By Vanessa Chircop
VOLUNTEERS at the Williamstown Historical Society have been left guessing after an anonymous donation of photos was delivered to the museum.
The society’s President Janet Long told Star receiving the photos was a pleasant surprise and have provided the museum with images of Williamstown that they did not have.
The 24 photos were mostly taken around Williamstown and it is estimated they were taken during the 1920s.
The photos depict Ferguson St, the Williamstown Botanic Gardens and the old Sea Baths.
They were delivered to the museum in an envelope with no return address or mark on the stamp.
“They’re of interest because of the era they have been taken in – and the fact that they were sent to us anonymously,” Ms Long said.
“We did put in our newsletter that we’d love to hear from whomever it was that left them for us – because we’d like to thank them.
Ms Long said the photos are of particular interest because some depict the inside of the old Williamstown Sea Baths.
“We do have pictures from the outside but not the inside,” she said.
The Sea Baths were destroyed by a storm in 1932 and the pictures had to have been taken prior to that.
Ms Long said the museum plays an important part in preserving Williamstown’s history.
“Apart from anything else this building is historic in its own right – its 150 years old – the Mechanics Institute, and it was the library when I was a child.
“It’s very important to the history of Williamstown to keep it going.”
If you have any information about these photos or would like to find out more about the museum visit www.williamstownhistsoc.org.au or pop into to Electra St for a visit.
