Friday, April 3, 2009

The Betty Van Etten Johnson Collection

Photographs and slides found at 231 Hydrick Street (pre-rehab) have now been scanned into Preservation Trust's virtual archieves as the Betty Van Etten Johnson Collection. Photographs range in age from the late 1800's to the 1940's, and also include a photograph from the Willis Studio.


231 Hydrick Street, formerly 105 Hydrick Street, was built between circa 1918 by the Scruggs family, who also built 232 and 240 Hydrick St. Fielding T. Cantrell purchased the home for his son, Fieldeng A., the Cantrell family was influential in the carriage, wagon and automobile industry. In 1937, GraceVan Etten's family purchased the home and after marrying, daughter Betty moved in and resided there until 2003.



The photograph below is Betty Johnson (nee Van Etten) and husband Robert Lee Johnson on their wedding day, February 14, 1943. The handwritten note on the back of the photograph notes, "leaving (Old) Bethel Church after getting married."