Consisting of photographs of Wheeling in the 19th and early 20th century, the Brown Collection was donated to Ohio County Public Library in 1950 by W.C. Brown, one of the city's first photographers. The pictures were taken by Brown and his father, according to an article in the News-Register. They had been recently restored by another Wheeling photographer, George Kossuth.
The index of the Brown Photographs is organized by the date labeled on each picture by Mr. Brown. The dates may not reflect the actual date the photograph was taken, but it is relative to the subject. In many cases, they are simply the date a building was constructed.
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Download a finding aid for the Brown Collection (pdf - coming soon)
The W. C. Brown Collection is part of the OCPL's Archives & Special Collections and is available for viewing by appointment only. A few of the photographs are on permanent display in the Wheeling Room.