Schools
Nearly 500 Historic Photos Now Online
Lewis University has posted vintage images of the Illinois and Michigan Canal and other areas in the Lockport area that are part of the Adelmann Collection.
The following article was submitted by Lewis University in Romeoville:
The Adelmann Regional History Slide Collection is now available online. The Lewis University History Center collection features almost 500 historic images of the Lockport area and the Illinois and Michigan Canal.
Representing the work of almost three years, Lewis University student interns worked closely with university librarians and staff to scan and identify the 35mm slides.
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“The majority of images are from Lockport, showing businesses, residences, parks, community activities, and the I&M Canal. Most date from the 1970s through the 1990s,” Stefany Drabes described.
The history major has worked for the last six months as a paid intern under a grant from the Gaylord and Dorothy Donnelley Foundation.
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Dr. John Lamb, professor emeritus and founding director of the ARHC, took the photographs for the slides.
Drabes added, “As a long-time resident of Lockport, Professor Lamb developed a historical perspective for the region and began collecting I&M Canal-related items. The photographs include the houses of prominent Lockport figures such as William O’Connell, Bruce Cheadle, and Patrick Fitzpatrick; as well as many local Lockport businesses.”
Robert Pruter, librarian, reviewed each slide with Lamb to ensure the most accurate description possible to maximize the searching capability.
The slides are an important part of state and local history that is now easily available to the public. The Slide Collection joins other online materials such as the Adele Fay Williams Collection of Drawings and Prints, the H.H. Carter Collection, the Robert Hawley Milne Collection, and the Postcard Collection.
“Dr. Dennis Cremin, director of the Lewis University History Center, made the digitization of the various slides in the ARHC a priority project. He was able to secure grant support from the Donnelley Foundation that included funds for student interns to scan these images, some of which were starting to deteriorate,” Drabes noted.
“Chelsea DeRose, Nick Cozzolino, and Stefany Drabes successively worked on organizing and scanning the slides over the past couple of years. The hard work of these students enabled this labor intensive project to be online,” Mary Ann Atkins, library interim co-director added.
Visit http://tinyurl.com/ajd3rqr to view the collection.
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