard titled 'Shippan Beach, Stamford, Conn. Cancelled April 26, no year on stamp.
This postcard has a cancellation stamp of April 26, with no year given.

 

Inscription on above postcard.

This inscription is from the back of the above postcard,
mailed July 10, 1909.
undated postcard, view form Ocean House pier. Undated postcard titled 'Shippan Beach, Stamford, Conn. From the bathing costumes, it looks like early 1930s.
View from Ocean House Pier, undated This postcard is undated. However, from the bathing costumes, it seems to be of the 1930s.

Cummings Park

All four postcards are undated. They appear to be of the 1930s and 1940s from the look of the bathing costumes.

Undated postcard titled 'The Pavilion, Cummings Park, Stamford, Conn.' Undated postcard titled 'Bathing Pavilion and Beach, Cummings Park, Stamford, Conn.'
Undated postcard titled 'Beach and Pavilion, Cummings Park, Stamford, Conn.'Undated postcard titled 'Along the Beach, Stamford, Conn., Beauty on the Beach.'

Panoramic Views of Shippan Point

Postcard dated 1908, titled 'Panorama, East Side Shippna Point, Stamford, Conn. Postcard dated 1913, titled 'along Shore from Shippan Point, Stamford, Conn.'
Postcard cancelled 1908 Postcard cancelled 1903

 

Postcard dated August 1908, titled 'Shippan Point, Stamford, Conn.'. See back of of card at the right.

This postcard, cancelled August 1908, shows a preprinted order confirmation (see at right) by the Globe Art Company of Stamford to a customer from New Haven.

Back of the 1908 postcard showing an order confirmation.

Two “Scenes near Shippan Point”

Postcard rates shown on postcardfrom the same sender to the same recipient, cancelled 1975 and 1976, commenting on the age of the postcard:
“under the stamp, the instructions call for domestic 1¢ – in case that helps to date it.”

The 1975 postcard has an 8¢ stamp, the 1976 one, is cancelled with 9¢.
1¢ rates lasted through 1951. History of Postcard Rates.

Postcard titled 'Scene near Shippan Point'

Postcard titled 'Scene near Shippan Point'

A postcard sent fromStamford to Stamford

Apparently after a late snow storm March 7 of an unknown year: "The snow cannot last. No mail yesterday!"

 

Postcard titled 'Beach at Shippan Point'

 Reverse side of postcard shown at left.

Finally, a subliminal yearning for summer?

Undated postcard titled 'Beach at Shippan, Stamford.Conn., Sound View.' The house is the Skiddy house on Pound Rock, 348 Weed Avenue, Cove Pond
Postscript: Originally, we posted this card up on top with the cottages, but during routine archival work,
we discovered that we were mislead by the text and file location. The insert may well be a beach at Shippan,
but the "Sound View" is of the Skiddy house on Pound Rock, at 348 Weed Avenue, Cove Pond.

Photos © Stamford Historical Society

From Our Postcard Collection: Bridges
Hotels in Stamford
Personal Postcards
Portrait Postcards, Early 20th Century
Postcards from another age
Picture Show (dating back to the first days of the website)

A Brief History of Postcards

Other Photo Archivist Selections of the Month
Photo Collection Information




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