Then & Now: Manunka Chunk
A click of History
I'm a huge history buff.
Even more than that, however, I'm a huge fan of 'then' and 'now' pictures which show landmarks and regions as they once were, and as they are now.
This is my current coffee table book, which will soon be joined by this book, followed by this one (I lived in SF before I moved to ATL.)
There is something so haunting and gorgeous about old black and white photos of regions that are now modernized, and something magical about comparing the two to find items that have survived the passage of time. Then and now photos are a wonderful way to conceptualize the rich history that exists for a location; it's evidence that the the world once existed, and quite differently, from the one we live in now.
When I get a free minute at work, I like to visit the blog Shorpy's, a collection of old Library of Congress photos of old time Americana. The old photos by themselves are gems to look through, but every now and then, someone will respond to a post with a modern-day image of the same location capture and it always captivates me.
Today, I came across one such gem that I'd like to share with you. I actually may make this 'Then and Now" feature a regular thing in my LJ since I love it so much.
My pictures below are of an region in New Jersey known as Manunka Chunk. Before we go further however, do me a favor and say that names outloud more than once...go on.... doesn't that sound like a train?!
LOVE. IT.
Ahem. So, here's the first picture:
Warren County, New Jersey, circa 1900. "Manunka Chunk, east end of tunnel." 8x10 inch dry plate glass negative, Detroit Publishing Company
It doesn't get any more Americana than that does it? Gorgeous imagery and movement.
Fun Fact: The Manunka Chunk rail line closed in 1912 in favor of the more efficient and energy saving New Jersey Cutoff, a a shorter, more direct line.
The tracks were later removed in 1942 (perhaps used for its metal elsewhere?), but the tunnels still stand today as evidenced by this modern day photograph:
Isn't that cool?!?!
Haunting though, isn't it? The place is so deserted today when once, it was bustling with the beauty and magnificence of the classic American railway.
This person blogged about visiting the tunnel recently, and he actually walked through one of them by foot and discovered something unexpected inside. =)