PA Photos and Documents

These scenes are among the oldest images of Meyersdale and its residents known to exist. Captured in the southern Somerset County, Pennsylvania, town during the early 20th century, they reflect brick streets and sidewalks, horse-drawn wagons, forgotten storefronts, backyard chores, and faces identified by past readers of the Meyersdale Republican newspaper beginning in 1954. It was that summer the series of old pictures was first presented in an effort to determine the identities of those within the images. The August 19, 1954, Republican noted it was through the courtesy of Philip Reich the newspaper had been presented with a number of glass slides, which, according to Mr. Reich, were prepared for the purpose of being shown to audiences in the old Reich Auditorium building along Broadway Street – by 1954 the State Theatre. Though Mr. Reich did not know exactly how old the pictures were, it was thought they had been captured between 1910 and 1920, with the purpose in mind of including as many local people as possible. The Republican also noted as follows about the images, “Some of the photos appear to center around school and church groups. Others are taken along curbs, on streets, and in front of old Meyersdale business places. Outstanding in the pictures are the old clothes worn by those photographed. Derbies, stiff collars, high button black shoes, black hose and knee pants on the kids are all part of the panorama of these old pictures.” Subsequently the negatives of these photographs came into the possession of the Pennsylvania Room at the Meyersdale Public Library upon the November 2022 closure of The New Republic newspaper (formerly the Meyersdale Republican). The negatives have been digitized by library volunteers to ensure their historical preservation.