Washington 1-cent postal card, Gettysburg, PA, 1887
- Card type
- Government postal card
About this postcard
A one-cent United States government postal card, its engraved medallion portrait of George Washington set in scrollwork with POSTAL CARD flanking it, the address and message written in ink below. Sarah Boe of Arendtsville, Pennsylvania, sent it to Dr. J. L. Hill in Gettysburg to arrange a visit, asking him to "Please keep about one hour for me Friday afternoon Apr. 16. And oblige." The dateline reads April 14, 1887, and the appointment she names falls that same week; April 15, 1887 was a Friday, so the "Apr. 16" in the message looks like a slip of the pen. Arendtsville lies about ten miles northwest of Gettysburg in Adams County, an hour or more away by buggy in the 1880s, which explains a patient writing ahead to reserve a physician's time. Gettysburg was then a small county seat still known chiefly for the 1863 battle and the memorial grounds taking shape on its edges.
Postcard Details
Gettysburg, Pa.
Postcard record
| Postmarked | |
|---|---|
| Condition | Good |
| Place addressed | Dr. J. L. Hill, Gettysburg, PA |
| Place mentioned | Gettysburg, PA |
| Place sent from | Arendtsville, PA |
| Stamp | 1c Thomas Jefferson, green |
| Notes | Undivided-back era government postal card; handwritten address block on front (Dr. J. L. Hill, a dentist, Gettysburg, Pa.); faint circular postmark over the design, with APR 8 legible and the rest illegible; aged, stained and edge-worn stock; small 'UX9' dealer mark in lower left corner. Undivided-back 1c postal card ('Nothing but the address to be on this side'); faint circular postmark, with APR 8 legible and the rest illegible. Handwritten dateline Arendtsville Pa Apr 14 1887. Toning and light soiling. |
Cite this card
Washington 1-cent postal card, Gettysburg, PA, 1887, postcard, c. 1887. PostalPast Collection. https://postalpast.com/postcard/washington-1-cent-postal-card-gettysburg-pa-1887. Accessed October 17, 2026.