Scranton Christmas Windows

One of our most popular collections at this time of year is Scranton Christmas Windows. Enjoy!

The upcoming Thanksgiving Holiday

This is the first page of a letter from David Davis to his brother-in-law Joseph H. Scranton.  I chose this letter as it discusses the families upcoming Thanksgiving plans.  As you can see, the Scranton's were going to go to Lenox Pennsylvania for the holiday and David Davis and his family were going to Massachusetts.  It's interesting to see that while we live 150 years later that families are still the same and discuss family plans, except that now it's by text, email or the phone.

The interesting part of this letter is the request by David Davis for Joseph H. Scranton to buy him a trunk.  Here is the link to the rest of the letter. http://content.lackawannadigitalarchives.org/cdm/ref/collection/outwild/id/1657

Nay Aug Boat Ride

Generations of children who grew up in Scranton remember the Boat Ride at Nay Aug Park. This is one 29 historic photos in The Nay Aug Amusement Park collection in the Lackawanna Valley Digital Archives.

Cornelius Comegys

Cornelius Comegys(1858-1938) came from a well-known family in Maryland. He was a member of the Lackawanna Bar Association and was an assistant district attorney. Comegys also wrote a few books such as The Mayor's Court of Scranton.  He was a member of the Scranton Public Library board of trustees from 1917-1937 which is where this photo was taken.

Historic Library TV Commericial

The History of the Scranton Public Library collection contains many very old photos and artifacts, but it also covers more recent history including this TV commercial from 2005. The commercial was produced using the talents of staff members and, in the case of at least one actor, relatives of staff members. Note that the web site shown in the video and the technology used by Library Guy are already outdated.

 

How Times Have Changed

This photo probably taken in the mid 1970s displays a glass drainage bottle.  This was before plastic drainage bags were introduced. Technology and innovation, especially in hospitals, have changed over the decades so now these bottles are obsolete. 

Coming in 2014! Centennial Books

 

We have begun work on a collection that will feature Centennial Books from towns throughout Lackawanna County. As local towns began celebrating their centennials and other anniversaries in the 20th Century, they produced commemorative books filled with rare photographs and histories. Thanks to a grant from the Willary Foundation, we are in the process of digitizing 35 of books from towns like Dunmore, Dickson City, Carbondale, and just about every municipality in Lackawanna County. This photo is from a book called Moosic '76. This new collection will go live in early 2014.