Clark's Thread Works, Newark, N.J. 1907

Miss Eva M. Parks of Mt. Tabor, N.J. received this postcard in May, 1907 from B.D.:

Hello there! I suppose you are working hard as ever. When you write, send me your photo.  And I will send you one of myself. Write soon.

Pen pals? The address "95 Washington Ave." is also scrawled on the postcard front.

Mt. Tabor, where Miss Parks lived, was founded as a Methodist summer camp ground in 1869, but soon the more affluent members built Victorian cottages on the small lots where they once pitched tents. I visited the town once, it's in Morris County, near Parsippany-Troy Hills and it is a magical hilly enclave, with dozens of  charming small cottages on winding roads, surrounding a village green.

The factory pictured here survived into the 1990s, on the Passaic River in Newark. I believe Union Army uniforms had been made there at one point. A fire destroyed the building sometime around 1998.

Clark Thread issued many colorful trade cards and paper dolls over the years. ONT stands for "our newest thread."

From the "Minuet" Series.