The Last McCoy Library Collections

The Last McCoy Library currently has four collections and four subcollections, but more may develop in the future. Items are stored in an Omeka site with links at the end of each collection description. Currently, only three collections and one subcollection are available on Omeka. The rest are still being processed.

Vintage McCoy Collection

This collection includes older photographs that range from 1869-1949. They were discovered in three different containers; a ziploc bag, a tattered envelope, and a family photo binder. This collection has been prioritized because of the age and fragility of the photographs. You can view the collection here.

McCoy Trunk Collection

This collection includes items that my father gathered together and placed in a vintage trunk. Over Christmas 2021, we rifled through the contents to find those items most in need of preservation, including a Civil War discharge paper and a travel album from 1899. The items range from 1868-1920. This collection has been prioritized because of the age and fragility of the materials. You can view the collection here.

Red Tintype Album Subcollection

This subcollection includes all the items discovered in a small red notebook. Photographs, including tintypes, range from 1894-1911 and focus almost exclusively on the family of Lucy Emilie Bolton Cherry. It includes 27 images and postcards. This album has been prioritized because of the age and fragility of the materials. You can view the subcollection here.

1899 European Cruise Album Subcollection

This subcollection includes all the items from an album documenting a European cruise from August 12, 1899 to September 28, 1899 taken by Robert Cherry Jr. and his wife Lucy Emilie Bolton Cherry. It contains 69 photographs, 35 miscellanea, 26 written pages, 17 pamphlets and programs, 5 letters, 4 newspaper clippings, and 1 telegram. This subcollection has been scanned and is in progress.

World War I Photograph Album Subcollection

This subcollection includes all the items from an album documenting soldiers in World War I. It begins with several pictures from training and war times. Then it moves into vacations and leisurely times. It also contains a letter from John Perry McCoy Jr. asking the Pennsylvania Military Museum if they would consider the album for donation. It contains 76 black and white photographs, some with detailed notes on the back. This subcollection has been scanned and is in progress.

Esther Cherry Record Album Subcollection

This subcollection includes all the items from an album documenting the engagement, wedding, and pregnancies of Esther Bowman Cherry Sailer starting in 1918. It contains 68 miscellanea that include programs, tickets, name tags, and pieces of memorabilia. It also contains 58 letters, 45 newspaper clippings, 8 telegrams, and 1 large photograph. This subcollection has been scanned and is in progress.

Scott McCoy Collection

This collection includes photographs and various antiques left behind by my uncle, Scott McCoy after he passed away in 2018. His possessions were boxed up and placed in storage. I gathered many of the items left behind to create this collection with items ranging from 1885-1930. This collection has been prioritized because of the age and fragility of the materials. You can view the collection here.

Jean Shepherd Collection

My great aunt, Jean Shepherd took an extraordinary amount of photographs starting in the 1940s. This included her time in the Navy during World War II. After she passed, she left many letters and ephemera that are also included in the collection. It has not yet been processed.