The Corinth Social History Project

This online exhibition represents the initial phase of a project that explores the social history of Corinth, New York in the period 1955 to 1975 through the photographs of George Holland. Holland was the public relations officer for International Paper’s Hudson River Mill in Corinth, where he served both as editor and photographer for the monthly publication, the EMBA News. He photographed and wrote about both the industrial operations at the Hudson River Mill and community life in Corinth for over thirty years. The archive that George Holland produced may be the single largest documentary collection of photographs of any industrial community in the United States.

The Corinth Social History Project is a companion site to the Hudson River Mill Project (www.hudsonrivermillproject.org) that was created following the closure of the Hudson River Mill in 2002. Clicking on the thumbnails at the top of each theme page in the present exhibition will generate a larger photographic image where visitors may post their comments about the locations and events depicted. Please submit any general comments or questions about the Project through the link provided at the bottom of the homepage. Individuals who possess materials or documents that they would like to share with the Corinth Social History Project are encouraged to contact the Project Director through the homepage link.

Stephen Cernek, Ph.D., is the Project Director and a project scholar for the Corinth Social History Project. He has taught widely in the fields of American history and American studies for over thirty years, and has a scholarly interest in the study of organized labor, technology and industrial development in the pulp and paper industry. His ongoing research and writing in these areas led to the publication of Hudson River Mill Project in 2005, and to the creation of the current Corinth Social History Project. Stephen Cernek was born in Corinth, graduated from Corinth High School, and worked for five summers at the Hudson River Mill.

Laurie Gordy, Ph.D., is a project scholar for the Corinth Social History Project. She is a sociologist with primary teaching and scholarly interests in community, gender and work. Gordy has done research and has written about the use of visual images of various types to explore cultural ideas and social conditions, particularly how photographs can be viewed to reveal the nature of industrial work and gendered relationships in social settings.

Timothy Widener, M.A., holds a graduate degree in history museum studies and has twenty-five years of museum and curatorial experience. Mr. Widener has organized numerous exhibitions related to the history of the upper Hudson River valley and the Adirondacks, including projects that have focused on local industry, work and community life. He also has organized, developed and published historical websites and online exhibitions.

Any views, findings, conclusions or recommendations expressed in this website do not necessarily represent those of the National Endowment for the Humanities.