Lafayette Then and Now: The Wabash River

Circa 1917, and 2017.


(Click on images to enlarge)
Image above courtesy of the Hobart Historical Society.


As Heraclitus said, you cannot photograph the same river twice. Especially when a century goes by between photographs.

As you may remember, the first picture was taken by our anonymous friend, "Myself," whose album of photos now belongs to the Hobart Historical Society.

"Myself" noted that he took his picture "from the 'Trail' near [Lafayette]." I have no clue where that might be.

Me, I took my picture from the Main Street pedestrian bridge between Lafayette and West Lafayette. Because I had to kill some time while the nice people at the Purdue University Small Animal Hospital were tapping my dog's joints.


One hundred years ago today, the U.S. entered World War I.

Scenes of Winter (WWI-Era Photo Album)

The next two photos are frustrating because both have handwritten notes on the back that I can't read because the photos are glued too well onto the album page.

I think this first one is "Myself," out hunting in winter.


(Click on images to enlarge)
Images courtesy of the Hobart Historical Society.

The second looks like the "J" bridge over Lake George, or possibly the Nickel Plate bridge. I think the photographer stood on the partially iced-over lake to take it — brave person.



And with that, we complete our tour of this little anonymous photo album.

But never fear! I have plenty more unidentified old photos of dubious worth, and I will get around to posting them soon!

The View from a Canoe (WWI-Era Photo Album)

(Click on images to enlarge)
Images courtesy of the Hobart Historical Society.

This photo comes from the same page as the first guy in a canoe we saw previously. For that reason, and the general perspective and tone of the photo, I think it was taken from the canoe that day.

One the page with "Myself" in a canoe, we find a picture of rabbits and the guns they were shot with, probably from a different hunting expedition.



I wish I knew whose house that was in the background, but there are no identifying notes.

Guys in a Canoe (WWI-Era Photo Album)

On adjacent pages of the album, we have two photos of guys in a canoe — looks like the same canoe and probably the same day in both photos. Neither is identified in any way.


(Click on images to enlarge)
Images courtesy of the Hobart Historical Society.



The first guy seems to have caught himself a duck, or some kind of bird.

I think the second guy might be "Myself," the owner of the album.

Liquid and Ice (WWI-Era Photo Album)

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Images courtesy of the Hobart Historical Society.

Interesting little island there. Too bad "Myself" didn't identify this. I don't think it's local — where around Hobart could you see that combination of land and water, with that substantial highway in the distance? Perhaps this is somewhere around Layffatte.

Here we have a partially frozen body of water, and lots of snow. I'm sure it all seemed very impressive when "Myself" was looking through the viewfinder.

Muskrat House

(Click on images to enlarge)
Images courtesy of the Hobart Historical Society.

Handwritten on the back of this photo:

Muskrat House
Nove – 1917
South In EJE Bridge
M_____"

The last part is illegible, covered by glue and paper.

This was interesting enough to "Myself" that he would waste film and paper on it.

There is handwriting on the back of the second photo on this page, but I can't read it at all because the photo is thoroughly glued to the backing.

Helen and Edna (WWI-Era Photo Album)

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Images courtesy of the Hobart Historical Society.



Other than the handwritten first names, we have no information on these smiling young women. Nor can I tell where the photos were taken — in a town, apparently; perhaps Hobart. Perhaps not.

I wish I could tell what Edna is holding!

Having a Wonderful Time (WWI-Era Photo Album)

(Click on images to enlarge)
Images courtesy of the Hobart Historical Society.

A handwritten note behind this photo reads:

Jenings Family
June – 1918

At left is the "girl" we saw earlier. Since she's dressed exactly the same in both photos, this may be the same day; even, perhaps, the same place — the back yard of the elusive William Ramsey.

They all look a bit grim, but the woman at center, who I'm guessing is the mother, looks downright haggard. And that's probably a baby bundled up on her lap.

In contrast, on the same page, three happy young women, all smiles and blooms. I don't recognize the women and there are no identifying notes. I believe that is the high school on Fourth Street in the background.

Finnis (WWI-Era Photo Album)

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Images courtesy of the Hobart Historical Society.

Here our photographer managed to get everything out of focus — foreground, background, everything. Even so, we can recognize a couple of the young women, though we still don't know their names. (No identifying notes on this one.)

In the background at left is the library on Fourth Street, so I suppose they are standing on the sidewalk leading up to the high school.



I don't know quite what to make of this caption. "Finnis" is not unknown as a man's name around this time, but I can't track down any women by that name, and with no further information about this young woman, I'm stuck.

On the other hand, given that this is the last in a long sequence of shots around the high school and M.E. Church on Fourth Street, it may simply be the album-owner's devil-may-care way of spelling finis, i.e., the end.

High School Steps (WWI-Era Photo Album)

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Images courtesy of the Hobart Historical Society.

No identifying notes for either of the photos on this page. Even with the truly atrocious focus, though, we can recognize Miss Nickel Plate second from left, and Miss Occasionally Silly at right. Some of the others look familiar, but I haven't given them nicknames.



That shield shape is how the photo is printed on the original. Once again I think it's the high school behind them. I like the sailor-style outfit on the girl at right.

Chaperone (WWI-Era Photo Album)

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Images courtesy of the Hobart Historical Society.

She looks as if she's here to make sure none of the young Epworthites get up to anything wrong at the convention. Perhaps she pulled that fellow aside to give him a talking-to about the way he was grabbing that young woman. It is the same guy, isn't it? — although his hat has acquired some new decorations.

I think that's the high school behind him. No identifying notes for either of the photos on this page, unfortunately.

These nameless young women are lined up in front of the M.E. Church on Fourth Street:



They're all lovely, but I wish the photographer had focused more on the street. Wouldn't it be nice to know exactly how the north side of that block of Fourth Street looked in 1918?

Making a Face (WWI-Era Photo Album)

(Click on images to enlarge)
Images courtesy of the Hobart Historical Society.

Our album owner has added a note behind this photo:

Convention Day
June 18
Hobart

… just to confirm what we could have guessed.

It almost the same crowd as the last unfocused photo; but this time the focus is even worse. And the lovely young woman whom I accused of sticking her tongue out is now back to her usual dignified self.

But wait …



Isn't she making a silly face now??

That guy at the far left, half in the picture — or maybe somebody off camera — has said or done something to draw attention and laughter.

Focus on Cars (WWI-Era Photo Album)

(Click on images to enlarge)
Images courtesy of the Hobart Historical Society.

No identifying notes on this page of the album, but I think we're back to the Epworth League convention of June 1918. And though our photographer has botched the focus once again, he's managed to get pretty good detail on the cars in the background at right.

Notice the young woman at right — is she or is she not sticking her tongue out at the camera? We've seen her often before, and up until now she always gave me the impression of being at once vivacious and dignified. I guess she could be silly, too, when it suited her.

I wish the young man at right had not chosen that exact moment to look away from the camera. I think that might be "Myself," the owner of the photo album, but we have no identified pictures of him in profile.

They are on the grounds of the high school, with Fourth Street and the M.E. Church behind them.

On the same page, more by-now-familiar faces, still unidentified.



The high school is behind them.

Carrie Zobjeck and Friend (WWI-Era Photo Album)

Because yesterday we had news of Mary Zobjeck's death, today let's leave aside the Epworth League for a moment and look at a photo of one of Mary's daughters, Carrie:


(Click on images to enlarge)
Images courtesy of the Hobart Historical Society.

The handwritten note behind this photo reads:

Carrie Zobject & Friend June – Wm Ramsay's Back Yard 1918

Carrie, the oldest of the Zobjeck children, was born in 1890, so in this photo she would be about 28. In March 1919 she married Julius Jorden (or Jordan) and the 1920 census shows the young couple with their infant daughter living in the household of her widowed father, crowded in with her seven siblings.

Poor Helen is known to posterity only as Carrie's friend.

On the same page we find this photo:



The handwritten note behind this one reads:

Jenning's Girl
June 1918
Wm Ramseys Back Yard

"Jenning's Girl" is a mystery. So too is William, or Bill, Ramsey, whose missing photo we've already encountered. Wherever he lived, it seems to have been a nice location, bordering on a lake, and if that is his house in the background, it's quite substantial.

Crowd on a Bench (WWI-Era Photo Album)

I can sympathize with our photographer. My camera has automatic focus and I still manage to get about half of my pictures out of focus.

Here "Myself" has got a whole crowd out of focus.


(Click on images to enlarge)
Images courtesy of the Hobart Historical Society.

After all, I suppose the photo is not entirely wasted. We can recognize Miss Nickel Plate at right in the back row, as well as a couple other familiar but unidentified faces.

On the same page, some well focused young women, including, at right, the one who smiles like a Dalia.

A Big Hug (WWI-Era Photo Album)

(Click on images to enlarge)
Images courtesy of the Hobart Historical Society.

Unidentified, but surely this is still the Epworth League Convention in Hobart, June 1918. And behind them, the high school.

I'm looking at the young woman on the right and wondering if she could possibly be Dalia Messick — that smile! But Dalia was only about 12 years old in 1918, too young to join the Epworth League — not that a bright and sociable 12-year-old would necessarily be chased away if she started hanging around with the conventioneers. But I'm not sure the girl in the photo looks as young as 12. That smile notwithstanding.

On the same page, once again, Miss Nickel Plate, and how I wish I knew who she was!

Get Your Hands Off Me (WWI-Era Photo Album)

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Image courtesy of the Hobart Historical Society.

She does not look amused, does she, at the way he's grabbing her.

I think we're still at the Epworth League Convention, June 1918, with the high school in the background. That smiling young woman at left looks familiar. Unfortunately, there are no identifying notes for this photo.

Unfocused Smiles (WWI-Era Photo Album)

Two smiling young women, two badly focused photographs. I think the building behind the women is the high school. They were probably attending the Epworth League convention in Hobart, June 1918, but since there are no identifying notes on either, I can't be sure.


(Click on images to enlarge)
Images courtesy of the Hobart Historical Society.

Isabel, Gladys and Art (WWI-Era Photo Album)

We jump ahead to page 48 of the album because I just came across a newspaper article about one of the subjects.

First, the two about whom I have no particular information, beyond what's written on the note behind their photo:

Isabel White
Gladys Snyder
[Con?]vention Day
Penn. Depot
Hobart

Isabel (or Isabelle) was a Hobart resident per the 1910 Census and would have been about 19 years old in this photo. I've found several Gladys Snyders in the 1920 Census, but don't know which is ours.


(Click on images to enlarge)
Images courtesy of the Hobart Historical Society.

If I've correctly deciphered the note, I would guess that "Convention Day" refers to the Epworth League convention in June 1918 that we've already seen so many photos of.

Notice the big stack of milk cans in the background at left.

The next photo shows, per the handwritten note behind it:

Arthur Pierce
Spring – 1918

I just recently came across this wedding announcement, in the Hobart News of July 10, 1919:

Pierce-Moore

Arthur M. Pierce, only son of Mrs. Kate Pierce, surprised his mother and friends by announcing his marriage on July 4th to Miss Annabel Moore of McCool, the ceremony taking place at St. Joseph, Mich. Mr. Pierce is one of Hobart's exemplary young men and is employed in the electrical department of the steel mills at Gary, which position he has held for the past four years. For the present they will make their home with Mr. Pierce's mother on Lake street.

Per his WWI draft card, Art was a few weeks short of his 18th birthday when the above photo was taken.

Camera? What Camera? (WWI-Era Photo Album)

(Click on images to enlarge)
Images courtesy of the Hobart Historical Society.

These two photos have no identification, but I believe we're still at the Epworth League convention in Hobart, June 1918. I'm particularly fond of this one because the two young women seem entirely unaware of the camera. Nothing exists in the world for them but each other's conversation. The one on the right is gesturing so briskly that the camera blurs her hand. I wonder what they're saying?

I'm not entirely sure what that building behind them is. It might be the high school.

The second photo on this page is Miss Nickel Plate, once again. In the background, at left, I think that's the M.E. parsonage and then the church beyond it, and Fourth Street crossing from the right.