Antique & Vintage Postcards

Three young women drift languidly in a rowboat on Silver Lake near Akron, Ohio, their white summer dresses bright against the dark water — a snapshot of Gilded Age leisure at one of Summit County's most beloved resort destinations. The shaded promenade along the left bank is dotted with strolling figures, and a Victorian boathouse rises over the water in the middle distance, while a steam-powered excursion vessel can be glimpsed farther out on the glassy lake. Silver Lake was a premier amusement and resort park from the 1880s through the early 1900s, drawing crowds from Akron and Cleveland via interurban rail. The sender, signing only as "B—," dashed off a pointed message across the image side: "Forgiven but not forgotten — expect to hear from you soon. Will tell more later. With love." The card traveled from East Akron to a Burnetta in Cleveland in September 1905, postmarked on both ends of its short journey.