West Union Street between Wayne and New Streets, West Chester, PA, ca. 1906. The Chester County Historical Society is pleased to announce that it was able to purchase photographs and manuscripts from Paul Rodebaugh’s Estate at a recent auction. Rodebaugh was a well respected teacher, local historian and collector of Chester County books, manuscripts and photographs. Almost 400 lots of manscripts, ephemera and photographs were offered at auction held on June 10, 2010 in Philadelphia. CCHS was successful in bidding on 14 lots. Special funds restricted for new purchases made it possible to obtain some rare items. Rodebaugh was devoted to seeking out unique pieces of Chester County’s history. I will be featuring on this blog today and in the weeks ahead, some of the treasures that will be made available to the public. Among the purchases are photographs of West Chester and other parts of Chester County, daguerreotypes of the Larkin and Hallowell families, stereographs of Chester County made by local photographers, photographs of families, organizations and albums of the Thomas-Hallowell family. I was thrilled to bid on a lot of large format views of West Chester, showing images of business and streets I had never seen before. One of the views from the lot is shown above of the north side of Union Street - as a newly constructed housing development. The bidding moved quickly with a number of eager buyers. Would our bid be enough? I held my breath until at last CCHS bid had won! It was a night of nervous excitment, expectation, with both defeath and triumph. African American family, West Chester, PA ca. 1896. When I saw a lot of three photographs showing African American families with their homes and a Gay St. School class in 1919, I put it on my “gotta have it” list. Despite the ink stains, there is wonderful detail in this photograph. The family is unidentified, but the house is so familiar. This is where I need reader’s help in identifying this photo. The building has alot of distinctive elements. So let me hear from you! Another great find was a number of views by Oxford newspaper editor Douglas Brinton from his series titled; “”Brinton Photographic Collection of Revolutionary and other Historical Landmarks in Pennsylvania, Maryland and Delaware.” Here we see the peaceful beauty of a tree lined street in Oxford. "The Broad Walk, Oxford, PA," ca. 1900. These views will enhance the holdings already in CCHS collection. Stereoview by S. Clark, 1871-1874. A stereograph taken by photographer S. Clarke is a rare find. According to “Directory of Pennsylvania Photographers 1839-1900 ,” compiled by Linda Ries and Jay Ruby, Samuel Clark made his way from Philadephia to Pittsburgh between the 1850s and the later 19th century. He stopped long enough to hang his shingle out in Downingtown early in the 1870s. It will take further research to identify the stone farmhouse, but I am hoping that one of the readers of this blog drives past it everyday (hopefully it still is standing)! Thomas family album, 1860s-1870s. Gems for the family historian are also included in the purchases. Many carte-de-visite (photographic visiting cards), cabinet cards and card photographs were purchased of the Thomas - Hallowell families. This album went on the “gotta have it” list when I saw all the idenfications beautifully written in a delicate hand in the tiny illuminated spaces under each photograph. Genealogists will have a field day locating ancestors. More of the treasures will be featured in future blogs. When a guide to the collection is available it will be added to the website. Pamela Powell, Photo Archivist Your comments are welcome! To leave a comment click on the link at the top of this posting.
July 9 2010, 3:14pm | Original Link »