This glass slide presents an image of the Old Beechworth Post Office and was taken in the year 1900. The building displayed within the image is not that of the post office in its original form; the post office originally consisted of only a simple wooden building. With the establishment and growth of new towns across Victoria, as well as an increased need for more consistent communications with the City of Melbourne, this modest building was soon deemed inadequate. In 1858 it was brought into the style of the changing times, with the tall clock tower added in 1865. This transition aligned with a pattern of refurbishment and conversion of many Beechworth buildings (which could be seen during the 1860s-70s), aiding in the growth and prosperity of the town. Early makeshift homes were turned into more substantial dwellings, featuring elements such as weatherboard, brick, and granites materials, and gabled or hipped roofs with iron lacework fringing the verandah. These refurbishments were temporarily halted in March of 1867 when a fire swept through the town, damaging many buildings including the post office. This led to further reconstructions on the building, including heightening of the clock tower, and in 1870 the two-storey Italianate style building was completed. The Old Beechworth Post Office itself also holds significance due to its connection with one of Australia's most infamous families. It reportedly played an important role in communicating the news of the 1880 murders of police at Stringybark Creek by the Kelly Gang. Lantern slides, sometimes called 'magic lantern' slides, are glass plates on which an image has been secured for the purpose of projection. Glass slides were etched or hand-painted for this purpose from the Eighteenth Century but the process became more popular and accessible to the public with the development of photographic-emulsion slides used with a 'Magic Lantern' device in the mid-Nineteenth Century. Photographic lantern slides comprise a double-negative emulsion layer (forming a positive image) between thin glass plates that are bound together. A number of processes existed to form and bind the emulsion layer to the base plate, including the albumen, wet plate collodion, gelatine dry plate and woodburytype techniques. Lantern slides and magic lantern technologies are seen as foundational precursors to the development of modern photography and film-making techniques. This glass slide captures social and historical significance as it displays the Old Beechworth Post Office in 1900, a building that demonstrates the prosperity and growth of Beechworth as a town during this time period. This slide also holds a level of aesthetic significance due to the Italianate style building that is featured in its image; a style that became very popular during the nineteenth-century. Thin translucent sheet of glass with a square image printed on the front and framed in a black backing. It is held together by metal strips to secure the edges of the slide.Obverse: x / burke museum, beechworth, lantern slide, slide, glass slide, plate, burke museum collection, photograph, monochrome, beechworth post office, beechworth post office kelly gang, 1900, 1900 beechworth, growth of beechworth, 1867 beechworth fire, old beechworth post office, beechworth post office reconstructions, italianate style, italianate style buildings, italianate style beechworth post office

Isabel Wells was born in Beechworth in 1914. Her father, Mr. Newey, was a butcher; his shop was in Ford street and he took over from his grandfather. The family business, along with the local residents, was supplying the main government institutions in the region, like Mayday Hills Hospital and The Ovens and Murray Home, making a large percentage of his profit. Mr. Newey was also a captain of the fire brigade and Isabel mentioned that there were more fires happening in those days. The menace of a huge fire was impending in Beechworth for many years, due to the lack of adequate water supply and the absence of trained firefighters. The first fire brigade in the town was voluntary and was formed in 1858 under Superintendent Luke Reilly. A few other schemes deployed the following years, with all failing to sufficiently control the fires that occurred, until the creation of the first reliable fire brigade in the 1870s. The worst fire in the town's history happened on 23rd March 1867; it swept through many shops and the post office, leaving behind a damage cost estimated at £12,000. Isabel's mother was in a wheelchair, suffering from osteoarthritis; thus, Isabel had taken over the responsibility for looking after her mother and assisting her with daily living needs and personal care activities. She used to play golf and tennis and she was a member of the town tennis club. In terms of social life, Boxing Day was a big occasion for the town, with horse-races and games taking place. According to her narration, the use of cars was a turning point in the town's social activities, since people were able to visit nearby places and take day trips, such as having a picnic at Lake Kerferd or Buffalo. This oral history recording was part of a project conducted by Jennifer Williams in the year 2000 to capture the everyday life and struggles in Beechworth during the twentieth century. This project involved recording seventy oral histories on cassette tapes of local Beechworth residents which were then published in a book titled: Listen to what they say: voices of twentieth century Beechworth. These cassette tapes were digitised in July 2021 with funds made available by the Friends of the Burke. Isabel's account of her life in Beechworth and the local area during the 20th century is historically and socially significant as it offers valuable information about the business activity in the region and provides a deeper insight into the operation of butcher shops and meat supply during the first half of the previous century. Additionally, it offers invaluable information about the everyday life of people living in Beechworth, and highlights aspects of the overall social life and activities.This is a digital copy of a recording that was originally captured on a cassette tape. The cassette tape is black with a horizontal white strip and is currently stored in a clear flat plastic rectangular container. It holds up 40 minutes of recordings on each side.Mrs Isabel Wells/ isabel wells, beechworth, mr. newey, ford street, butcher, mayday hills hospital, the ovens and murray home, fire brigade, 23rd march 1867, fire, osteoarthritis, boxing day, horseraces, lake kerferd, buffalo, picnic, cars, firefighters, luke reilly, wheelchair

The photograph depicts the two-storey building of the Bank of Victoria which was built in 1858 and was replaced in 1867 after a fire destroyed the original building. The branch had originally opened under John Farran in 1856 before the office building was erected in Beechworth. The building was located on the corner of Ford and Camp streets and embodied the dignified appearance of Beechworth during the mid-1800s due to the building's features. The Bank of Victoria was designed by "Smith and Watts" and built from white brick and render, which cost three thousand and seven hundred pounds to construct. The building was inspired by a formal Italian villa, including square-headed windows, cornices, and a parapet. The ground floor consisted of banking chambers, a strong room, and servants' quarters. The residential quarters were located on the second floor.The photograph is significant as it depicts not only depicts a building of importance to the town of Beechworth but it also shows aesthetic significance due to the style it was built in. As the Bank of Victoria was constructed in the classic Italian style, it exemplifies the classic quality and refined manner of this architectural style. This building style represents the image Beechworth held for itself at that time, which was a sophisticated and distinguished town.Black and white rectangular photograph printed on paper.Reverse: 23/80 / Beechworth / (Indecipherable) / Banking to (Indecipherable) / Sydney / “Bank of Victoria” / BMM 8692.1 / [Stamped: ILFORD]bank of victoria, beechworth, banks, beechworth bank, 1858, 1867, ford street, camp street, victoria, john farran, smith and watts, italian architecture, italian style building, brick building, brick, banking, money, fire, building destroyed

Taken in Beechworth 1867, this photograph depicts the Bank of Victoria on the corner of Camp and Ford Street. This building was erected in 1867 to replace the former bank that was destroyed by a fire on the same site. This classical style structure was designed by architects Smith and Johnson who designed many of the public buildings in Melbourne and Victoria. Arthur Ebden Johnson, 1821–1895 and Alfred Louis Smith, 1830–1907 were appointed as the Bank of Victoria's architects who, in-conjunction with the Branch in Beechworth, also completed branches in Wangaratta and Bendigo. This photograph was taken and produced by the American and Australasian Photographic Company which was founded by Beaufoy Merlin joined by his assistant, Charles Bayliss and Augustus Clinton, and operated between 1866-1873. The company traveled throughout Victoria and New South Wales before establishing a portrait studio in Sydney. There is no apparent connection to America. Sepia rectangular photograph. Image is printed on matte photographic paper and has a white border.Reverse: 1997.2727 (in pencil) Bank of Victoria / Beechworth / 1877 (in pen) Harvey Collection American & Australasian / Photographic Company / Victoria Branch / C. Bayless, Manager No 56beechworth, bank of victoria, american and australasian photographic company, 1877, c.bayless, harvey collection, arthur ebden johnson, alfred louis smith, smith and johnson

This photograph was taken at the Camp Street Beechworth at the intersection with Ford Street c1910 looking at the post office on the left hand side and a row of shops on the right. The Post Office is the photograph was completed in 1859. Following a fire along Camp St in 1867 the Post Office was rebuilt with a bell and clock tower. The P.0. played an important role in communicating news in 1880 of the infamous murders of police at Stringybark Creek and the various exploits of the Kelly gang.Sepia rectangular postcard printed on gloss card. Obverse: Camp Street, Beechworth REAL PHOTO SERIES. M5911 Reverse: BMM7734.2 VALENTINES REAL PHOTO SERIES Published by the Valentine Publishing Co.Pty.Ltd. Queen St. Melb 1906-1910? beechworth, camp street, post office, burke museum, photograph, postcard, 1910