Mrs. J. H. Albright lived in Hummelstown, a borough founded on the Swatara Creek by a German immigrant couple in 1762.
Located in Dauphin County, midway between Harrisburg and Hershey, the borough prospered from its position on the Berks-Dauphin Turnpike and the construction of the Union Canal.
The arrival of the Lebanon Valley Railroad in 1858 led to the development of large quarrying and stone-working businesses in the borough.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hummelstown,_Pennsylvania
In February of 1910, Mrs. Albright received a postcard from her sister.
The sister, who does not inscribe her name, mailed the postcard from Harrisburg.
Harrisburg, the State Capital on the Susquehanna River in central Pennsylvania, is about 12 miles northwest of Hummelstown.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harrisburg,_Pennsylvania
+ + + + + +
The face of the postcard is a touching drawing of a young woman kneeling before a wayside cross.
This memorial of the Crucifixion, surrounded by trailing roses, is erected on a mountain path.
Alpine peaks tower over the scene.
The maiden, wearing a plaid shawl on her shoulders and a large apron at her waist, gazes at the awful reminder of sacrifice.
In her hands, the girl holds a small basket or pail.
The postcard was printed in Europe, probably in a region of Germany where these religious symbols still mark places of tragedy or warn of danger.
We have seen other postcards bearing views of wayside crosses:
The postcard to Mrs. Albright was printed in Europe.
+ + + + + +
On the reverse, Sister asks, “Did I leave my black waist down there” and explains, “I miss it”.
Then, Sister reports something occurring “one or two at a time” this week.
This frequency is “better than last week”.
Mrs. Albright is encouraged to “come up” or send the item with Sam.
One hopes that the black shirtwaist was found by Mrs. Albright and that it was restored promptly to her sister.
The postcard was preserved in excellent condition throughout the last 116 years.
