Geneva, New York
A Postcard History
by Laurel O'Donnell
From 1948 to 1979, Lindsay Lafford taught at Hobart and William Smith Colleges, Geneva, New York, where he was Professor of Music and the
Department Chairman. Life in Geneva figured prominently for Lafford and his family during this thirty-one years and he continues to
maintain strong ties to the region.
The city of Geneva has an interesting history,
Having been incorporated in 1806, Geneva was well advanced in its development —
Rochester was not settled until 1810 and Syracuse was insignificant in comparison to Geneva during this period.
Known primarily for agriculture,
Geneva was also recognized as an academic center notably becoming the first in the world to confer the degree of M.D.
upon a woman, Elizabeth Blackwell, in 1849.
Postcard History
from Laurel O'Donnel's personal collection
For an interesting postcard tour of Geneva, past and present, choose either the
visual postcard listing or the
text descriptions.
There is also a short description of Geneva,
taken from a postcard folder, published about 1910.
Other Geneva Links