Today’s throwback Thursday photograph is a stereographic image of Freer’s Glen, now Watkins Glen State Park, circa 1863. Stereograph photography was very popular during the 19th century. When viewed using a stereoscope, the two almost identical images mounted side-by-side created the illusion of depth, or 3D.
Freer’s Glen opened to the public in 1863 as a privately run resort. The area was a popular tourist destination from the very beginning. The land was purchased by New York State in 1906 and became a state park. The Finger Lakes Region of the New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation has managed the park since 1924.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N75jau2mQWI Image Credit: Library of Congress