Miss Grace Matthews live in Womelsdorf, a borough of Berks County in southeast Pennsylvania.
The first settlement of Europeans was made by John Womelsdorf and other German immigrants in 1762.
The borough is halfway between the cities of Reading and Lebanon, PA, at the junction of a north-south highway and an east-west highway.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Womelsdorf,_Pennsylvania
(Conrad Weiser (1696-1760), the trusted interpreter and diplomat between the Colony of Pennsylvania and the indigenous people, had already built a homestead near here before the town was settled – that site is now a museum and interpretive center.)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Conrad_Weiser
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In July of 1906, Grace received a postcard from E. H. Gerhard.
Mr. Gerhard mailed the postcard from Reading, the booming center of industry and transportation on the Schuylkill River in Berks County.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reading,_Pennsylvania
The face of the postcard is an uncolored photograph of the “Gravity R. R. Beyond Summit, Reading, PA.”
The postcard was published by the Mount Penn Souvenir Card Company of Reading.
The “Gravity Railroad” was a very popular attraction on Mount Penn which overlooks the city of Reading.
A steam locomotive pulled passenger cars up the slopes of the mountain to a tall observation tower that (in clear weather) provided a glimpse of surrounding counties.
The force of gravity propelled the railroad cars down the slope.
A passenger’s prolonged experience of “coasting” was part of the thrill.
Here is a description of “gtavity railroads”, including some notes on how the speed of the descent was safely managed.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gravity_railroad
The only surviving handbill advertising the enterprise is preserved in the Library of Congress.
https://www.loc.gov/resource/g3824r.ct003191
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Because the postcard had an undivided back, Mr. Gerhard inscribed a brief message on the margin of the face.
He writes, “Thanks for the fudge”.
In addition, he promises, “I will write later as I am at Reading.”
This suggests that Mr. Gerhard was proceeding to his home that was outside the city of Reading.
Like all good correspondents, Mr. Gerhard had indicated his location and the date.
One hopes that Grace was delighted to receive the postcard, that a letter from Mr. Gerhard arrived promptly, and that the two maintained a friendly correspondence for many years.
