Preserving Pelham's Past Through Photography

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The Hobbs–Mason Photo Collection offers a remarkable glimpse into everyday life in Pelham from the late 1800s through the early 1900s. Comprising 73 glass plate negatives, the collection captures homes, farms, businesses, landscapes, and the people who helped shape the town's history.

Today, these photographs serve as one of Pelham's most valuable visual records, preserving moments that might otherwise have been lost to time.

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Honoring Joyce Mason

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The collection is dedicated to the memory of Joyce Mason, a lifelong advocate for preserving Pelham's history.

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Joyce served the Town of Pelham in many capacities, including as Clerk of the Pelham Municipal Court from 1982 to 1992. She was also an active member of the Pelham Historical Society and a dedicated volunteer for Pelham's 250th Anniversary Committee.

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Following her passing, Judge J. Albert Lynch, a founding member of the Pelham Historical Society, sought a meaningful way to recognize Joyce's years of service and commitment to the community.

Shortly thereafter, Joyce's family generously donated one of her most treasured possessions—a collection of 73 historic glass plate negatives depicting Pelham between the 1890s and the 1920s.

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Preserving the Collection

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Glass plate negatives are both rare and fragile. Preserving them required specialized equipment and expertise.

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Eastern Photographic Services of Lowell, Massachusetts, carefully converted each negative into archival-quality photographic prints and digital images. In support of the Historical Society's mission, the company generously completed the work at half its normal cost.

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Even with this generous discount, the expense of reproducing and framing the collection exceeded the Society's available resources.

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Judge J. Albert Lynch personally funded the entire project in memory of Joyce Mason, ensuring that these irreplaceable photographs would be preserved and shared with future generations.

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A Living Historical Collection

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The printed photographs are displayed in the Ruth Sherburne Sturrus Art Gallery as well as the back room within the Pelham Historical Society Museum Building, a designated New Hampshire State Historical Landmark.

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Digital versions of the collection are also available below, making Pelham's history accessible to visitors around the world.

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Many photographs have been identified, while others continue to present fascinating historical mysteries. Visitors are encouraged to share their memories and knowledge to help identify the people, places, and events captured in these images. As new information is discovered, additional historical descriptions are added, making this collection an ongoing community effort.

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Uncovering the Photographer - A Community Solves the Mystery

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After the collection was introduced to the public, the Lowell Sun published an article asking readers to help identify both the photographs and the person behind the camera.

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One image, selected by reporter John Collins, proved to be the key.

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Longtime Pelham resident Rita Bennet Ducharme recognized the woman in the photograph as C. Frances Hobbs, author of Old Days and Old Ways, published by the Pelham Historical Society in 1974.

Just days later, an unexpected encounter revealed the rest of the story.

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The Story Behind the Glass Plates

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While waiting in line for a flu shot, the founder of the Hayes–Genoter History and Genealogy Library happened to strike up a conversation with Charlie Hobbs, a nephew of C. Frances Hobbs.

Charlie confirmed that the woman pictured was indeed his aunt, affectionately known throughout Pelham as "Aunt Kina."

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As the conversation continued, Charlie shared the remarkable history of the glass plate negatives that would eventually become the Hobbs–Mason Photo Collection.

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He explained that his other aunt, Mary Hobbs, known throughout town as "Aunt Molly," developed a passion for photography while still a teenager. At a time when photography was both expensive and technically demanding, she owned her own glass plate camera, tripod, and developing equipment, allowing her to photograph and develop her own images.

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Pelham's Pioneer Photographer

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Between 1896 and 1920, Aunt Molly photographed life throughout Pelham, creating an extraordinary visual record of the town during a period of tremendous change.

 

In addition to her work behind the camera, she served as Pelham's librarian for more than 50 years, preserving both the written and visual history of the community.

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After her death, the glass plate negatives passed to Aunt Kina, who later entrusted them to Charlie Hobbs.

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Charlie eventually gave the collection to Burt Mason, Joyce Mason's husband and an accomplished photographer. Burt was one of the few people with the knowledge and equipment necessary to produce high-quality prints from the fragile glass negatives.

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Following Burt's death, the collection remained with Joyce until her family donated it to the Pelham Historical Society.

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A Collection Comes Home

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Today, the Hobbs–Mason Photo Collection has come full circle.

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Thanks to the generosity of Judge J. Albert Lynch, the photographs are permanently displayed in the very building where Aunt Molly spent more than half a century serving the people of Pelham as librarian.

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More than a century after they were created, her photographs continue to tell the story of Pelham, connecting today's visitors with the people, places, and everyday moments that shaped the town's history.