Postcard presentation to focus on Terre Hill

Brian Frankhouser, board member with the New Holland Area Historical Society (NHAHS), has been collecting old postcards for about three decades. Frankhouser shared his knowledge of the subject, along with his expertise in local history - specifically Blue Ball - during an NHAHS presentation in October.

Frankhouser's presentation was so positively received that he suggested to Rodney Hartman, a member of the Terre Hill Area Historical Society, that he give a similar presentation on Terre Hill. "The Golden Age of Postcards," a multimedia experience, will be presented at the Terre Hill Community Center, 131 W. Main St., Terre Hill, on Thursday, Jan. 18, at 7 p.m. The presentation will be free, and the public is invited to attend.

Frankhouser's collection includes more than 60 views of Terre Hill, which was first settled in 1840. "There are street scenes, the churches, and the hotel," said Frankhouser, who easily veers from the subject of postcards to the history of the places in the photos. "That's the new hotel built in 1906," Frankhouser said, noting that the Fairville Hotel was the first hotel in that location. The name "Fairville" was derived from Terre Hill's initial moniker. Because another Fairville already existed, the post office in the town was called Terre Hill, with the community officially incorporated in 1907.

"There's a lot to look at in Terre Hill," noted Frankhouser, who added that the proliferation of postcards is related to the number of stores located in the borough at the beginning of the 20th century. "There were three general stores," said Frankhouser, who added that George Gehman's store, Samuel Watts' store, and the Marks and Moyer store all sold postcards.

Many of the photos on postcards from smaller Lancaster County towns were taken by Ed Herbener, a Newark, Del., resident and photographer who came to Lancaster in 1914. "(Herbener) took photos of the small towns and then took the pictures to the stores and offered to sell them postcards of a photo for 2 1/2 cents each," explained Frankhouser, who said that the stores would then sell the cards for 5 cents each, as compared to generic cards that were 1 cent each. "There was competition between the stores, and each store commissioned postcards to be made to be sold in the store," he said. In addition, local residents with cameras could opt to have a photo printed as a postcard rather than a regular print, multiplying the possibilities of local scenes ending up on the cards.

Frankhouser explained that the Golden Age of Postcards lasted from 1904 to about 1917. "(During that time) if I wanted to invite you for supper, I would send a postcard on Tuesday, and you would get it on Wednesday," explained Frankhouser, who pointed out that at that time the mail was delivered twice a day. "You'd respond (with a card) on Wednesday or Thursday, and I would have it by Friday. It happened very quickly."

"(The Golden Age) ended because of three major things," said Frankhouser, who then listed the invention and proliferation of the telephone; the melting down of the presses in Germany - where the best quality cards were printed - for World War I; and the increase in the price of a stamp from 1 cent to 2 cents in 1917, as reasons.

More information about the organization may be found by searching for "Terre Hill Area Historical Society" on Facebook.