We have had so much trouble identifying these children that we sometimes wonder if the photograph was actually taken in some other town. We know nothing about the photograph, and we are only guessing that it is a kindergarten class from the late 1940s. Do you recognize any one of […]

Here are three photographs of the dedication ceremony for the Hillside Park Swimming Pool. They were taken in 1965, though we don’t know the exact date. Perhaps it was late spring, at the beginning of the pool season. After the death of young Julius “Butch” Chemka in 1983, the swimming […]

Here are four photographs showing girls in what seem to be school gym uniforms. We’re guessing that the photographs were taken some time in the early 1950s. In the top photograph, one of the girls is holding a baseball bat. In one of the others, the girls are holding batons […]

The Historical Society’s collection contains almost 150 photographs of theatrical productions. There are Christmas pageants and benefits for the fire companies, the Tower Ridge Yacht Club, and the V.F.W. There are even more photographs of school productions. And it wasn’t just the Drama Club who took to the stage. The […]

Here is a new kind of puzzle for you. These ladies, members of the Hastings Woman’s Club’s Beautification Committee, are posing for a photographer at the Astor Hotel in New York on March 8th, 1966. They are all very pleased because they have just received two prizes in the Federated […]

Here are two photographs dated August 29th, 1959 and both showing the same five kids. Three of them at least seem to have small white tags attached to their clothes! We are just guessing here, but it looks like they are devouring slices of watermelon. Is it a contest? Are […]

Editor’s Note: We’ve been having a great time writing about some of the odd corners of Hastings history and the interesting things we have in our collection. We can’t quite manage three posts a week right now, so we’re going to be reducing the number to two and moving the […]

Here are two photographs of Anaconda Pioneers, the top taken at a dinner on October 26th, 1950 and the bottom at a dinner on November 5, 1953. An Anaconda newsletter from 1945 reported that employees were already making plans for a club that would be open to anyone who had […]