Montgomery County Community College - Betzwood Studios

About This Collection

Welcome to the Montgomery County Community College's Betzwood Collection, a part of the POWER Library: PA Photos and Documents. In the first decades of the motion picture industry Montgomery County was home to one of the largest film studios in the country. Siegmund Lubin owned and operated the Betzwood Studios along the banks of the Schuylkill River, a three hundred acre site complete with filming, production, and distribution centers. As one of the earliest film moguls, Siegmund Lubin has both regional and national significance. He was a technical innovator whose many contributions to the industry helped propel film to its position atop the entertainment industry. The collection contains film stills, publicity, correspondence, trade journals, slides, and glass plate negatives among other items. Using PA Photos and Documents in tandem with Worpress Blog site, the college seeks to tell the history of this important but forgotten player in film history.
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Contributing Institution
27 N. Vassar Square, Ventnor, NJ
27 N. Vassar Square, Ventnor, NJ
Silent films, Lubin, Siegmund, -1923, Lubin Film Studios, Silent films--1910-1920., Motion picture studios.
Lubin's final house. He died here in 1923.
Andrew (Andy) Bennison
Andrew (Andy) Bennison
Actors, Silent films, Film stills, 1910-1920, Betzwood Film Company, Acheson, Portus, 1896-1989, Bennison, Andrew, 1886-1942
Film still of Andrew (Andy) Bennison from "Oh! Johnny!" Andy Bennison was the younger brother of Louis Bennison. He went on to become a screen writer in Hollywood, working with the Three Stooges and Johnny Mack Brown.
Andrew (Andy) Bennison and Frank Evans
Andrew (Andy) Bennison and Frank Evans
Evans, Frank, Actors, Silent films, Film stills, 1910-1920, Betzwood Film Company, Acheson, Portus, 1896-1989, Bennison, Andrew, 1886-1942
Film stills of movie released by the Lubin Film Studio
Arthur Matthews
Arthur Matthews
Motion picture actors and actresses., Lubin, Sigmund, -1923, Lubin Manufacturing Company, Matthews, Arthur, Silent films.
Publicity photo of Lubin actor Arthur Matthews. Matthews stared in the Lubin film, Ready Made Maid.
Arthur V. Johnson
Arthur V. Johnson
Silent films., Johnson, Arthur V., 1876-1916, Motion picture producers and directors., Motion picture actors and actresses., Lubin, Sigmund, -1923, Lubin Manufacturing Company
Publicity photo of Lubin actor and director, Arthur V. Johnson. Johnson and his wife, Florence Hackett, worked for Lubin from 1912 until his death in 1916. Johnson's films elevated the Lubin Manufacturing Company's reputation.
Barry O'Neil
Barry O'Neil
Motion picture producers and directors., Lubin, Sigmund, -1923, Lubin Manufacturing Company, Silent films.
Photo of one of Lubin's directors, Barry O'Neill. His real name was Thomas J. McCarthy. He directed films for Thankhousers Films before moving to Lubin and finally, the World Film Corporation.
Bartley McCullum
Bartley McCullum
Lubin, Sigmund, -1923, Motion picture actors and actresses., Silent films., Lubin Manufacturing Company, Promotional materials--1910-1920., Portraits.
Portrait of Bartley McCullum, silent film actor. Born in Portland Maine, he died in Philadelphia in 1916. He starred in several of Barry O'Neill's Lubin films.
Bettie Holloway
Bettie Holloway
Lubin, Sigmund, -1923, Silent films., Motion picture actors and actresses., Lubin Manufacturing Company
Promotional photo for Bettie Holloway.
Betz mansion
Betz mansion
Lubin, Sigmund, -1923, Main Line (Pa.), Lubin Manufacturing Company, Estates--Pennsylvania--1910-1930.
Photo of the John F. Betz mansion, the property Lubin purchased to build his studio.
Betzwood boathouse
Betzwood boathouse
Lubin, Sigmund, -1923, Boathouses--1910-1920., Lubin Manufacturing Company
Photo of the boathouse on Lubin's studio. Lubin called the house the Alexis Club and it sat on the Schuylkill River. There was a turbine under the building that the studio used to generate electricity.
Betzwood cowboys
Betzwood cowboys
Lubin, Siegmund, -1923, Westerns--1910-1920., Cowboys., Motion picture studios.
Photograph of Lubin's stock cowboys at the Betzwood studio.
Betzwood envelope
Betzwood envelope
Lubin, Siegmund, -1923, Lubin Manufacturing Company, Envelopes--1900-1930, Film studios
An envelope created by the Lubin Manufacturing Company with a drawing of the Betzwood estate.
Betzwood Film Company movie stills
Betzwood Film Company movie stills
Silent films, Film stills, 1910-1920, Lubin, Seigmund, Betzwood Film Company, Westerns--1910-1920.
Film stills of movies released by the Betzwood Film Company
Betzwood station
Betzwood station
Lubin, Siegmund, -1923, Lubin Manufacturing Company, Silent films., Railroad stations., Motion pictures--1910-1920., Factories.
Photo of Betzwood's train station and factory.
Betzwood studio employees
Betzwood studio employees
Betzwood studio, Silent films, Motion picture studios, Rose, Verna Weand, Lubin, Siegmund, -1923, Motion picture studios--History--20th century., Women employees., Motion pictures--1910-1920., Motion pictures and women.
Four employees of the Betzwood Studio, workers in the film process lab. The woman seated in front is Verna Weand, married name Verna Weand Rose.
Betzwood studio facilities
Betzwood studio facilities
Betzwood Manufacturing Company, Lubin, Siegmund, -1923, Workplace, Kitchens, Canteens (Establishments)--Pennsylvania--Philadelphia.
A photograph of the kitchen at the Betzwood studio. Lubin provided many perks to his employees, including daily hot lunches.
Betzwood Studio facilities
Betzwood Studio facilities
Silent films, Motion picture studios, Betzwood studio, Eckhardt, Joseph P., Lubin, Siegmund, -1923, Nitrate negatives.
An outbuilding on the Betzwood Studio grounds.
Betzwood Studio facilities
Betzwood Studio facilities
Lubin, Siegmund, -1923, Silent film, Film studios, Lubin Manufacturing Company, Lubin Film Company, Betzwood studio, Motion picture studios--History--20th century., Motion picture production & direction--1910-1920., Women employees.
Work station at the Betzwood Studio
Betzwood studio facilities
Betzwood studio facilities
Betzwood studio, Silent films, Motion picture studios, Betz, John, 1831-1908, Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission, Eckhardt, Joseph P., Lubin, Siegmund, -1923
Image of the Pennsylvania Historical And Museum Commission marker celebrating the Betzwood Studio's role in film history. The state dedicated the sign in 2003
Betzwood studio facilities
Betzwood studio facilities
Betzwood studio, Silent films, Motion picture studios, Eckhardt, Joseph P., Lubin, Siegmund, -1923, Motion picture studios--History--20th century., Ruins--1910-1920., Lubin Manufacturing Company
The Betzwood Studio as it appeared around 1980.