Scene at the Sponge Exchange, Largest in the World Postcard

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Dublin Core

Title

Scene at the Sponge Exchange, Largest in the World Postcard

Alternative Title

Sponge Exchange Postcard

Subject

Tarpon Springs (Fla.)
Sponges--Florida

Description

A postcard depicting men unloading sponges at the sponge exchange in Tarpon Springs, Florida. Sponge harvesting in Tarpon began in 1852 when Walter Lowe sailed to Anclote Key to secure cargo containing sponges. The Anclote and Rock Island Sponge Company was formed by John Cheyney in 1891, with offices in Tarpon Springs and Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Cheyney also founded the Tarpon Springs Sponge Exchange, along with Ernest R. Meres, in 1907. Despite the Florida land bust of the 1920s and the Great Depression, the sponge industry continued to thrive until 1938, when a blight infested the sponge beds. Instead, the city turned to tourism, capitalizing on its rich Greek culture.

This postcard is part of a collection of postcards kept by Lucile Campbell, a schoolteacher in Sanford, Florida, for 30 years. In 1931, she took advantage of a special rate for teachers and sailed to Europe, where she traveled for several months and is thought to have acquired many of these postcards. During the 1940-1941 school year, Campbell taught at Sanford Grammar School. Before her retirement in 1970, she taught at many other area schools, including the Oviedo School, Westside Grammar School, and Pinecrest Elementary School. Campbell used these postcards as aids in her classrooms to teach advanced subjects, such as Shakespearean drama. The collection, along with her other teaching aids, papers, and photographs, was later found at Sanford Grammar School after it became the University of Central Florida's Public History Center. Campbell's postcard collection and photographs provide insight into the life of a respected Florida educator.

Creator

Gulf Stream Card and Distributing Company

Source

Original 4 x 6 inch color postcard by the Gulf Stream Card and Distributing Company: ACC# SM-00-243, file folder 1 (U.S. blanks), box 10A, Lucile (Mary Lucile) Campbell Collection, UCF Public History Center, Sanford, Florida.

Publisher

Curt Teich and Company

Date Created

ca. 1907-1978

Date Copyrighted

ca. 1907-1978

Contributor

Campbell, Lucile

Is Format Of

Digital reproduction of original 4 x 6 inch color postcard by the Gulf Stream Card and Distributing Company.

Is Part Of

File folder 1 (U.S. blanks), box 10A, Lucile (Mary Lucile) Campbell Collection, UCF Public History Center, Sanford, Florida.
Lucile Campbell Collection, Student Museum and UCF Public History Center Collection, Seminole County Collection, RICHES of Central Florida.

Format

image/jpg

Extent

195 KB

Medium

4 x 6 inch color postcard

Language

eng

Type

Still Image

Coverage

Tarpon Springs Sponge Exchange, Tarpon Springs, Florida

Accrual Method

Donation

Mediator

History Teacher
Economics Teacher
Geography Teacher

Provenance

Originally created by Gulf Stream Card and Distributing Company and published by Curt Teich and Company.

Rights Holder

Copyright to this resource is held by the UCF Public History Center and is provided here by RICHES of Central Florida for educational purposes only.

Contributing Project

Aphasia Project

Curator

Raffel, Sara

Digital Collection

External Reference

"Timeline." History of Pasco County, Florida. http://www.fivay.org/tarpon_springs1.html.
"Local History." Tarpon Springs Area Historical Society. http://www.tarponspringsareahistoricalsociety.org/Local-History/local-history.html.

Still Image Item Type Metadata

Original Format

1 color postcard

Physical Dimensions

4 x 6 inches

Citation

Gulf Stream Card and Distributing Company, “Scene at the Sponge Exchange, Largest in the World Postcard,” RICHES, accessed March 19, 2024, https://richesmi.cah.ucf.edu/omeka/items/show/6706.

Locations

Categories