US-3556938 Shenandoah National Park in Virginia, USA

Shenandoah National Park encompasses part of the Blue Ridge Mountains in the U.S. state of Virginia. This national park is long and narrow, with the broad Shenandoah River and Valley on the west side and the rolling hills of the Virginia Piedmont on the east. The scenic Skyline Drive is likely the most prominent feature of the Park.

Shenandoah National Park is just 75 miles from the bustle of Washington, D.C. and it is a good escape from city life to cascading waterfalls, spectacular vistas and quiet wooded hollows.

The park consists of 200,000 acres of protected lands of which 40% of the land area 79,579 acres (124.342 sq mi; 322.04 km2) has been designated as wilderness and is protected as part of the National Wilderness Preservation System. The highest peak is Hawksbill Mountain at 4,051 feet (1,235 m).

This postcard came from Irina (4 September 2015) Postcrossing.

US-3398374 The Virginia State Capitol

The Virginia State Capitol is the seat of state government of the Commonwealth of Virginia, located in Richmond capital of Virginia. The State Capitol houses the Virginia General Assembly.

The Capitol was conceived of by Thomas Jefferson and Charles-Louis Clérisseau in France. The design was modeled after the Maison Carrée at Nîmes in southern France, an ancient Roman temple. It is one of only twelve Capitols in the United States without an external dome.

 

Although it was completed in 1788 and is currently 224 years old, the current Capitol is the eighth built to serve as Virginia's state house, primarily due to fires during the Colonial period. It survived the burning of Richmond in the American Civil War.  In 1870 a structural defect caused a disaster resulting in 62 dead and 250 people injured.  In the early 20th century, two wings were added, leading to its present appearance. In 1960, it was designated a National Historic Landmark.

This postcard came from Sarah (28 May 2015) Postcrossing.

SW CK-203 Arlington National Cemetery

Arlington National Cemetery is located in Virginia, directly across the Potomac River from the Lincoln Memorial. It is a United States military cemetery.  Casualties and deceased veterans of America’s conflicts beginning with the American Civil War, as well as reinterred dead from earlier wars are buried in the 624 acres (253 ha) of this Cemetery. Arlington National Cemetery  was established during the Civil War on the grounds of Arlington House, which had been the estate of the family of Confederate general Robert E. Lee's wife Mary Anna (Custis) Lee.

Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, Virginia contains the remains of more than 400,000 people.  It averages about 5,000 funerals each year. The flags in Arlington National Cemetery are flown at half-staff from a half hour before the first funeral until a half hour after the last funeral each day.

The Tomb of the Unknowns (aka Tomb of the Unknown Soldier) is a memorial to the dead of World War I, World War II, the Korean War and the Vietnam War whose identities are not known.

Personal Note:  I visited this Cemetery some years back.

This postcard came from Jan H. (22 July 2014) Swap-bot

SW F-010 Virginia, USA

Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state located in the South Atlantic region of the United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" due to its status as a former dominion of the English Crown. The geography and climate of the Commonwealth are shaped by the Blue Ridge Mountains and the Chesapeake Bay, which provide habitat for much of its flora and fauna. The capital of Virginia is Richmond

Seal of Virginia

Virginia has a total area of 42,774.2 square miles (110,784.7 km²), making it the 35th-largest state by area.  The highest elevation is Mount Rogers 5,729 ft (1,746 metres).  It was admitted to the Union on June 25, 1788.  According to a 2010 census, there are 8 million residents in Viriginia.



The state's motto, Sic Semper Tyrannis, translates from Latin as "Thus Always to Tyrants", and is used on the state seal, which is then used on the flag. While the seal was designed in 1776, and the flag was first used in the 1830s, both were made official in 1930.  Also on the postcard is the State's bird - the cardinal as well as the State's flower - Dogwood.

This postcard came from Jennifer R. (26 March 2014) Swap-bot.