My Favorite Postcards

Did You Know?
Chalmette Battlefield
New Orleans

Chalmette was the location of what is often called The Battle of New Orleans, where United States forces under Colonel Andrew Jackson defeated the British in 1815.  The battlefield is preserved as a national monument, and a military cemetery is adjacent.  On 29 August 2005, the enormous 25-foot storm surge from Hurricane Katrina completely destroyed Chalmette.  Fortunately the majority of the population evacuated shortly before the storm hit, but there was still some loss of life for many who had not gotten out.  Chalmette National Cemetery is a 17.5-acre site that was once the battleground of the Battle for New Orleans.  It is the burial place for 15,300 veterans of military campaigns from the Revolutionary War to the Vietnam War.

This postcard was postmarked in 2019.

The Grave of the Poet
William Shakespeare
1564 - 1616
Holy Trinity Church, Stratford-upon-Avon, England

The curse set in stone upon the grave of William Shakespeare

Good frend for Iesvs sake forbeare,
To digg the dvst encloased heare.
Bleste be ye man yt spares thes stones,
And cvrst be he yt moves my bones.

Modern spelling:
"Good friend, for Jesus' sake forbear,"
"To dig the dust enclosed here."
"Blessed be the man that spares these stones,"
"And cursed be he who moves my bones."

This is postmarked in 2011 with a great Britain stamp.

Postcards by Rick Geary

The Statue of Liberty, Chrysler Building, Empire State Building and the other great buildings in New York at the grave of the Twin Towers, 1973 - 2001.

Michaelskapelle mit Beinhaus: Gebeine von etwa 2000 Oppenheimer Burgern aus den Jahren 1400 bis 1750

Oppenheim am Rhein
Michaelskapelle mit Beinhaus an der Katharinenkirche

Translation from German:

Michael chapel with an ossuary: bones of about 2000 Oppenheim citizens from the years 1400 to 1750

Oppenheim on the Rhein River
Michael chapel with an ossuary at St. Catherine's Church

postmarked in 2013 with two Germany stamps

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An ossuary is a chest, building, well, or site made to serve as the final resting place of human skeletal remains. They are frequently used where burial space is scarce. A body is first buried in a temporary grave, then after some years the skeletal remains are removed and placed in an ossuary. The greatly reduced space taken up by an ossuary means that it is possible to store the remains of many more people in a single tomb than if the original coffins were left as is.

 

 Stary Zidovsky Hrbitov

Old Jewish Cemetery of Prague

zalozen v l. pol. 15 stol.
( founded in the mid-15th century.)

postmarked in 2012 with a 'Jana Kaspara' Czech Republic stamp

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The Old Jewish Cemetery lies in the Josefov, the Jewish Quarter of Prague in the Czech Republic. It was in use from the early 15th century (the oldest preserved tombstone, the one of Avigdor Kara, dates back to 1439) until 1787. Its ancestor was a cemetery called "The Jewish Garden", which was found in archaeological excavations under the Vladislavova street, New Town.

The numbers of grave stones and numbers of people buried there are uncertain, because there are layers of tombs. However, it has been estimated that there are approximately 12,000 tombstones presently visible, and there may be as many as 100,000 burials in all.

Bone Pile, Cuban Cemetery

This postcard is unused.

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From what I read on the computer was that when someone was buried, they had to pay every so many years to stay buried.  Once you didn't pay, the remains were dug up and thrown in the bone pit.  Soldiers used to climb in and pick up bones to make a 'skull and cross bones' and take pictures.  (Like you see above).  Then one General ordered it to stop and the pit be covered. I read that this was done in other countries as well many many years ago.

 Tombstone, Arizona

"The Town Too Tough To Die"
The Famous Crystal Palace
The oldest continuously operated bar in Arizona.  Operated 24 hours a day from 1881 until prohibition in 1914.  in the 80's and early 90's, it ran as a bar and gambling house with booths in the rear for ladies.  Through its doors have passed all the famous characters of the southwest.  Operated by Walter Lombardi who was born and raised in Tombstone, it still retains the hospitality and friendliness of the old west.

Kodachrome by Hughart
unused
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Welcome to Tombstone and Boothill Graveyard
Approaching from the west the visitor is greeted by this sign.  It names several of the early west's bad men who "died with their boots on," and are buried in Boothill along with other good law abiding citizens.  Boothill Graveyard is visited by thousands of tourists at all seasons of the year.

Kadachrome by Hughart
unused
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Tom McLaury, Frank McLaury, and Billy Clanton, killed in the O.K. Corral shootout, are buried in the town's Boot Hill cemetery. "Boot Hill" refers to the number of men who died with their boots on. Among a number of pioneer Boot Hill cemeteries in the Old West, Boot Hill in Tombstone is among the most well-known. Marshal Fred White, killed by Curly Bill Brocius, is also among the approximately 300 people buried there.

Among the most well-known markers belongs to Lester Moore. He was a Wells, Fargo & Co. station agent in the Mexican border town of Naco, Arizona Territory. One afternoon Hank Dunstan appeared to claim a package due him. When he got it, he found it thoroughly mangled. The two men argued, and then both Moore and Dunstan drew their weapons. Dunstan got off four shots, hitting Moore in the chest with his .44 caliber revolver. Dunstan was mortally wounded with a hole through his ribs by the single shot Moore had squeezed off. Les Moore was buried in Boot Hill, and his famous tombstone epitaph remains an attraction in the cemetery:

HERE LIES LESTER MOORE, FOUR SLUGS FROM A 44, NO LES NO MORE
The cemetery is one of the city's most popular tourist attractions.

In Loving Memory of Wallace Henry, the Beloved Son of Albion and Elizabeth Hartley, formerly of Colne,  who lost his life in the S. S. Titanic Disaster on April 15th, 1912, aged 33 years and was interred on May 18th 1912.

This unused real photo postcard is of his grave in the Colne, UK Cemetery.

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Wallace Henry Hartley (2 June 1878 – 15 April 1912) was an English violinist and bandleader on the RMS Titanic on its maiden voyage. He became famous for leading the eight member band as the ship sank on 15 April 1912.

Indian Graveyard on Madeline Island
La Pointe, Wisconsin

One of the many interesting landmarks on Madeline Island, is the old Indian graveyard, where the burial sites are covered and protected by roofed shelters, and surrounded by tiny weathered picket fences. A bronze tablet marks the site of Treaty Hall, where the peace pact between the Ojibways and the United States was finally signed.

This postcard was postmarked in 1990 with 15 cent 'Buffalo Bill Cody' stamp.