PHOTO ALBUM
Backwoods blog;
in the woods and on the road…
I’ve been going through old family photo albums this summer and I came across one that had been “lost” for over twenty years. It was a black leather bound album, the oldest in my father’s collection going back to the early 1930s. I remember him showing it to me years ago and I peppered him with questions at the time as to who was who and where pictures were taken (since none of the photos were identified). Well, I guess I should have written down what he said because now I think I’m only remembering about half of what he told me. The photo album disappeared at some point after that, and we weren’t quite sure whose attic it was in, but I knew it would eventually show up (most likely) when we weren’t looking for it. Sure enough, I accidentally found it this week. You will gradually see photos from the album showing up in future Backwoods Blog posts. In this entry I’ve selected photos from my father’s photo album that depict rural life in Northern Maine in the early part of the 20th century. Most of the individuals in these photos are anonymous or unknown, but I thought the images captured a certain ethos of the era even if unnamed.
In the woods,
Dave
August 17, 2022
Wonderful pictures!
I wonder how different the spacing of potato rows was then to accommodate the horses and horse drawn equipment.
The winter baptists look to be standing in a hole cut in the ice, and therefore freezing cold water! I wonder if one got extra points for a winter baptism, or if it was used for sinners of a particular kind…everyone looks very serious.
Do you know who took the pictures?
I’m not sure who the photographers were in my father’s photo album. I suspect it’s a combination of family members, including my father, and he assembled them all in the album.
Winter baptism? Brrrrrrrrrrrrrrr!!!
posted by Fred L.
Man, am I glad I got baptized in in our warm church.
posted by Steve H.
You have to be really hot for religion to participate in a winter baptism. You’d never see a Unitarian doing that, nor even a Catholic. I have been both, so I sort of know this.
These photos are great, David!!
Wow…winter baptism. That takes faith!
posted by Barbara L.