“Howard Receives a Catholic Church” – Columbia, PA (1907)

Mr. Howard S. Landis lived in Rheems, an unincorporated community in northwest Lancaster County of southeast Pennsylvania.

This area was primarily agricultural, although a large quarry operates in Rheems today.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rheems,_Pennsylvania

In February of 1907, Howard received a postcard from an unidentified correspondent.

The postcard was mailed from Mount Joy, a charming borough settled by Scots-Irish immigrants in the mid-18th century.

There are several historic sites and landmarked buildings in Mount Joy today.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mount_Joy,_Pennsylvania

The community of Rheems is only 4 miles northwest of Mount Joy  – the postcard was postmarked at 9:00 AM in Mount Joy, and received at 10:00 in Rheems.

It is possible that the mail was transported by rail, as both Mount Joy and Rheems were served by the Pennsylvania Railroad.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Main_Line_(Pennsylvania_Railroad)

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The Face of the postcard is a photograph of “St. Peter’s Catholic Church -Columbia, PA“.

The borough of Columbia, on the Susquehanna River, was a hub of transportation and commerce in the early 20th century.

Thi borough was more than five times larger than Mount Joy which lies 7 miles to the north.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Columbia,_Pennsylvania

The Roman Catholic Church of St. Peter was established in 1828, when the first church building was erected by a Quaker contractor in Columbia.

At that time, there was no resident priest; Mass was offered monthly by a priest from St, Mary’s Church in Lancaster.

https://stpetercolumbiapa.org/history

The Church pictured on the postcard was erected in 1894 and dedicated in 1895.

More than 3,000 people attended the dedication.

Improvements and adornments were made at several times in the 19th century and through the 20th century.

The postcard was published by the Souvenir Post Co. of New York; the photographer is not credited.

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Because the postcard had an “undivided back””, there is no place for a message on the reverse.

The sender did not inscribe any message of the margin of the face.

Although preserved for more than a century, this postcard received some very rough handling – there are creases on several sections of the face, numerous areas of discoloration, and a torn corner.

I made digital repairs in an attempt to recapture a clear image of the Church.

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