Mr. Albert Ehrhart lived in Highspire, a borough on the Susquehanna River in Dauphin County of south-central Pennsylvania.
Platted by two German immigrants in 1814, the borough flourished as a center of industry and trade on the river and the Pennsylvania Canal.
(There is no agreement about the borough’s name – whether from the first settlers’ German hometown of “Spire” or the tall steeple of the original United Brethren in Christ Church (now, United Methodist) that could be sen from the river.)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Highspire,_Pennsylvania
Sometime around 1910. Albert acquired an advertising postcard from the Prudential Insurance Company of America.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prudential_Financial
Although addressed, the postcard was not mailed.
It may be that Albert was a postcard collector.
Prudential, headquartered in Newark, NJ, promoted its insurance policies with postcards featuring scenes of natural beauty or historical importance.
We have seen other examples of Prudential advertising postcards:
“The Ute Pass”, “The Delaware Water Gap”, and “Lake George”.
The postcard views are well-printed, and appear to be the made by a printing division within the company.
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The face of the postcard is a scene (I believe it is a photograph) of the “West Point Batteries and Hudson River”.
A substantial blurb on the reverse describes this colonial-era fortification (now, a Military Academy) in the beautiful Hudson Valley.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_the_United_States_Military_Academy
The array of cannons imperiled hostile movement on the Hudson River, protecting New York City and all the settlements of Albany and central New York.
The crucial protection provided by the battery of West Point made the treason of Benedict Arnold especially heinous.)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Benedict_Arnold
RESEARCH NOTE
On July 31, 1866, Albert Bear Ehrhart was born in York Haven (York County), PA.
Albert was the fifth of seven children born to Andrew Ehrhart (1835-1873) and Sarah Anna Baer (1828-1896).
Albert had one brother and five sisters – all of whom lived to adulthood except the youngest sister who died in infancy.
(Albert’s brother has the middle name,” Baer”, the mother’s maiden name, but Albert is clearly recorded as “Bear”.
Sometime in 1896 (no day or month is recorded), Albert married Dora Shelley (1867-1949)
The couple had five children four girls and a boy.
Sadly, the first two children (daughters) do not have any records as adults.
In the US Census of 1900, Albert and Dora lived in York Haven, but from 1910-1940, Albert and Dora were residents of Highspire, in Dauphin County, PA.
Like Albert, Dora had been born in York County and the couple seems to have returned there after 1940.
On April 24, 1949, Dora died in the city of York; whe was 82 years old.
Albert lived in York as a widower for eight years.
On December 30, 1957, Albert died at the age of 91.
Albert and Dora are buried together in the Paddletown Cemetery in Newberrytown, PA (York County).
