Post by Steve on Jan 12, 2008 20:39:03 GMT -5
When you visit the Lambton Room to do historical research, it likely won't be long before one of the ever helpful staff brings you a large cardboard box to search through. These boxes are of the type used to hold file folders and the Lambton Room uses these to store it's vast collection of historical records. If you take a peek into the large storage room, you will see row after row of these boxes, stacked almost to the ceiling. It's enough to make you drool!
A couple of weeks ago, during one of my many visits to the Lambton Room, as often happens, I came upon one of these boxes sitting on one of the tables. Over the years, I've perused a large number of these boxes. I tend to concentrate on those that are rich in old photos. I just love old photos! There's just something about being able to see things the way they used to be that never ceases to fascinate me. So, whenever I see an unfamiliar box brought out from the back room, I'm always sure to take a quick look, hoping to find new treasures. You just never know what you'll find once you dig into one!
It was in this spirit of discovery that I took a glance into this nondescript looking box. Little did I know, at that moment, that this quick glance would turn into days of research and one of my richest ever Lambton Room finds!
This box contained the collected research and photos of Marie Brown. I only know this because the words "Marie Brown collection" were written in black marker on the side of the box. Apparently, Marie Brown has passed on and this collection was bequeathed to the Lambton Room by her estate. I don't yet know anything more about her, except that she must have been quite an avid local historian, because this one box contained literally hundreds of high quality, black and white prints and negatives taken throughout Lambton County, sometime during the early 1960s.
It appears Marie was compiling material - perhaps for a book - on the county's schools and churches, as the majority of her photos are of these structures, throughout rural and small town Lambton. But, in addition to an almost complete record of Lambton's surviving churches and schools at that time, there are a large number of photos, which Marie categorized as "misc" which include stores, mills, old houses, streetscapes and much more. Most are labeled and were taken over 40 years ago, meaning that many of the structures and scenes recorded have now disappeared forever.
You are going to see a lot of Marie's work on LLF in the coming weeks and months. I've spent the last few visits to the Lambton Room going through just this one box and taking digital photos of only a small selection of her prints. Whenever I post one of her images, I'll see she gets credited.
As I said earlier, I don't know who Marie Brown was. But, after browsing her carefully compiled material, I have a feeling she didn't spend several years of her life traipsing around Lambton County, taking and developing her own photos, only to have them languish in a cardboard box.
If you knew Marie, I'd love for you to share with our members more about her and her passion for preserving Lambton's vanishing heritage. For now, the least I can do is share some of the fruits of her hard work and make sure she gets the credit she's due.
(photos courtesy of The Lambton Room - Marie Brown Collection)
Summary of contents
The Marie Brown Collection - housed at The Lambton Room archives, consists of several hundred high quality, 4"x6" (and a smaller number of 8"x10" enlargements), black and white prints, capturing exterior views of Lambton County structures, predominantly one-room schoolhouses and rural churches, but also including stores, hotels, gas stations, post offices, mills, bridges, railway stations, salt mines, etc. Most material (photos, maps and news clippings) is organized in file folders and/or duo-tangs by township, some with township maps annotated with the locations of the schools. In addition, there are carefully protected and preserved negatives for most of these prints and a number of negatives for which prints have not been located, as well as annotated 'contact sheets' to index most of these negatives. Also, included are several dozen large (typically 5x7 or 8x10) photographic copies of vintage photos, with similar themes, from the late 1800s to the early 1900s.
A couple of weeks ago, during one of my many visits to the Lambton Room, as often happens, I came upon one of these boxes sitting on one of the tables. Over the years, I've perused a large number of these boxes. I tend to concentrate on those that are rich in old photos. I just love old photos! There's just something about being able to see things the way they used to be that never ceases to fascinate me. So, whenever I see an unfamiliar box brought out from the back room, I'm always sure to take a quick look, hoping to find new treasures. You just never know what you'll find once you dig into one!
It was in this spirit of discovery that I took a glance into this nondescript looking box. Little did I know, at that moment, that this quick glance would turn into days of research and one of my richest ever Lambton Room finds!
This box contained the collected research and photos of Marie Brown. I only know this because the words "Marie Brown collection" were written in black marker on the side of the box. Apparently, Marie Brown has passed on and this collection was bequeathed to the Lambton Room by her estate. I don't yet know anything more about her, except that she must have been quite an avid local historian, because this one box contained literally hundreds of high quality, black and white prints and negatives taken throughout Lambton County, sometime during the early 1960s.
It appears Marie was compiling material - perhaps for a book - on the county's schools and churches, as the majority of her photos are of these structures, throughout rural and small town Lambton. But, in addition to an almost complete record of Lambton's surviving churches and schools at that time, there are a large number of photos, which Marie categorized as "misc" which include stores, mills, old houses, streetscapes and much more. Most are labeled and were taken over 40 years ago, meaning that many of the structures and scenes recorded have now disappeared forever.
You are going to see a lot of Marie's work on LLF in the coming weeks and months. I've spent the last few visits to the Lambton Room going through just this one box and taking digital photos of only a small selection of her prints. Whenever I post one of her images, I'll see she gets credited.
As I said earlier, I don't know who Marie Brown was. But, after browsing her carefully compiled material, I have a feeling she didn't spend several years of her life traipsing around Lambton County, taking and developing her own photos, only to have them languish in a cardboard box.
If you knew Marie, I'd love for you to share with our members more about her and her passion for preserving Lambton's vanishing heritage. For now, the least I can do is share some of the fruits of her hard work and make sure she gets the credit she's due.
(click any photo to enlarge)
(photos courtesy of The Lambton Room - Marie Brown Collection)
Summary of contents
The Marie Brown Collection - housed at The Lambton Room archives, consists of several hundred high quality, 4"x6" (and a smaller number of 8"x10" enlargements), black and white prints, capturing exterior views of Lambton County structures, predominantly one-room schoolhouses and rural churches, but also including stores, hotels, gas stations, post offices, mills, bridges, railway stations, salt mines, etc. Most material (photos, maps and news clippings) is organized in file folders and/or duo-tangs by township, some with township maps annotated with the locations of the schools. In addition, there are carefully protected and preserved negatives for most of these prints and a number of negatives for which prints have not been located, as well as annotated 'contact sheets' to index most of these negatives. Also, included are several dozen large (typically 5x7 or 8x10) photographic copies of vintage photos, with similar themes, from the late 1800s to the early 1900s.
