MS-231
JAMES M. STITT, JR. AERIAL PHOTOGRAPH COLLECTION
INTRODUCTION
The James M. Stitt, Jr. Aerial Photograph Collection was accessioned into the Piqua Public Library Archives and Special Collections in July, 2014 as a donation from Mr. Charles Sanders of 1838 Park Avenue, Piqua, Ohio. The photographs were taken circa 1969 by James M. Stitt, Jr. In the 1960’s Mr. Stitt was the plant manager of the Atlas Underwear Company in Piqua and by 1969 the Vice President of Operations for the Allen A Company. Mr. Stitt also worked in his spare time as a commercial photographer although he did not seem to widely advertise himself as such.
The collection is housed in a single Hollinger box containing 58 files. There are no known restrictions on the use of the photographs and the rights to these photographs have been transferred to the Piqua Public Library.
SCOPE AND CONTENT
The James M. Stitt, Jr. Aerial Photograph Collection is divided into the following eleven series:
SERIES I: Piqua – General – Box 1, files 1-2
SERIES II: Shawnee – Box 1, files 3-7
SERIES III: Interstate 75 – Box 1, files 8-11
SERIES IV: Piqua Country Club – Box 1, files 12-17
SERIES V: West Piqua – Covington Avenue – Box 1, files 18-21
SERIES VI: Alpha Drive and Omega Drive – Box 1, files 22-24
SERIES VII: Sunset Drive, Maplewood Drive, Elmwood Circle and Upper Park Avenue – Box 1, files 25-26
SERIES VIII: Park Ridge development – early stages and Washington Township School – Box 1, files 27-35
SERIES IX: State Route 185 – Box 1, files 36-49
SERIES X: Stratford Drive – Box 1, files 50-53
SERIES XI: Farm Photographs – Box 1, files 54-58
CONTAINER LIST
NOTE: All photographs in the collection are 8” x 10” black/white glossy finish.
SERIES I: Piqua – General
BOX 1
File
1 View of almost the entirety of the City of Piqua from the south, looking north.
2 View of the City of Piqua from the east, looking west including Piqua Bend, Shawnee and the city to Washington Avenue.
SERIES II: Shawnee
File
3 View of Piqua Engineering, Inc. in the old Cron-Kills factory complex at 234 First Street and a general view of Shawnee from the south west looking toward the north east
4 View of Piqua Engineering and Chapman Lumber and also the remaining buildings of the old L.C. and W. L. Cron Furniture Company on East Main St. The photo is taken looking west by northwest and includes the parts of Shawnee from East Main Street to Third Street and from the river to Staunton Street.
5 Piqua Engineering and Chapman Lumber and the area of First and Third Streets looking west.
6 Piqua Engineering and Chapman Lumber and the area of First and Third Streets looking west by southwest.
7 Shawnee – south end from Third Street to Bridge Street. The photo shows the Staunton Street School and, partially hidden in the trees, the old Staunton Street School. Also visible on the east side of the river is the Bridge Street bridge, Statler Road and the Armco Steel Piqua Quarries and rock crusher. On the west bank of the river, Bennett Junior High School is visable along with a section of South Main Street and East Street.
SERIES III: Interstate 75
File
8 Interstate 75 at Piqua showing both interchanges. The photo is taken from north of Exit 83, which is County Road 25 A and shows both Exit 83 and Exit 82, which is U.S. Route 36. The photo is looking south. The photo also shows County Road 25 A from east of Looney Road as it goes under the Interstate and curves to the south to cross the river at the North Main Street Bridge and becomes North and South Main Street.
9 Interstate 75, Country Club Road and the Piqua Country Club – the photo is taken looking north from north of Exit 83 (County Road 25 A)
10 Interstate 75, Country Club Road and the Piqua Country Club – the photo is taken looking south from north of the Country Club toward Exit 83 which is seen in the background.
11 Interstate 75 and Piqua Country Club looking west from the east side of the Interstate.
SERIES IV: Piqua Country Club
File
12 Piqua Country Club golf course looking from the north looking to the south – the I 75 Exit 83 interchange is in the upper left corner.
13 Piqua Country Club from the north looking to the south
14 Piqua Country Club from the west looking to the east
15 Piqua Country Club from the southeast looking to the northwest
16 Piqua Country Club from the northeast looking to the southwest
17 Piqua Country Club from the east looking to the west
SERIES V: West Piqua – Covington Avenue / U.S. 36
File
18 Looking west at the intersection of Covington Ave. and Sunset Dr. (left) and the intersection of High Street and Sunset Dr. (right). On the lower left is the area from Sunset Dr. to Renche St. south of Covington Ave. On the middle and upper left is Landin Park subdivision to the south of Covington Ave. and the first two buildings of Colonial Terrace Apartments with the third building under construction. On the north side of Covington Ave. west of Sunset is Champion Papers, Inc., Container Corporation of America, Inc., Inland Homes Corporation and Piqua Steel Company. To the right of the photograph are the houses along High St. from Lyndhurst Dr. to Sunset Dr. and south to the Pennsylvania Railroad tracks. To the west of Sunset on the north side of High St. are the newly built Buckeye Mart and Grissom’s IGA grocery store.
19 This photograph is very similar to the photograph described in File 18.
20 Covington Avenue west of Sunset Drive looking from the south of Covington Avenue to the north. In the photograph are the two completed buildings of the Colonial Terrace Apartments and also showing the third (west) building under construction. These are on the south side of Covington Ave. On the north side of Covington Ave. are the Champion Papers, Inc. facility (currently the Hartzell Propeller Company) and the Container Corporation of America (currently one of the buildings of the Evenflo Juvenile Furniture Co.)
21 Covington Ave. from the west looking at the intersection of Covington and Sunset. In the foreground is Container Corporation of America factory and the Champion Papers, Inc. factory. In the background is the Sunset Strip Shopping Center with Marsh Supermarket and Revco Discount Drug Center.
SERIES VI: Alpha Drive and Omega Drive
File
22 Alpha and Omega Drives from the northeast looking to the southwest. Washington Township School and the very early stages of the Park Ridge development are in the background.
23 Alpha and Omega Drives from the east looking directly west
24 Alpha and Omega Drives for the east looking west
SERIES: VII: Sunset Drive, Maplewood Drive, Elmwood Circle and Upper Park Avenue
File
25 Looking west from the middle of the first block of Maplewood Drive and including Blackwell Street and Upper Park Avenue. Washington Township School and the beginnings of Park Ridge Place and the Park Ridge subdivision are in the background.
26 Looking northwest from the middle of the first block of Maplewood Drive and including Blackwell Street and Upper Park Avenue. Washington Township School and the beginnings of Park Ridge Place and the Park Ridge subdivision are in the background.
SERIES VIII: Park Ridge Development – early stages and Washington Township School
File
27 A view of farmland west of Sunset Drive looking east. In the upper background is the Washington Township School and the beginnings of the Park Ridge Development. Today, the land in the foreground is part of the Eagle’s Nest Subdivision, the Park Ridge Subdivision and the Deerfield Subdivision.
28 Washington Township School and Park Ridge Subdivision looking southwest
29 Washington Township School soon to be incorporated into the Piqua City Schools (August 1969) – looking west
30 Park Ridge Subdivision looking east showing houses along Park Avenue, Clifton and Parkway.
31 Park Ridge Subdivision looking north east.
32 Park Ridge Subdivision and Washington Township School looking east showing the houses on Parkway on either side of Park Avenue, the houses on Park Avenue and Clifton.
33 Park Ridge Subdivision and Washington Township School looking east showing the houses on Parkway, the houses on Park Avenue and Clifton.
34 Park Ridge Subdivision and Washington Township School looking northeast showing the houses on Parkway, the houses on Park Avenue and Clifton.
35 A wider angle view of Park Ridge Subdivision and Washington Township School looking east showing the houses on Parkway on either side of Park Avenue, the houses on Park Avenue, Clifton and the first to buildings of the Park Ridge Apartments. Also the picture shows the area along Park Avenue all the way to Park Avenue Hill and Blackwell, Maplewood and Elmwood Circle.
SERIES IX: State Route 185
File
36 S.R. 185 looking southeast from northwest of the big curve at Stratford Drive
37 S.R. 185 looking south by southeast from northwest of the big curve at Stratford Drive
38 S.R. 185 and Stratford Drive area looking northeast
39 S.R. 185 looking east from Moffet Road
40 S.R. 185 houses on north side of the road west of the big curve.
41 This photograph is similar to the photo in File 40 above.
42 S.R. 185 from big curve west – Camelot Drive in the foreground.
43 S.R. 185 west of big curve
44 S.R. 185 big curve and Stratford Drive looking southeast
45 S.R. 185 and Stratford Drive area looking northeast
46 Looking east down S.R. 185 at the big curve and Stratford Drive. Camelot Drive is in the foreground left
47 S.R. 185 looking west from the big curve.
48 S.R. 185 and Stratford Drive area looking northeast – big curve at right
49 S.R. 185 looking southeast at big curve area
SERIES X: Stratford Drive
File
50 S.R. 185 at the big bend northwest of Piqua and the Stratford Drive, Ridgeway and Hillcrest Avenues area looking northeast.
51 Stratford Drive, Hillcrest Avenue and Ridgeway Avenue looking south.
52 S.R. 185 (left) and Stratford Drive (right) looking west
53 Stratford Drive, Hillcrest Avenue, Ridgeway Avenue looking west
SERIES XI: Farm Photographs
File
54 Looking north on Knouff Road – Knouff Road runs north off of Versailles Road
55 Looking west – the north portion of Knouff Road is near the bottom of the photo – near the top of the photo is a row of houses on Spiker Road north of Versailles Road – the Piqua Airport is in the upper left corner of the photograph.
56 Looking north – Versailles Road is at the bottom of the photograph – Knouff Road is off the right side of the photograph – the buildings near the right center of the photograph are back a lane off the north end of Knouff Road (today Brunson Lane).
57 Looking south – Versailles Road at the far right of the photograph – Knouff Road is at the middle of the photograph with a lane (today Brunson Lane) running off of it.
58 Looking west – the row of houses in the upper portion of the photograph is on Spiker Road between Versailles Road and Levering Road – the buildings on the left side of the photograph (middle of the photo) are back a lane off of the north end of Knouff Road (today Brunson Lane).