Long before practically everyone had a cell phone camera, postcards were a favorite way to capture and share images in big cities and small towns across America. The “Original” Washington was certainly no exception. Postcards still in existence today preserve views of Washington long since lost to development and the forces of nature.

The George H. & Laura E. Brown Library is a repository rich in materials pertinent to the history of Washington and Beaufort County in general. Postcards include those with views of the city’s first hospital and an early school, images of the Washington waterfront and scenes from the Pamlico River.

More of these antique, collectible postcards will be shared in future editions of Pamlico Life in the Washington Daily News.