The Hagley Digital Archives provides online access to selected materials from the Hagley Museum and Library’s collection of images, documents, and publications. Although the organization concentrates on business, technology and Society, several of the record groups help researchers studying Cecil County’s past
The Zebley-Hoffecker collection is one example. The pictorial department added this records group of nearly 1,500 pictures in August 2012. The images were snapped between 1918 and 1944 by Wilmington Native Frank R. Zebley. Traveling all over the region, “Zebley photographed an enormous mix of subjects and places, including street scenes, rural views, parades, parks, public buildings, churches, beaches, rivers and bridges, automobile accidents, hotels, and estates, plus notable events . . .” according to a library press release. “This collection has long been a wonderful and well-used resource for local history researchers living in the Wilmington area, and we hope that many more folks will find and use the photographs now that they are available online,” Hagley adds. The finding aid and search engine takes you to images from the C & D Canal, Fair Hill, Bethel Church, Conowingo, and more.
There are other important virtual collection of text and images, which contain materials which should help researchers. Those include the DuPont Magazine and company correspondence. Some of the others are Nation’s Business, Dallin Aerial Survey Company products, and the Beers Atlas of Delaware. Here is the link for you to browse and search the Hagley Digital Archives.
