Playgrounds

A Vintage Photos Theme Park photo for the theme of at the playground . Five girls pose on playground equipment in Mayo Park, Rochester, Minnesota, circa 1910. Caption on the front of this real photo postcard: "The Playground. Mayo Park. 143." Printed on the other side: "Bert Crowell, Rochester, Minn." Postmarked in Rochester, Minn., May 14, 1910, and addressed to "Miss Hilda Swanson, #85 Cambridge Ave., St. Paul, Minn. Macalaster Park, c/o James Beddie." Handwritten message: "Rochester, Minn. Dear Aunt Hilda, I have not heard from you for a long time, but I had a card from Myrtle today and she said you had gone to St. Paul to live. Mama has been sick all the time lately. She seems to have a cold all the time. She has been lying down all morning. I hope she gets better. How are poor little James and William. Mama says that she wishes you would write soon and tell her. With love and kisses, Beth."

A photo taken at the playground for the Vintage Photos Theme Park. This real photo postcard captures children in mid-swing on playground equipment at the Lost River State Park in West Virginia (mouse over the image above for a close-up view of the activity ). Workers from the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) helped to construct the park, which opened in 1937. The three young men on the right-hand side were caught in mid-stride as they walked toward the camera. Their uniforms, including neckties tucked into their shirts, suggest that they were CCC workers.

For more information, see the full version of this real photo postcard:

A postcard view of the miniature railroad and playground at Pen Mar Park , circa 1937.

A Vintage Photos Theme Park photo for the theme of things they won't let us do any more . Jungle gyms like the one in this snapshot are no longer considered safe for children. John Tierney, writing in the New York Times in 2011, explained, "The old tall jungle gyms and slides disappeared from most American playgrounds across the country in recent decades because of parental concerns, federal guidelines, new safety standards set by manufacturers and — the most frequently cited factor — fear of lawsuits" ("Can a Playground Be Too Safe?," July 18, 2011, p. D1). One company even includes metal jungle gyms in its list of banned playground equipment and warns that they're "designed like prison bars that children get to climb. These hard metal bars can be dangerous in the case of a misstep or a fall, and younger children can become trapped inside the cage if they accidentally fall in but lack the motor skills to climb back out." With that in mind, I'll completely understand if you decide not to take a look at a cropped version of this photo.

A snapshot of a girl on a jungle gym. For more information about this type of playground equipment, which is now considered too dangerous for children to use, see the full version of this photo.