Font size options
Increase or decrease the font size for this website by clicking on the 'A's.
Contrast options
Choose a color combination to give the most comfortable
contrast.
Journalist’s Scrapbooking Hobby Becomes Invaluable Historic Reference for pre ‘50s Miami Life
Preserving History: Old Miami News
01/22/20
By: I. S.
In 1952, retired newspaper reporter, Agnew Welsh donated 227 scrapbooks about Miami and Florida history to the Miami Public Library (now the Miami-Dade Public Library System). Welsh collected newspaper clippings and ephemera such as booklets and maps, organizing them into notebooks according to subject. The series feature topics such as “Florida,” “Miami,” and “Coral Gables” and include books dedicated to Seminole and Black populations. Further series include the fascinating “Miami As Is,” which covers crime and shadier aspects of the city (not that such news is exactly excluded from other collections), as well as the valuable “War” series that collects information about the effect of World War II on Miami.
Examples of several covers from the Agnew Welsh collection.
Digitization
The Agnew Welsh Scrapbook collection has been heavily used in the past thanks to the valuable information that is collected within. This does, however, mean that the bindings have been weakened by handling. Because of this usage, it was also apparent that this collection would be a wonderful resource to reproduce online, while at the same time making high resolution digital archival copies so that the information will be accessible in the far future. Thus, this collection was chosen to be digitized into the new Digital Collections maintained by the digitization staff of the Miami-Dade Public Library System.
Number of scrapbooks live on website.
It has taken nearly two years, but the scrapbooks have been digitized and processed so that they are available for perusal at the leisure of anyone anywhere in the world.
To digitize these scrapbooks, we used a Bookeye 4 scanner, which allows for the book to be scanned both flat and in a raised “book” position. The scanner is able to adjust for changes in depth in the book so that even scans of curved pages appear flat for easier reading. There are also functions in the software we use, Opus Lite, to edit the individual page images as well as exporting them in various formats, though we usually only export TIF files that adhere to the Federal Agencies Digital Guidelines Initiative (FADGI) to store as digital archival items and JPG files to upload to our website for anyone to view.
Peculiarities of Scanning
The Agnew Welsh scrapbook collection is very fascinating (and at times, frustrating) to digitize because of all the material it contains.
|
The light from our windows bothered the scanning process and made the images blurry. To avoid darkening out space too much for the digitization staff, we resourcefully chose to add a sheet of black plastic covering which blocks out most of the light and allows us to produce clear scans. |
There are pockets which contain additional clippings on special subjects. |
|
There are also fold out attachments such as brown-paper-backed newspaper clippings and photographs, as well as pages from small format magazines and brochures that are pasted onto the page, sometimes in layers.
These types of inserts can be very difficult to scan. Because they are folded, the unfolding sometimes leaves them unevenly raised in ways that the scanner finds hard to recognize. For example, when there are multiple folds or vertical folds. We would often have to clip down these additions to reduce the curvature or counteract the tendency of what has already been folded to return to its folded position.
Highlights from the Agnew Welsh Scrapbook Collection
Because I am sure you are all curious by now, here are some of my favourite strange and interesting stories covered in the scrapbooks.
"Florida, v. 042 B; or, Key West" page 35
A Corpse Bride
In 1940, it was discovered that Karl Tanzler von Cosel of Key West was in possession of the body of a young woman, Elena Hoyos Mesa, who had died nine years before. According to the articles preserved by Welsh, von Cosel had fallen in love with the young woman while she was in hospital with tuberculosis.
When she eventually died, he ended up stealing her body from a mausoleum he had built for her. He apparently remade decomposed parts of her with wax and papier-mâché and tried to bring her back to life with electrodes. The sister of the deceased young woman became suspicious that he had removed the body and, after she was able to catch a glimpse of her sister’s corpse in von Cosel's garage, she immediately notified the police.
The 70-year-old von Cosel was arrested for exhuming a body without permission.
"Miami As Is, v. 004" page 59
The Mystic's Daughter
In 1939, the daughter of the infamous Grigori Rasputin, Maria Rasputin was arrested for overstaying her 1937 visitor’s permit.
She was released pending further investigation and in 1940, married her childhood friend, Gregory Bernadsky which allowed her to challenge her deportation as her husband had recently become a citizen.
"Miami, v. 004 A; or, Good old days" page 19
Take Miami to Church
Welsh dedicated two books to The Herald’s feature “Good Old Days.” Individuals and organizations sent in photographs of old Miami for publication.
This gives us some interest gems such as these two pieces about the Reading Room Tent of the First Presbyterian Church (left) used from 1896 to 1898 when the original First Presbyterian Church building (right) was finished. No longer in existence, the original church stood at E. Flagler Street and S.E. 3rd Avenue.
The current First Presbyterian Church building stands at 609 Brickell Avenue.
"Miami, v. 005 B; or, Good old days" page 47