A scrapbook of Columbia's history is on display at the Columbia Crossing River Trails Center, 41 Walnut St., but this is no ordinary scrapbook. It's an interactive one, and you can help to fill it.
"Columbia's Storied Places" highlights the town through newspaper clippings, photos and personal stories of residents. One wall is dedicated to a display about the riverfront as well as a section about Columbia's downtown.
"The riverfront was really the hub of business for Columbia, and Third and Locust streets were the heart of downtown," explained Hope Byers, Columbia Crossing director. Another wall features displays on public education and churches, and the last wall showcases an interactive map, where visitors are encouraged to add their own memories of Columbia and mark the spot where these memories happened.
The idea for the exhibit came about after Byers and program coordinator Sophia Vayansky realized how often people came into the center asking about the buildings in town. "Columbia has a lot of beautiful buildings," Byers said. "This exhibit is a way for us to tell the history of those buildings, but not in a sterile way just focusing on the architecture. We're using newspaper clippings, photos and stories to bring these places to life."
Vayansky said people who visit the center often relay stories of their childhood growing up in Columbia. "This exhibit is giving people an opportunity to share those stories," she stated. "This is important local history, and we want to hear these stories."
Stories on the interactive map relate everything from big events, such as the time John F. Kennedy came to town, to smaller ones, such as when someone felt an earthquake at their house or when a family visited A&W Root Beer for a treat.
Byers and Vayansky spent hours combing through newspaper archives and working with both the Columbia Historic Preservation Society and LancasterHistory to find material for the exhibit, and they unearthed some entertaining news. "One article tells the story of a fight between a weasel and a cat in front of the Market House," Byers commented. "The headline is 'Weasel Bests Cat.' That was news at the time." Advertisements showcase what was being performed at the Columbia Opera House, which was destroyed by fire in 1947, and an article describes a local pastor's experience marching in Washington with Martin Luther King Jr.
When the exhibit is finished, Byers and Vayansky plan to create a digital map of the stories, accessible on the center's website. The center is also selling copies of "Images of America: Columbia, Marietta and Wrightsville," which features some of the photos from the exhibit as well other photos and stories.
Vayansky encourages people to continue to submit materials for the exhibit. "We want to make this meaningfully curated by the community," she said. "This is an opportunity put these stories down permanently to share with others."
The center will host a series of lectures to complement the exhibit. The first one will be held on Wednesday, Feb. 23, from 6 to 7:30 p.m. and will focus on the history of the opera house.
For more information on the exhibit, visit https://susqnha.org/columbias-storied-places/.
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