Albany History Collection Albany Public Library

Located in the heart of the Albany Public Library, the Albany History Collection holds the jigsaw pieces which make up the story of this fascinating city. In a place so rich with history, the Collection attracts many people with a passion for researching and recording history. The Collection actually began in the 1980s with donations of documents, including an extensive private collection of manuscripts, books, maps and photographs of local historian Robert Stephens. A growing collection of oral histories bring life to the documentary history. Some of the important records held here are the Rates Books, the Burial Index and the Records of St John’s Anglican Church. These records have been put onto microfilm or electronic indexes to make them accessible to everyone. People use these records to research the history of their home and land, and to trace family members who have a connection to Albany. Somehow seeing the handwriting of your ancestors makes them feel real. Among the historic photographs on the walls of the Collection is a panorama of the town of Albany in 1913. This photograph was taken from the old town jetty looking back to the town nestled between Mount Melville and Mount Clarence. The photographer was A. G. Sands who had a photographic studio in Stirling Terrace from 1913 to 1920. His panoramic photographs of the First and Second Convoys of Australian and New Zealand ships in King George Sound, before they sailed to World War I in 1914, have become well known and memorable images.