Meyersdale Public Library - Rural African Americans of the Allegheny Mountains

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  • Subject = Houses

About This Collection

These 18 photographs are part of a larger Meyersdale Public Library Progressive Era image collection. The photographs selected for display as part of that larger PA Photos and Documents collection are significant because they provide a broad overview of life immediately before, during and after the Progressive Era in the Allegheny Mountains region (mostly Somerset County, Pennsylvania, and northern Maryland). These 18 photographs in particular - part of a larger glass negative collection housed within the library's archives - portray African American families and individuals in portraits, natural and workplace settings, and also within the town of Meyersdale itself. A significant African American community lived, worked and worshiped in Meyersdale during the late 1800s and through the first several decades of the 20th century.
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Dog and two young girls
Dog and two young girls
Dogs, Children, Houses, African Americans
The two story house is surrounded with a picket fence and has a brick sidewalk. In the yard, the dog seems to pose for a picture with the two African American girls. The taller girl is in a dark skirt and white long sleeved blouse. Her hair is parted in the middle, and pulled back below her ears. The younger girl has a knee length white dress with dark stockings. She has her hair parted in the middle and pulled back by her ears. 3 1/4 x 4 3/8 in. glass negative.
Group of people in a field
Group of people in a field
Men, Women, Children, Houses, African Americans
On a grassy hill above the houses, 13 people got together for a photograph. On the viewer’s left, the lady in a light skirt and white top sits leaning in the grass. A child, two women in white dresses, and a dog, also sit in the grass. Standing in the back row, three women and a child wear all white dresses. One has her arms crossed and wears a flat circular hat. The other four women have dark skirts and white blouses. The lone man on the left has a dark suit, white shirt, and tie. 3 1/4 x 4 3/8 in. glass negative.