Welcome to the Alexandria Postcard Collection

Postcards are an important medium in telling stories of the past. They are historical masterpieces, showing life at points in time.

Greetings from Alexandria, in the Heart of Louisiana

Postcards show aerial views, street scenes, businesses, schools, churches, hospitals and government buildings. They showcase parks, railroads, and hotels, and other aspects of daily life.

And here in Alexandria, the military has been an important part of our history. And thus there are postcards from the World War II era dealing with Camp Claiborne, Camp Livingston, Camp Beauregard and other early Army posts and bases.

Our collection of historic, vintage postcards about Alexandria has been collected over decades, and is presented here for the enjoyment of all.

We have published the only postcard record of the April 4, 1923 Tornado that struck Alexandria and Pineville, killing at least 14 people.  

Please contact me if you have any postcards that we do not show, but that you would like to share. Thanks to my good friend Ken Freeman for his help.

As you view the collection, remember that you can click on each postcard image to make it larger.

We will add postcards over time, so please visit again!

Please pass this site on to other folks who might be interested in our history!

                                                                                                       Dale Genius

Early Examples of Postcards Before Pictures, Circa 1875-1900

Very early U.S. postcard published about 1875.

Published date about 1879.

U.S. postcard. Publish date about 1886.

Publish date approximately 1893.

One cent. Published 1900.

Last but not least, a very RARE Civil war era postcard. Addressed  to

Capt.Manuel Bennet. (Confederate Capt.) Evergreen, Louisiana. Mailed from Cotile, Louisiana

on May 12th. Sometime between 1861 and 1865.

Probably shortly after the war was over.

(One of the crown jewels of the Collection)

 

The card is from H.A. Boyce.

It is signed by him.

The founder of what is now Boyce, Louisiana.

 

Aerial Views of Alexandria

Panoramic View, Circa: 1915-20. Taken from the top of the tall water tower still

standing in downtown Alexandria  today at 5th and Lee Streets.

City Hall square early 1930's.

Air view of Catholic Church from 3rd Street. 1915

    
View from top of Bentley Hotel about 1909.
Pineville side and Murray Street bridge shown.

Looking South down 2nd Street. Circa: 1909.  Old city hall built in 1850's
shown in lower right side. It was one of the few public buildings not burned during the Civil War.

Looking North toward where the Rapides General Hospital is today.

This postcard is from about 1910.

This card from the early 1940's shows the new Court House and also the Post Office on Murray Street. The old Rapides Parish court house is in the upper right by the river.

This postcard dated 1932 shows the remaining city docks on the Red River

as well as many of the buildings that were destroyed to make way for progress, as it was called. A few of the landmark buildings remain today to remind us of what once was.

Street Scenes in Alexandria

Bolton Avenue 1915-20

Third Street looking toward the Bentley Hotel on right. 1915-20

View of Third Street, 1950's

Second Street looking North toward Bentley Hotel on left. 1912

City Hall on left. Bentley Hotel upper left. Rapides Bank on right. Looking North on 2nd Street. 1915.

2nd Street view of old City Hall built before the Civil War in the 1850's,

pictured on the left. Postcard is from about 1906. City docks were on the right on the Red River.

3rd Street looking North.  Postcard from about 1915.

Second Street. Original location of Kress department store.

Postcard from about 1910-15.

A later view of the same 2nd Street location. Mayer's Department

Store and S.H. Kress. 1910-15

2nd Street at Murray Street.  1907-10.

First Weiss & Goldring on the left.

Rapides Parish Court House on left. Second Street view showing street car.

Postcard from about 1908-10.

Louisiana National Guard marching past the Rapides Theatre

on 3rd Street. Postcard from about 1909. Troops were stationed at

 Camp Stafford, which was located at the site of where the

Veterans Hospital in Pineville is today.

This postcard is dated 1916. It shows probably a 4th of July

parade passing in front of the City Hall on 3rd Street.

This postcard was mailed in 1939. It shows the Paramount Theatre

located on 3rd Street. In the distance you can see the Guaranty Bank on

the left and the Bentley Hotel on the right.

Busy downtown 3rd Street. This

postcard is dated 1943.

Night time view of Third Street taken in the early 1960's.

Click on (Older Post) for more postcard views.