A new initiative at the NorthEast-Millerton Library aims to digitize a collection of photographs, newspapers and other historical materials documenting the community’s early history.
Once completed, the collection will be available online and will include photographs, yearbooks, newspaper microfilm and slides reflecting the area’s past. The materials come from personal collections as well as archives from the Millerton News and its predecessor, the Millerton Telegraph.
Library Director Rhiannon Leo-Jameson has been overseeing the project. “It’s fascinating to see what makes it in,” she said. “There’s lots of landscapes and scenery, and little moments from town, like children jumping rope. Those sometimes have a hand-written caption, like, ‘having fun on the first nice day of the year.’”
Momentous occasions are also included — politician Robert Moses pops up during a campaign tour through the region, and Hudson Valley native Franklin Delano Roosevelt is a recurring figure. A member of his security detail was from Millerton.
The selection of what is being posted online involves a process that still relies on the discernment of the human eye. “I was surprised at how manual it still is,” Leo-Jameson said. “They spot check a reel to determine the image quality and aperture, then they scan the whole reel, then they send it to a second company who will manually segment the news articles.
Once the images are fully digitized, they’ll be available on the Hudson River Valley Heritage website at hrvh.org. Yearbooks dating back to 1951 from Webutuck School District and Millerton Union Free High School are already available. “There are so many names I know from working in the community,” said Leo-Jameson, “and it’s amazing to see how young they were.”
