Old Humarock Post Card Presentation
Part 1

By Bob Brian

Humarock Beach C. 1907
1. Humarock Beach C. 1907
This first post card, postmarked 1907 and possibly pictured earlier, and photographed by E. L. Josselyn of Sea View, is a classic view of Humarock beach looking south from the main opening.  Note the ever-present rocks, the absence of a sea wall, and the fully dressed up ladies on the beach with their parasol.  Beach attire has certainly changed!  The houses on the right are still there.  And it is good to see that they enjoyed flying the American flag in Humarock then, as many people do now. Is the Josselyn family still in the area?

Humarock Center C. 1910
2. Humarock Center C. 1910
This post card is postmarked 1911, but I believe the picture is older.  Note the unpaved roads in the center of Humarock, no buildings on the right, the horse barns near the bridge, and how low the bridge was built compared with today’s bridge.  The building on the left is a Humarock landmark.  It was Hotel Royal then, the Sands End Café now, and most of us remember it as Clarks General Store and Post Office.  Postage stamps used on these cards cost one cent!

Riverside House C. 1907
3. Riverside House C. 1907
This card is of the same vintage as the first one, the very early 1900’s, and is a picture of the Riverside House which is on the right as you cross the bridge into Humarock.  Sally and Jerry’s antique shop, “All Things Considered,” is located there now.  While there have been some renovations, the building is still readily recognizable.

Humarock Life Saving Station C.1905

4. Humarock Life Saving Station C.1905
This card pictures the Humarock Life Saving Station which was located at the bottom of Fourth Cliff, right on the ocean where there is an empty lot now. These stations were predecessors of the US Coast Guard.  This one was built in 1879 and burned down around 1915, I believe.  Captain Fred Stanley commanded the station for many years, which earned him our bridge dedication last year.  On the back of this card the sender writes, “Been gunning and claming, eating and sleeping.”  Sounds like a good vacation.  Duck Hunting was popular on the river then; this cost three men  their lives during the Storm of 1898 when their duck blind was washed away by the outgoing tide in the river which also broke through to form the New Inlet.

Cedarcrest, Sea View, 1906
5. Cedarcrest, Sea View, 1906
There were also many summerhouses west of the river also, in the Sea View section of Marshfield, which is also referred to as Humarock.  I believe this house, Cedarcrest, is on Ferry Hill.  Can anyone tell us exactly where it is? We have more cards of interesting homes in Sea View to be shown as we go along.  This card was postmarked 1906.

For comments about any of these postcards, contact Bob Brian. 
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