Old pictures have always fascinated me. Every time I see a Facebook link with an old picture as the thumbnail, I have to see what it's all about! There's something about those aged pictures that just excites me. I see the sepia tinted or black and white photographs and my heart races!
Pictures of old towns are some of my favorites. I look at them and I see a time when life was more personal. You could walk down the street and know everyone and they weren't glued to their cell phones. Everything you used on a day-to-day basis was handmade. Your belongings weren't made by a machine, shipped by a machine, ordered through a machine, and shipped to your doorstep. Someone made them. Someone delivered them to a store (I know this isn't completely gone--I'm just making a point). Then you went to the store and talked to the store owner who's a family friend for 30 minutes when the whole trip should have taken 10!
Check out this picture:
Stillwater, Minnesota--1940s.
I can almost guarantee you that the majority of the people who walked into Reed's Cut Rate Drugs knew each other and could point out Reed in a heartbeat. These same people probably ran into Reed at least once every few days as they went to other shops down the street.
How about this picture?
Grayling, Michigan--Approximately 1947.
I bet nearly every engagement ring, wedding band, necklace, etc. found in Grayling was purchased at Davis Jewelry. Not only that, but I can guess that the residents of Grayling saw each other all of the time in Ben Franklin Stores and Dawson's! They probably all knew each other.
Can you imagine going to a little "mom and pop" store to pick up some groceries, your prescription, or any other little things you might need and seeing all of these people you know? Or maybe you can imagine walking down the street and saying "hello" to people instead of everyone being stuck to their cell phones.
They were simpler, yet at the same time harder, days.
There are obviously all kinds of old pictures out there, and they all have a story. There are famous pictures like the one of all the men lined up on a beam having lunch while building a skyscraper, or maybe one of Susan B. Anthony or some other famous figure. I don't know the stories of these pictures, and I doubt I ever will. But I can imagine. I can try to put myself in the shoes of the people who lived there.
I'd like to challenge everyone reading this, you can choose to accept or ignore the challenge, I just think it would be kind of fun. I challenge you to find an old picture and post it on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, somewhere! If it comes with a story, like the lunch on a beam story, share that! If it has no story, make one! Pictures can be fascinating if you don't look over them too quickly!
