Nostalgia – Museum of Peter D. Erdman

The Nostalgia Collection brings together items that evoke past memories and sentiments. These pieces serve as reminders of bygone times, capturing the essence of familiar places, people, and experiences.

Photos

Rochester

Earlier Rochester

Modern Rochester

These photos show what some of the above buildings look like today.

Medical Sciences

Greater Rochester Area

Twin Cities

Technology

Voting machine

The mechanical voting machine, first introduced in the early 20th century, represents a significant advancement in the history of electoral technology. Designed to ensure the integrity and efficiency of the voting process, these machines allowed voters to make their selections by pulling levers corresponding to candidates or issues. Once a voter completed their choices, a lever would record the vote and reset the machine for the next user, significantly reducing the risk of human error and tampering. These machines were widely used in elections across the United States for much of the 20th century, embodying the era's trust in mechanical solutions for civic processes. Despite being phased out in favor of electronic systems, mechanical voting machines remain an important symbol of the evolution of democratic practices.