Miss E. Murray lived in Oakmont, a borough of Allegheny County, PA – about 15 miles northeast of Pittsburgh on the Allegheny River.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oakmont,_Pennsylvania
In November of 1907, Miss Murray received a postcard from Monica
Monica mailed the postcard from Norfolk, the center of shipping, ship-building, and a U. S. Navy Yard in southeast Virginia.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Norfolk,_Virginia
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The face of the postcard is a drawing of two lighthouses at night.
Only one lighthouse is spreading a beam of light across the waves – the other may be an older light that has been replaced.
(The Wiki entry confirms that the smaller structure is the replacement of the taller lighthouse.)
This lighthouse was completed in 1881 when concerns arose about the foundation of the older structure.
The older lighthouse represents the first Federal building appropriation after the ratification of the US Constitution.
The first lighthouse was erected in 1792 to light the entrance to the Chesapeake Bay.
It was constructed with the same sandstone that was used to build the White House.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cape_Henry_Lighthouses
A caption identifies this postcard scene:
“Cape Henry Light House, Norfolk, Va.”.
There appears to be a single rail fence that separates the lighthouse locations from the beach.
Today, both structures are National Historic Monuments, and both are Civil Engineering Landmarks.
One can participate in a tour of the Lighthouses through the organization, Preservation Virginia, that operates the site.
(You must prepare for this visit with Real ID or passport identification, plus be subject to possible search and background search,)
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On the reverse, Monica reports, “I just walked to this light house.”
It seems that Monica may be visiting Norfolk.
The postcard postmark reminds us that this was the year of the Jamestown Tricentennial Exhibition.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jamestown_Exposition
(We saw an earlier postcard story about this extravagant event that brought new rail lines and trolley lines to the area.)
Monica, like hundreds of thousands, may have journeyed to the temporary city that was created for this celebration.
One hopes that Monica’s visit was rewarding, and that she returned safely to her home.
Miss Murray seems to have been delighted by the souvenir as she preserved the postcard throughout her life.
The postcard did suffer some damage to the edges during the last century -I made digital repairs to much of the border.
