ABOUT THIS SITE

Nearly all of the postcards in this collection date from 1900 to 1920. Where a date is shown in the caption, it is the postmark date. Many of the postcards are unused, but have identifying notes written on them. That information is also noted in the caption.

Vintage postcards provide us with an interesting view of everyday life from another era. They depict landmarks and events from a time when most people didn't own cameras.

Many of the structures shown in these images of Candor no longer exist. The railroad and train station are now gone. The businesses shown in these postcards are gone. Even the elm trees that canopied Main Street are gone. By publishing this collection on the web, my hope is that it will be become an important historical tool.

This is a fairly large collection of vintage Candor postcards, but I know there are many more cards out there. If you have vintage Candor postcards that you would like to add to this site, please contact me.

ABOUT POSTCARDS

There are different types of postcards. Most of the earliest postcards on this page are "REAL PHOTO" postcards, which date from the turn of the century. There are also "LITHOGRAPH" postcards on this page, which began showing scenes of Candor shortly thereafter. Click on these links to learn more about the different types of postcards.

ABOUT CANDOR

The first settlers arrived in area in the late 1700s. Located on an important early rail line that connected central New York with the Susquehanna River, Candor prospered and, by 1900, was manufacturing goods for local and worldwide consumption.

The height of its prosperity coincided with the era of the postcard. Business blocks sprang up and fine homes were built in a grand Victorian style. Horses pulled carriages along shady, tree-lined streets. When the Village was officially incorporated in 1900, the rich fabric of a community was formed.

That grand past never truly survived the Great Depression. One after the other, manufacturing companies closed, the mills were shuttered, and the railroad went out of business. Many of the landmarks that had once been proudly displayed on postcards fell into disrepair and were torn down. Almost as quickly as it had arrived, the grand era was gone, taking with it many of its treasures - treasures preserved only in these postcards.