Monday, December 19, 2011

Christmas, 1948

In 1948, Harry S. Truman was president, gasoline was 26 cents a gallon, and only one in ten Americans has seen a television set up to this point! Christmas may not have been as commercialized as it is now, but Crawfordsville still tried to decorate for the holidays.  This scene is looking west on East Main Street during December 1948. Several businesses are shown, including: Crawfordsville Paint Store, Western Union, Val-U Dress Shop, Bank Cigar Store, Crawford Cafe (a Cafe sign is hanging near the Crawford Hotel), and the Crawford Hotel (which is now occupied by the Canine Plaza). The Christmas lights are strung all along the street, and cars are parked along the sidewalks.