In the Research Note (below) we learn that this was an order for a wedding dress.

Miss Bertha Hotchkiss lived on a Rural Route outside Crooked Creek, a small community that no longer exists along the Cooked Creek in Tioga County of north-central Pennsylvania.

https://www.mapquest.com/us/pennsylvania/crooked-creek-pa-283593918

The Crooked Creek is a tributary of the Tioga River (eventually, the Susquehanna River) and these valleys once supported successful lumbering operations.

There are several “ghost towns” in Tioga County – former lumber towns that were abandoned.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tioga_River_(Chemung_River_tributary)

The Post Office in Crooked Creek was closed in 1974, and the community is no longer mapped.

In August of 1911, Bertha received a postcard from Lena.

Lena mailed the postcard from Nelson, a village within the sparsely-populated township of Nelson in the northern-most part of Tioga County, abutting New York State.

This village was relocated in the 1970’s as part of a project of dam construction.

The old village cemetery and a stretch of the former Main Street can be reached today by a hiking trail.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nelson_Township,_Pennsylvania

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The face of the postcard is an embossed medallion containing the words, “Best Wishes”

Like many embossed postcards, the letters of these embossed words are sparingly colored.

Around the greeting are nosegays of blue flowers -possibly, forget-me-nots.

The depth of the embossing can be clearly seen on the reverse, where Lena struggles to write her message.

There is no indication of the postcard’s publisher or printer.

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On the reverse, Lena greets, “Dear Bertha”.

Lena acknowledges “your letter rec’d.”

Due to the ridged surface, Lena’ s writing is difficult to decipher.

I believe she offers, “Yes, I can make the dress the first week of September.”

Lena will “look for you” thereafter.

Because I suspected the dress might be for a special occasion, such as a wedding, I did a search for Bertha.

RESEARCH NOTE

On September 15, 1892, Bertha L. Stevens was born in Holliday, Tioga County, PA

She was the daughter of Charles Stevens (1859-1913) and Jennie Lynne Hotchkiss (1865-1943).

Charles and Jennie were married in Tioga County in 1888.

Bertha had one older sister, Alora Ora Stevens (1889-1984).

Unfortunately, Jennie Hotchkiss Stevens was admitted to the State Hospital sometime before 1900, and was divorced from Charles.

In the US census of 1900, Bertha is living with her maternal grandparents and uses their name of “Hotchkiss”.

In 1910, Bertha is still living with her grandfather and is listed as “Bertha Hotchkiss”.

Grandfather was Orange Dayton Hotchkiss (1839-1919)

The grandparents lived in Middlebury Township of Tioga County -the area where the community of Crooked Creek once existed.

On September 26, 1911, when she was 19 years old, Betha married Archie Claude Niles (1889-1946) in Wellsboro (Tioga County).

Bertha and Archie lived most of their married lives in the town of Tuscarora in Steuben County, New York.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tuscarora,_New_York

After Archie died in 1946, Betha lived as a widow for 43 years.

On August 8, 1989, Bertha died in Wellsboro (Tioga County); she was 96 years old.

Archie and Bertha are buried in the Middlebury Union Cemetery.

https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/73950228/bertha-l-niles

One hopes that Bertha, after the tragedy of her early years, had a wonderful wedding in the dress created by Lena in 1911.