Vintage postcard: Early 20th-century wooden church in Latvia

The Latvian city of Ogre is about 25 miles southwest of Riga, the nation's capital. Mrs. Marathon Pundit's godparents lived there for decades.

Pictured below is a postcard of Ogre's Forest Chapel. Ogre was originally a resort town, so the choice of wood as the primary construction material made some sense--and services were held only in the summer.The church was consecrated in 1910, but wood ultimately proved to be a poor selection--the church burned down in 1915.

Ogre grew quickly after Latvia became independent after World War I. A new house of worship, the Ogre Evangelical Church, was built--it was consecrated in 1930.

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