[MassHistPres] Aerial photos - how useful for historical documentation and preservation?
Chris Skelly
ccskelly12 at gmail.com
Fri Apr 15 08:59:36 EDT 2022
Thank you, that worked perfectly! I went to the statewide map viewer at
the link below and found the closest dot. That told me the map number for
that area of the state. Then, I just pasted that map number into the
search box for the MacConnell collection. Quick and easy!
*Chris Skelly*
*Skelly Preservation Services*
Community Planning and Preservation
www.skellypreservationservices.com
On Thu, Apr 14, 2022 at 4:59 PM David Cecchi <cecco at davidcecchi.com> wrote:
> Hello,
>
>
>
> I had the same question as Chris and reached out to the Special
> Collections and University Archives at UMass for assistance.
>
>
>
> Annie Sollinger, Visual Archivist there, quickly provided an answer:
>
>
>
> *There is no seamless way to match images to a map, but there are some
> tools to help. On this page you’ll find a link to a map that you can
> navigate: **https://www.arcgis.com/home/item.html?id=50545e378c7d407b883d730dd9de2c89
> <https://www.arcgis.com/home/item.html?id=50545e378c7d407b883d730dd9de2c89> (If
> you click on “Open in Map Viewer Classic,” a search box will appear.)*
>
>
>
> These maps are amazing! Agawam has a huge printout of the photos that hung
> for many years in the mayor’s office and is now in the town library.
>
> It was thought to have been part of the town’s centennial celebration in
> 1955, but I dated the photo to the early 1950s based on landmarks and
> development.
>
>
>
> Now I know exactly why the photos were taken, and when they were taken –
> June 16, 1952.
>
>
>
> Thank you, Ben for bringing this incredible resource to our attention, and
> thank you Annie Sollinger for the information to make it user-friendly!
>
>
>
> David Cecchi
>
> Agawam Historical Commission
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> *From: *MassHistPres <masshistpres-bounces at cs.umb.edu> on behalf of
> "Haley, Ben (SEC)" <ben.haley at state.ma.us>
> *Date: *Thursday, April 14, 2022 at 4:43 PM
> *To: *Chris Skelly <ccskelly12 at gmail.com>, "MassHistPres at cs.umb.edu" <
> MassHistPres at cs.umb.edu>
> *Subject: *Re: [MassHistPres] Aerial photos - how useful for historical
> documentation and preservation?
>
>
>
> I don't believe they're online yet, but in my experience SCUA archivists
> have been willing to photograph the photomosaic indexes when requested.
>
>
>
> Ben Haley
>
> National Register Director
>
> Massachusetts Historical Commission
>
> 220 Morrissey Blvd.
>
> Boston, MA 02125
>
> Ph: 617-727-8470
>
> Fax: 617-727-5128
>
> www.sec.state.ma.us/mhc
> <https://owa.sec.state.ma.us/owa/redir.aspx?C=WjnKiV1joO-edaxbgjLwlSFwvkY1L6PZt76-usnxYiYhAPM1NNfXCA..&URL=http%3a%2f%2fwww.sec.state.ma.us%2fmhc>
>
> ben.haley at sec.state.ma.us
> <https://owa.sec.state.ma.us/owa/redir.aspx?C=g-UrbAOcH-6AfUOM_E5TJ32Mwc8MQ2E5lLQ3vKZ7ELkhAPM1NNfXCA..&URL=mailto%3aben.haley%40sec.state.ma.us>
>
>
>
> Please be advised that the Massachusetts Secretary of State considers
> e-mail to be a public record, and therefore subject to public access under
> the Massachusetts Public Records Law,M.G.L. c. 66 § 10.
> ------------------------------
>
> *From:* Haley, Ben @ SEC
> *Sent:* Thursday, April 14, 2022 4:20:48 PM
> *To:* Chris Skelly; MassHistPres at cs.umb.edu
> *Subject:* Re: [MassHistPres] Aerial photos - how useful for historical
> documentation and preservation?
>
>
>
> I don't believe they're online yet, but in my experience SCUA archivists
> have been willing to photograph the
>
>
>
>
>
> Ben Haley
>
> National Register Director
>
> Massachusetts Historical Commission
>
> 220 Morrissey Blvd.
>
> Boston, MA 02125
>
> Ph: 617-727-8470
>
> Fax: 617-727-5128
>
> www.sec.state.ma.us/mhc
> <https://owa.sec.state.ma.us/owa/redir.aspx?C=WjnKiV1joO-edaxbgjLwlSFwvkY1L6PZt76-usnxYiYhAPM1NNfXCA..&URL=http%3a%2f%2fwww.sec.state.ma.us%2fmhc>
>
> ben.haley at sec.state.ma.us
> <https://owa.sec.state.ma.us/owa/redir.aspx?C=g-UrbAOcH-6AfUOM_E5TJ32Mwc8MQ2E5lLQ3vKZ7ELkhAPM1NNfXCA..&URL=mailto%3aben.haley%40sec.state.ma.us>
>
>
>
> Please be advised that the Massachusetts Secretary of State considers
> e-mail to be a public record, and therefore subject to public access under
> the Massachusetts Public Records Law,M.G.L. c. 66 § 10.
> ------------------------------
>
> *From:* MassHistPres <masshistpres-bounces at cs.umb.edu> on behalf of Chris
> Skelly <ccskelly12 at gmail.com>
> *Sent:* Thursday, April 14, 2022 3:49:29 PM
> *To:* MassHistPres at cs.umb.edu
> *Subject:* Re: [MassHistPres] Aerial photos - how useful for historical
> documentation and preservation?
>
>
>
> I've used the online MacConnell maps a few times and they are amazing but
> I've had to look at many maps to figure out where I am. Does anyone know
> if there is an overall gridded numbered map by county? I haven't seen one
> online. Chris.
>
> *Chris Skelly*
>
> *Skelly Preservation Services*
>
> Community Planning and Preservation
>
> www.skellypreservationservices.com
> <https://urldefense.com/v3/__http:/www.skellypreservationservices.com/__;!!CUhgQOZqV7M!07Ee7NDLAUlcZlGpazUbbKKVAs6c5l2lzzwj1W5NyPSftRPZb49Sp6WmsHrS-rkAWzkkng$>
>
>
>
> On Thu, Apr 14, 2022 at 2:45 PM Lyle Nyberg <lylenyberg at comcast.net>
> wrote:
>
> Thank you! That UMass Amherst collection is a fantastic resource. It’s
> like the space telescopes that let us peer into the past.
>
>
>
> There are 1040 photos of Plymouth County. I already found a great photo of
> Scituate from 1952 here:
> https://credo.library.umass.edu/view/full/mufs190-1952-dpt5k107-i001
> <https://urldefense.com/v3/__https:/credo.library.umass.edu/view/full/mufs190-1952-dpt5k107-i001__;!!CUhgQOZqV7M!07Ee7NDLAUlcZlGpazUbbKKVAs6c5l2lzzwj1W5NyPSftRPZb49Sp6WmsHrS-rlEzx8nqw$>
> .
>
>
>
> Best,
>
> Lyle
>
>
>
> *From:* Haley, Ben (SEC) [mailto:ben.haley at state.ma.us]
> *Sent:* Thursday, April 14, 2022 9:56 AM
> *To:* jim boone <jimboone at hotmail.com>; Doherty, Jennifer (SEC) <
> jennifer.doherty2 at state.ma.us>; Lyle Nyberg <lylenyberg at comcast.net>;
> MassHistPres at cs.umb.edu
> *Subject:* Re: [MassHistPres] Aerial photos - how useful for historical
> documentation and preservation?
>
>
>
> UMass Amherst's Special Collections has digitized the William P.
> MacConnell Aerial Photograph Collection. The scans are high quality and can
> be very useful.
>
>
>
> Here's the description of the collection:
>
>
>
> In the 1950s, William P. MacConnell (Class of 1943), and his
> photogrammetry students in the Dept. of Forestry began using aerial
> photography to map forests, agricultural fields, wetlands, and other land
> cover in Massachusetts. Their work was eventually expanded to include the
> mapping of all land use for Massachusetts, making this state the first in
> the nation to be completely mapped in this fashion, and laying the
> foundation for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s National Wetlands
> Inventory.
>
>
>
> The scanned photographs can be found here:
> https://credo.library.umass.edu/view/collection/mufs190
> <https://urldefense.com/v3/__https:/credo.library.umass.edu/view/collection/mufs190__;!!CUhgQOZqV7M!07Ee7NDLAUlcZlGpazUbbKKVAs6c5l2lzzwj1W5NyPSftRPZb49Sp6WmsHrS-rn1l7jpTQ$>
>
>
>
> Ben
>
>
>
> Ben Haley
>
> National Register Director
>
> Massachusetts Historical Commission
>
> 220 Morrissey Blvd.
>
> Boston, MA 02125
>
> Ph: 617-727-8470
>
> Fax: 617-727-5128
>
> www.sec.state.ma.us/mhc
> <https://owa.sec.state.ma.us/owa/redir.aspx?C=WjnKiV1joO-edaxbgjLwlSFwvkY1L6PZt76-usnxYiYhAPM1NNfXCA..&URL=http%3a%2f%2fwww.sec.state.ma.us%2fmhc>
>
> ben.haley at sec.state.ma.us
> <https://owa.sec.state.ma.us/owa/redir.aspx?C=g-UrbAOcH-6AfUOM_E5TJ32Mwc8MQ2E5lLQ3vKZ7ELkhAPM1NNfXCA..&URL=mailto%3aben.haley%40sec.state.ma.us>
>
>
>
> Please be advised that the Massachusetts Secretary of State considers
> e-mail to be a public record, and therefore subject to public access under
> the Massachusetts Public Records Law,M.G.L. c. 66 § 10.
> ------------------------------
>
> *From:* MassHistPres <masshistpres-bounces at cs.umb.edu> on behalf of jim
> boone <jimboone at hotmail.com>
> *Sent:* Thursday, April 14, 2022 9:37:54 AM
> *To:* Doherty, Jennifer (SEC); Lyle Nyberg; MassHistPres at cs.umb.edu
> *Subject:* Re: [MassHistPres] Aerial photos - how useful for historical
> documentation and preservation?
>
>
>
> In 1939 there was a WPA project that photographed every house and building
> in Springfield Ma. The Springfield Preservation Trust is digitizing these
> to our website. Great recourse. Look and see if your town did a similar
> project,
> ------------------------------
>
> *From:* MassHistPres <masshistpres-bounces at cs.umb.edu> on behalf of
> Doherty, Jennifer (SEC) <jennifer.doherty2 at state.ma.us>
> *Sent:* Thursday, April 14, 2022 1:28 PM
> *To:* Lyle Nyberg <lylenyberg at comcast.net>; MassHistPres at cs.umb.edu <
> MassHistPres at cs.umb.edu>
> *Subject:* Re: [MassHistPres] Aerial photos - how useful for historical
> documentation and preservation?
>
>
>
> Hi Lyle,
>
> Historic aerials are a great way to track 20th century changes in a
> community – moved buildings, demolitions, the development of suburbs. They
> can also be helpful for communities looking to update their survey of
> historic resources – what has changed in your community since you last
> completed a survey? Or if a previous survey stopped at 1930 or 1950, what
> areas might have been missed?
>
>
>
> I frequently use two easily-accessible sources:
>
> - MACRIS Maps
> <https://urldefense.com/v3/__https:/nam12.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https*3A*2F*2Fmaps.mhc-macris.net*2F&data=04*7C01*7C*7C6d169e340c0043642e4408da1e1ac23b*7C84df9e7fe9f640afb435aaaaaaaaaaaa*7C1*7C0*7C637855397532211893*7CUnknown*7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0*3D*7C3000&sdata=W8kefCbJxx*2FN076c32HYfjtnFmUt8DaQx*2FbAwmFlWlA*3D&reserved=0__;JSUlJSUlJSUlJSUlJSUlJSUl!!CUhgQOZqV7M!3Lk1NxvYQ7rRYD1Eo7bClN3o_aeK4Og0MGZBU53dDlBcpFw1ZoaWamNf1x4yZQrYz0LLrw$>
> has a few more recent (1990s-present) statewide ortho layers you can turn
> on. On the right side of the screen, where the address search is, select
> the “Layers” tab and then click the “Base Layer” dropdown to select one of
> the ortho layers.
>
> - HistoricAerials.com
> <https://urldefense.com/v3/__https:/nam12.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https*3A*2F*2Fhistoricaerials.com*2Fviewer&data=04*7C01*7C*7C6d169e340c0043642e4408da1e1ac23b*7C84df9e7fe9f640afb435aaaaaaaaaaaa*7C1*7C0*7C637855397532211893*7CUnknown*7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0*3D*7C3000&sdata=Mt7CWJtSowWCjZXS7YvaWM0N2Suq*2Big*2FUJnyh*2FnJbCo*3D&reserved=0__;JSUlJSUlJSUlJSUlJSUlJSUlJQ!!CUhgQOZqV7M!3Lk1NxvYQ7rRYD1Eo7bClN3o_aeK4Og0MGZBU53dDlBcpFw1ZoaWamNf1x4yZQoNIvlTwQ$>
> has aerials going back to the 1950s or so as well as historic topo maps.
> They do watermark all their images, but it can be a helpful quick
> reference. Note that this is not an MHC product and this is not an official
> endorsement by the MHC, but it is a helpful site to know!
>
>
>
> Thank you,
>
> Jenn
>
>
>
>
>
> *Jennifer B. Doherty*
>
> Local Government Programs Coordinator
>
> Massachusetts Historical Commission
>
> 220 Morrissey Boulevard
>
> Boston, MA 02125-3314
>
> Office: (617) 727-8470
>
> Remote: (617) 807-0685
>
> Jennifer.Doherty at sec.state.ma.us
>
>
>
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>
>
>
> *From:* MassHistPres <masshistpres-bounces at cs.umb.edu> *On Behalf Of *Lyle
> Nyberg
> *Sent:* Wednesday, April 13, 2022 11:05 PM
> *To:* MassHistPres at cs.umb.edu
> *Subject:* [MassHistPres] Aerial photos - how useful for historical
> documentation and preservation?
>
>
>
> My historical work has found aerial photos useful but overlooked, often
> buried in town archives. Has anyone else found them useful?
>
>
>
> Lyle Nyberg
>
> Independent historian, author, www.lylenyberg.com
> <https://urldefense.com/v3/__https:/nam12.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https*3A*2F*2Furldefense.com*2Fv3*2F__http*3A*2Fwww.lylenyberg.com__*3B!!CUhgQOZqV7M!1_14WH6oExQqO_d96zCZ1ck8FA1YyW0IlChBRdOyTjBCQWV42LLFd_KI8p28JXGch0pSfu5tY78*24&data=04*7C01*7C*7C6d169e340c0043642e4408da1e1ac23b*7C84df9e7fe9f640afb435aaaaaaaaaaaa*7C1*7C0*7C637855397532211893*7CUnknown*7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0*3D*7C3000&sdata=KT2853HPlxZARScjVdNF*2FLrs5wKnin56GYBihU*2FgWrE*3D&reserved=0__;JSUlJSUlJSUlJSUlJSUlJSUlJSUlJSU!!CUhgQOZqV7M!3Lk1NxvYQ7rRYD1Eo7bClN3o_aeK4Og0MGZBU53dDlBcpFw1ZoaWamNf1x4yZQp8mbJnIA$>
>
> Volunteer at Scituate Historical Commission
>
> Scituate, MA
>
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