The Legend of the Dogwood, circa 1940

Subjects: Christianity Forests & Trees
Card type: Linen
Date: c. 1930 (White Border)

Back of The Legend of the Dogwood, circa 1940, Asheville Post Card Co., NC, USA, c. 1930 linen postcard — Back

About this postcard

A border of white dogwood blossoms on dark branches frames a central panel of text titled "The Legend of the Dogwood." The card retells the popular American folk legend that the dogwood once grew as large and strong as the oak and was chosen as the timber of the Crucifixion cross, after which Christ decreed that the tree would remain small and twisted, its four-petaled blossoms shaped like a cross and marked with nail prints and a crown of thorns. The legend is a devotional tale of the early 20th-century American South rather than an ancient tradition, and cards like this one circulated it widely.

Postcard Details

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PublisherAsheville Post Card Co.

N-660 The Legend of the DOGWOOD THERE is a legend, that at the time of the Crucifixion the dogwood had been the size of the oak and other forest trees. So firm and strong was the tree that it was chosen as the timber for the cross. To be used thus for such a cruel purpose greatly distressed the tree, and Jesus, nailed upon it, sensed this, and in His gentle pity for all sorrow and suffering said to it: "Because of your regret and pity for My suffering, never again shall the dogwood tree grow large enough to be used as a cross. Henceforth it shall be slender and bent and twisted and its blossoms shall be in the form of a cross....two long and two short petals. And in the center of the outer edge of each petal there will be nail prints, brown with rust and stained with red, and in the center of the flower will be a crown of thorns, and all who see it will remember.... Design Copyrighted --- THIS SPACE FOR WRITING MESSAGES E-6276 PUBLISHED BY ASHEVILLE POST CARD CO., ASHEVILLE, N. C. POST CARD PLACE STAMP HERE

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Postcard record

Publisher	Asheville Post Card Co.
Series	N-660
Condition	Very good
Publisher	Asheville Post Card Co., Asheville, NC
Notes	Linen-textured stock with a fine crosshatch pattern; no white border; small "Design Copyrighted" mark at lower right. No postmark or handwriting; blank divided back. Linen-texture card with tan/cream stock, minor foxing spots. Publisher imprint for Asheville Post Card Co. printed vertically at center; card number E-6276.

Cite this card

The Legend of the Dogwood, circa 1940, postcard, c. 1930. PostalPast Collection. https://postalpast.com/postcard/the-legend-of-the-dogwood-circa-1940. Accessed October 24, 2026.