Librarian’s production, "Then and Now" provides historical perspective
By: Greg Forester
ROCKY HILL Residents and commuters tend to zip through Montgomery and Rocky Hill, failing to realize their historical significance.
A local librarian has created a tool to put a dent in this ignorance by working with local historians and putting together a movie of photographs to educate everyone about the storied history of the lands they call home.
Mary Jacobs Library librarian Candy Willis gathered old photographs of the Montgomery and Rocky Hill area and presented them with photographs of the area as it is now, along with commentary, in a 45-minute movie called "Then and Now."
The effect is meant to give viewers a real feel for the historical significance of the land they live on, according to Ms. Willis.
"I think my movie really provides people with a sense of where this place has been," said Ms. Willis. "People look at these sites every day and have no sense of what it was in its heyday."
Although she put the movie together herself on a computer, Ms. Willis did receive help from area historical societies, including the Van Harlingen Historical Society, which cosponsored the project.
Van Harlingen Historical Society trustee Ursula Brecknell helped Ms. Willis with the project, providing historical photographs and information about the area’s past from the library she oversees at the historical society.
"I’m a friend of Candy Willis, and we’ve worked on previous projects," said Ms. Brecknell. "She has been working on this project by herself since Christmas, and she did a great job."
The movie’s scope includes many of the historical villages that make up the area, including Dutchtown, Blawenburg, Skillman, Rocky Hill and Harlingen, among others.
These villages were bustling centers in the 1800s, with lively businesses and two railroad stations servicing the area. Architecture from the Montgomery area’s historical origins can still be seen all over in the remnants of the hamlet centers.
"This movie is really a sort of armchair stroll through all of these hamlets," said Ms. Willis.
The movie was originally conceived as an idea for National Library Week that would tie into the Mary Jacobs Library’s local history collection, according to library administrative assistant Terri Coss.
Although an American Library Association grant was not forthcoming, Candy Willis went ahead with the movie, using her own computer and help from local historians.
The end product seems to be enticing because the first four showings of 50 people each are already booked solid. Another showing is planned for the Otto Kaufman Senior Center on June 4 at 11 a.m.
Not to worry though, because Ms. Willis will show the movie to anyone who’s interested, having said she’ll accommodate people with other showings.
Ms. Willis can be contacted at the Mary Jacobs Library at (609) 924-7073, ext. 109.

