Vintage America: Franklinville, N.Y.

I did not know of Franklinville until I found a set of three linen postcards that referred to the town.

Thus, hobbies, manias, or obsessivve interests can prove to be educational.

Franklinville is located in Cattaraugus County, one of the counties in southwestern New York State adjoining the State of Pennsylvania.

The town is about 50 miles southeast of Buffalo.

In 2000, the population was slightly more than 3,000.

The Wiki article of Franklinville notes, "The town was first settled around 1806. First settled by Joseph McClure and known then as McClure Settlement. The Town of Franklinville was established in 1824 from the Town of Olean. Franklinville was also called "Hebe" and "Ischua" before adopting its current name."

Franklinville, New York

Comments: 29

arleen hodge Oct 10, 2009, 8:40am EDT

great find peter, i have a small collection of vintage postcards from the area i live in in upstate, ny.

Peter Wimsey Oct 10, 2009, 9:02am EDT

Glad that you enjoy these, arleen.

Are you going to post some of your cards from upstate NY?

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Korak 257 Oct 10, 2009, 12:55pm EDT

hi,
I like those also being a traveler of the roads and highways..I have been to that area never knowing of this place....thank you...next time up in that area I will stop to visit..thank you again.

Peter Wimsey Oct 11, 2009, 7:43am EDT

Hi Korak;

I would love to hear about Franklinville today.

If you pass that way again, be sure and write about it.

Korak 257 Oct 11, 2009, 9:41pm EDT

Hi,
Yes I would because that is a great area. I found a place in the New Jersey side near NewYork...wow.1700s barns old roads and really cool history....I cannot wait to get back on the road.

Peter Wimsey Oct 12, 2009, 7:17am EDT

Oh, northern New Jersey is beautiful.

People who travel only the turnpike corrider do not realize shy NJ was called the "Garden State".

I hope you share pictures.

Korak 257 Oct 12, 2009, 8:41am EDT

Yes,
When I figure all this Gather out. I traveled the turnpike south to north into New York City seeing these plates, Garden State. I stopped in a small grocery store for some traveling food, munchies. A piece of water melon was 8.00dollars, a piece now. I said my GOD ,Then I must have a million dollars in my backyard growing. IT is beautiful in the country but Garden State ?I"ll try to learn to paste and other stuff today....thank you for your post.

Peter Wimsey Oct 13, 2009, 8:18am EDT

I have to correct my earlier post.

"People who travel only the turnpike corrider do not realize why NJ was called the "Garden State".

NJ is not "shy".

Korak 257 Oct 13, 2009, 9:14am EDT

hi,
I had like 2 years to live so traveling and doing things was my quest. I did a comedy routine...one was on New Jersey, The Garden State. I said you New Jersians are proud of being lazy. I approached a road construction crew working with a sign posted...SLOW...Workers Ahead. lol
I am ok today beating that snake bite...you are so true on New Jersy..not shy.

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Richard Frisbie Oct 10, 2009, 1:22pm EDT

Looks like verdant countryside - never been to Cattaraugus County - I guess I'll have to go. Thank you, Peter, for enlightening me about my home state.

Peter Wimsey Oct 11, 2009, 7:44am EDT

I have never been in Cattaraugus County, either, Richard.

There are several parts of New York State that I would love to visit.

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Janna R. Oct 12, 2009, 10:29pm EDT

I've been through Franklinville a few times. You can take NY State Route 16 from Buffalo (where it's Seneca St.) through East Aurora, Franklinville, and Olean all the way to the PA border.

Peter Wimsey Oct 13, 2009, 8:19am EDT

I love hearing from folks who have visited these towns.

Is there anything distinctive about the area?

Janna R. Oct 18, 2009, 1:05pm EDT

Not that I can recall. It's just a typical, rural, small NY town. Ellicottville, which is a ski town, is nearby, and Alleghany State Park is a bit south of that.

Janna R. Oct 18, 2009, 1:10pm EDT

That should be "Allegany State Park". Now that I live where they spell it "Allegheny", I'm all mixed up.

Peter Wimsey Oct 19, 2009, 7:09am EDT

Until your post, I was not aware of the state-by-state difference in the spelling of Allegheny/Allegany.

I grew up in PA, and have always known "Allegheny".

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Dannielle S. Oct 12, 2009, 10:47pm EDT

Not particularly distinctive of a place, are they? I mean, buildings give a better sense of towns and villages and cities, in my opinion. Gardens and verdant roadways are never the same twice, but buildings last a while, usually.

Peter Wimsey Oct 13, 2009, 8:20am EDT

Many of them are not specific to the place at all.

Some Red-Letter place postcards were selected stock images (out of hundreds) that someone believed resembled the real place.

Interestingly, the older "Greetings From..." postcards were always photographs.

Someone learned how to take shortcuts.

Dave Sandborg Oct 13, 2009, 9:38am EDT

I liked these pictures a lot, particularly the first one with the country road winding off into the trees. Like Danielle I wonder if these scenes would look at all the same if photographed from the same locations now.

Dannielle S. Oct 18, 2009, 11:21am EDT

I'm betting that where the farmer and his horse are plowing, we'd now see a housing development or a strip mall.

Dannielle S. Oct 18, 2009, 11:24am EDT

Peter, there's the perfect song for those of us who hate to see the loss of open spaces and traditional living off the land: Michael Jerling's How Can People Live Like That -- clip here.

Peter Wimsey Oct 19, 2009, 7:11am EDT

I hate strip mall development, Dannielle, as you know.

There are Amish farmers in various places of upstate New York who still plow with mules or horses.

Peter Wimsey Oct 19, 2009, 7:13am EDT

I looked up the lyrics to the Jerling song, too.

Sad.

Dave Sandborg Oct 19, 2009, 9:23am EDT

The Pretenders' "My City Was Gone" (the riff of which Rush Limbaugh used without permission) expressed the same sentiments. "I went back to Ohio, but my pretty countryside was paved down the middle by a government that had no pride. Hey, ho, way to go Ohio...".

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Kushal Poddar Oct 13, 2009, 9:41am EDT

A wonderful collection.

Memories of Sun

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MaryAnne, Director of Member Services Oct 13, 2009, 10:35am EDT

I've never heard of linen postcards, Peter. Is the linen pasted onto cardboard?

Peter Wimsey Oct 18, 2009, 10:15am EDT

Hi MaryAnne;

The cards are not really made of linen, the paper is textured to resemble linen.

The greater surface of the paper (all those little ridges) made it possible for ink to dry faster -so the color printing was improved.

Collectors refer to "linen postcards", and that can be misleading.

They are ridged paper.

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