Juniata County History Project collection

The collection is organized into four series: A Country Auction, Images, Oral Histories, and Research and Reference.

Series 1, A Country Auction, documents the American rural tradition of the estate auction, as it is shaped by both local communities and national economy. It includes files pertaining to the production of A Country Auction, images of the auction day and setup, as well as a DVD of the 25th anniversary screening of A Country Auction: The Paul V. Leitzel Estate Sale. The films reveal the personal, social and economic process involved when a family dissolves their homestead in a rural Pennsylvania community. A Country Auction is both a view of a family and community as they deal with death and a portrait of a lively rural tradition, one which was formed by local custom and is now subject to the vagaries of the national antique marketplace.

Arranged by format, photographer's name, and often subject, Series 1, Images, consists of photographs, glass plate negatives, carte-de-visites, cabinet cards, post cards, negatives, ambrotypes and daguerreotypes. Highlights include: postcards of Juniata County (Pa.); casket and corpse images by Paul Smith; wedding and anniversary prints; and photographs of local elementary and high school groups.

Series 3, Oral Histories, consists of 26 transcripts and consents for 44 recorded histories on audio cassettes. These stories record the lives of farmers, townspeople, women, and men and represent a cross section of rural Pennsylvanians of the twentieth century.The Research and reference series includes: field notes; observations and interviews; biographical data on various 19th century professional photographers; an incomplete manuscript on the history of photography in Juniata County; slide catalogs; census reports and demographic statistics. Highlights include; field notes of outings to local businesses; Mennonite, Baptist and Lutheran church services; as well as research related to movie houses; traveling companies; magic lanterns; idle hour theatre; and musical and glee clubs (Mifflintown, Pa.). A detailed index and papers related to the Paul Smith images are also included.

Series 4, Research and Reference, includes: field notes; observations and interviews; biographical data on various 19th century professional photographers; an incomplete manuscript on the history of photography in Juniata County; slide catalogs; census reports and demographic statistics. Highlights include; field notes of outings to local businesses; Mennonite, Baptist and Lutheran church services; as well as research related to movie houses; traveling companies; magic lanterns; idle hour theatre; and musical and glee clubs (Mifflintown, Pa.). A detailed index and papers related to the Paul Smith images are also included.