Mr Durham heads stateside

7:00pm Saturday 10th May 2008

Comments (0)   Have your say »

LOCAL historian Michael Richardson is well known for his popular books of photographs of Durham and its people from decades gone by.

Over the years Mr Richardson, 45, from Gilesgate in the city, has amassed a huge archive of pictures depicting all aspects of local life that have featured in his publications and in his popular illustrated talks to local groups.

But his latest venture is something of a departure from the norm because he is currently in the USA holding a series of exhibitions of his postcards of Ohio and West Virginia.

He said: "I have been visiting and collecting postcards from Meigs County, Ohio, and Mason County, West Virginia, for the last six years and now have over 300, mostly dating from the 1900s.

"The cards show the social history of the area: Stern wheel boats, coal barges, coal mines, local businesses and street scenes.

"The first exhibition runs the whole month of May and is held at the Carnegie Library, Pomeroy, which is situated on the banks of the Ohio River.

"It was once a great coal mining area and the people are very friendly. This part of Ohio has a large Amish community and are often seen in their horse drawn buggies wearing Victorian style dress.

"It also has some Civil War history. The battle of Buffington Island took place in the county and there are numerous ancient Indian burial mounds in the locality, flint arrow heads turn up frequently along the river banks after a flood.'' Mr Richardson is staying Stateside until the end of June, but fans of his work need not worry that he has given up delving into the past of his home city.

He said: "I'm not giving up the Mr Durham title just yet. I have just been very interested in the social history of this area, with its old buildings, Stern wheel boats and Civil War cemeteries, which are well kept.

"I hope to do another book on Durham in the near future, but I would also very much like to do one on Meigs County."