Antique embossed birthday postcard mailed from the historic community of Weldon Spring, St. Charles County, Missouri, with a clear March 8, 1911 WELDON SPRING, MO. postmark.
For postal-history collectors, the principal attraction is the Weldon Spring cancellation.
WELDON SPRING, MISSOURI — DISCONTINUED POST OFFICE (DPO)
The Weldon Spring post office was established in 1875 and discontinued in 1957, giving this card a desirable strike from an office that has now been closed for nearly 70 years.
The community itself has a much longer history. Weldon Spring developed as a small rural hamlet in southern St. Charles County. The State Historical Society of Missouri describes it as a small hamlet settled by German immigrants beginning around 1849, with the town laid out during the 19th century. The community took its name from the nearby spring and the Weldon family associated with the area's early settlement.
Important distinction: Weldon Spring should not be called a ghost town. Unlike many DPO communities, Weldon Spring survived and is today an incorporated city. The post office represented by this 1911 cancellation, however, is a genuine DPO.
The area's later history is particularly unusual. In 1941, the federal government acquired more than 17,000 acres nearby for the massive Weldon Spring Ordnance Works, which manufactured TNT and DNT during World War II. The project displaced several neighboring communities, including Hamburg, Howell and Toonerville—those are the names where the ghost-town angle really becomes relevant. Parts of the site were later used for uranium processing during the Cold War.
The postcard itself is an attractive embossed birthday greeting featuring red and pink flowers surrounding an ornate lyre/harp design with gold embellishment. The front reads “May Your Days Be Many.”
Addressed to:
Miss Norma Roth
R.R. 1, Box 20
Weldon Spring, Missouri
The handwritten birthday message is signed “A friend, O.R.”
Franked with a green 1-cent Benjamin Franklin stamp.
Post Office: Weldon Spring, Missouri
County: St. Charles County
Postmark Date: March 8, 1911
Office Status: DPO – Discontinued Post Office
Years of Operation: 1875–1957
Cancel: Circular date stamp with killer cancellation
Stamp: 1¢ Benjamin Franklin
Destination: Local delivery, Weldon Spring, Missouri
Good antique condition for a mailed 1911 postcard. Expected corner and edge wear, age toning and scattered spotting. Embossed floral design and gold decoration remain attractive with strong color. Postal cancellation is clearly readable as Weldon Spring, Mo., Mar. 8, 1911. Address and handwritten message remain legible. Please review photographs carefully for exact condition.
City: Weldon Spring
County: St. Charles County
State: Missouri
Country: United States
Postmark Date: March 8, 1911
Post Office Status: DPO / Discontinued 1957
Post Office Dates: 1875–1957
Era: Divided Back, 1907–1915
Postage Condition: Posted
Stamp: 1¢ Benjamin Franklin
Theme: Postal History, DPO, Birthday, Flowers
Type: Printed / Embossed Postcard
Original/Licensed Reprint: Original
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