My Favorite Postcards

Philadelphia

Rocky
The character who represents the courageous spirit of th great City of Philadelphia and the Brotherhood of its People.

The Rocky Statue, sculpted by A. Thomas Schomberg, is titles "Thunder in the Heart" and found at the Spectrum in the heart of Philly's Sports Complexes.

This postcard is postmarked in 2015.

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Before the movie Rocky III, released on May 28, 1982, Stallone commissioned A. Thomas Schomberg to create a bronze statue of Rocky.  It was installed atop the steps for the filming of Rocky III and was ultimately relocated at the bottom of the steps.

Fort Necessity
Fort Necessity National Battlefield along U.S. 40 southeast of Uniontown, Pennsylvania, at Farmington, abounds in history of the French and Indian War.  George Washington hurriedly built the stockade at Great Meadows with a small cabin inside for first aid station and storage of ammunition, for defense agains the approaching French.  Pictured also is the Visitor Center and a military camp scene which is part of the summer programs presented for visitors.

This postcard is unused and was printed in 1989.

History of the Liberty Bell

Originally ordered to commemorate the 50th year of Pennsylvania under Penn's Charter of 1701, the bell was cast by Thomas Lister of London.  Arriving here in 1752 with an inscription from the Old Testament.

"Proclaim Liberty throughout all the land unto all the inhabitants thereof"

The bell was to hang in the tower of the Pennsylvania State House, later known as Independence Hall.  Cracked during testing, it was melted and recast by two Philadelphia foundry-men, Pass and Stow.

On July 4, 1776, the Newly written Declaration of Independence was read to the Continental Congress in the State House.   Four days later the bell was rung to alert the people to the public reading of the Declaration.

The Liberty Bell's traditional association with the events of the American Revolution and its prophetic "Proclaim Liberty" inscription, have made it the most cherished and revered symbol of American Freedom.

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
The Birthplace of Liberty

The Liberty Bell in the Liberty Bell Pavilion on Independence Mall.

This unused postcard is from 2011.

Jumonville
The Cross of Christ erected in 1950 on Dunbar's Knob at the Jumonville United Methodist Training Center, 3 miles north of U.S. Rt. 40, east of Uniontown, Pennsylvania.  The 60-foot steel cross is visible from 7 counties and 3 states within a 50-mile radius on a clear day.

Color Photo by Bron Miller.

This unused postcard was printed in 1988.

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Thousands of Sunday School children contributed dimes to help build the cross, and their names are sealed in the 183-ton concrete foundation. It was fabricated by Moore Metal Works of Greensburg, and erected on August 26, 1950.

Institute of American Deltiology
300 West Main Avenue
Myerstown, Pennsylvania  17067

The Institute of American Deltiology was privately incorporated December 28, 1993 as a research center, library and gallery for the study, display and use of picture postcards as documents of American history, art, and culture.  Donald R. Brown, founder, is shown standing outside the Institute in 2003, sixty years after starting to collect on August 20, 1943.  A library of books, journals, club bulletins, news clippings and slides supports the Institute's postcard collections.  The IAD is located in a modified classical revival structure in the vernacular built in 1848-49 by Thomas Bassler, an entrepreneur along Pennsylvania's Union Canal.

Photo 2003 Anthony L. Lezzi

This postcard is unused, but is autographed, .....  Best Wishes, Donald R. Brown.

Fallingwater

Fallingwater, famed architectural masterpiece of Frank Lloyd Wright, located at Bear Run near Ohiopyle, Pennsylvania.  Built for Edgar J. Kaufman in 1936, this mountain home is a cantilevered structure, perched on a rock ledge above a 30-foot waterfall.  The house is now owned by Western Pennsylvania Conservancy.

Color Photo by Richard C. Miller

This postcard is unused.  

"All Seasons"
Covered bridges are scattered all throughout Pennsylvania.  Often they are referred to as the kissing bridge.

Photo by Steve Witmer

This postcard is unused.

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Pennsylvania has around 200 covered bridges. Many of them are over 150 years old.

Col. Edwin L. Drake
Titusville, Pennsylvania

The Original Drake Well
Aug. 27, 1859

unused

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The Drake Well is a 69.5-foot (21.2 m) deep oil well in Pennsylvania. The well is the centerpiece of the Drake Well Museum located 3 miles (4.8 km) south of Titusville.

Drilled by Edwin Drake in 1859, along the banks of Oil Creek, it is the first commercial oil well in the United States. The Well was listed on National Register of Historic Places and designated a National Historic Landmark in 1966. It was designated a Historic Mechanical Engineering Landmark in 1979. And it was designated a National Historic Chemical Landmark on August 27, 2009, on the sesquicentennial of the strike.

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"Peewee"
Land of Little Horses - Gettysburg, Pennsylvania
(Miniature Appaloosa)
A versatile performer in the show arena, Peewee is well known for his jumping ability and solving mathematical problems.

Both of these postcards are unused.

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Land of Little Horses is a hands-on interactive Farm Park with numerous farm animals. There are many performing animals that you can get up close and personal with.  There is also play areas, a Western Town, Educational Displays, and Special Events.

Surpassing the Greatest Buildings and Memorials of Earth
The White Star Line's New Triple-screw Steamers

"Olympic" "Titanic"
Largest and Finest in the World
(See Over)

the back reads:

Interesting Comparisons
read from left to right

1. Bunker Hill Monument, Boston - - 221 Feet High
2. Public Buildings, Philadelphia  - - 534 Feet High
3.  Washington Monument, Washington - - 555 Feet High
4. Metropolitan Tower, New York - - 700 Feet High
5. New Woolworth Bldg, New York - - 750 Feet High
6. White Star Line's Triple Screw Steamers Olympic and Titanic - - 882 1/2 Feet Long
7. Cologne Cathedral, Cologne, Germany - - 516 Feet High
8. Grand Pyramid, Gizeh, Africa - - 451 Feet High
9. St. Peter's Church, Rome, Italy - - 448 Feet High

This postcard is a pre-sinking Advertising Titanic / Olympic postcard

 State Capitol, Harrisburg, PA
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***Make sure to read till the end of the description!

Phillies, Philadelphia

Citizen Bank Park,  home of the Philadelphia Phillies opened to delighted fans in April of 2004.  Not your average ballpark, this exciting new stadium packs an unrivalled entertainment punch.  It boasts real grass, state-of the art technology, angled seating, rooftop bleachers and Philadelphia culinary delicacies galore.  moose can run 35 miles per hour and can easily swim 10 miles.

Photo: David Schofield
2010.

And yes, the last line of the postcard is written on the card, just like I wrote it here!!  Most 'error' cards are pretty small, this one is fantastic!  In 2011 I was able to purchase another one of these postcards, this time with no error.  

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

"The World's Largest Pinball Machine"
The world's largest pinball machine invites visitors to start a billiard ball on a roller coaster course.  The ball sets other parts of the machine into motion, demonstrating many transformations of mechanical energy and a delightful chain of physical events.

unused - from 1978

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The Franklin Institute (named after the noted American scientist and statesman Benjamin Franklin) is a museum in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and one of the oldest centers of science education and development in the United States, dating to 1824.

Little Round Top - Gettysburg, PA

The 44th New York Infantry under command of Colonel James C. Rice occupied this strategic site on Little Round Top July 2nd and 3rd 1863. This monument was dedicated July 3, 1893.

Photo by Laverne Louey in 1999

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Little Round Top is the smaller of two rocky hills south of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. It was the site of an unsuccessful assault by Confederate troops against the Union left flank on July 2, 1863, the second day of the Battle of Gettysburg.

The Battle of Gettysburg, fought July 1–3, 1863, was the battle with the largest number of casualties in the American Civil War and is often described as the war's turning point.

Hershey Rose Garden and Hotel Hershey
Hershey, Pa.

The Pool of the Hershey Rose Garden reflects the various colors of the Roses of the World, and the attractive surroundings. The Hershey Rose Garden contains more than 38,000 rose plants of over 850 distinct varieties, in bloom from June to frost time.

postmarked in 1959 with a 3 cent 'In God We Trust' Liberty stamp

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Today Hershey Gardens is a 23 acre botanical garden and arboretum. It is set on top of pat's hill overlooking Hersheypark. It was built as a gift from chocolate magnate Milton S. Hershey for his community and to honor his wife, Catherine.


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Here is what provided him the means to do that ....

East View, Hershey Chocolate Corp., Hershey, Pennsylvania

The Hershey Chocolate Corporation is the world's largest chocolate and cocoa plant.  625,000 pounds of chocolate is manufactured daily.  Between 60,000 and 75,000 gallons of milk are used daily in addition to cocoa beans and sugar to make the various products.

unused

Antiquarian Holographica

The LASER: 50 Years in the Arts & Sciences 1960-2010

A Hologtram commemorative from Antiquarian Holographica
visit: holoworld . com

Frank DeFreitas Holography
Antiquarian Holographica Collection
815 West Allen Street
Allentown, Pennsylvania 18102
USA

Antiquarian Holographica is about the collection, appreciation, and scholarly study of late - 20th century printed ephemera as it relates to holography. As such, it celebrates the scientific, artistic, social and cultural history of this Nobel prize-winning field.

This postcard commemorates the 50th anniversary of the invention of the LASER.

postmarked in 2010 with a 28 cent stamp

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This postcard was sent to me from an unknown person from my postcard blog.

Whoever it was I say Thank you! The hologram of King Tutankhamun in the center is so vivid I want to put my hand behind the card and grab the image to pick it up! If you go to the website on the card you can buy these 3-D laser hologram postcards.

(The actual image goes from gold to green and then to red.)

Flower Bed and Reptile House, Zoological Gardens, Philadelphia, Pa.

The Zoological Garden is located in Fairmount Park on the west side of the Schuylkill River, stretching over 33 acres. It contains a large collection of wild animals, birds and reptiles from all over the world.

This is postmarked in 1948.

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The Philadelphia Zoo is now 42-acres with victorian gardens and is home to more than 1300 animals, many of them rare and endangered.

I LOVE the difference in the surroundings and the house itself between 1918 and 2007! -


Betsy Ross House, Philadelphia, Pa. (Pennsylvania)

Betsy Ross House where the first American Flag was made. located on Arch near Third Street.

postmarked in 1918 with 2 cent stamp

Greetings from Historic Philadelphia Pennsylvania -
One of Philadelphia's most famous historic sites is the Betsy Ross House, located at 239 Arch St. -
Photo: Ronald Monteleon -
postmarked in 2007 with 26 cent 'wild cat' stamp

The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
"The Keystone State"
Founded in 1681, one of the original thirteen American colonies.  Area: 45,333 square miles; Capital: Harrisburg; Population over 13,000,000 (1985 estimate).

This is postmarked in 1988 with 15 cent Buffalo Bill Cody stamp.