Union Railway Co. Aug 29 1909 Clason Point Crosstown Line Transfer

PUNCHED - HISTORIC TUBERCULOSIS PUBLIC HEALTH AD

Extremely rare vintage streetcar transfer specimen explicitly dated Sunday, August 29, 1909, documenting the early electric trolley operations of the Union Railway Company, Bronx Traction Division, in New York City.

This is a spectacular Progressive Era historical document capturing the specialized transit connectivity deployed to carry passengers across major thoroughfares during a peak era of municipal growth. This specific single-panel layout serves as a primary source snapshot of early outer borough regional transportation patterns.

Ultimate Geographic Keyword Powerhouse

This specific transfer is an absolute goldmine for Bronx history enthusiasts, explicitly detailing a premier layout of legendary transit crossroads and lines including Clason Point Crosstown, Union Railway Co Bronx Traction Division, At Westchester Ave and Clason Point Road North and South, At Westchester Ave and So Boulevard North and South, At 150th St and 3d Ave North on all cars, At 149th St and 3d Ave South on Willis Ave, and At 138th St and 3d Ave East and West.

Historic Line Coverage

It documents the specialized Clason Point Crosstown service patterns and its technical transferring options. The text outlines the conditional transit rules required for passengers moving seamlessly across core lines, allowing travelers to continue their journey toward major outer borough hubs and connecting Manhattan corridors via Willis Avenue and 3rd Avenue crossroads.

Backside Tuberculosis Public Health Message

The reverse side features an incredible and highly unique historical public health advertisement titled Don't Give Consumption to Others with the accompanying subtitle Don't Let Others Give It to You. This campaign by the Committee on the Prevention of Tuberculosis of the Charity Organization Society, presented by courtesy of Simpson-Crawford Co, lists the friends and enemies of the disease. It provides early 20th-century medical advice warning that consumption is caused by germs discharged from the lungs through spitting, coughing, or sneezing, and instructs anyone showing symptoms to visit a doctor or the nearest tuberculosis clinic.

Condition and Provenance

This item is part of a substantial transit collection recently added to our store, featuring decades of curated New York transit history. The orange-tan card stock shows expected uniform age toning and standard structural handling wear consistent with its century plus age. The physical grade is designated as Good condition, featuring two distinct star-shaped conductor punch marks near the center text block and another round punch along the far right AM hour matrix. The card displays a rough hand-torn dispenser edge on the left margin, a soft right-side edge, and a small, light circular stain on the upper-left quadrant of the reverse side. The left border retains a clear company credit block printed by the Globe Ticket Company of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, along with a prominent low serial number 000715.

Historical Context

The Union Railway Company operated an extensive network of surface streetcar lines that served as the backbone of early public transportation in the Bronx. This August 1909 specimen demonstrates a fascinating historical moment when mass transit vouchers were utilized as a high-utility medium for public welfare messaging. During the early 1900s, public health organizations partnered with prominent department stores like the Simpson-Crawford Company to print anti-tuberculosis warnings directly onto the backs of streetcar transfers, turning everyday commuter slips into educational tools to combat urban disease outbreaks.

Please visit our store to see the rest of this newly listed collection, featuring many more rare transfers from this historic era.