An archive of over 1,100 early 20th-century postcards from one family. One new postcard every day.
Back — Rec’d your card, many thanks for same. how does the wea- ther strike you – to hot here for me. suppose you enjoy the sunny days latly. the writer. Bess.
Back — Friend Pearle:- Rec’d your letter and card O. K. would of ans sooner but am harvesting now and as busy I can [illegible] [illegible] Did you enjoy yourself when H. B. and E. H. were there, wish I could of been there but could not [continued on top margin:] V. H. [?] H. B. or Eva have not gone yet still is going for social.
Back — ] Mayme. ] Ans. soon as conv. My ring is real nice. [main message:] Rec’d your postal Sat. night & was glad to hear from you. How is this for warm weather? I am almost melted. I was up to Wever Sat. & Sun day night. Saw Annie & Fay [?] there too. Most everybody around here is busy threshing but we. We didn’t have any threshing to do & I’m glad of it. But wait til next yr. Oh, my.
This second real photo postcard of the Carthage Post Office shows the building from a slightly different angle than card 1089, suggesting both cards were made at around the same time by someone systematically documenting the city’s public buildings. The Carthage post office was the hub of Pearl’s correspondence — every card in this collection passed through it at some point, either arriving or departing. It processed Harvey’s railroad postcards from Fort Madison, Elva’s cards from Hawaii, Marnelle’s cards from Chicago, and Frank McMinimy’s cards from France.
The Carthage, Illinois Post Office occupied a brick building that served the city’s federal postal needs in the early twentieth century. As the county seat of Hancock County, Carthage received its federal buildings — courthouse, post office — through the same process of federal investment that gave small county seats their civic permanence. Pearl’s correspondence arrived and departed through this building for most of her life at 318 N. Fayette Street.
Back — "Hello" Pearl, Rec’d your postal, all O.K. & am "answering" "soon or sooner" as you can see. Mamie & Alda came up yesterday afternoon. Alda & I went to Harve & Mamie stayed with Verge. We stopped a-while & visited with Anne You sure can bet I cer-tainly had a fine time the 4th. I went to Burlington the next evening & to [illegible] [illegible] write soon. with love and violet. for me.
Back — ] W. J. Howell Lomax Ill Hello Pearl. How is everybody? I was over to Burlington the 4th but had a dandy time. say if you are over to La Harpe this Fall come over and see us. I should say so. I look for you to come over sure this Fall & see us. hope to see you soon. A good many of the Lomax folks are down in Okla. ] W. K. D.
Front — ] H. R. S.
Back — ] R. H.
Second Street in Fort Madison, looking west past the brick storefronts, shows the commercial center of a city that was in the middle of its industrial prime. The postcard was sent from Wever, Iowa — a small community about twenty miles upriver — and signed “H.R.S.” on the front and “R.H.” on the back. The initials H.R.S. suggest Harvey R. Sights, and if so, this card — sent in June 1908, about two years before Harvey and Pearl’s wedding — is one of several in the collection that track Harvey’s movements around the Lee County area while working on the railroad.
Back — Hello Pearle I will write you a few lines to let you know that I been sick had such a cold and sore throat couldnt speak above a whisper. good by will write more some other time. ] Julia.
Black Hawk Heights, on the Fort Madison riverfront, takes its name from the Sauk leader Black Hawk, who led his band across this stretch of the Mississippi in the spring of 1832 in what became known as the Black Hawk War — the conflict that effectively ended Native American resistance in the upper Mississippi valley. The brick building with the tall smokestack visible in the background suggests the industrial character of Fort Madison’s waterfront by 1908. Julia, writing from Burlington, had just recovered from illness and was catching Pearl up on her news.
Back — ] Here is one of the cards I told you about for the evening of the 31 of Oct. wishing you many Happy Returns, — M. S. W. C. ] m. s. w. c.
Back — Seeing lots of old friends at Homecoming going to Picnic to morrow then back to Chicago. Had a big storm here last night. love from Grandma
The Carthage Jail was built in 1839 and became, on June 27, 1844, the site of the murder of Joseph Smith, founder of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and his brother Hyrum. A mob stormed the jail, where Smith was being held on charges of treason, and shot both men. The LDS Church acquired the building in 1903 and has operated it as a historic site ever since. Grandma sent this hand-colored postcard during Homecoming in August 1938, saw lots of old friends, and mentioned a big storm the night before. The jail she photographed or purchased a card of had been standing for nearly a century and had housed the most consequential prisoner in American religious history.
Back — Just about time to hit the trail Have seen Docs. Harris & Ed Cutlers W. Nichols. Ran or Marnel & Neal just left Ray & E. Ethel got run over by a car and was in to see Dr. but he was not in they are coming back to morrow to pick up Mr. B. Horace is taking me to Guys to morrow Eve all are comfortable here well [?] but Lizzie is not any to good just now. tell you more when I get home. Love Harve
The Stone Inn in Carthage, Illinois was a two-story stone building on or near the town square — one of the older commercial structures in the city, built from the local limestone that defined early Carthage construction before brick became the dominant material. Harvey sent this real photo postcard, signing it “Love Harve.” Harvey had grown up in La Harpe and moved to Carthage when he and Pearl married in October 1910; the Stone Inn was part of the commercial geography of the town he adopted. The building’s stone construction set it apart from the later brick commercial blocks that surrounded it.
Back — Jean
The stone circular colonnade — a monopteros — at Rand Park in Keokuk is visible from some distance on the bluffs above the Mississippi. Rand Park was named for a Keokuk family whose philanthropic gifts developed the grounds in the late 19th century. The park’s elevated position made it a natural viewpoint: on a clear day, the river curves toward the Illinois shore and the distant bluffs of Missouri are visible to the southwest. Jean, writing in 1909, sent this card signed just with her name.
Back — Leota
Rand Park in Keokuk, Iowa sits on the bluffs above the Mississippi River, looking out over the foot of the Des Moines Rapids — the stretch of river that made Keokuk strategically important for generations. The city was once among the most powerful on the upper Mississippi; Samuel Clemens piloted steamboats past these bluffs in the 1850s, and Keokuk was briefly considered as a possible capital of Iowa. By 1909, when Leota sent this card, Keokuk was still a substantial city, though the completion of the Keokuk Dam in 1913 would transform both the river’s character and the town’s identity.