Ryerson Web Archive

While researching for this film, I was privileged to access a large archives of materials documenting the history of Duke Lake and Ryerson Station State Park. Much of this archive exists because of the Friends of Duke Lake, sisters Brandy Tuttle and Shelly Richardson. Brandy became the unofficial historian of the case, collecting photos, newspaper clippings, letters, and notes about Duke Lake and the fight to restore Ryerson. She shared her enormous binder with me, which appears in the film. Shelly also shared family photos and helped identify relatives in the images. Digitizing these materials and making them publicly accessible is one way to honor the work the Friends of Duke Lake did to ensure that their park would not be forgotten.

I also digitized hundreds of photo prints, slides, and negatives found in Ryerson’s park office by current manager Casse Criss. Additionally, the Center for Coalfield Justice allowed me to pore through their archives, where I found several bins full of records from the legal cases against Consol. Even more newspapers were found in the Observer-Reporter archives, on newspapers.com, and in the University of Pittsburgh Archives & Special Collections. I’ve also included artwork and articles by Colleen Nelson, who has been drawing and writing about Ryerson for years.

This archive is organized chronologically. Each time period has its own homepage with a summary of major events and links to related photos, newspaper articles, and supplemental documents. Together, these materials tell the story of Duke Lake, Ryerson Park, and a community that refused to let their history disappear.