Looking Across Black River – Then & Now

I thought I’d seen every Lorain postcard from the 1960s until I saw this one. The back of this one (postmarked August 30, 1961) reads, “Looking Across Black River to the Coast Guard Station.”

It’s a strange postcard. You can barely see the old Coast Guard Station, and many things of nautical interest (such as the red boat in the foreground, and the Lighthouse) are cropped out.

Here’s my “Now” shot from last Saturday morning. Because of some trees just out of view on the left hand side of my photo, I couldn’t match the vintage composition exactly from my spot on the Bascule Bridge. Plus, it was pretty hot and I couldn’t wait to get off the bridge and back in my air-conditioned car.

The “Now” view of course features the newer Coast Guard Station (that opened in 1987) that replaced the one dating back to 1910.

The Lorain Sailing Club and Yacht Club building is in both photos, providing some visual continuity and interest.

Anyway, I did a similar “Then & Now” of the harbor using a much older postcard back here in 2012.