Mrs. Inez E. Bickford lived in East Dixmont, one of the communities comprising Dixmont, Maine This area of steep hills in south-central Maine was once
Miss Hattie Dale lived in Grand Rapids, a center of industry and commerce – and of the Dutch Reformed Church. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grand_Rapids,_Michigan In August of 1909,
Sometime around 1908, Master Roy Brown received a postcard from his friend, Frieda. We know that Roy was a boy; that the address includes the
This postcard, although mailed in April, features a winter scene of friendly animals. An original drawing, on the face, depicts a shaggy donkey attending to
Sometime around 1910, Inez presented to Ward a postcard in celebration of Washington’s Birthday. On the face, a large hatchet is framed by cherries –
Miss Mary Stehman lived in Rohrerstown, a vibrant community a few miles west of Lancaster, PA. https://roadsidethoughts.com/pa/rohrerstown-xx-lancaster-profile.htm On St. Patrick’s Day, in a year near
I have added this postcard illustration of balloons to the section on “Transportation” because the postcard represents the enormous public curiosity about airships that existed
In other postcard stories, we have looked at the role of railroads in the promotion of natural wonders – especially in National Parks. This linen
This whimsical postcard greeting was exchanged between friends in communities of northern Lancaster County, PA. In March of 1922, Miss Jennie Sweigart was celebrating a
Miss Mary Bickford lived in Brooks, a town in south central Maine. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brooks,_Maine Mary had celebrated a birthday, but had not received a greeting from
Young Harold Jackman lived in Chicago, Illinois. On April 2, 1915, Harold received a postcard from Julius Baum. Julius may be a neighbor, as the
L. C. Hyde lived in Lowell, Michigan, within the household of Will Condon. (We met members of the Condon family in an earlier postcard story,
The newspapers of William Randolph Hearst printed postcards as inducements to subscribers. (Earlier postcard stories related to newspaper postcards which depicted the San Francisco Earthquake,
Readers of these Postcard Stories are well-aware of my nostalgic love of railroads. This postcard image shows a painting of Union Station in Chicago from
This postcard was not mailed, but I am sharing it because it reflects so well the popular enthusiasm for aircraft of all kinds in the
Mrs. Abram Herr lived in Parkesburg, the charming village that one sees from the windows of Amtrak trains crossing Chester County in southeast Pennsylvania. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parkesburg,_Pennsylvania
This postcard puts us in the middle of a family drama – of which we know very little. In October of 1911, Lillian sends a
Several nations have land within the Arctic Circle, where the tilt of the earth enables illumination by the sun at midnight for six months of
In earlier postcard stories, we looked at examples of the ways US railroad companies promoted the National Parks. Here is another example of how the
Mrs. J. S. Barnes lived in Marlowe, an unincorporated community Berkeley County of West Virginia. Marlowe is at the easternmost point of West Virginia, very
Mr. C. Zimmerman lived in Spring Grove, a community that was not served by a local Post Office since 1895. Based on business names that
Ruby Baker lived in Winchester, a village in southwest Ohio. Winchester was built on a trail to Cincinnati, 13 miles to the east. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Winchester,_Adams_County,_Ohio Sometime
We met “Auntie Smith” in another postcard story. Mrs. Margaret Smith lived on Madison Street in Wilmington. In 1907, she reached her 100th birthday, and
Mrs. Margaret Smith lived on Madison Street in Wilmington. In 1907, she reached her 100th birthday, and her many friends and fellow-parishioners celebrated with a
I do not know if Christian Moyer was exceptionally handsome, good-natured, or kind-hearted, but I know that he received many postcards during his life. In
Ralph S. Clark lived in Academy Corners, a settlement in Tioga County of north-central Pennsylvania. In 1913, the village was served by two railroad lines
In October of 1920, Miss Theresa Bittinger received a postcard invitation to Rally Day at her church in Biglerville. Biglerville is a borough of Adams
Miss Virginia Bugbee lived in Perry, a town on the St. Croix River in east-central Maine. Although the community began as a trading post in
Miss Edna Marquette lived in Douglasville, the oldest settlement of Europeans in Berks County, Pennsylvania. (A very long time ago, we looked at postcard stories
Mrs. C. H. Nesbit lived in Lewisburg, the lovely city on the west branch of the Susquehanna River in Union County of central Pennsylvania. Lewisburg
This comic postcard has some uncomfortable “edges” for contemporary readers. The face of the postcard depicts an older woman with an array of items related
I don’t believe that the community of Elizabethtown is a hotbed of broken promises; postcards like this one were purchased by printers who affixed a
In December of 1911, Amos was working in New Castle – a city in central Indiana, about 44 miles northeast of Indianapolis on the Big
The American newspaper empire of William Randolph Hearst published this postcard illustration of a quintessential English event, the Fox hunt. Although fox hunting is now
This postcard drawing depicts an idyllic scene of a solitary figure fishing in a lush, rural landscape. Although there is no indication of publisher and
Three Rivers is a small city in southern Michigan; the settlement grew up where the Portage River and the Rocky River flow into the St.
Master Hilman Hendrickson lived in Imlaystown, now an unincorporated community of Monmouth County, in east- central New Jersey. (Imlaystown, founded in 1690, once dominated the
Sometime around 1905, Master Edwin Fox was living in Reading, PA. Young Edwin was given a postcard by his Aunt Mary. We don’t know if
Mrs. Cynthia Holmes lived in Baraboo, a city on the Baraboo River in south-central Wisconsin. Proximity to the Baraboo and Wisconsin Rivers, and the Chicago
Miss Maudie Swartzlander lived in Globe Mills, a center of flour manufacturing in Snyder County of central Pennsylvania. (A grist mill for grinding local grain
Robert was in New York City, and he seems to have an important job that required him to be “on duty”. We do not know
Mrs. B. H. Baker lived in Ashtabula Harbor, a neighborhood within the port city of Ashtabula on LakeErie. (Ashtabula is in the extreme northeast corner
Miss Mildred Adams lived in Peoria, now an unincorporated community in central Ohio. Peoria had a post office from 1872 -1967; in the early years
Mayme lived in New Salem, a city near Bismarck in south-central North Dakota. (New Salem has been a center of dairy production since its founding
This is a confusing postcard; the face proclaims, “Greetings from Vale, Oregon”, but the postmark is from Orth, Texas. The message on the reverse helps
Mrs. Melissa Shelly lived in Davenport, a hamlet in central New York State. (Davenport is east of Otego and Oneonto which were noted in earlier
We met Hampton Pullis in an earlier postcard story; he had received a postcard greeting from his Uncle John. In January of 1911 Hampton was
This patriotic postcard featuring a battle of the Revolutionary War was presented to a schoolchild in Lancaster County, PA. (We met the student, Benjamin Stauffer,
The area of Mineral Springs, in Reading, has a fascinating history. A textile mill was established there in the very early 19th century, but it
From the beginning of the automobile age, Americans also embraced the “road trip”. Early automobile associations were founded to promote “Good Roads” – indeed, the
Before the age of railroads, canals were the engines of trade and economic growth. They were the first large-scale infrastructure investments in the United States.
This early souvenir postcard from Niagara Falls contains a surprising memorial to Captain Matthew Webb. Webb was born in 1848 to an English surgeon and
Mrs. N. D. Wright was living in Detroit, Michigan when she received a postcard from a friend who was traveling through Norfolk, Virginia. I cannot
Miss Florence Dahm lived in Kinderhook, a lovely town in the Hudson Valley of New York State. As the name suggests, the town was first
Mr. Semons was in the army, and stationed at Fort Riley in north-central Kansas. The large Army Base had been established in the mid-19th century
Views of the RR bridge at the old Water Works for Lancaster, PA are not rare, but I recently found this night view that I
In December of 1925, William Dutton received a postcard greeting at his home in Harrisburg, PA. The postcard was mailed from Norfolk, Virginia by Chas.
We may have forgotten that the blimp or zeppelin was once a contender as a mode of international travel, rivaling the airplane. The Empire State
This long sliver of wilderness, along the Shenandoah River between ridges of the Blue Ridge Mountains, was created as a National Park by Franklin Roosevelt
For this hot Sunday in August, a refreshing view of Mount Eccles in southern Alaska. This peak is the highest in the range of mountains
Mr. Melvin Lackley was visiting Harbert, a beautiful beach area on Lake Michigan – about 70 miles from Chicago. Melvin left his mother at home
Because most of them have disappeared, the sanitarium is not well-known to most people today. In the early 20th century, tuberculosis or “consumption” was a
Norfolk has been an important port city since the beginning of the 18th century; it hosts the largest naval base in the world and is
This hand-colored postcard was published by a firm (Valentine’s) in Dublin, circa 1910. The illustration is one of a series of scenes from Valentine’s, which
With the arrival of Autumn, many Protestant Churches planned a “Rally Day” to celebrate the beginning of the Sunday School year. Dick Brown lived in
This phrase from “the Lord’s Prayer” reflects the longing and the aching of many people who hope to see the world set aright. I am
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
Miss Susanna Ramsey lived near Gap, a community in eastern Lancaster County, Pennsylvania.in Gap was named for a pass through the Nickel Mountain ridge. The
In December of 1907, Miss Elsie Martin lived outside of Hanover, PA (Rural Free Delivery Route #4). Hanover is a prosperous town in York County,
On July 4, we recall the noble aspirations of our nation. We don’t always live up to the high standards we espouse, but we are
Miss Luella McDonald lived in Hastings, a city in south-central Nebraska. Hastings had grown up around the juncture of two railroad lines, but experienced a
There were an estimated four billion chestnut trees in the US at the turn of the 20th century. The nut was a source of food
Miss Rachel Morton lived in Oxford, the lovely borough in Chester County that was a center of industry before the slow demise of the railroads
Alice Cleaver lived in York Springs, a resort community in Adams County. (We met Alice in an earlier postcard story about attending the York Fair.)
We met Annie Robidou in earlier postcard stories; Annie inspired or collected many postcard illustrations related to courtship or love. In January of 1911, Annie
In January of 1909, Marita mailed a postcard to her friend Mayme. The postcard, printed in Germany, is embossed and gilded. Two doves greet one
This postcard relates to the advertising strategy of Wilson & Company, once one of the largest corporations in the US. The company began as the
Mrs. Lula M. Rucker lived in Salisbury, a small city of about 1800 citizens in north central Missouri. The town was booming at the end
Belle was at sea on April 16 when she composed a postcard to Helen (Mrs. Samuel Weiss) of Philadelphia. The postcard, printed in the United
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 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
In August of 1924, Alice K. (presumably, Alice Knox) was visiting York, PA. Alice was traveling with Mr. and Mrs. Lidiger (?) and family. The
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
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 Osborne had six more weeks of teaching in the school year at Rose Hill, Iowa. Rose Hill is a very small city (population 157)
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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;
Oklahoma was admitted to the Union in November of 1907. Sometime thereafter, this postcard was printed in celebration of that milestone. Unfortunately, the card lacks
The Knickerbocker Hotel was built by John Jacob Astor IV at the corner of 42nd Street and Broadway between 1901 and 1906.This area is now
In the summer of 1938, Marie attended the NEA convention in New York City and took a long road trip to return to her home,
Today, Manhattan’s primary shopping district lies in midtown; in 1900, however, shopping destinationswere further downtown, near 23rd street.The area bounded by lower Fifth Avenue, Sixth
The Trip to Munich – Germany (1932) Sometime last year, we shared an early 20th century photograph of the “Frauenkirche” – the iconic church in
Mrs. Emmer Stanley lived in Pomeroy, a small community of Chester County in southeast Pennsylvania. In the golden age of railroads, Pomeroy was the terminus
Miss Etta Pelsey was living in Saint Marys, a small city in north east Kansas. The town grew up around the mission where the US
D. Hillson was a prolific postcard illustrator of the early 20th century; hundreds of his drawings are still available for purchase from purveyors of vintage
Miss Winafred (Winifred?) Sackett lived in Ilion, a village in central New York State. The area, settled by German immigrants around 1725, prospered with the
A postcard greeting from exactly one hundred years ago. Young Henry Rohoem lived in Quarryville, Pennsylvania, a borough southeast of Lancaster. On January 5, 1922,
This comic postcard has an interesting pedigree. Douglas Tempest (born 1887) was a British illustrator and cartoonist who went on to become a pioneer in
Last year, I posted recollections of my childhood years during which we celebrated a separate birthday for Lincoln and for Washington. In Elementary School, ,
Mrs. Alice E. Frey lived in Dover, PA, a borough a few miles northwest of the city of York. In November of 1909, she received
A hundred years ago, Mrs. M. Emma Dunn lived in Reading. (Her address is 1510 Hawk Street; I cannot find that the house is still
Helen and Esther Lineaweaver may have missed their father, who was in Europe during the summer of 1937. The sisters lived in Campbelltown, an unincorporated
This comic postcard was not mailed, so we do not know if the message was intended for a particular person. It is an example of
I am astonished and envious when finding memorabilia related to the nation’s incredible transportation systems of the early 20th century. Readers of these postcard stories
Carlton Henry was living in Plattsburgh, a small community within Clark County – in west central Ohio. (The post office in Plattsburgh was closed in
We met Mrs. Eli Hess in an earlier postcard story. Mrs. Hess lived in the rural borough of New Holland, in Lancaster County of southeast
I was happy to find a Christmas postcard mailed, belatedly, on December 26. “A Friend” mailed a Christmas postcard to Lynda Zook on December 26,
Lil Explores the Mountains of Colorado – 1925 Lil was in Denver for a few days, but she was planning rail excursions into the mountains.
Tellings stories from the past.