Measuring roughly three by five inches, the small piece of heavy paper packs a big wallop when it come to history.

A postcard depicting the Washington Hospital and dated 1903, the bit of ephemera captures the image of a landmark that has been lost to the ages. It’s among the oldest postcards in a small collection housed in the John A. Wilkinson History Room at the George H. and Laura E. Brown Library in Washington.

Such postcards were often discovered by local residents who, knowing their significance, wanted to preserve them for future generations of Beaufort County residents to appreciate and enjoy. Rather than toss them out with the trash, they insured that the postcards would be placed in the local archives.

Souvenir postcards appeal to collectors and historians alike because they depict communities that have changed over the years. They are invaluable because they were produced in an era before cameras and photography became commonplace.

An interesting footnote: The postcards featured here were mailed using one-cent stamps. For the record, it now costs 35 cents to mail such a card. Progress?