A&M 3874Ray Alvarez, Collector, Fairmont and Shinnston Photographs A&M 3874Staff of the West Virginia & Regional History CenterWest Virginia and Regional History Center

2012/10/31

1549 University Ave. P.O. Box 6069 Morgantown, WV 26506-6069Business Number: 304-293-3536wvrhcref@westvirginia.libanswers.comURL:
This finding aid was produced using ArchivesSpace on 2026-07-16 14:01:09 -0400.Description is written in: English, Latin script.Describing Archives: A Content Standard West Virginia and Regional History Center Ray Alvarez, Collector, Fairmont and Shinnston Photographs A&M 3874 Archival Resource Key Previous Archival Resource Key Previous Archival Resource Key Previous Archival Resource Key /repositories/2/resources/2324 0.42 Linear Feet 5 in. (1 document case) circa 1850-1944 West Virginia and Regional History Center / West Virginia University / 1549 University Avenue / P.O. Box 6069 / Morgantown, WV 26506-6069 / Phone: 304-293-3536 / URL: West Virginia & Regional History Center English . Conditions Governing Access

Box 1, folders 1-2 are stored offsite. Please make an appointment prior to visiting.

No special access restriction applies.

 Immediate Source of Acquisition

Gift from Alvarez, Ray, 2012 October 31

 Legacy Formats

photographs / postcards / prints / etc.

 Preferred Citation

[Description and date of item], [Box/folder number], Ray Alvarez, Collector, Fairmont and Shinnston Photographs, A&M 3874, West Virginia and Regional History Center, West Virginia University Libraries, Morgantown, West Virginia.

 Scope and Contents

Photographs collected by Ray Alvarez of Fairmont, West Virginia. Includes negatives, tintypes, cartes de visite, cabinet cards, mounted photographs, photo postcards, and prints. Items include aerial views of Fairmont, unidentified portraits from studios in Fairmont as well as other locations in West Virginia and Pennsylvania, and photos of the aftermath of the Shinnston tornado in 1944.

Series include:

Series 1. Negatives; circa 1930s-1940s Series 2. Fairmont Photographs; circa 1850-1940 Series 3. Non-Fairmont Photographs; circa 1850-1930 Series 4. Photographs of Shinnston Tornado Aftermath; 1944

 Separated Materials

A copy of a West Virginia University Catalogue (1901-1902) has been separated to books (at the West Virginia Collection).

 Conditions Governing Use

Permission to publish or reproduce is required from the copyright holder. For more information, please see the Permissions and Copyright page on the West Virginia and Regional History Center website.

 Fairmont (W. Va.) Shinnston (W. Va.) Shinnston (W. Va.) -- Tornado, 1944 Series 1. NegativesArchival Resource Key/repositories/2/archival_objects/187855circa 1930s-1940s11-2Scope and Contents

This series includes negatives of aerial views of Fairmont, WV. (Folder 2 contains nitrate negatives.)

Series 2. Fairmont PhotographsArchival Resource Key/repositories/2/archival_objects/187856circa 1850-194013-9Scope and Contents

This series includes portrait photographs from Fairmont studios. Formats include cartes de visite, cabinet cards, and mounted photographs. Most subjects are unidentified. Two non-studio photographs of note include a group portrait of a Fairmont-area baseball team, possibly a coal company team, possibly from Rivesville, WV; and a photo of the storefront of Campbell Shoes, including two unknown individuals, probably in Fairmont.

Series 3. Non-Fairmont PhotographsArchival Resource Key/repositories/2/archival_objects/187857circa 1850-1930110-15Scope and Contents

This series includes portrait photographs from studios outside Fairmont as well as unidentified studios. Studio locations include Waynesburg and Washington, Pennsylvania, and Morgantown and Wheeling, WV. Formats include tintypes, cartes de visite, cabinet cards, mounted photographs, and photo postcards. Almost all subjects are unidentified.

Series 4. Photographs of Shinnston Tornado AftermathArchival Resource Key/repositories/2/archival_objects/1878581944116-18Scope and Contents

This series includes prints of the damage left behind after a tornado devastated Shinnston, WV on 1944 June 23.