I had never heard the interesting tale of Mary Shaw Leader.

At 23, Miss Leader was a news reporter for the Hanover Spectator, which was owned by her parents.

According to accounts published years later, Mary walked from Hanover to Gettysburg in order to hear Lincoln’s address at the dedication of the military cemetery in November of 1863.

Her first-hand account is one of the few printed news stories by an actual witness.

In 1863, newspapers were mostly small, local affairs and could not support mobile reporters who would follow the President.

Mary reported the text of the address from her notes, and declared Lincoln’s efforts to be “a remarkable speech”.

Miss Leader lived until 1913, by which time her opinion was universally shared.

This postcard photograph is of the memorial tablet erected in Mount Olivet Cemetery in 1941. 

I believe the postcard, printed by Madciff in Hershey, was made at the time the memorial tablet was unveiled.

On line, one can find numerous articles related to the story of Mary’s walk to Gettysburg and her reporter’s notes of Lincoln’s address.