Updates coming fast and free (literally) and as always you can see them more quickly via Twitter:
Major updates:
New pages:
As many of you know, the only resource I trust for full-scale research on locations is the city directory. Telephone directories are not really helpful, particularly for large cities. They tend to be incomplete, and often have no location information at all for some chains. In some cases, city directories have been digitized and published online. Some of these are on free, open-access sites like the Internet Archives, usually done as part of library digitization projects (which is may day job, interestingly enough) while others are behind a paywall at Ancestry.com.
In too many cases, the library-digitized volumes stop at 1963 due to copyright issues which may or may not actually apply. The directories at Ancestry, while helpful, are something of a mess. Often, most of a directory is missing because only one of the two reels of microfilm from which it was taken was scanned. It is safe to say not all the relevant material (or in some cases any of it) is available online. So it often comes down to print directories for me. That’s why I haunt public libraries whenever I travel.
That’s also why, two weeks ago, I visited the Allen County Public Library in Fort Wayne, Indiana. Their genealogy center is perhaps the biggest open repository of print city directories in the country, and most of them are from the post-1960 period that other sources lack. I spent two days there and shot 1500 page images with my phone. This will allow me to complete numerous cities for which I only have limited data (Portland OR, New Orleans, Dallas, Spokane). It will also allow me to start several new cities like Seattle, Kansas City, St Louis, Milwaukee, and Houston. It should be a fun twentieth anniversary year for the site!
Sadly, a few cities will probably never be fully represented here simply because the city directories for those cities ceased publication before 1940. Specifically, this means New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, and Philadelphia. There are numerous other cities, mostly in the northeast and midwest, where directories ceased in the 1960s (Newark, Baltimore) or 1970s (Washington, Pittsburgh, Cleveland, Portland ME). This is unfortunate. Maybe I’ll find another resource for these cities. Or maybe someone else will.
I’m thinking of posting a wish list of cities where I need scans (or photos) of directory pages for certain years. I’ll also be updating the coming attractions page soon. If you want to help with another city, here’s the scoop on my methodology.
Thanks for stopping by!
Just returned from a snowy weekend in New Jersey, with side trips to Philadelphia and (drum roll, please) Wilmington, Delaware? Why the drum roll? Because I now have the data in hand to complete Groceteria’s 50th state, which I promised to do by the site’s 20th anniversary this summer. That’s coming soon, but for now, here are some recent additions and updates:
The store above is a still-standing Food Fair on Brunswick Avenue in Trenton NJ. There’s another one that’s even better here.
Also, I’ll be visiting the Allen County Public Library in Fort Wayne next month and will be filling in a lot of holes using their massive collection of print city directories from around the country. That trip will also take me to Detroit, Toledo, and possibly Lansing and Milwaukee. More soon.
Only three more states and I will have every US state and Canadian province covered on the site. I’m already working on the final three, which will be:
Recent additions (in no particular order):
Read it here: Krogering in Greensboro.
As a companion to my recent feature on the history of local A&P branches, I have just added a new photo essay detailing the story behind every Kroger location in my hometown of Greensboro, North Carolina, from the first in 1952 to the mass exodus in 1999.
The march toward having all fifty states and ten provinces represented here is nearing its goal. In fact, all the Canadian provinces are already represented as of a few weeks ago. Thanks to Andrew Turnbull for many recent contributions, and also to reader BM10K.
Additions since the last update, more or less in chronological order:
Of course, you could know about these much earlier via Twitter and you could also see road photos, like the ones from my recent trip to Ontario. Much more to come. Here’s what’s in the queue.
Also, I’ve been plugging away at tagging my photo backlog, so look for a lot (like, hundreds) of new photos in a few week.
And now back to not watching the election returns so I’ll actually be able to sleep tonight…
Latest additions (more or less chronologically):
Lots of new additions, including the research I did during my recent trip to Atlantic Canada:
Look for photos and some additional info on these soon.
And back in the USA, a set of new additions, mostly thanks to Andrew Turnbull:
Moving toward the goal, there are now 37 of the 50 US states represented on the map, as well as 8 of the 10 Canadian provinces (but none of the territories).
The map is really filling in. Between online resources and a fair amount of travel, not to mention some generous assistance from a guest explorer, there are now thirty states and five provinces represented on the site. The most recent additions are as follows:
And there are a number of cities large and small, American and Canadian, in the queue, including expanded lists for Boston and Toronto, more Metro Cincinnati, Richmond and Petersburg, and more.
In fact, I have decided to set a goal of having at least one city in every state completed within the next year. That said, Alaska might be tricky as there are no real data sources online that I have found. But I’ll try! If anyone wants to help, have a look at my methodology page. It would be great to have locals (who would have access to full runs of city directories in their libraries) pitching in. And maybe I’ll waste time creating some kind of status graphic. Or not…
Over a period of 78 years, from 1909 to 1987, a total of 42 A&P-owned stores opened (and closed) in Greensboro, North Carolina. Of those, 24 are still standing as of 2018. This article series will trace the history of all 42 locations and include photos from the 24 remaining buildings.
