Fred Rollins Postcard Collection

Rollins Potsdam and Surrounding Area

Postcard Collection

Collection Overview

This collection consists of about 2,000 vintage, contemporary, and lithographic postcards from the 1890s through 2013 illustrating buildings, place, and past events in and around the town of Potsdam, N.Y., and other locations across New York State, with a few international cards present within the collection. Common themes depicted throughout include images of homes/houses and/or residences; images of hotels/motels, and inns; scenes of domesticated animals and wildlife including dogs, horses, deer, and turkey; forms of transportations such as automobiles, carriages, and stagecoaches; images of businesses and stores; railroads, depots, and trains; churches, chapels, and parsonages; street and road views; and river scenes; universities/colleges, and schools, amongst others. Strengths of the collection exist within Albums One and Two which only contain Potsdam images and showcases a much more thorough representation of Potsdam, New York’s history compared to other binders where a limited number of cards for each town is represented and therefore only provide a glimpse of their respective town’s history.

Of special interest are a few cards capturing war maneuvers of Company F 101st Engineers and its Band in Potsdam N.Y. in August 1940, soldiers parading on Maple Street in World War I, a copper postcard of Ellis Island, and a card depicting a group of men posing for a photograph from the 106th regiment band. In addition, are a limited number of cards depicting features of Hannawa Falls N.Y., and SUNY Potsdam’s Star Lake Camp.

Collection Number: 2023.002

Collection Length: 1.9 linear ft

Collection Start Year: 1890s

Collection End Year: 2013

Finding Aid: Rollins New York Postcard Collection fa (95 KB)