Miss Mary L. Terry lived in East Prospect, a small borough in York County of south-central Pennsylvania.
East Prospect is on the west bank of the Susquehanna River; opposite the Lancaster County community of Washington Boro.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/East_Prospect,_Pennsylvania
(Census records of 1900 and 1910 show that Mary was a resident of East Prospect; it is not clear why she received this postcard in the city of York. It is possible that she was living there or working there temporarily.)
In August of 1907, Mary received a postcard from Susie.
Susie posted the greeting from Columbia, the lovely borough on the east bank of the Susquehanna River in Lancaster County.
The early settlement at Columbia grew up around a river ferry which was succeeded in later years by bridges.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Columbia,_Pennsylvania
(A great wooden bridge at Columbia was burned in 1863 to prevent Confederate troops from advancing across the Susquehanna and threatening Harrisburg and other eastern cities.)
In the early 20th century, Columbia was a center of industry and transportation – a junction of the Reading – Columbia Railroad and the Main Line of the Pennsylvania Railroad.
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The face of the postcard is a photograph of “The Oldest House in Columbia”
According to the title, the structure was “Built in 1728” and was “Where Washington was a guest”.
(The postcard title is incorrect – the house was built in 1738.)
This is the “Wright Ferry Mansion” that was built for Susanna Wright, a member of one of the first English Quaker families who settled in this area.
The two-story stone house is preserved today as a house museum representing the early history of Columbia.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wright%27s_Ferry_Mansion
Unfortunately, the face of the photograph was marred by streaks and smudges – I made digital repairs of the most damaged areas,
The photograph is attributed to J. Koehler of N.Y.; the postcard was published by Richards & Eckman.
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On the reverse, we learn that Mary is celebrating a birthday.
Susie writes, “Wishing you many happy returns of the day”.
Mary preserved the postcard throughout her life.
One hopes that Mary enjoyed a wonderful birthday celebration and that she and Susie maintained a long postcard correspondence.
RESEARCH NOTE
On August 9, 1882, Mary Lucretia Terry was born in East Prospect, York County, PA.
Mary was the first child of Isaac Thomas Terry (1862-1953) and Ida R. Keller (1863-1891).
Mary had three younger sisters, but none of them appear to have lived past the year 1900.
The last child of Isaac and Ida was a boy, Charles Henry Terry (1891-1934).
Tragically, Ida died ten days after the son was born, at age 28.
In 1935, Mary was still living in the same house in East Prospect, but she became a resident of the city of York by 1940.
Mary never married and died in York in August of 1962.
At her death, Mary had just passed her 80th birthday.
Mary is buried in Prospect Hill Cemetery in York.
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/108580810/mary-l-terry
