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Way Back Wednesdays

One thing the museum has recently started doing on Facebook is #Way Back Wednesdays, showcasing photographs from way back when (we’ve been around for 80+ years after all). We would have done the usual #Throw Back Thursdays, but we were worried that would conflict with our Thursday events, of which we have many (First Thursdays, Thursdays by the Lake, etc.)

These first two pictures never cease to make me laugh. The one on the left shows our Gondola (ca 1850) being transported to the museum in 1950. Guess they didn’t have a truck big enough!! Our gondola, besides being incredibly beautiful, is one of the oldest known to exist, if not the oldest. It is currently on display in our Small Craft Center. The picture on the right is an English Naval Cannon (ca 1756-1781) that was raised from the bottom of the York River during diving operations in 1934 getting painted. We joke about it because the gentleman doing the painting looks as though he could be a male model with his abs and beautiful, flowing hair. They couldn’t have done that photo better if they had planned it that way. Hah!

These next two photos focus on our park. The one on the left shows cyclists enjoying the park in the 70’s, as they do today. Part of our founder’s, Archer Huntington, goal was to create an outdoor space for the community to enjoy, and he definitely accomplished that. The photo on the right shows the dam, now known as Lion’s Bridge, being built. That area sure looks a lot different today!!

There will be more Way Back Wednesdays coming to you in the future, but you can also follow us on Facebook to see the new photo that is posted every Wednesday!

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