On July 27, 2001, a collection of 170 glass plate negatives depicting the city of Lynn, Massachusetts will be transferred from the Public Archives and Records Office to the care and custody of the Lynn Museum. The glass plate negatives are over 125 years old.
"The Government of Prince Edward Island is delighted to be instrumental in restoring this magnificent collection of images, which have languished in limbo for more than a century, to the city whose heritage they so vibrantly document and where they will be appreciated for the history which they preserve as well as for their photographic quality," said Gail Shea, Minister responsible for the Public Archives and Records Office.
In 1976, a collection of some 180 glass plate negatives from the estate of Ezra Davidson Fraser of North Lake, Prince Edward Island were deposited in the Public Archives and Records Office by Mr. Fraser's daughters, Carol Mae Fraser and Myrtle Elizabeth (Fraser) Bennett. When approximately half of the collection was printed, it was discovered that very few images were of Prince Edward Island. Based on family lore and some sleuthing by the Provincial Archivist, it was discovered that the majority of the images were of street scenes, public buildings, storefronts, and houses in Lynn, Massachusetts in the late 1870s.
Ezra Davidson Fraser (1854 -1938) travelled to the United States as a young man and, according to the family, operated a photograph studio at 567 Washington Street in Boston in the 1870s. In 1881, Mr. Fraser returned to Prince Edward Island, presumably bringing the glass plates with him. He set up a general store in North Lake where he also farmed and worked as a salesman for agricultural machinery. Outside of approximately two dozen plates which capture the family farm in North Lake and members of his family, Fraser does not appear to have further pursued his first career, even as a hobby. After his death the glass plate negatives remained in the hands of the family until their transfer to the Public Archives and Records Office.
When contacted, personnel of the Lynn Historical Society and Museum, now the Lynn Museum, greeted photocopies of these images with great delight and excitement and easily identified them as photographs of their city. Some of the images had previously appeared in an advertising booklet of 1879 thought to be the work of a local photographer, C.E. Cook. Twice, personnel from the Museum visited and viewed the printed portion of the collection and specifically identified all of the images. More remain to be printed primarily of store fronts, some with individuals, presumably proprietors and/or employees, posed in front. Most of these include prominent signage allowing for easy identification.
Consultation with Austin Fraser, last surviving child of Ezra Davidson and his second wife Amanda MacDonald, and with Ezra's granddaughter, Norma Jean MacDonald, surviving heir of his business and home property, has resulted in their generous acquiescence in the deaccessioning of these images from the holdings of the Public Archives and Records Office and their donation to the Lynn Museum. Because of the fragility of the medium, it has taken some time to arrange for their proper packing and transportation to Lynn. On July 27, 2001, the Honourable Gail Shea will turn over the glass plate negatives to Paula and Scott Hamilton, daughter and son-in-law of the President of the Lynn Museum, who will transport them back to their place of origin.