Color Postcard Archive

 One of the images most favored of postcard makers at the turn of the 20^th Century was that of the railroad depot, large or small, through whose doors passed most of the postcard-sending, train-riding travelers of the day. Messages scrawled onto the backs (or, before 1907, the fronts) of these postcards were almost inevitably variations on a common theme: "Arrived safely. Am well, having a nice time. Will see you Saturday." Though they are not always easy to find in good condition or at affordable prices, old station postcards are a valuable archival resource for those interested in railroads of the period. For stations that are still standing, old postcards enable us to see what changes time and "progress" have wrought upon the original buildings. And for stations that are now gone altogether, postcards serve an even more critical function: as some of the last and most colorful reminders of what was once but will never be again.

On this page, you will see an expanding collection of color postcard images of old railroad stations in Massachusetts, standing or otherwise. As much as possible, I have tried to include cards of stations that are now gone from sight, stations that are of historical or architectural interest, and stations that are simply presented in interesting ways. Dates listed correspond to postmarks on the backs of the cards or to dates inscribed by the senders; where there is no date, the card has not been mailed or has come to me from another source. I would particularly like to receive scans of other old color postcards of depots in Massachusetts: please feel free to e-mail me with anything you have.

I am especially grateful to Dick Barrett for the use of so many cards from his excellent postcard collection.

To view the color postcards, click on the county in which you are interested:

 Please consult the Other Stations Pages for a growing collection of black-and-white photo postcards (as well as other pictures) of Massachusetts stations that are no longer standing.

 Note: These pages may load more slowly than do the others on this website, so please be patient.