Postcard Written In 1943 Finally Arrives In Mail

A postcard written in 1943 has finally found its way to its intended home. The postcard was sent from Rockford, Illinois on July 4, 1943 to Elmira, New York. It was addressed to two Bridgman Street residents, Pauline and Therese Leisenring, and was written by the two sister’s parents while they visited the Medical Center Barracks at Camp Grant.

Last week, the postcard was finally delivered to the address, which now houses the Rundell family. The matriarch of the family, Laura Rundell, told The Ithaca Journal that the family is grateful for the treasure.

It was delivered in mint condition. We were so shocked. It’s a treasure that just showed up in the mailbox with our address on it.”

The family reached out to contact the Leisenring sisters, but learned Theresa passed away in 1954 and Pauline followed in 1962. The family was able to locate other members of the Leisenring clan to see if the wanted to keep the historical piece of mail, but so far, the Rundell family hasn’t heard back. None of this answers how the Postal Service delivered the message so late, but the Buffalo Postal Service guesses the item was found outside the confines of the Postal Service and mailed out to the address, although they do admit items are found in mailbags or behind machines from time to time. As long as postage is paid, the Post Office will deliver, no matter how curious the postcard.

Jessica Rawden
Managing Editor

Jessica Rawden is Managing Editor at CinemaBlend. She’s been kicking out news stories since 2007 and joined the full-time staff in 2014. She oversees news content, hiring and training for the site, and her areas of expertise include theme parks, rom-coms, Hallmark (particularly Christmas movie season), reality TV, celebrity interviews and primetime. She loves a good animated movie. Jessica has a Masters in Library Science degree from Indiana University, and used to be found behind a reference desk most definitely not shushing people. She now uses those skills in researching and tracking down information in very different ways.