Volunteer Doug Mowen is surrounded by photos from the collection of the late Robert L. Ringer that are now stored in the Waynesboro Historical Society headquarters in the Oller House.
Saved for Future
Generations
By Nancy Mace
The Record Herald
12/16/04
WAYNESBORO - A local man is helping to preserve the pictorial history of Waynesboro as seen through the eyes of the late Robert L. "Bob" Ringer.
Since Thanksgiving, Doug Mowen has been entering information about the photos on a computer in the Oller House, the headquarters of Waynesboro Historical Society.
Ringer, who died Nov. 5, 2002, amassed a collection of more than 6,000 photos depicting Waynesboro's past and its people. He shared his collection with the community in the "Reminiscing" columns he wrote with the late Carl Besore from 1992 and 1995 and, after Besore died, in his weekly "Bygone Days" photos in The Record Herald. The family donated the photos to the historical society, but the project was on hold until space for the collection became available in the Oller House. The collection has found a fitting home - Bob and his wife Paula were good friends of the late Rello Oller, who donated the house to the historical society. "I'm trying to keep the history of Waynesboro available for the next generation," Mowen said.
Avid collector
Some 300 of the photos have been scanned into the computer, and each has been assigned a filing number. "I'm also entering the information that Bob wrote on the back of the picture so that if I need a certain photo, I can access it with one word," he noted. Mowen also is hoping to identify the photographers. "They're not all Bob's photos, and I think it would be nice for people to know who took them. "There are 1,300 here," said Mowen, gesturing to the filled shelves in the historical society. With the help of Wayne Gembe, Mowen rebuilt some existing shelves to take advantage of the 8-foot-high ceilings in the Oller House. "We tore them apart and made them to fit against the walls." The shelves were then bolted together in case they need to be reassembled and moved. "There were 60 boxes of pictures that had to be brought down from the Oller House attic."
Long-time friends
Mowen first met Ringer in 1978. "I was an active firefighter and was doing genealogy research at the library as well as cemetery research. I was trying to document all the cemeteries in Franklin County." Mowen said he worked closely with Ringer when he began the process of archiving the photos. "He had a knack for collecting things. The community has been blessed with this donation," Mowen said. "When Bob died, they were looking for someone to take care of it - his brother Don nominated me to take the reins," Mowen added. "These photos are just a small piece of what's out there. "I've spent a lot of time up here. It's hard to get people to volunteer - no matter what the project. Unless they have a real interest, they don't get involved." Space is limited, but Mowen said he would be interested in adding to the collection. "We'll also take monetary donations." Mowen is hoping to come across photos of more of Waynesboro landmarks, including the Santa House that once sat next to Citizens Bank and the hot dog stand located along Route 16 across from Tick Ridge. "It concerns me, with everyone going digital. Negatives are a thing of the past. We used to have hard copies of everything."
For more information, call the historical society at 762-1747.