This collection of photographs primarily depicts western Monroe County during the early 1900s, with some material relating to Orleans and northern Genesee Counties as well. The majority of the photographs derive from local collections of glass plate negatives taken by local photographer George Guelf for the Brockport Republic. In addition to serving as a photographer and printer for the Brockport Republic, Guelf was a keen amateur naturalist, taxidermist, yachtsman, and firefighter.Taken as a whole, this collection illustrates the lives and landscape of the region surrounding Brockport at the turn of the twentieth century.

In 1844, Brentwood began as Thompson Station and Suffolk Station, two new stations on the expansion of the mainline of the Long Island Rail Road. On March 21, 1851, it became the utopian community named Modern Times. The colony was established on 750 acres of land by Josiah Warren and Stephen Pearl Andrews. In 1864, it was renamed Brentwood after the town of Brentwood, Essex, in England.

Marie Diccie is a resident of Brentwood and an artist who focuses on pen and ink drawings to illustrate historical monuments in Long Island.

In 1844, Brentwood began as Thompson Station and Suffolk Station, two new stations on the expansion of the mainline of the Long Island Rail Road. On March 21, 1851, it became the utopian community named Modern Times. The colony was established on 750 acres of land by Josiah Warren and Stephen Pearl Andrews. In 1864, it was renamed Brentwood after the town of Brentwood, Essex, in England.

Walter Whitten Shutt one of the pioneers of Modern Times was born in Stonebridge, England in 1820. His first wife died leaving him with two sons; Walter W. and Herbert H. and one daughter; Susan. He traveled to America with his children. There he met and married Ellen L. who was originally from Wilmington, N.C. His second wife gave birth to five children; William, George M., Ellen G., Alfred M., and Gertrude. Prior to moving to New York City in 1879, they lived in Modern Times, a socialist community, and helped establish Christ Episcopal Church and the school in the community. They moved to New York City because they felt that the children would have a better opportunity for education. They returned to the community in 1890. Susan Shutt married Joseph Purcell and moved to Allentown PA. The Library has the original letters written by William P. Shutt to his sister Susan concerning their new home and news about the family.
Brentwood's Austral Hotel officially opened to the public on April 1, 1888. By 1895 it had been joined by the Brentwood Hotel and Brentwood Park, a speculative venture north of the Long Island Rail Road. BP's slogan was "there is health in Brentwood pines."

In 1844, Brentwood began as Thompson Station and Suffolk Station, two new stations on the expansion of the mainline of the Long Island Rail Road. On March 21, 1851, it became the socialist community named Modern Times. The colony was established on land by Josiah Warren and Stephen Pearl Andrews. In 1864, it was renamed Brentwood after the town of Brentwood, Essex, in England. The colony failed after the Civil War. During the early 20th Century, Brentwood was home to the Ross Health Resort Onehtah and Pilgrim State Hospital.
The Brentwood Public Library was founded in 1937 with the mission of serving the information needs of its community.

These glass lantern slides originally belonged to Bradford H. Divine (1869 - 1934) a Utica, New York businessman. Divine founded Divine Brothers Company, a metal finishing products business, with his brother, B. Dalton Divine. The company was successful and is still in business today. Harry Sabattis (1866 - 1934) worked as a guide in the Adirondacks and ran a hunting camp on Long Lake.

Howard C. Coughtry, the creator of this collection and Scoutmaster for Troop 73, was a resident of New Scotland, master carpenter, Christmas-tree farmer and outdoorsman. From the Sixties to the Nineties, Coughtry wrote regular newspaper articles for the Altamont Enterprise about the troop’s civic and recreational activities. During his life he compiled over one hundred binders documenting Troop 73 and its predecessor organization, Troop 1 (1920-1928).

Broome County is located in south-central New York. It was a major agricultural and industrial area during the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. Franck Taylor Bowers (1875 - 1932) was the son of Lamont Bowers, the financial advisor to John D. Rockefeller, and grew up in a wealthy Victorian environment. Bowers lived in Broome County and had a passion for the arts. Because of his passion, he became an artist and photographer.