Postcard Postcard Front

This scenic postcard showcases the Great Falls of the Potomac where the Potomac River builds up speed and force as it falls over a series of steep, jagged rocks and flows through the narrow Mather Gorge. At the Patawomack Canal, a key historic district of Great Falls, President George Washington worked to establish the Patawomack Company in 1785 whose purpose was to make the Potomac River navigable to the Ohio River Valley. The small settlement of Matildaville, founded by Lighthorse Harry Lee, was established in Great Falls to aid this effort.

Postcards such as these would have attracted visitors to Great Falls. Beginning in 1906, Great Falls operated as an amusement park in addition to being an incredibly scenic vista.