Edgar Scott Postcard Collection

Title

Edgar Scott Postcard Collection

Description

Edgar Scott (1857-1940) was a photographer and printer in the Amherst and Northampton areas. He was born on Martha’s Vineyard and, as an Amherst resident, worked in a local hat factory. He took up photography in retirement and was an originator of the picture postcard. He specialized in photographic views of architecture and social events around the Amherst area around the turn of the century.

The bulk of the images are from about 1897 to approximately 1924. Many of his postcards have color applied to them. Beyond the images digitized here, the collection at the Scott Collection at the Jones library includes 157 5 x 7 in. glass plate negatives; 44 5x7 in. nitrate negatives; over 200 prints; c.350 picture postcards (no negatives for postcards).

Collection Items

Mill Pond at Cushman, North Amherst, Mass.
View of a young boy fishing at Mill Pond in Cushman. The pond was at the corner of State Street and East Leverett Road and was the water source for the mills downstream, including the Roberts mill.

Barns and cattle shed at Massachusetts Agricultural College
View of several barns located in a field planted with rows of corn on the Massachusetts Agricultural College campus.

Mrs. Musante, peanuts, fruit and candy, Amherst, Mass.
View showing Candida Musante beside the stand that became an Amherst institution. She and her husband (known as "Peanut John") ran a little shop out of Cutler's Block on South Pleasant Street. The Musantes emigrated from Italy, arriving in Amherst in…

Hockanum Ferry by moonlight, Northampton, Mass.
View of a ferry crossing the Connecticut River from Northampton to Hockanum in Hadley with Mount Holyoke in the background.

Hills Company hat factory in Amherst
View of the Hills Company hat factory which became one of the largest hat manufacturers in the United States. These buildings were constructed on the east side of the New London Northern Railroad tracks after the first factory was consumed by fire in…

Trolley station at Massachusetts Agricultural College in Amherst
Old station on North Pleasant Street at Massachusetts Agricultural College where passengers could wait for the trolley during inclement weather.

Trolley at the Notch in South Amherst
View of a trolley car running through the pass at the Notch in South Amherst.

Three bridges over the Connecticut River in Hadley
View of the three bridges crossing the Connecticut River from Hadley to Northampton at the turn of the century. They were the trolley bridge, the old highway bridge, and the Boston and Maine Railroad bridge which is now part of the Norwottuck Rail…

Amherst House hotel and business block
View looking west on Main Street and showing a section of Merchants' Row and the second incarnation of the Amherst House. Businesses shown in the Amherst House block include E. R. Clark, Deuel's Drug Store, a clothes shop, and Amherst E-O Store.…

Phoenix Row with American House Block in Amherst
View of Phoenix Row as seen from the corner of Amity and South Pleasant Streets. Cook's Block, the brick building on the left, was built about 1840. The upper floors were partially rebuilt after a fire in 1881. Other business blocks (from left to…

Post office and Lincoln Block in Amherst
View of the east end of Phoenix Row on Main Street. The new Lincoln Block is in the foreground.

The Amherst Journal of 6/16/1950 states, "Built by the Allen Brothers of Amherst in 1909 and 1910, the structure was designed by James H. Ritchie of…

North Pleasant Street in Amherst
View looking north from the junction of Amity and North Pleasant Streets. Horses and carts are parked in front of businesses and the streets are unpaved.

Amherst House hotel and business block
View looking west on Main Street and showing a section of Merchants' Row and the second incarnation of the Amherst House. Businesses visible in the Amherst House block include Harry H. Clark, Deuel's Drug Store, and Campion & Fish.

The first…

Phoenix Row in Amherst
View of Phoenix Row seen from the corner of Amity and South Pleasant Streets. Cook's Block, the brick building on the left, was built about 1840. The upper floors were partially rebuilt after a fire in 1881. Other business blocks (from left to right)…

Cook Fountain in Sweetser Park in Amherst
View showing Cook Fountain with water flowing. The surrounding area needs some attention.
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