Miss Miriam Rodgers lived in Glassboro, a borough in Gloucester County of southwest New Jersey.
Since the 18th century, Glassboro has been a center of glass-making – the town was established as a glass factory.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glassboro,_New_Jersey
Today, the Rowan University (founded as Glassboro State College) is the center of community life.
In May of 1939, Miriam received a postcard from her Aunt Isobel.
The postcard was mailed from Williamsport, the city and county seat of Lycoming County in north-central Pennsylvania.
First settled by Europeans in the 18th century, Williamsport was the site of skirmishes in the French and Indian War.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Williamsport,_Pennsylvania
As a center of lumbering, Williamsport grew and prospered by the opening of the West Branch Canal in 1834.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pennsylvania_Canal_(West_Branch_Division)
The city remains the center of commerce, transportation, and culture for this sparsely-populated area of Pennsylvania.
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The face of the postcard is a photograph of a highway leading toward a mountain peak.
Entitled, “Gateway to the Green Mansions of Pennsylvania”, the picture bears a second explanatory line, “Near Trout Run, North of Williamsport”.
“Green Mansions” is a reference to the wildly-popular romance of 1904 – “Green Mansions” by W. H. Hudson.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Green_Mansions
Although Hudson’s tale takes place in the cathedral-like splendor of tropical Venezuela. “Green Mansions” became a colloquial reference to lush forests.
Trout Run is a village of Lycoming County, north of Williamsport, and at the base of Round Top Mountain.
https://geo.mytopo.com/feature/pennsylvania/lycoming/summit/1199422/round-top
This linen-style postcard is one of “Pennsylvania Beauty Views” published by Walmer of Harrisburg.
Earlier postcard stories featured postcard images from the same series: “Autumn Drapes a Pennsylvania Highway”, “Enchanting Forest Solitude”, Pennsylvania Roadside Plantings”.
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On the reverse, Aunt Isobel begins her message without a greeting.
She tells Miriam, “You should come up here to coast next winter”.
Aunt Isobel makes the sensible suggestion, “but you would need brakes.”
Aunt Isobel seems to be on vacation, she reports, “They have a fox terrier where I am staying”.
Miriam may have a fox terrier as well, as Aunt Isobel immediately adds, “I hope ‘Penny’ is OK”.
Miriam preserved the postcard throughout her life.
One hopes that she exchanged many more postcards with Aunt Isobel.
