Original 1913 antique postcard featuring Quierauk at Pen Mar in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Pennsylvania.
The printed caption on the front reads:
“QUIERAUK, PEN MAR, BLUE RIDGE MOUNTAINS, PA.”
The view shows the tall observation tower surrounded by the wooded mountain landscape. Pen Mar was a popular late-19th and early-20th-century mountain resort destination associated with the Western Maryland Railroad, making early views from the area particularly appealing to collectors of Pennsylvania, railroad, resort, and Blue Ridge history.
The reverse bears an excellent and highly legible:
PEN MAR, PA.
AUG 18
A.M.
1913
circular postmark.
The card is franked with a 1¢ green Benjamin Franklin stamp and was mailed to Atlantic City, New Jersey.
The Pen Mar, Pennsylvania post office was located in Franklin County and had two periods of operation:
1883–1895
1905–1967
The office is now discontinued, making this a genuine Pennsylvania DPO (Discontinued Post Office) usage.
This postcard was mailed in 1913, during Pen Mar's second period of postal operation and while the Pen Mar mountain resort area remained a popular destination.
The postcard itself uses the spelling “Quierauk.” The mountain is more commonly known today as Quirauk Mountain, located along South Mountain near Pen Mar and the Pennsylvania-Maryland border.
Pen Mar developed into a major mountain excursion destination after the Western Maryland Railroad opened Pen Mar Park in 1877. Visitors traveled by rail to enjoy the cooler mountain climate, scenery, hotels, entertainment, and sweeping views of the Cumberland and Shenandoah valleys.
Observation towers were among the attractions associated with the mountain resort area, allowing visitors expansive views across the surrounding countryside.
This 1913 postcard therefore captures Pen Mar during its historic resort era, rather than depicting a later modern attraction.
The Cumberland Valley Post Card Co.
Card No. 17
Original divided-back color postcard.
Type: Printed Scenic Postcard
Era: Divided Back Era (1907–1915)
Year: 1913
Postmarked: Yes
Postmark: Pen Mar, Pennsylvania
Postmark Date: August 18, 1913
County: Franklin County
Post Office Status: Discontinued / DPO
Subject: Quierauk Observation Tower
Location: Pen Mar, Pennsylvania
Region: Blue Ridge Mountains
Theme: Mountains, Observation Towers, Resorts, Postal History, Railroad History
Publisher: The Cumberland Valley Post Card Co.
Card Number: 17
Stamp: 1¢ Benjamin Franklin
Destination: Atlantic City, New Jersey
Original/Licensed Reprint: Original
Number of Items: 1
Good antique used condition with expected age-related wear.
Light toning, minor surface wear, and corner/edge wear are present. Small crease/wear is visible near the lower-right corner. The image remains colorful and attractive with good detail.
Reverse contains extensive period handwriting.
The PEN MAR, PA. AUG 18, 1913 cancellation is unusually bold and highly legible, adding considerable interest for Pennsylvania postal-history and DPO collectors.
Please review photographs carefully for exact condition.
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