What are we looking for when we go tag sale-ing? Some people look for that best-selling novel they wanted to read two years ago or the piece of discontinued china that will complete their own set. I look for items of local historical significance. Because I rarely find what I am looking for, I will often settle for anything with a good story behind it. 

Earlier in the year, at a sale in West Redding, I was looking through piles of books when I came across a postcard album with a heavily worn cover.

During the late 19^th, early 20^th century postcards were sent as frequently as emails are today (almost). Postcards from this era were often displayed in albums or scrapbooks because the image or graphics were unique, picturesque, funny or sentimental. Many of the cards in this collection had no area for a message and if the sender didn’t think the image wasn’t enough, a quick note was scribbled below it.

It was a real coincidence to find the 44 postcards in this album were addressed to a Brookfield resident between 1904 and 1907. The Sagendorf home was located across from Brookfield public library and is no longer standing. Many of the pieces were sent from the New Haven area and feature various views and landmarks from that city. There were a few others from Litchfield and one from the village of Broad Brook that is now considered one of the villages of East Windsor. 

Among the pages of loosely mounted postcards were newspaper clippings and a wedding invitation. The best piece of advice I can give to another digger is: everything has value. Every scrap of paper may lead to another “find” that wouldn’t have been “found” if it had been ignored. Thanks to the volume of information on the Internet, a small find can evolve into a bigger one by using the right keyword typed into the right search window.

I almost threw away the request of the Holley’s to the Sagendorf’s to attend the wedding of their daughter to Mr. Wainwright, an officer in the cavalry — that would have been a big mistake…

In next Thursday’s edition of “The Urban Archeologist,” I will reveal the significance of the odd wedding invitation found among 100-plus-year–old postcards. Go to the blog if you would like to see more of the Connecticut postcards from this album.  

Greg Van Antwerp is a Brookfield resident and blogger, who can be found on the weekends in search of a good “dig” or a good story. You can read more about his adventures by visiting his blog.