The past fifty years has seen a huge decline in the number of citizens participating in fraternal organizations and mutual aid societies. The Moose, the
In September of 1912, Rebecca visited New York City. As she prepared to leave for home, Rebecca mailed a postcard to her friend, Florence Ashton,
Mr. George W. Johnson lived in Red Bank, a borough on the Navesink River in northern New Jersey. This area was settled by Dutch and
Miss Evelyn Richardson lived in Fawn Grove, a borough in southern York County, on the Mason-Dixon Line. (I was unfamiliar with this place name and
If you were a youngster who collected coins, you learned to scan dates for the tiny mint letters that denoted the origin of the coin.
In October of 1910, Mr. D. M. Eshelman was living in Quarryville, PA – a community in southern Lancaster County, not far from the border
I found this unusual advertising card from the Singer Company, the largest manufacturer and purveyor of sewing machines in the world during the early 20th
Weaver Brothers of Elizabethtown, PA distributed advertising cards touting asbestos brakes and reminding motorists of the need for brake inspections. The advertising cards bear no
Elizabeth Receives a Rose from her Mother – circa 1910 Sometime around 1910, Elizabeth Karr was living in Mount Nebo, Pa. Mt. Nebo is a
In July of 1907, Florence sent a postcard to her friend, Carrie Quickel, who lived at 1308 North George Street in York. Florence reported that
In January of 1919, Mrs. Mary Gingery was living in Shellsburg – a small city in east central Iowa, not far from Cedar Rapids. it
Manheim is a town in Lancaster County, PA – about eight miles north of Lancaster City. I have driven through the charming town of Manheim
The Susquehanna River forms the western border of Lancaster County, PA. The river-front community of Pequea grew up where the Pequea Creek empties into the
In August of 1924, Alice K. (presumably, Alice Knox) was visiting York, PA. Alice was traveling with Mr. and Mrs. Lidiger (?) and family. The
It is not hard to find early postcard photographs of the boulevard that winds up the side of Mount Penn in Reading, Pennsylvania. This is
In August of 1910, Ruth was in Woodbine where she was very busy- making hay, visiting the Wild West Show, finding elderberries, getting red feather
Several months ago, I shared a postcard with an hand-colored photo of the Brother House at the Ephrata Cloister. In the postcard story, voiced my
I love the Ephrata Cloister – the preserved buildings, the museum, the grounds, and the sacred history of the place. “The Cloister” was established in
Martin’s Drug Store was located on East Chestnut Street in Lancaster, PA. (This handsome building has now been subdivided into eight apartments.) Miss Esther Martin,
The Thanksgiving postcard was far more common in the early twentieth century than it is today. Many postcard greetings, some blending patriotic and harvest images,
Many of us remember when the birthdays of Lincoln and Washington were celebrated as distinct national holidays. Our grade school classrooms were decorated with construction
On May 30, 1928, this statue of a standing soldier was erected within the Locust Street Park in Columbia. A little more than seven feet
In July of 1928, Joe was in Kansas City, Missouri. He mailed a postcard to his mother, Mrs. George J. Bankert, in Westminster, Maryland. Westminster
One of the greatest orators and political leaders of the Civil War Era, Thaddeus Stevens, had a long career in law, industry, education, and public
Mother sends a postcard to Anna in Bausman – 1909 On October 27, 1909, Mother mailed a postcard to her daughter, Mrs. Anna Rambo, at
“Come away with me, Lucille, In my merry Oldsmobile…”. Circa 1908 The automobile changed the lives of Americans in dramatic ways. While some made fun
The Pennsylvania Railroad was the largest railroad company in the United States and operated hundreds of named trains. (The budget for the Pennsylvania Railroad was
In March of 1925, Mr. and Mrs. Henry Cole were still awaiting the coming of Spring in Hackettstown, New Jersey. (Hackettstown is a town in
Charlotte was visiting Chebeague Island, one of two hundred islands in Casco Bay, 10 miles northeast of Portland. Since the late 19th century, the area
In February of 1925, Alverta Meck was in Palm Beach. She was having “a nice time”, but found the weather “awfully warm”. Alverta mailed a
Hazel Penoyer lived in Palmyra, a village on the Erie Canal, just south of Lake Erie and east of Rochester, NY. An early transportation and
Aunt Gertie lived in Pittsfield, the city in the Berkshire Mountains of western Massachusetts. By 1934, this agricultural area of streams and mills (once a
Miss Stevie Moxley lived in Kingston, Canada. Kingston, the first capital city of Canada, lies at the eastern end of Lake Erie- at the mouth
Master Norbert Dittmer lived on Fond-de-Lac Avenue in Milwaukee, Wisconsin; his grandma and grandpa lived nearby. From the form of address, we may assume that
On December 31, 1907, “Edith” mailed a postcard from Philadelphia to Miss C. Edith Yoder at 322 Pine Street in Lancaster, PA. The writer, Edith,
Nathan Groff lived in Bareville, a small rural community northeast of Lancaster, PA. In December of 1909, Nathan received a postcard greeting from Lottie, in
Fred Boardman lived in Utica, a city on the Mohawk River at the foot of the Adirondack Mountains in central New York. Utica became a
Louise lived in Wilmington, Delaware and had not heard from Hattie Adair for some time. Hattie lived in Chester Springs, a community in Chester County,
We met Annie Robidou in an earlier postcard which bore the illustration of a maiden carried piggyback at the lake. I mentioned that I had
Mr. George Rauth sold clothes and/or did tailoring at his business, 113 North George Street in York, PA. Mr. Robert Conner of 59 South Pine
Lake George lies on the eastern border of New York State; it is a long ribbon of water that is now within the enormous Adirondack
Oleomargarine, an emulsion of fat with evenly-distributed water molecules, was first produced in France – to win a scientific competition to meet the war needs
In 1772, a dam was first built on the west branch of the Codorus Creek near York, PA Dams were one of the first “infrastructure”
Very early in the history of motion pictures, film stars captured the interest and enthusiastic embrace of the public. “Celebrity culture” around movies assumed a
The city of Reading established a school for boys in 1852. In 1857, girls were admitted to the school. This is almost fifty years before
In 1898, Samuel Grumbacher (and son, Max) opened a one-room millinery store on Market Street in York. The store eventually filled a handsome building on
This romantic tale straddles the Susquehanna River in south central Pennsylvania. Ada lived in Steelton, Pennsylvania, a borough in Dauphin County, not far from Harrisburg.
Mr. Roy Stouffer lived in Hanover, PA, a city southwest of York and not far from the border of Maryland. In 1910, Hanover was a
On this site, one can find a Christmas postcard given to Amanda Weaver by a classmate circa 1910. In December of 1912, Amanda received a
Melvin Myers lived in Thomasville, PA, an unincorporated community about 6 miles west of York, PA. His friend, Jennie, lived about 7 miles further west
Mr. and Mrs. H.H. Lindemuth were in Los Angeles. On March 30, 1920, they mailed an Easter postcard to Clifton Thomson. Clifton lived on West
We have seen several postcards related to blimps or zeppelins – the wonders of the sky in the early 20th century. (Other postcard stories featured
Here is an hand-colored, postcard photograph of Marietta Avenue, still a lovely drive westward from the city of Lancaster. The postcard was postmarked in Lancaster
Accustomed as we are to all manner of flying airships, it may be hard to imagine the mania that gripped the country with the appearance
(I have shared this postcard to other sites because I cannot decipher the name of the town that is inscribed on the face -it ends
In September of 1909, young Mac Fryberger was living in Phillipsburg, PA, a borough in Centre County – not far from State College. Mac received
Put-in-Bay is a small village on South Bass island in Lake Erie, about 35 miles east of Toledo and 15 miles northwest of Sandusky. The
Ralph Johnson had written to his Aunt Lizzie, but had received no reply. At length, Aunt Lizzie responded with a postcard greeting to Ralph. The
The wings of a swan are embossed so deeply on this postcard that the postmark is not entirely legible. Addressed to Mrs. Herbert Baily (sic)
Arthur Sutton was in Seaville, an unincorporated community in Cape May County, New Jersey. Arthur wanted to sail, and wrote to the Brooks about an
Marcel Lebree (?) lived on West 25th Street in Manhattan. At the time Marcel lived there, this working-class neighborhood included the flower markets (now, almost
Mr. B. F. Hartman lived in Waynesboro, a borough of Franklin County in south central Pennsylvania. The borough lies in the Cumberland Valley, only two
This postcard photograph was not mailed, and it lacks any identification of the two boys. I assume that the two are brothers or otherwise related
This postcard photograph was not mailed, so we cannot determine the location of this mother and her children. Sometime around 1910, a photograph was taken
Walhonding is a crossroads near the geographic center of Ohio. A small community had grown up there when the Walhonding Canal (a short feeder to
This postcard photograph was not mailed, but a message is inscribed on the reverse. The postcard may have been enclosed with a letter. Florence Lombard
Miss Osborne had six more weeks of teaching in the school year at Rose Hill, Iowa. Rose Hill is a very small city (population 157)
Mrs. Henry Alloway lived in Muddy Creek Forks, a village in southern York County of central Pennsylvania. (Muddy Creek Forks was on the narrow-gauge railroad
Mr. And Mrs. William Sutherland lived in Reno, the city on the Truckee River on the border between Nevada and California. Reno began when subsistence
Miss Bessie Ruden lived in Jefferson Barracks, the historic military outpost on the Mississippi River, south of St. Louis. In April of 1909, Bessie received
In addition to the proud postcard memorials to local monuments or scenic splendors, plus the enormous variety of seasonal and holiday greetings, a large number
This comic postcard, published by Bamforth & Company, was printed in England. Other comic postcards of Bamforth (the large moustache, the forgotten purse) have been
Miss Leeanna Truxell lived in Mount Pleasant, a borough 45 miles southwest of Pittsburgh in western Pennsylvania. Between 1910 and 1920, the area was a
In the early 20th century, Webster Springs was a resort town to which visitors flocked to experience the curative powers of the salt sulfur springs.
Miss H. Davies lived at 10th and Locust Street in Philadelphia, “in care of Shannons”. According to an on-line list of druggists in 1911, Shannons
I scanned this postcard illustration of fisherman at a time when I was reading about the threats to traditional fishing villages in Western Europe. The
Mrs. Richard Webb lived in Wilmington, Delaware and she had a baby. In May of 1911, Mrs. Webb received a postcard from Alma in Scranton,
Miss Mollie Scott lived in Brooklyn, New York. In September of 1929, she received a postcard from friends in Florida. The postcard was mailed from
Sadie, Mrs. Harry Tiffany, lived in Tomahawk – a small city in northern Wisconsin, in an area that was still hunted by Ojibwe peoples until
Wilmington is a small town (with a wonderful historic district) in the Deerfield Valley among the Green Mountains of south-central Vermont. In the winter, this
The Wylie Camping Company was the first (and the longest-lasting) enterprise that accommodated tourists in rustic camps within Yellowstone Park. Mr. V. L. Berryman was
In the summer of 1819, a group of Anabaptist refugees from Sonnenberg, Switzerland settled a tract of land in northeast Ohio. The group of families
The Catskill Mountains of Ulster County, hunting grounds of successive tribes of indigenous peoples, were not settled by Europeans until the mid-18th century. The best
Miss Lucy Rose lived in Worcester, an industrial city 40 miles west of Boston, Massachusetts. The city became a trading and transportation center for central
This postcard was not mailed, so we cannot know certainly when it was presented. But the design is similar to many other Christmas postcards that
Just after 5:00 AM on the morning of April 18, the growing city was struck by the largest earthquake in the history of California. A
There is a story of great sadness behind this postcard featuring the drawing of a mischievous kitten. Tillie was elsewhere in Minnesota when she wrote
I have not discovered any statistics related to sports deaths in the early 20th century, but this is not the first vintage document I have
In June of 1972, I experienced first-hand the devastation of Hurricane Agnes in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. During that summer flood, I saw the covered bridge
I found recently this postcard photograph of a train wreck at New Providence, Pa. Searching a database of Pennsylvania railway accidents, I was unable to
In 1896, a late-summer storm destroyed the covered bridge between Columbia and Wrightsville. I found a postcard photograph of this devastating event. The photograph was
Ethel Bradshaw lived in Oxford, a small town in western Indiana, northwest of Indianapolis and southeast of Chicago. Ethel received a postcard greeting from her
Miss Alice Martin lived in Kinzer, an unincorporated rural community in eastern Lancaster County, along the original Philadelphia & Lancaster Turnpike. In July of 1912,
Mr. Hampton Pullis was in Andover, a small borough near the northern-most tip of New Jersey. Andover once boasted an iron forge, but the industry
Mrs. James Irwin was celebrating a birthday at her home in Bart, Pennsylvania. Bart us a rural township in southeast Lancaster County. Louisa Graeff, a
This comic postcard was copyrighted in 1907 by “U. Company” of New York. (I believe it might be the Ullman Lithographic Company.) A rat is
This comic postcard from the Bamforth Company touches on a topic that was not always humorous to audiences of the early 20th Century. Although 15
Aunt Jennie lived in Red Oak, a small city in southeast Iowa. The city was founded when the Burlington & Missouri River Railroad arrived in
This comic postcard, featuring a telephone operator making a date for lunch, was not mailed – it was “enclosed”, probably within a letter. It was
This comic postcard was illustrated by D. Hillson – who was introduced in earlier postcard stories. Copyright in 1907, the illustration shows a yawning figure
Mr. David W. Van Houton lived in Prescott, Iowa. Prescott is a small city in southwest Iowa. Mr. Van Houton had mailed several postcards to
The second Madison Square Garden was a beautiful Beaux-Arts structure designed by Stanford White at Madison Square. (Not the tasteless monstrosity now atop Penn Station
Charles Blakey lived in Kingfisher, a small city in central Oklahoma. Today, Kingfisher is mostly a “bedroom community” for workers in Enid and Oklahoma City.
In 1892, Akron was a booming center of industry and the population was growing in areas surrounding the city. A group of women in West
Marietta, the small city on the Ohio River in the southeast corner of Ohio, was the first settlement in the Northwest Territory gained in the
The Virginia Company, chartered by King James the First, was established to colonize the east coast of North America. The spread of English civilization meant,
Robert Habersham Coleman, great-grandson of the founder of the Cornwall Iron dynasty, was once the richest man in Pennsylvania and one of the wealthiest in
Mr. W.G. Marks lived in Lafayette, a city on the Wabash River in west-central Indiana. Lafayette is about 60 miles northwest of Indianapolis. West Lafayette,
Miss Elizabeth McFarland lived at 319 North Lime Street in Lancaster. Her small brick house, built in 1865, is still occupied on the site. The
Mr. John Parker and his family lived in Westfield, a town in Chautauqua County, in the southwestern tip of New York Stare. Westfield borders Lake
Mr. Grant Snyder lived in New Paris, a small borough in Bradford County of south-central Pennsylvania. The borough lies on the west side of the
Easter fell on the first of April in 1923. Sometime near that date, Lawrence Butt (Laurence Butts?) received an Easter postcard from Joseph Weber. The
Elizabeth Goetz lived in Tiffin, a city on the Sandusky River in northwest Ohio. Tiffin is the site of Fort Ball, a military depot of
In the Spring of 1911, Mr. Hugh Barman was living on Walnut Street in Painesville, Ohio. Painesville, a city on the Grand River, lies 27
On the Fourth of July, a pause to remember the hardship of the War of Independence. Valley Forge was not the site of an important
I believe that Jacob K. Bechtel was a boy when his Uncle Hiram gave to him a Christmas postcard. The illustration of a cat surrounded
Mr. and Mrs. N. L. Barrett lived in Kent City, a village in southeast Michigan, about 20 miles north of Grand Rapids. In December of
Before motor-powered boats crowded the sea lanes near New Jersey, there were sailboats in the marinas that still line the bays and inlets of the
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
The 1901 assassination of William McKinley at the Pan American Exposition in Buffalo, NY shocked the nation. This was a time of optimism in American
Miss Annie Evans lived in Scranton, the booming industrial city in northeast Pennsylvania. (We looked recently at another postcard related to Scranton – the “Electric
Although I have lived most of my adult life in cities, I love the tree-lined streets of mature suburbs. Roselle Park is a borough in
Sometime around 1915, a small family shared their photograph by postcard. The picture was taken on the porch of a home, but (probably) was developed
Elva (age 13) and her sister, Cecile, (age 6) lived in Clinton, Iowa. Clinton is a city on the Mississippi River in east central Iowa.
In this postcard photograph, the men are seated, the woman stand behind – a traditional pose in photographs of the early twentieth century. These two
Shasta Springs was a popular summer resort on the Upper Sacramento River in Northern California. The resort was on the main line of the Southern
South Haven is a port city in southeast Michigan, where the Black River flows into Lake Michigan. A center of transportation of passengers and freight,
Miss L. V. Parker lived in York, Pennsylvania. She had a friend, “B”, who was traveling through the west. In December of 1933, Miss Parker
The face of this comic postcard features an illustration of six diapered infants pinned to a clothesline with clothespins. Three of the children do not
Miss Laura Miller lived on a rural delivery route outside Lancaster, PA. In early September of 1939, she received a comic postcard from Myrtle and
Several months ago, I posted a comic postcard (the “Big Squeeze”) that had been printed by the NYCE Manufacturing Company of Vernfield, PA. (The Nyce
We met young Edmund Harnish in an earlier postcard story – he had received a postcard greeting of original art featuring boys playing marbles. That
George Garner lived in Reinholds, an unincorporated community at the northernmost point of Lancaster County. Railroad lines once connected many rural towns in the area.
In an earlier post, I mentioned the German American Novelty Company which commissioned original art for the international market in postcards. This postcard drawing of
One learns interesting facts from the collecting of vintage postcards – in this case, that central New York State was the nation’s leading producer of
In January of 1925, Martha Randall was on her Christmas Break from school. Unexpectedly, Martha had received a postcard from another young woman she had
Mrs. H. Stryker lived in Chicago, Illinois. In June of 1907, she received a postcard greeting from her niece, Fannie. Jammie mailed the postcard from
Mr. Morris was in Washington D.C. when he sent a flirty postcard greeting to Miss Lelia Hicks. Miss Lelia lived in the small community (“populated
Lizzie Baumgardner lived in Fulda, a small city on Lake Fulda in southwest Minnesota. The town is known as the “Home of the Wood Duck”.
In August of 1913, Miss Lenora Grambach was celebrating her birthday. She received a postcard greeting from W. Weitzel who sent “best wishes” and a
Miss Opal Stout lived in Newtown, a small town in north central Missouri. (In 1910, Newtown had 261 residents; in 2019, the population had fallen
Daniel Craig lived in Rome, a city in central New York State. The city is located on a portage path made by the Iroquois people
Bertha Root lived in Manheim, the charming town laid out by Henry William Stiegel in 1762. “Baron Stiegel” founded the Manheim Glassworks which produced the
Although Roy identifies his address in Dayton, he was in the bustling city of Mansfield, Ohio when he mailed a postcard photograph to his sister.
Grimsby is an English town in Lincolnshire, on the North Sea. Built on the estuary of the Humber River, the site was once occupied by
Leslie was two years and four months old when his mother held him for a studio portrait. The photograph was made at the Ideal Studio
This beautiful picture of mother and child was created at the photography studio of Simon & Murnane in York. The Studio was located at 227
I admired the wonderful coloration of this postcard when I first saw it. The many shades of blue and purple are exquisitely applied. Despite the
Katherine S. lived in Kenton, a city in west-central Ohio. The site was first settled as Fort McArthur, one of a series of fortifications erected
Mr. Henry Coffman lived in Freeport, a borough of Armstrong County in the mountainous region northeast of Pittsburgh. Freeport lies on the Allegheny River and
The Pecos River flows from the Sangre de Cristo Mountains of New Mexico to the Rio Grande River near Del Rio, Texas. Near Del Rio,
Miss Mary White may have celebrated a birthday in February of 1911; she received a beautiful postcard greeting from a friend. Miss White lived in
Mrs. Matilda Hill was a patient of the Maryland University Hospital in Baltimore. We do not know the cause of her hospitalization, but she continued
Mrs. Richardson was in Brewer, Maine – a small city on the Penobscot River on the Maine coast. Brewer is the sister city of Bangor,
At the end of the 19th century, a number of hotels, resorts, and taverns were erected on Neversink Mountain, one of the peaks overlooking the
In his documentary about our great National Parks (2009), Ken Burns noted that the railroads were great boosters of the efforts to create and maintain
The story of the Western Maryland Railroad illustrates how local railroad companies created an incredible network of rail connections across the United States. (I consider
Emma (Mrs. F. S. Davis) lived in Winthrop, a city at the entrance to Boston Harbor, just east of the city of Boston. In November
Emma (Mrs. F. S. Davis) lived in Winthrop, a city at the entrance to Boston Harbor, just east of the city of Boston. In November
On-line, one can find other photographs of this imposing building along with other York County structures that exist no longer. Beginning in the Middle Ages,
In 1825, The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania enacted a measure to require an Almshouse in every county. The Berks County Almshouse, which grew to become a
The City of Pittsburgh grew up at the confluence of two great rivers, the Allegheny and the Monongahela. Together, these rivers form the Ohio River
On July 25, 1910, Mabel sent a postcard to her mother, Mrs. Henry Grider, of Columbia, PA. (The borough of Columbia, located on the Susquehanna
Miss Sophie Moore lived in Kleinfeltersville, an unincorporated community, east of Schaefferstown, in Lebanon County. (Kleinfeltersville is the second-longest unhyphenated post office address in the
Mr. Earl Hershey lived in Gordonville, an unincorporated community in the eastern part of Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. Gordonville lies in a rich agricultural area that
Miss Lillian Rothberg lived in Brooklyn, New York – the most-populated borough of New York City. In August of 1906, Lillian received a postcard from
Mrs. Carrie Smith lived in St. Louis. Her sister, Vio, was visiting Cousin Leslie in Chicago. In September of 1921, Carrie received a postcard from
In September of 1937, Mrs. Alice Sherrard was living in Spokane, Washington – the lovely city between the Selkirk Mountains and the foothills of the
This postcard illustration of Commandment IX was copyright by the Rose Company in 1908. Printed in the United States, the postcard was not mailed. Like
At a recent meeting of the local Postcard Club, I found this illustration of the Commandment, “Thou Shalt Not Kill”. I have seen other examples
The Church of the Transfiguration was founded as an Anglo-Catholic parish of the Episcopal Church in 1849. Built in a Early English Neo-Gothic Style, the
Miss Julia Knorr lived in Poughkeepsie, the Hudson River city and town halfway between New York City and Albany, New York. Poughkeepsie is an old
Robert and Josie O’Hara lived in Los Angeles. In December of 1921, the O’Hara family received a Christmas postcard from “the Dyes”. The postcard was
Mrs. Sarah Eldridge lived in Plainfield, a village on the DuPage River in northeastern Illinois. In the 19th century, the village supplied lumber and other
During the recent days of record-breaking heat, one might become envious of the early twentieth-century travelers who sought the summer comfort of alpine regions. In
Miss Ada Brubaker lived in Mount Nebo, a populated place in southwest Lancaster County. It is not far from the Holtwood Dam on the Susquehanna
Before South Dakota became a state, a group of Presbyterian leaders founded a college in Pierre. In 1883, this was the first college to grant
Bessie lived in Hazlehurst, a small city south of Jackson, the capital of Mississippi. (Hazlehurst was developed as a stop on the Jackson-New Orleans Railroad,
Ruth Yocum lived in Temple, which was once a borough in Berks County, PA, but was disincorporated in the 1990’s. The small community is now
There have been successive entertainment palaces constructed on the edge of Utah’s Great Salt Lake. The first and the most splendid was erected in 1893;
Tellings stories from the past.