Daily Life in 20th Century Onondaga County

Onondaga Historical Association

Children Out of School for the Holiday - Image Source

Collection Facts

Extent:

Dates of Original:

1920s - 1957

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Historical Context

Much of how we see Onondaga County, and especially downtown Syracuse, today is from the impact of urban renewal that began in the early 1960s. During this time the city was further developing to keep up with its expanding population, which included constructing Interstate 81. The interstate developed at the expense of communities throughout the county and Onondaga Nation. In particular, those who lived in the 15th Ward, which went as north as Water St., south as Burt St, west as Montgomery, and as east as Pine St. This area was where many Black and Jewish Syracusans worked and called home. These films from the 1920s to 1950s give us an idea of what the city and county were like before and on the cusp of urban renewal. During these decades manufacturing companies were growing, the War Memorial was constructed, entertainment was prospering, and medical advancements were being made. By 1950 Syracuse's population was the largest it had been, at 220,583 and 341,749 people lived in the county.

Scope of Collection

The collection contains films from the 1920s-1950s with happenings big and small. Films from the 1920s to 1930s were donated mainly by unknown donors. Carol J. Menapace Clise donated Henry G. Menapace's, her father, footage of the Collins' Block fire dated 1939. Films from the 1950s were from NBC news station affiliate WSYR, which changed its call letters to WSTM in 1980. The collection was given to the Onondaga Historical Association in the 1980s.

In addition to wanting to make these films accessible, some of these films were chosen because of their age and the deterioration of their physical states. The films were recorded on 16mm cellulose acetate, or safety film, that breaks down over time. Since these films are dated before urban renewal we hope they provide a sense of what Onondaga County was like before major construction and demolition.