Throughout the year 2000, we highlight interesting items from Prattsville history.  

This used to be a town where many people from the city spent their summers and they all sent postcards back home ... they also sent postcards to each other  ...

... in the early 1900's, the postcard was the e-mail of the day.  For a green penny stamp, a Ben Franklin - either full face or side view, one could send off a message in the morning: "Let's eat at the hotel tonight".  A confirmation by return mail could arrive in the afternoon, provided the distance was short enough.

The picture postcard might cost five cents or less, but to really trim the budget, one could use a government postcard at a total of one cent, card and postage.  Naturally, all first class mail went this fast, speeding up business transactions in downtown New York City, where the mail was actually delivered three times a day.  In Prattsville, it came twice a day.

Printing of the postcards was done in Germany before World War One and locally after that. All postcards are from collection of Milton Ballard, owner of Shirley�s Restaurant on Main Street in Prattsville.