1940s
An aerial view of Newport shot in 1940 shows the bend in the White River on the north side of town, with the blue bridge spanning the river and leading into the business district. Clearly, the devastation of the 1926 fire has been overcome, and a prosperous little...
1930s
The workers outside one of the button factories in Newport ham it up for the camera, perhaps aware that they will soon appear on postcards that will travel all over country. They seem blissfully unaware that their industry is over harvesting the White River’s...
1930s
Robert Monroe rigged his flatboat with suspended hooks for harvesting mussel shells in the White River about 1936. Hooks were suspended from a pole and dragged along the bottom of the river. The work was tedious and usually beset by mosquitoes and the vagaries of the...
1930s
Newport had discovered a new source of wealth in the early 1900’s. Beautiful irregular freshwater pearls from the White River became a national and international sensation, bringing new riches to those who had the technology and the tenacity to harvest them....
1930s
Opened in 1930 to much fanfare, the bridge over the White River in Newport was constructed at the location of the old Newport, or upper ferry. Ferry service had existed at this point on the White River since approximately 1835. The new bridge helped speed traffic on...
