To read the first post in this series go here.
As Paul Holbrook began to scan and restore hundreds of Floyd Ingraham's original glass plates, a stunning collection emerged. I threw myself into researching Ingraham's photographs.
Douglas Morgan, a man who is a respected historian and member of historical societies in the Springwater, New York, area reached out to Paul and identified the photographs as Floyd Ingraham's.
Work done by Rick Osiecki on his site hemlockandcanadicelakes.com proved invaluable and helped us identify many of the images. Rick has scanned and collected countless images over the years. Many of his Springwater images were scans Rick took of original prints by Floyd Ingraham owned by area residents.
I started a catalogue system. I created a spreadsheet with a goal to record every glass negative sold on eBay. A very large collection emerged. Some questioned that all the photographs were Floyd Ingraham's, even though they were advertised as being from a 'single photographer'. I decided to find out.
It became clear that I would need to travel to Springwater if I wanted to do any kind of serious research. I reached out to the Springwater Webster-Crossing Historical Society and connected with Donna Walker, the president of the society. Donna was very helpful and I began to follow the society on Facebook and saw that they were planning to hold a Floyd Ingraham night and show some of his pictures.
I was thrilled that I would be able to drive into the town that Floyd Ingraham lived and worked in. The drive from my home in Pennsylvania to Springwater, NY took about 2 1/2 hours. As I pulled into Springwater, right away I saw buildings I recognized.
Photo on left courtesy of Paul Holbrook. Used with permission.
Photo on left courtesy of Jane Schryver. Used with permission.
The Floyd Ingraham pictures above are in my book. On that first trip to Springwater, I was delighted to be able to take pictures of the same subject matter and stand in the same place that Floyd Ingraham stood. I also had decided to take video of my trip so that I could share it with Paul Holbrook. That way, he could take the journey to Springwater with me too.
Just down Springwater's Main Street, on the left side, I found the Springwater Webster-Crossing Historical Society.
I arrived early in the day and the event I wanted to attend wasn't until 6:00 p.m. that evening. But I was thrilled when I pulled in and saw a car parked out front. Mark Hopkins was at the society changing light bulbs. I don't know what he thought of the crazy lady from Pennsylvania who seemed overly excited to be in Springwater, but he was friendly and welcomed me in.
Here is my first visit to the Springwater Webster-Crossing Historical Society.
I drove to a beautiful lookout point on Rt. 15a and spotted the place I would be staying in, nestled in the heights of the hills neighboring Springwater.
Do you see it in the distance?
I then made my journey to a place called The Mission just outside of Springwater in Conesus, NY. It now operates as an airbnb and offers a unique stay for visitors. Corey, the host is very helpful and responsive. The Mission has a hostel vibe to it and I found it to be a very interesting place to stay (not up to hotel standards, but comfortable). I also wondered if it was haunted and did freak myself out a little at night, but the views in the morning were worth it.
I explored outside and can't wait to tell you what I found!
Read about it in my next post here.