[AT] Other related collections question for the list

[Grant Brians]

I collect other things than just antique tractors as has been clear from
some of my list postings. I am curious about two closely related types of
collections other list members might have. Ephemera related to farm
machinery (in other words old advertising covers and postcards and pictures
and brochures related to the machinery) and postcards and covers that are
rural/historical in nature - i.e. related to the machinery because it is
from the periods of the machinery that interests us and is from areas where
the machinery was used. Do others accumulate such items? I know that the
pictures and brochures are of interest to some on the list from past posts,
but what about the other items?
     What brought this to mind is that I am trying to put together an
exhibit for our historical museum of the historical towns/rural post
offices/rural gathering places that had post offices in our county in the
past. I think our county is typical of many around the country in that today
there are only 4 post offices (in the two cities and the two small
unincorporated "towns" that still exist here), but that historically there
have been roughly 39 post offices depending on how it is counted. Like much
of today's midwest, there was a migration away from the homesteads that
populated the hilly and mountainous parts of our county and while those
parts of the county lost most of their population, the city grew and grew
and grew to where over 65% live in the city limits of the county seat and
easily 80% live in its sphere of influence.
     My personal interest is not limited to just this county or even
California in these covers and postcards and occasionally I come across or
someone gives me these kinds of items from all sorts of places and they are
really interesting. Are they interesting to others on the list?

          Grant Brians
          Hollister,California Vegetable, Fruits and Nut farmer