I grew up in a family of storytellers. My father has a deep appreciation for American history as well as family lore. He also has a knack for remembering the most interesting details. My mother was a painter and captured people, landscapes, and still lifes with her own unique perspective.
My early days in Pittsburgh in the 70’s proved to be an ideal time and place for stories. At that point the city could still see its prosperous roots even as the steel industry was collapsing. That was also a place in time where family gatherings were full of people who remembered immigrating to the country, the Depression, World War Two, Korea, and Vietnam. Those days were also the end of the Beatles, the celebration of the Bicentennial, and the beginning of the Regan era.
That foundation led to a passion for history and collecting. My home is filled with family, faith, artifacts, and ephemera.
Today, as the country’s foremost postcard historian, I have collected and read thousands of vintage postcards. My personal collection is now in excess of 20,000 postcards and has been sourced from across the United States, Europe, Australia, and New Zealand. This endeavor has become a family activity with my wife and our three daughters helping to find these lost treasures.
I have discovered and shared more than 1,000 stories from vintage postcards on my social platform, and while other postcard enthusiasts focus on the picture on the front, I have dedicated my time to exploring the lives of the senders and recipients. I have even been blessed with the opportunity to return postcards to the great, great, great grandsons and granddaughters of the original recipients.
Postcards are more than fleeting pieces of ephemera – they are an oral history of the events of people’s lives. By studying them I have developed an unprecedented knowledge of the rhythms of their days, the words they used, the passions they embraced, and the challenges they faced. While I collect postcards from across the world, I have deep expertise in the Midrust, those places that are inextricably part Midwest and part Rust Belt with an emphasis on 1880 to 1940.
The stories here are not just of fields and factories. The stories here are unexpected. Odd. Imaginative. Engaging.
The stories here are about unique personalities and diverse backgrounds. Businesses founded and love lost. Unknowable motivations and unforeseen outcomes. Challenges. Passions.
The Midrust is the motivation and context for my novels, short stories, and works of nonfiction. This area has such a story to tell. So much has never been said, and the stories continue to take shape.
Contact: Ken@KennethJWeiss.com
Start a story together – ken@kennethjweiss.com
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