
“Fitness Training at Sunday School” – Reminder Postcard (circa 1920)
The New Testament offers many analogies to describe the habits, duties, and aspirations of those who seek the Kingdom of God. In the Epistle of
The New Testament offers many analogies to describe the habits, duties, and aspirations of those who seek the Kingdom of God. In the Epistle of
So much freight was moved by railroads during the early 20th century that a job category of “Expressman” (originally, the security guard for gold, currency,
The Dutch were the first Europeans to settle in the Hudson River Valley, and the town of Kingston was one of the earliest towns. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_the_Hudson_Valley
Mrs. Watson Ryan lived in North Brook, a neighborhood that is now a National Historic District in Chester County of southeast Pennsylvania. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Northbrook_Historic_District North Brook never
There is no shortage of stories about religious innovation, enthusiasm, and awakenings in the history of the United States. Other postcard stories have touched on
This postcard was not mailed, so the provenance cannot be established clearly. It is in the style of souvenir postcards published circa 1910-1920, but I
Mrs. L. Bowers (Bowerers?) lived in Effingham, a city in south-central Illinois. Effingham was an important conjunction of highways and railroads. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Effingham,_Illinois In October of
In other postcard stories, we have discussed how railroad companies promoted the National Parks and the country’s natural wonders. The featured postcard photograph of Mount
One can infer much about the wealth of a city by looking at the architectural records of public buildings. In the early twentieth century, the
Miss Mary B. Meyers lived in New Bloomfield, a borough of Perry County in central Pennsylvania. The borough was named for fields of clover that
Daniel Boone was born in 1733, one year after the birth of George Washington. (Often confused with Davy Crockett- who lived a more than generation
Sometime around 1920, Harry and Sally were on a trip to western Pennsylvania. In June, they mailed a postcard to Miss Ella Blankenbiller in West
The Stevens House was a landmark tavern, hotel, and dining establishment on the first paved roads running through the city of Lancaster, PA. When the
The Singer Building, home of the world’s largest manufacturer of sewing machines, was the world’s tallest building for a brief period of 1908-1909. Located in
In 1775, John Andrew Shulze was born in the parsonage of the Lutheran Church near Stouchsburg, a Pennsylvania-German community of Berks County (now, Lebanon County)
One of the glories of Pennsylvania is its history of offering refuge and sanctuary to religious nonconformists, dissenters, and visionaries of many kinds. Among the
Mrs. Marzella Allshouse lived in Brackenridge, a borough along the Allegheny River near Pittsburgh, PA. In 1930, there was a large glass-making industry in the
The Rev. Aaron Burtis Hunter and his wife, Sarah Lothrop Taylor, were notable representatives of the Episcopal Church and distinguished for their collecting of antiquarian
One is accustomed to seeing images of buffalo (or bison) across the Great Plains of the United States; we may forget how widely these large
The oldest church in Richmond, this parish was formed from the consolidation of smaller parishes as the city replaced Williamsburg as the center of political
It is very unfortunate that the two winsome children, whom I assume are a brother and sister, are not named. The picture appears to have
Like motivational posters of the late 20th century (or the inspirational memes of today), mottos and quotations were popular themes of postcard illustration in the
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
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
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
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,
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
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;
When I was a child, one could still be impressed by the various ships anchored or in repair at the Philadelphia Navy Yard. The enormous
A few weeks ago, we read about the “Overland Express” – the famed train from San Francisco to Chicago.One feature of that historic route was
I have many postcards from the early 20th century that celebrate literary heroes. Longfellow, Whittier, Emerson, Louisa Mae Alcott, Harriet Beecher Stowe – each were
This postcard photograph lacks any indication of time or place; the identities of the women are also unrecorded. They are dressed similarly, and have some
For those who grew up reading the stories of Laura Ingalls Wilder, the town of Malone, New York is remembered as the childhood home of
One forgets how important iron ore was to the growth and development of eastern Pennsylvania. Although the much larger and deeper deposits of iron ore
The largest swimming pool in Pennsylvania, at 1.5 million gallons of water, opened to the public in 1912. This hand-colored photograph was printed circa 1920.
Sarah Gives a Christmas Postcard to Mrs. Emma Stroman -circa 1920 About 1920, Mrs. Emma Stroman was living in Lancaster, PA. Her home was at
Rip Van Winkle Driven Away – illustration circa 1920 In the story by Washington Irving, the shiftless Rip Van Winkle is driven from his home
Market Square, Manheim, circa 1920 This hand-colored postcard photograph was made about 1920. The postcard, not mailed, was printed by N.A. Trimmer of Lititz and
Birthplace of Joseph Heister – Fifth Governor of Pennsylvania I confess that, despite my mandatory High School course in Pennsylvania history, I did not recall
Edith Gets to Lancaster – Circa 1920 I am not sure what joke underlies Edith’s trip to Lancaster, but she alludes to one when she
“The Huckster Has No Apples” – Woodbine in 1920 Mrs. Robert Atkins lived in Woodbine, and she was eager to obtain some apples. Sometime in
Tellings stories from the past.