Mrs. J. G. Stewart lived in Cleveland, a city of southeast Tennessee.
This area has a long history, beginning with a mound-building indigenous culture more than a thousand years ago.
It was a center of the Cherokee Nation until the forced removal under President Jackson.
The development of nearby copper mines and the coming of the railroad led to rapid growth of the city.
(This area of eastern Tennessee was largely pro-Union during the Civil War, and the city’s experience during that conflict exceeds the scope of a postcard story.)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cleveland,_Tennessee
In February of 1909, Mrs. Stewart received a lovely postcard from R. G. Peters.
The postcard was mailed from Columbus, the second-largest city on Georgia – and located on the Chattahoochee River on the border of west-central Georgia.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Columbus,_Georgia
Cleveland, Tennessee is more than 220 miles north of Columbus, Georgia.
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The face of the postcard is a green field on which pink daisies are strewn.
A medallion drawing of a peaceful rural scene is surrounded by a frame of gilded filigree.
In the drawing, an ancient tree shades a humble structure, and the neat fields stretch toward the distant hills.
Beneath the evocative drawing are the gilt words, “Lest We Forget”.
This phrase is somewhat ambiguous – it is unclear if one should recall a shared past, a distant home, the days of youth, or the death of a loved one.
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On the reverse, the sender has inscribed a brief message:
“Love and Best Wishes, R. G. Peters”
The shared middle initial of the sender and Mrs. Stewart might indicate a shared maiden name – indicating that they were sisters or cousins.
Whatever the case, one hopes that the postcard inspired pleasant memories and delightful nostalgic revery.
Mrs. Stewart preserved the postcard in excellent condition throughout her life.
