aining mills closed.
The area's economy revived after 1911 when the Texas Oil Company decided to build its first refinery on the northern boundary of Lockport. In addition, area railroads began running commuter trains to Chicago and the 1901 opening of the Chicago & Joliet Interurban Electric Railway encouraged commuting between Lockport, Joliet, and Chicago. The closing decades of the twentieth century saw a decline in the agricultural and manufacturing base and brought strip malls, fast-food outlets, and other elements of urban sprawl.
The photograph collection was created by historian John Lamb in 1964, and is now part of the Howard and Lois Adelmann Regional History Collection, at Lewis University. Lamb is a prominent figure involved in the late twentieth century preservation efforts of the Illinois and Michigan (I&M) Canal, and of the cultural heritage of the many towns along its corridor, most notably Lockport, Illinois.
The most significant images in the collection are the nineteenth century photographs of such historic buildings as the Norton Building, Norton Flour Mill, Gaylord Building, and notable residences, such as the Fitzpatrick House. Photographs from the 1890s and early 1900s include that of a major fire in Lockport in 1895, businesses, school buildings, churches, residences, and Dellwood Park. Vintage photographs of Lockport residents includes images of parades, casual street scenes, athletic teams, fire department, school classes, individual and groups of workers at their places of business, as well as portraits of notable citizens. There are also a sizable number of photos of the Fitzpatrick family.
A large number of photos in this collection were taken by a local pharmacist, H. H. Carter, who took photos of people on the streets of Lockport from 1910 to 1916. These photos show not only certain individuals involved in the community but also scenes of various streets, notably State Street, and retail establishments, such as Mitchell's Restaurant.
Later in the century, includes a large collection of photos from the 1930 Lockport Centennial Parade, fire department photos from the 1940s, and the images of the 1947 flood that inundated parts of Lockport.