Making the decision to study local history seems to be full of more questions than answers. In the case of La Mott or LaMott (spacing apparently is everything), without those who have gone before me I am clueless. There is so much that was going on in the village at one time or another and I rely on the memories of others to assist me in my search for information. The challenge is finding someone who was alive "back in the day" and whether or not any photos or documentation exist. 
In a program for Salem Baptist Church's fashion show hold Wednesday Evening, November 5, 1952, I see advertisements for Ruth's Grille and for LaMott Ice and Coal. The photos show the building where the Grille and Coal shop were once located. Looking at the picture above you have what is simply a home to a family in 2010. Looking at the side of the building is the outline of a staircase that has since been removed. My objective is to find someone who purchased a sandwich, ice cream or coal for their furnace from this address to fill in some of the details.
One thing that does occur to me is who takes photos of places like this? When I visit my old stomping grounds of Washington, DC or Horsham, England, I am aware of the historical significance of the buildings that my friend is standing in front of as I take the picture. But how historical is the local coal shop or grocery store?
Think about it, sometimes what is in the background of a photo can be later found to have as much historical significance as what is in the foreground of that same photo. For example, I read a biography about Teddy Roosevelt a few years ago. In the book's center is a section with personal and professional photographs. You can see one photo of President Lincoln's funeral procession as it passed through New York City in 1865. In the background is a picture of Teddy Roosevelt and his brother hanging out of a window, looking towards the procession. The photo centered on the casket, the dignitaries and the military and yet a future president was also represented.
I'm sure there are photos out there with the old post office or Mr. McConnell's grocery or my great-uncle's print shop in the background of a family snapshot or something similar. The question remains will I find the oral history of a place as well as a photo from the past?
PINGU decides that he does not want to go to school this morning and he pretends he is ill. However, when his mother fetches the doctor, he sees right through the youngsters ploy and suggests a disgusting cure that PINGU does not like the sound of one little bit. Sure enough PINGU is sitting at his desk in time for his first lesson.
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