Vintage Postcard – El Rio Motel – Daytona Beach
El Rio Motel
840 No. Atlantic Ave. Tel. CL. 2-8991
Daytona Beach, Florida
“Directly on the World’s Most Famous Beach.” Ultra Modern Efficiencies, Steam Heated – Cross Ventilated. Reasonable rates by day, week or month.
Genuine Natural Color Made By Dexter Press, Inc., West Nyack, N.Y.
Pub. by John G. Von, Box 401, Ormond Beach, Fla.
67153
This lovely vintage postcard was mailed May 8, 1957 using a red two-cent Jefferson stamp. It was mailed to Miss Mary Nell Derrick, 554 Virgil Ave., Kingsport, Tenn. It reads:
5-7-57 – 10:45 P.M.
We are about to go to bed now. Are having a good time. I guess we will start back Sat. morn. We are staying here – Love, Evelyn.
What isn’t to love about this card? The neon sign! The shape of those stairs! It’s a great old two-story motel. This bit of the old A1A still has a number of the mid century motels standing. But unfortunately, it looks like the address for the El Rio is now a sand lot.
Mary Nell Derrick died in August 2009. The obit is here. Evelyn was her sister. Evelyn passed away in 1984. Here’s the obituary for the owner of the El Rio during this time, courtesy Legacy.com:
Bernice D. Sheppard, 91, of South State Road 415, the owner and operator of the El Rio Motel in Daytona Beach from 1951 to 1966, died Monday at the Bayside Care Center, Port Orange. Mrs. Sheppard was born in Florida and moved to this area in 1951 from Stone Mountain, Ga. She enjoyed gardening, cooking, arts and crafts, and crossword puzzles. Survivors include a son, E. Gower Sheppard, New Smyrna Beach; four grandchildren; and three great-grandchildren. Memorial donations may be made to Hospice of Volusia/Flagler, 3800 Woodbriar Lane, Port Orange, FL 32129. Baggett & Summers, Daytona Beach, is in charge. Originally published in Daytona Beach News-Journal on July 21, 2005.
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