The St. Petersburg Museum of History proudly preserves the city’s rich past with an archive library boasting over 40,000 pieces that chronicle the evolution of the community.
A common donation, often arriving right in the mailbox, is postcards. “The item donated the most is postcards because people will just send them in the mail,” explains Jessy Breckenridge, the museum’s Archives and Collections Manager. “It’s easy to put a postcard in an envelope and say, ‘hey, I found this in my mother’s things, do you want it?'” Breckenridge estimates that the museum has an impressive collection of 15,000-20,000 postcards.
One of the most captivating aspects of these postcards is their vibrant color. “Some of these are from the 1910s and the 1920s, and these were taken as black-and-white photos that someone hand-colored. But something about seeing an image in color is so alive,” Breckenridge adds. These postcards offer a vivid glimpse into the past, bringing history to life in ways that black-and-white photos simply can’t.
The postcards also document the transformation of key city landmarks like the St. Pete Pier and the historic Detroit Hotel. “The Detroit Hotel is one of our earliest hotels and the first structure of its kind in St. Pete,” Breckenridge explains. “The Detroit postcards are really fun because the hotel has changed so much over the years, and we have pretty much every version of it.”
These small cards also serve as the only visual record of many places lost to time, such as closed-down restaurants, completely renovated hotels, or even historic homes. “I really want to help spread awareness that these kinds of images are not just valuable, but incredibly unique,” Breckenridge emphasizes. Community members often request research on historic homes, and access to the archives is available by appointment.
The handwritten messages on the backs of these postcards capture the tone of the times and offer a personal glimpse into the lives of past residents. “One requirement of this job is that you need to be able to read handwriting, particularly cursive,” Breckenridge notes. “Seeing the fun little messages is fantastic, especially when you have the context for who these people are. You can really start to put together the stories of people’s lives.”
For more information about the museum and its collections, visit the St. Petersburg Museum of History website. FOX 13 News initially published the story.
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