A century ago, an 18-year-old Massachusetts National Guardsman boarded a train bound for the Mexican border.

At every stop along the journey, he mailed a postcard home.

More than 100 years later, those postcards survived.

In this special interview, Kara and Jessica sit down with Rhode Island Philatelic Society Vice President Shawn Pease to explore a remarkable family collection documenting one young soldier's journey from Massachusetts to El Paso during the 1916 Pancho Villa border crisis.

Along the way, they discuss family history, military service, forgotten places, mysterious postcard clues, and how a single collection of postcards became a year-long research project and eventually a book titled Dear Family.

Because sometimes a postcard isn't just a message.

It's a map of someone's life.

Music by UnbanishedMule from Pixabay.

Keywords

Vintage Postcards, Postal History, Ephemera, Antique Postcards, Postcard Collecting, History Podcast, Hidden History, Family History, Americana, Historical Mysteries

About the Podcast

Postmarked & Tipsy is a history podcast where vintage postcards become investigations into forgotten people, hidden history, family stories, and the strange lives people once mailed in public.

Recorded in a Rhode Island tavern, each episode combines postcards, research, cocktails, and curiosity to uncover the stories hiding between the lines.

Follow Us

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/postmarkedtipsy/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61580795172979

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@postmarked_tipsy

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@PostmarkedTipsy

Website: https://www.postmarkedtipsy.com

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/postmarkedandtipsy

Support the Show

If you enjoy the podcast, please subscribe, leave a review, share an episode, or tell another history-loving friend about the tavern.

Disclaimer

This podcast is intended for entertainment, educational, and commentary purposes. Some postcards discussed may contain outdated language, historical inaccuracies, or personal viewpoints reflective of the time in which they were written.

While we strive to provide accurate historical context, interpretations and opinions expressed are those of the hosts. Certain identifying details may be omitted or generalized out of respect for privacy.

Postmarked & Tipsy occasionally features cocktail-themed content as part of its storytelling and historical atmosphere. Please consume alcohol responsibly and never drink and drive.

Listener discretion is advised.

To our listeners - this is an episode best seen and heard because of the Boston 2026 World Expo visuals - head over to our YouTube Channel to watch it: https://www.youtube.com/@PostmarkedTipsy

A few months ago, we were sitting in a Rhode Island tavern reading bizarre vintage postcards and trying to figure out what was actually happening in people’s lives decades ago.

Then somehow… we got invited to the Boston 2026 World Expo.

Armed with microphones, postcards, giveaway stickers and absolutely no idea what we were doing, we stepped into one of the largest postcard and ephemera events in the world — and found something we never expected: a deeply welcoming community preserving tiny surviving pieces of ordinary human history.

In this special expo episode:
• we build an improvised tavern podcast studio inside the expo
• interview collectors and attendees
• meet a listener who traveled from North Carolina
• hunt for postcards connected to personal family history
• ask the important question: “Who is Kibby?”
• and discover why postcards matter far more than we realized

Because sometimes all that survives of a person’s life is a few handwritten sentences on a piece of cardboard.

Music by UnbanishedMule from Pixabay

Keywords
Postcard Collecting, Ephemera, Postal History, History Podcast, Americana, Vintage Postcards, Historical Preservation, Collecting Community, Family History, Boston World Expo

About the Podcast
Postmarked & Tipsy is a podcast where history, postcards, cocktails and curiosity collide.

From bizarre postcard messages to forgotten places, roadside attractions, family drama and strange slices of everyday life, we explore the stories hidden in vintage mail — one postcard at a time.

Follow Us
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/postmarkedtipsy/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61580795172979
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@postmarked_tipsy
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@PostmarkedTipsy
Website: www.postmarkedtipsy.com
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/postmarkedandtipsy

Support the Show
If you enjoy the podcast, please share an episode, follow us on social media or tell another vintage-loving history nerd about the tavern. And you can buy us a coffee or cocktail! Visit: www.postmarkedtipsy.com

Disclaimer
This podcast is intended for entertainment, educational and commentary purposes. Some postcards discussed may contain outdated language, historical inaccuracies or themes reflective of their time period. Interpretations and commentary are those of the hosts. Postmarked & Tipsy features cocktail-themed content and encourages responsible and legal alcohol consumption. Listener discretion is advised.

In this episode of Postmarked & Tipsy™, we sit down with postcard historian, collector and educator Kathy Alpert to explore the strange, funny and unexpectedly emotional world of vintage postcards.

What started as a conversation about postcards quickly became something much bigger:
• why people once shared deeply personal thoughts through the mail
• what postcards reveal about ordinary lives
• how collecting preserves forgotten human stories
• and why these tiny artifacts still resonate so strongly today

Recorded inside our Rhode Island tavern studio, this conversation blends hidden history, nostalgia, Americana and curiosity with one of the most respected voices in the postcard world.

And naturally…
we still have questions.

Please note:
Due to an unexpected Riverside recording issue, a small portion of the ending conversation was unfortunately lost. Thankfully, we captured the vast majority of this wonderful discussion.

Video production/editing:
Matthew Rogers
www.MattRogersEdit.com
mattrogers.edit@gmail.com

Keywords:
Vintage Postcards, Postal History, Ephemera, Antique Postcards, Postcard Collecting, History Podcast, Americana, Vintage Travel, Postmarked and Tipsy, Historical Mysteries

About the Podcast:
Postmarked & Tipsy is a podcast where history, postcards, cocktails and curiosity collide.

From bizarre postcard messages to forgotten places, roadside attractions, family drama and strange slices of everyday life, we explore the stories hidden in vintage mail — one postcard at a time.

Follow Us:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/postmarkedtipsy/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61580795172979
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@postmarked_tipsy
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@PostmarkedTipsy
Website: www.postmarkedtipsy.com
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/postmarkedandtipsy

Support the Show:
If you'd like to support the podcast, share an episode, follow us on social media or tell another vintage-loving history nerd about the tavern.

Disclaimer:
The content of this podcast is intended for entertainment, educational and commentary purposes. Some postcards discussed may contain outdated language, historical inaccuracies, personal messages or themes reflective of the time period in which they were written.

Certain identifying details may be omitted or generalized out of respect for privacy. While we strive to present accurate historical context and research, interpretations, theories and commentary expressed during the podcast are those of the hosts.

Postmarked & Tipsy features cocktail-themed content and occasional discussion of alcohol as part of the show’s atmosphere, storytelling and historical themes. We encourage responsible and legal alcohol consumption at all times.

Listener discretion is advised.