Yeoman Warder

Uncirculated

Printed by John Wright and Sons, Ltd.

Postcard Caption:

Yeoman Warder, Tower of London
(from a painting by Miss Heather Perry)

Queen's Guard, Tower of London

Although I loved visiting the Tower of London and learning about its history, I did not take a picture of a Yeoman Warder. Their role is ceremonial, with the Ceremony of the Keys a primary responsibility. For the past 700 years, the Ceremony of the Keys has marked the nightly locking and securing of the Tower's gate. Of course, there was a time the guards watched prisoners and kept the crown jewels safe from theft.

She Must Have Had Very Little Modesty

Postmarked 20 July 1948
Hopewell, Virginia

Postcard Caption:

Pocahontas Basin, Located in Central Park, Peersburg, Va. / A traditional historic shrine located in Central Park, Pocahontas is said to have used this basin for bathing.

Postcard Message:

Hi 10 yr old - almost a grandma - an old lady! How'd you like to take a bath like Pocahontas? She must have had very little modesty, since the "tub" in in the middle of a park. It looks like a whip-pow-will sitting on her nest to me. GUESS HOO! (I set Initials - bet you can't find 'em - look under things.)

Grinnell Glacier and Josephine Lake

Uncirculated

Published by Natural Color Postcard

Postcard Caption:

Front: Grinnell Glacier and Josephine Lake, Glacier National Park - 1

Back: Leaving Many-Glacier Hotel, one travels the perimeter of Swiftcurrent Lake and crosses the promontory separating Swiftcurrent Lake and lake Josephine, then to the north shore of Lake Josephine to the had of the lake, then up a series of switchbacks above beautiful Grinnell Lake, and eventually comes out on Grinnell Glacier at an elevation of 7,000 feet, overlooking the entire Swiftcurrent and Boulder Ridge country to the South.

Someone was very wordy!

Grinnell Glacier has experienced significant melt due to climate change:

I would like to visit Glacier National Park one day!

First Electric Light

Uncirculated
Published by E. Madciff

Postcard caption:

The Edison Hotel at Fourth and Market Sts., stands on the location on which Thomas A. Edison illuminated the first building in the world with incandescent electric light. The plaque at the entrance to the hotel tells the story.

According to the Interweb, the installation was successfully demonstrated on July 4, 1883 at Sunbury's City Hotel. In honor of the event, the hotel was renamed the Edison Hotel.

Sunbury's History

The Hotel Edison today:


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Happy National Postal Workers Day!

July 1 is National Postal Workers Day! I love and appreciate my postman (who is a man) and am delighted every day when I go to the box and find postcards or magazines.

The Smithsonian Library has posted a blog entry about the day filled with historical information about postal carriers. For example, Abraham Lincoln, William McKinley, and Harry S. Truman were all employees of the U.S. Postal Service before becoming President.

You can find a video about the day on the Stamp of Approval blog.

Remember to be kind to your postal delivery person and support the post office!