“Historic Photos of Syracuse”

Onondaga Historical Association

Museum & Research Center

announces new book

A giant electric turbine on the Near West Side provides power to Syracuse’s streetcars. . .

A spindly iron lift bridge carries Salina Street across the Oswego Canal . . .

And a group of men assemble typewriters by hand on the Salt City’s Near East Side.

Very different scenes, but they all survive in photos from the exhaustive collection of the Onondaga Historical Association Museum & Research Center (OHA). These images, and nearly 200 more, are featured in the Association’s newest publication, Historic Photos of Syracuse, released this month by Turner Publishing Company of Nashville, Tennessee. This fascinating journey through time is captured in the remarkable images reproduced in this new hardcover book.

Historic Photos of Syracuse will have its unveiling at the OHA’s downtown museum on November 20, 2008 from 5 to 8 pm as part of the monthly open house series of local arts institutions known as Third Thursday. The book’s author, OHA curator of history Dennis Connors, will sign copies of the publication from 5 to 6 pm.

Historic Photos of Syracuse is part of a larger series of books by Turner Publishing that features high quality reproduction of historic photos from various American cities. In this book, Connors has made a special effort to select images of distinctive quality with emphasis on photos that have not been published in previous titles by the OHA. The book is divided into four chronological chapters covering 1854 to 1980. Each chapter begins with a description of a unique local event during that time, while offering an overview of Syracuse during that era. These mini-histories are followed by photographs from those decades, with a descriptive caption for each. The book is a stunning celebration of Syracuse’s rich history and will make a very distinctive and memorable holiday gift.

Copies will be available from the OHA Museum Gift Shop for $39.95 and OHA membership discount applies. Purchase your book on November 20^th and receive a bonus gift from the OHA!