The MTHS Archives are housed in the Visitors’ Center and are overseen by board members Bob Gildersleeve and John Curran. Our archives are comprised almost exclusively of paper items including photographs, postcards, books, brochures, deeds, letters from the 19th and early 20th centuries, diaries and business papers. There are also a few fabric items. Many items are used in temporary displays and as learning aids during programs.
All items in the Archives are available for public viewing. Email archivist@mths.org to arrange a visit.
DIGITAL COLLECTIONS
We are working on uploading scans of our archival collections to our Flickr site.
COLLECTIONS OF NOTE
Bob Mazon Collection
A mainly digital collection of photographs. Bob Mazon was a local photographer who through his photography, documented many local events, news stories, local landscapes, local places and much more from the 1980s up through his death in 2014. The collection will be an extremely valuable resource to future generations.
Joan Brower Collection
Mrs. Brower traced the family history of the Brower spouses and the history of the professions and trades the Brower family occupied. It was all done pre-internet and consists of many large organized and indexed binders filled with letters, photos, newspaper clippings and more.
Wilma Kohler Collection
A collection of photographs and other items received as a generous donation from Ms. Wilma Kohler of Hunter and Elmhurst, NY. Among the items are a signature quilt (see below) dated to 1846 and crafted by Lucy Haines (note the unusual spelling), a Bible with family records of Aaron Haines, who operated the earliest inn in Haines Falls, a copy of the rare book, An Illustrated Guide to the Catskill Mountains by Samuel E. Rusk, and over one hundred photographs taken by Rusk (depicted to the right), his brother John W. Rusk, and other 19th and early 20th century photographers.
Wiltse-Dunn Collection
A collection of 42 glass plate negatives donated by Shirley and Gerald Dunn. The photographs were taken in the early 20th Century by Oscar Showers and include photographs taken in and around Tannersville. They include some images of general interest and several family photographs of the Showers family and others as well as local homes and buildings. View several images from the collection with the slideshow below:
Slideshow:
