The Townships Sun’s Photo Detective Challenge – Solving the Mysteries of the Past
by Daniel Kirchin.
John Mackley, photo archivist for the Townships Sun, and Christian Collins, coordinator of the Lennoxville Library with the exhibit of historical photos from the Townships Sun’s archives. (Photo: R.A. Garber)
History has a way of hiding in plain sight. It lurks in forgotten archives, tucked away in old boxes, waiting to be rediscovered. That’s exactly what happened when Townships Sun archivist John Mackley stumbled upon a trove of historical photographs. Some were instantly recognizable; others, however, remained mysteries. Now, through the Photo Detective initiative, the Townships Sun is calling on the community to help uncover the stories behind these lost images.
From Cardboard Boxes to Community Project
Mackley remembers, “I don’t know where they came from, but all of a sudden we had them.” As an archivist, he was instantly worried about their state.
“These priceless old photos were just loose in the boxes,” he said. “I couldn’t abandon them in that state. They required appropriate sorting, archiving, and preservation.”
With financial support from Townshippers’ Research & Cultural Foundation, Townships Sun asked Mackley to classify, digitize, and securely store the photos. Thirty-six remained stubbornly anonymous—pictures of unidentified persons, locations, and events. The Photo Detective Challenges set out to solve that.
Community Clues and Exciting Discoveries
Community members are asked to look over the mystery images and offer comments at these challenges. Already, the events have had unexpected outcomes. A librarian at a recent session in Bury identified a church on Dufferin Street in Sherbrooke; it was only two streets from Mackley’s home 40 years ago. He chuckles, “I must have passed it dozens of times and didn’t recognize it from the picture.”
Another discovery was quickly made at the Brome County Museum when the museum archivist, Anne-Marie Charuest, recognized a picture of Marion Phelps, a significant volunteer and leader in the museum’s past.
Several of the most fascinating pictures are still unexplained, including a series of three photographs showing an old farmhouse, a small garage, and a vintage 1920s automobile. “The scene looks like something out of the Prohibition era,” Mackley speculates. “I’d love for someone to recognize it.”
More Photo Detective Challenges are planned for the Lennoxville Library on Thursday, February 6, at 1 p.m.; at the Wales Home on Thursday, February 13, at 1:30 p.m.; at the Haskell Library in Stanstead on Saturday, February 15, at 10 a.m., and finally at Grace Village on Wednesday, February 19, at 1 p.m. All these events are free.
The Exhibit: A Glimpse Into the Past
In addition to these gatherings, the Townships Sun has mounted a Historical Photo Exhibit at the Lennoxville Library. The vernissage is on Thursday, February 20, at 5 to 7 p.m. The 36 framed photos are to be exhibited in two rotating groups until April 3, 2025.
Mackley also discovered an intriguing link: a lot of the old photographs had the same format, paper type, and black borders. Some of them were labeled with Bernard Epps’ name, suggesting he had taken them. Epps was a prolific writer, photographer, and editor for the Townships Sun in the 1970s and 80s. Mackley said, “We can tell by the way they were printed that they were his, but he rarely gave himself credit.”
The past becomes more clear with every new hint. Do you wish to contribute to history? Attend the show or a future challenge. Who knows, you could contribute to solving the next puzzle.
For more information, contact John Mackley at [email protected] or 819-578-2301.