US-3487091 US-3815581 Massachusetts, USA

Massachusetts officially the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, is a state in the New England region of the United States.  The capital of Massachusetts is Boston.

Massachusetts is the 7th smallest state by land area, but the 14th most populous and the 3rd most densely populated of the 50 States. Massachusetts has played a significant historical, cultural, and commercial role in American history. Plymouth was the site of the first colony in New England, founded in 1620 by the Pilgrims, passengers of the Mayflower.

This postcard came from Lana (27 July 2015) Postcrossing and the postcard shows an outline of the State and the state flower (Mayflower - a small white or pink flower which comes from the genus Epigaea).

This map postcard of Massachusetts came from MaryAnn (8 March 2016) Postcrossing.

SW DS Cape Cod Lighthouse aka …Highland Lighthouse

The Highland Light (also known as Cape Cod Light) is an active lighthouse on the Cape Cod National Seashore in North Truro, Massachusetts. It is the oldest and tallest lighthouse on Cape Cod. It is owned by the National Park Service, and cared for by the Highland Museum and Lighthouse, Inc., while the United States Coast Guard operates the light itself.

In the past when lighthouses were very important for navigation, the light from this lighthouse was the first to be seen by sailors approaching the entrance of Massachusetts Bay from Europe.

During the summer of 1996, the lighthouse was moved back from the eroding cliffs in an effort to save it from falling into the sea.  The move itself was an elaborate production where the tower was lifted onto a wheeled platform that rested on a pre-constructed railway.  The tower was then pushed, ever so slowly, down the rails to the new site.  To keep the old brick tower from crumbling, it was encased in a "girdle"  of strong cable and heavy planks during the move.

This postcard came from Shirley K. (27 August 2014) Swap-bot Direct Swap.