Abraham Lincoln grew up as the son of a poor, subsistence farmer.
Kentucky had no reason to claim him before his extraordinary political career and martyrdom – indeed, Kentucky, as a Border State, had a substantial number of citizens who bitterly opposed Lincoln during the Civil War..
Nevertheless, by the beginning of the 20th century, the reverence that the nation held for Lincoln was demonstrated in Kentucky.
The farm on which Lincoln was born became a shrine, and a tourist destination.
(The National Park Service now administers this site which includes two farms – where Lincoln was born and where he spent most of his childhood.)
Sometime in the 1920’s, Mabel S. Boyd was on “a wonderful trip”.
The travelers sent a postcard to Mrs. J. W. Snyder of Big Pool, Maryland.
The postcard features an illustration of a stone-walled spring at the Lincoln Farm in Hodgenville, Kentucky.
The souvenir postcard was published by Smith Drug Company of Hodgenville.
On the reverse, Mabel and Boyd discuss the problem of a card that Dan sent to Elaine.
(I believe Dan is the husband of Mabel.)
Elaine may be related to the Snyders, as she is residing also in Big Pool.
Unfortunately, Dan addressed the card to “Clear Springs”.
Dan will ask his sister, Bess, to forward the card to the correct Big Pool address when it is returned to him.
One hopes that Mabel and Boyd enjoyed the remainder of their trip and returned safely to their home.
We may also hope that Mrs. Snyder enjoyed the Lincoln souvenir, that Bess forwarded the postcard to Elaine, and that Dan would use the correct address in future mailings.
