Mrs. W. H. Thomas lived in Waverly, now a neighborhood in Belmont – a town in Middlesex County of east-central Massachusetts.
Originally an agrarian community, Belmont began rapid industrialization in the last quarter of the 19th century.
From Google:
Waverley (or Waverly) in Massachusetts …(is) a historic neighborhood and commercial center in western Belmont,
Two railroads, “The Fitchburg Railroad” and the “Central Massachusetts Railroad” once served the community.
The residence of Mrs. Thomas at 37 Holt Street, is a three-story house on a tree-shaded lot – similar homes were once the norm in the town.
(The Post Office for Waverly was subsumed by other post offices in 1892 – yet this mail was delivered as addressed.)
In May of 1909, Mrs. Thomas received a postcard from Frank.
The postcard was mailed from Chicago, the center of trade, finance, and transportation for the Midwest.
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The face of the postcard is a photograph of the headquarters of the Sears, Roebuck, & Company in Chicago.
The postcard titles identifies it as the “Largest Mail-Order House in the World”.
We have seen postcard order forms for Sears products that were manufactured and shipped from factories in other states, but the operations of the vast system of production and delivery was managed from Chicago.
“Mr. Hatton Orders from Sears”
Founded in 1893, the mail-order business of Sears was supported by the vast network of railways that connected al parts of the US in the early 20th century.
Appliances, automobiles, even home assembly kits could be shipped by Sears.
Some readers will remember the arrival of Sears catalogues that once introduced thousands of products to consumers each year.
Sears remained the US leader in retail stores into the 1980’s.
The postcard was published by Franklin Post Card Company of Chicago; it was “Printed in Germany”.
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On the reverse, Frank inscribed a hurried message:
“Got your letter.”
He adds, “Leaving to-day at 3:00 P.M. on NYC lines.”
The message was sent with “Love”.
In 1909, there was a famous train that ran directly to New York City from Chicago.
The “Twentieth Century Limited”, beginning in 1902, was the pride of the New York Central Railroad.
Passengers from Chicago could reach New York City in 20 hours – four hours faster than the early lines of the Pennsylvania Railroad (although the “Broadway Limited” challenged this beginning in 1912).
Mrs. Thomas preserved the postcard in good condition throughout her life.
