The Sussex County Library System's Digital Image Collection is Growing!

Take a Glimpse into Sussex County’s Past with Digital Collections from SCLS

Newton, NJ – The Sussex County Library System (SCLS) has expanded its growing Digital Image Collection, adding new sets of historic images that celebrate the county’s people, art, and landmarks. The online archive, curated by the Library’s Local History & Genealogy Department, now includes the Louis Larsen 1965 Exhibit Photos, Gingerbread Castle Collection, and Fred Kattermann Photograph Collection.

The Louis Larsen 1965 Exhibit Photos feature images from a two-day exhibition of paintings by local artist Louis Larsen, held in Sussex Borough in 1965. The digitized slides document 70 paintings by Larsen, a Norwegian-born artist who lived and worked in Sussex County from the late 1800s until his death in 1932.

The Gingerbread Castle Collection showcases photographs and materials celebrating one of Sussex County’s most beloved landmarks. Built in 1928 by designer Joseph Urban to promote the Wheatsworth Biscuit Company in Hamburg, the whimsical castle drew visitors for generations with its fairy-tale charm.

The Fred Kattermann Photograph Collection includes 1976 photographs of Sussex County’s buildings, roads, and landscapes taken by Wantage resident Fred Kattermann, whose work captures everyday rural life during that era.

“We’re excited to keep expanding our digital offerings to preserve and share Sussex County’s rich history with the community,” said Tara Schaberg, Local History & Genealogy Librarian. “In addition to these new photo collections, we’ll soon be launching a Digital Newspaper Collection made possible through the New Jersey State Library’s REV 250: Examining the Semiquincentennial through a Jersey Lens grant.”

Click here to explore all three collections. For more information about the Library’s unique Local History and Genealogy offerings, visit: Sussexcountylibrary.org/local-history-genealogy or call the Main Library at 973-948-3660, ext. 3410.