Old photos should be identified
ASHS Column for 02 08 07
Jerry Simmons

     The photo accompanying this
column was contributed by Terry
Watson of Flomaton. He knows
only the name of one person,
Albert Watson, his father. If
anyone can identity any of the
other students, please let me
know.
     There are old photos
everywhere that have no way
for identification of the subject(s)
a generation from now. You
likely have hundreds of your
own in a box stuck off in some
closet.
     I strongly urge you to read the next few lines. They are some suggestions for you to help those who may come across those old photos years from now:
     1. Take the pictures and photocopy them, leaving space to write on the copies. Make two sets of copies.
     2. Keep one set of copies for yourself to use as originals and then store your photographs away again.
     3. Number the pictures on the photocopies.
     4. Make more copies of your photocopies; mail them to your relatives but keep your original photocopies handy.
     5. Ask the relatives to mark up the copies and send them back, or maybe they can describe them by number. Marking the copies and sending them back to you is the best idea, but some folks may want to keep the photocopies.
     6. Ask them if they recognize or know the people, place, occasion, and/or the approximate date. A date is very helpful in determining what the picture is about.
     More often than not, old family photos are divided among children and grandchildren, but some other relative may have a similar photo that’s identified or labeled. Or, they may recognize someone or something that helps identify the picture.
     In this day of easy scanning and printing, if you offer copies of the original photos for a reasonable cost (or free) you are more likely to get a positive response. You may be offering a treasure to someone else and in return you may getting a treasure yourself. This is what Terry Watson has done for us. He’s provided us with several treasures. It works!
If you have old photos of people, places or events of this area, let us scan them and place them in our archives. Someone years from now may appreciate what you’ve done.
***
     There’s been a flurry of activity at the James H. Jones Historical Park in Century the last couple of weeks. However, one "flurry" never came to pass. We expected to lay the track for Old 100 Saturday, January 27, but it didn’t happen. The volunteers who were going to do the work couldn’t make it and we had to postpone the plans. We hope that by the time you read this, the track is laid and the Boxcar Museum is moved to its new spot on the new track.
     We’ve had a new building built on the park grounds, too. We plan to store and secure the parts and tools used to restore the steam locomotive. After that’s done, we’ll probably use it for a dedicated display area for Old 100 and the Escambia Railroad. Who knows? By the time we’re ready to do that, there’ll be many ideas for the building’s use. We have some imaginative folk in our midst, and ideas fly around all the time.
     We’re going to need some hands to help paint the building the next halfway warm and dry day we have. Perhaps that will be done by the time you read this, too.
     We have to say thanks again to Mr. Warren Briggs for this building. If it were not for Mr. Briggs and people like him, it would be impossible for organizations like ours to survive.
     We’ve erected a new sign announcing the future home of "Clancy Station," too. That’s the name we’ve decided on for the area where Old 100 is going to rest. There will be a dedication ceremony when we get the engine and it will be officially named Clancy Station at that time. We still have a long way to go before we’re through!
     For the uninformed, Leon Clancy was the father of Gloria Briggs, Warren Briggs’ spouse. Mr. Clancy purchased the sawmill in 1957 and kept it running until 1967 when he sold the mill and its property to Jim Walter. The sawmill burned in 1959, but Clancy rebuilt it and made it more modern and efficient than the previous operation. Other innovative and modern techniques were put into place while Clancy ran the mill, too, such as the Cellon pressure treatment plant. According to Philip Kelly of Century, Clancy also built a new planer mill, replacing the old one which wasn’t even damaged by the 1959 fire.
     During Clancy’s ownership, company houses were sold to the employees and some were moved to new locations, giving everyone their own home with larger yards.
     So we are proud to name the place where Number 100 will be displayed after a man who did so much in a short period of time for Century
***
     Our next meeting is February 20 at 6:00 p.m. Come join us for friendship, refreshments and an interesting program.
Y’all come.

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This page last modified on Wednesday, February 21, 2007