If you’re one of the nearly 4,000 people who enjoy the Chippewa County Historical Society’s vintage photos posted on the organization’s Facebook page, you can thank Bernie Arbic, the CCHS “photo guy.”
Nearly every week for the past five years, CCHS has featured a black-and-white photograph of the Eastern Upper Peninsula, often shots of downtown Sault, Mich. buildings and events. The photo posts generate discussion from fans in the EUP and beyond, who enjoy reminiscing about the sights depicted on the page.
“I love old pictures, and we have many to choose from,” said Arbic. “Sometimes we’ll post an old one with another that shows what the area looks like now.”
Most of the Facebook photos come from the historical society’s Walt Materna Collection, a huge archive received from the family of brothers Walt and Carl Materna. Walt operated a longtime photography business in Sault Ste. Marie, providing passport photos, portraits, contract work, and more. Carl was a World War II combat photographer for the U.S. Navy. He took most of the aerial photos in the collection.
“Walt’s estate provided the gift of the collection of negatives,” Arbic said. “We don’t have the many wedding and graduation photos that he took, but we do have many pictures of parades and other events in downtown Sault Ste. Marie.
“We feel that the posts are good exposure for the society, and we hope they’ll promote donations and recruit members,” said Arbic, who has been posting the photos every week for more than five years. “I’ve missed a few weeks over the five years, but not very many…There are well over 200 photos out there.”
The CCHS was founded in 1919. After a slow start, Arbic said the organization experienced a rejuvenation in 1955, during the centennial celebration of the first Soo Lock. The organization was dormant for a fair amount of time, then took off again in the 1990s. The organization’s headquarters and collections are housed at 115 Ashmun St.
Arbic was the CCHS treasurer for 20 years and continues today as a board member. The current president is Carolyn Person.
The CCHS “photo guy” is as dedicated and busy in retirement as he was when he was a professor at Lake Superior State University. The Sault Ste. Marie native taught mathematics at LSSU from 1967-2000, earning the prestigious Distinguished Teaching Award along the way in 1980.
He is the author of several works on Sault and area history, including two booklets -- a history of the Sault Ste. Marie fire hall and a history of the Sault’s Bayliss Library -- and books that include A Sugar Island Sampler, a history of Sugar Island; Then and Now – The Changing Face of Sault Ste. Marie (written with Deidre Stevens); Upbound Downbound, about the Soo Locks; and City of the Rapids: Sault Ste. Marie’s Heritage, a comprehensive history of Sault, Mich. from 1600-2000, starting with the first European contact by French explorers and Jesuit missionaries.
“City of the Rapids is the one I’m most proud of,” Arbic said, noting that it is the largest of his books.
Then and Now is similar to some of the photos on the CCHS Facebook page, featuring 36 pairs of images from years gone by, paired with modern day photos from the same view point.
Arbic encouraged history buffs to become members of the CCHS and check out some of its special collections, including the Fred and Audrey Warth Collection, a variety of clay pipes, china and bottles found on the St. Mary’s River bottom by scuba divers Fred and Audrey Warth of Sault, Ont.; and much more.
For more information, visit the CCHS webpage, cchsmi.com; write [email protected]; or call 906-635-7082. Arbic’s books are available at the CCHS office, a variety of local bookstores and tourist attractions, and online.
