Unfortunately, time travel can’t take us back to experience the lives of our ancestors.

However, thanks to photography and the internet, it is possible to find images of the places where our ancestors lived.

Here are seven great places to locate vintage photos:

• Local Public Libraries – Many local libraries have collections of old photographs, some of which are digitally available online
• State Libraries – Most U.S. state libraries/archives have digital collections accessible online
• Local Historical Societies – As with local libraries, historical societies have a vested interest in preserving old photographs documenting the history of a town
• Digital Public Library of America (DPLA) – DPLA has a huge collection of historical items pertaining to locations across the United States
• eBay – I frequently buy old postcards and photos of places found in my family tree. It’s not free, but is inexpensive.
• Google Earth/Google Maps – Views aren’t vintage, but if you want to see buildings that are still standing or the spot where a house once stood, Google Earth and Google Maps are the websites to visit.
• General search engine search – A Google Images search brought up many pictures of current views, some historical buildings, old postcards and even homes for sale! I would love to find one of the houses where my ancestors lived listed for sale online with photos of the interior as it looks today. That would be one of my best finds ever.

What kinds of images have I located for Calais, Washington, Maine?

• Calais Free Library – This is a very small library, which has no online images. However, there is a genealogist/historian, who will try to honor requests. there is a link on the home page to the Digital Maine Repository, housed at the:
• Maine State Library – There are quite a few images and documents on the Digital Maine Repository, including several early town maps:

The local historical society is the St. Croix Historical Society, which hosts a Facebook page with vintage photos and also has links to the really neat CalaisAlumni.org page (with school info back to 1852!) and their old postcard collection of Calais scenes.

The postcard at the top of this post might not look like anything special, but, at the least, my grandfather and great grandfather attended this school, which is no longer standing. I was also able to find an image of the Red Beach School House, down the road from Calais, where my grandmother and her father would have attended school:

The Digital Public Library of America didn’t have many vintage photos, aside from the cute little Calais Free Library:

EBay always has a nice selection of Calais postcards and I’ve purchased them many times in the past.

It doesn’t take much digging to find vintage images online. If you haven’t ever tried it, take a few moments to see what turns up. You might be pleasantly surprised.