The Uncaptioned PastA journal of historical investigations

The Uncaptioned Past

Historical photographs. Open questions.

Evidence worth following.

Identified

A mill, a missing name,
and an answer from home.

A photograph labelled “possibly a mill” finds a name in Swanzey, New Hampshire, thanks to a local historical society.

Identification by Katharine (Kathy) Schillemat
Historical Society of Cheshire County

Follow the investigation
Two views on a yellow stereo card show a long three-story building, a central tower, and a group posed outside. The mount names J. A. French of Keene, New Hampshire.
J. A. French, [Unidentified building, possibly a mill], circa 1870 (provisional). Identified by HSCC as Homestead Woolen Mill, Swanzey. Library of Congress, LOT 13696, no. 9. No known restrictions on publication. Full stereo card; web-size LOC JPEG. Inspect the original

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The past does not always
come with a caption.

We investigate unidentified photographs and other archival mysteries, tracing what can be known and keeping a record of what cannot.

An identification belongs beside its evidence. A good question deserves a place here, too.

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