Individual photographs from the 1947 photostation project.

On August 25, 1947, the professional photographer J. Scaylea took photographs at strategic locations identified by Miller & Egler (1950) and these locations are referred to as permanent photostations. According to Miller & Egler (1950) the photographs are owned by the Connecticut Board of Fisheres and Game. Presumably the board paid for the photography.

It is highly likely that J. Scaylea is the prominent photographer Josef Scaylea who grew up in South Glastonbury and later became the Chief Photographer of the Seattle Times. Some of his Connecticut photographs appear in the newsletter of the Connecticut State Library.

There were 34 photographs but prints remain for only 28 but a negative exists for one of the missing 6. The photographs have been scanned at 600 dpi and these can be downloaded from this website. These have been resized to low-resolution jpgs (96 dpi) to facilitate online viewing. A map showing the location of the photographs have not been found. In the late 1970's, Hebard, a graduate student of Dr. William Niering at Connecticut College attempted to relocate the photostations and he annotated the 'book' containing the negatives. Those descriptions are presented here. On the back of some of the photographs are pencil annotations which are likely those of Dr. Niering. Those too are presented here. Through field searching, the locations of many of the stations have been found or are their approximate location are known.

Photostation 1: low-resolution jpg, high resolution tiff

• Hebard annotation: impoundment 1 upper end view n.e. to railroad tracks
• Niering annotation: SA and Scirpus assoc.upper reaches of imp #1
• Comment: This photo is shown as Plate XX on page 206 of Miller (1948) and shown as Figure 34 on page 93 of Hebard (1980). Miller described the vegetation as a "heavy stand of Scirpus americanus occurring in the northern end of number 3 impoundment. The reference to number 3 is not correct for the only impoundment crossed by Amtrak is impoundment 1 (called impoundment 2 in Miller 1948). There is an old farm road at the location from which this photograph was likely captured.

Photostation 3: low-resolution jpg, high resolution tiff

• Hebard annotation: Imp 1 upper end view south from the edge of railroad tracks.
• Niering annotation: Upper Brucker? view south, Wild Rice-lower right
• Comment:

Photostation 4: low-resolution jpg, high resolution tiff

• Hebard annotation: Imp 1 middle view north to r.r. tracks and house west of path
• Niering annotation: Upper impoundments 3-4
• Comment: Refer to Miller (1948) page 116; photograph taken from road between impoundment 1 and 2. No such vista exists today at least not without removal of shrubs and Phragmites.

Photostation 5: low-resolution jpg, high resolution tiff

• Hebard annotation: Imp 1 middle view s.e. from ledge behind Mr. Post's house
• Comment: Precise location not confirmed - either at or above the kidney-shaped panne on east side of impoundment 1 (see 1951 aerial photography). See also photos for stations 30 and 31 (together create a panorama).

Photostation 6: low-resolution jpg, high resolution tiff

• Hebard annotation: Imp 2 west end view east from dike between imp 1 and 2
• Comment: this would be photographed from the Headquarters Road dike which lies between the two listed impoundments

Photostation 8: low-resolution jpg, high resolution tiff

• Hebard annotation: none
• Niering annotation: below impoundment 1??(view east)
• Comment: This photo captures similar background to that of photostation 6 - photo is likely taken from east of the dike and a view that is more southerly.

Photostation 9: low-resolution jpg, high resolution tiff

• Hebard annotation: Head qts marsh below imp 1 view east toward Osprey nest
• Niering annotation: below imp 1 view east
• Comment: Station located in 2013 and located by Coleman (1978) - today this marsh segment is called the Palmer Neck marsh.

Photostation 11: low-resolution jpg, high resolution tiff

• Hebard annotation: none
• Niering annotation: probably in impoundment
• Comment: this station is northeast of photostation 12 (confirmed), not the common forest skyline in the background. Note the large rock on the right in #12 - there appears to be a panne to its left and a series of rocks that are similar to those in #11.

Photostation 12: low-resolution jpg, high resolution tiff

• Comment: The location of this station is confirmed. There are a pair of boulders on the southeast side of the Headquarters upland island. Stand on the rock to the east and capture the left corner of the rock in right - angle is across dike 1 looking into lower impoundment 1.

Photostation 14: low-resolution jpg, high resolution tiff

• Comment: The location of this station is confirmed but the precise location from which to take this photo needs to be refined. The focus of this photo is a low upland mound which in 1947 supported Panicum virgatum but the mound has been gradually replaced by tidal marsh vegetation as a result of sea level rise and marsh transgression. Photo is taken from north side looking south to the bay across the mound.

Photostation 15: low-resolution jpg, high resolution tiff

• Hebard annotation: Imp 1 lower view east toward Mosquito Farm
• Comment: Farm house is no longer present but the foundation is clearly visible on aerial photography - it lies along the west edge of the Headquarters Road.

Photostation 16: low-resolution jpg, high resolution tiff

• Hebard annotation: Imp 2 west view east along mosquito ditch
• Comment: Dike 2 is visible in upper right but the ditch has since been replaced by soil and vegetation. Approximate location is known.

Photostation 17: low-resolution jpg, high resolution tiff

• Hebard annotation: Hqtrs marsh east view south to Sandy Point.

Photostation 18: low-resolution jpg, high resolution tiff

• Hebard annotation: Hqtrs marsh east view south to Watch Hill

Photostation 19: low-resolution jpg, high resolution tiff

• Hebard annotation: below imp 3 view s.e. toward Pawcatuck Point
• Comment: See Coleman (1978) page 86; photo taken from west end of dike 3; location confirmed 2014

Photostation 21: low-resolution jpg, high resolution tiff

• Hebard annotation: Imp 3 west north by northeast along stonewall

Photostation 23: low-resolution jpg, high resolution tiff

• Hebard annotation: tidal marsh below Brucker Marsh
• Comment: Miller & Egler (1950) note that this photostation is below dike 3 (see page 161); see also Coleman (1978) page 88.

Photostation 25: low-resolution jpg, high resolution tiff

• Hebard annotation: tidal marsh east of imp 3; view south of the dike near "quarry"
• Comment: Coleman (1978) notes that this photostation is in the vicinity of photostation 23 (page 89).

Photostation 26: low-resolution jpg, high resolution tiff

• Hebard annotation: tidal marsh below Brucker west; view north of site of proposed dike

Photostation 27: low-resolution jpg, high resolution tiff

• Hebard annotation: Brucker west; view east along temporary dike
• Comment: This fill is visible in the 1951 aerial photography and appears to be the creation of a path or road; Gross (1966) refers to this fill as a dirt road and there is a stone bridge over Brucker creek.

Photostation 29: low-resolution jpg, high resolution tiff

• Hebard annotation: Brucker West; view north from temp. dike into Brucker west
• Comment: Hebard (1980) describes this location as impoundment 4 (page 106)

Photostation 30: low-resolution jpg, high resolution tiff

• Hebard annotation: Imp 1 middle view east from ledge at Mr. Post's house
• Comment: Photostation 30 and 31 can be combined as a panorama; this was done by Hebard (1980) see page 87 - this is definitely the center of the western kidney-shaped panne (see also photostation 5.

Photostation 31: low-resolution jpg, high resolution tiff

• Hebard annotation: Imp 1 middle view se from ledge at Mr. Post's house

Photostation 32: low-resolution jpg, high resolution tiff

• Hebard annotation: Brucker east from Stewart Road into red cedar swamp
• Comment: See Hebard (1980) page 110 and Miller (1948) plate VII, page 78.

Photostation 33: low-resolution jpg, high resolution tiff

• Hebard annotation: Brucker east view from upper end se towards stone wall

Photostation 34: low-resolution jpg, high resolution tiff

• Brucker east, view at upper end n.e. into red maple