WELTER PHOTOGRAPH COLLECTION ADDED TO TOWN ARCHIVES

Neil Dorsman and Carol Sorensen have added their grandfather’s pictures to the Bethlehem Archives. Leonard Welter came to Bethlehem from the Netherlands as a young man in about 1906. Welter began photographing the Bethlehem and Albany area shortly thereafter.  He used a large format camera that produced glass plate negatives.

The photos posted below are part of a display Welter made in 1959 for the Hudson Champlain 350th anniversary. The group of 12 photos was displayed in various shop windows in the Delmar area.

The Adams Hotel is a familiar Delmar landmark. Built in 1838, it was the Bethlehem Town Hall from 1950 to 1980. The photo was taken in 1908.

The David Clark Farm House was located at the corner of Mason and Delaware Avenues, about where the McDonalds is today. Leonard Welter’s wife and children are on the porch. The picture was taken in 1925 and the Welters owned the house then.

The Four Corners Delmar photo is a bit of a mystery. Undated, its caption reads “Looking west from Grove Street Old Saloon on Corner.”  Welter probably stood near today’s post office building to take the picture.

The Albany – Susquehanna Railroad Line came through in 1863 and brought significant changes to what was then known as Adamsville.  Easy transportation to Albany resulted in many commuting from the Elsmere, Delmar, Slingerlands and Font Grove stations. Pictured here is the Delmar Station in 1907. It was located on Adams Street.

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