1951 Mother Goose & Rochester New York Gas Explosion

This 1951 linen postcard from Rochester, New York, features the beloved nursery rhyme "Mistress Mary Quite Contrary". The front shows a fascinating garden scene where Mistress Mary sits in a chair, wearing a large hat and a polka-dot dress, surrounded by anthropomorphized flowers (maids). Below the scene, the full rhyme is printed:

Mistress Mary, quite contrary
How does your garden grow
With cockle-shells and silver bells
And pretty maids all in a row

This timeless verse has inspired centuries of interpretation ranging from innocent garden imagery to religious allegory to historical references. Some believe it refers to Mary I of England, also known as Bloody Mary, due to her persecution of Protestants, while others suggest it may allude to Mary Queen of Scots and the turbulent politics of her reign.

What sets this postcard apart is the handwritten message on the back, which connects it directly to a major local tragedy. Postmarked from Rochester on October 8, 1951, the card was sent just weeks after the Brighton Gas Explosions, which occurred on September 21. A malfunction in a gas regulator had caused high-pressure gas to surge into homes, triggering a series of devastating explosions. The disaster killed three people, including two young children, and destroyed nineteen homes while seriously damaging twenty-five more.

The sender writes, "I survived the big blast. Was on the other side of the city." A hauntingly casual note about the tragedy.

With its rounded corners and direct link to a significant moment in Rochester’s history, this postcard is both a charming piece of nursery rhyme nostalgia and a rare first-person artifact from one of the city’s darkest days.

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