PHA Collections & Resources
Peacham Historical Association’s Archives and Research Collection includes historical information about people, places, events, activities and organizations relating to the town of Peacham, Vermont, from its charter and early settlement in the 1700s to the present day. The collection comprises: documents, maps and photographs; original works of art; textiles and clothing; tools, farm and industry materials; and oral histories.
From our collections:
A Picture Worth a Thousand Words
This ambrotype was discovered forty years ago by archivists Karen Lewis and Lynn Bonfield. It was found lying loose in a liquor box, one of several they had been hired to look through by Ed Brown, then president of the board of the PHA. The contents of those boxes became the foundation of our collections.
Ambrotypes—unique images made from an early wet plate method—would normally have been presented in a case with a mat and top frame; we are fortunate this one survived in such great condition. It depicts buildings at the center of life in Peacham Corner. Among various uses at different times, they held a tavern and stable, a guest house, a hotel, a harness shop, then later a private home and a library. They were destroyed by fire in 1959.
The level of detail in an ambrotype is marvelous. For instance, if you scroll in, you will find an open window at the back of the arched opening; you can see enough to guess it’s a kitchen.
Karen Lewis is still active in Peacham. She serves on our board and wrote an article about this photo for the Spring 2020 Patriot. It contained a wealth of information about the ambrotype process, this photograph in particular, and Peacham Corner in 1860’s. You may find the full text here.