Mr. Charles Irvin Brown lived in Rohrerstown, a pleasant community on the Marietta Pike – about 4 miles west of Lancaster, in south-east Pennsylvania.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/East_Hempfield_Township,_Pennsylvania
On August 19, 1907, Charles received a postcard from Olive.
Olive mailed the postcard from York, the historic city and county seat of York County in south-central Pennsylvania.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/York,_Pennsylvania
The face of the postcard features a hand-colored photograph of Penn Park in York.
The site for this park was given to the city of York by the heirs of William Penn in 1816
During the Civil War, a large military hospital stood in Penn Park – which had been the first place at which wagons bearing freedom-seekers stopped in Pennsylvania. during the first decades of the 19th century.
The tall monument in the postcard photograph was erected at the site of the hospital to honor veterans of the Civil War.
Over the years, Penn Park hosted a variety of attractions and amenities (including an annual Fair), and boasted a fish pond and rookery.
Penn Park also served as a gathering place for public meetings, and was the site of significant clashes between police and civil rights demonstrators in the 1960’s.
(Despite its links to the Underground Railroad, York was home to many Southern sympathizers during the Civil War – and the Ku Klux Klan held unopposed rallies in the city and county for decades of the 20th century.)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1969_York_race_riot
The postcard was published by the firm of Valentine & Sons; the image was printed in Great Britain.
In a hand- written note on the reverse, Olive explains that she “was sick for some time” and had to “do the best I could”.
We do not know what task or responsibility Olive had tried to discharge – it seems that Charles is aware of her situation.
Charles preserved the postcard throughout his life.
One hopes that Olive recovered from her illness, that she was able to resume fully her obligations, and that she and Charles remained friendly correspondents for many years.