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Lonto-Watson collection

 Collection
Identifier: 2010.20

Scope and Contents

The Lonto-Watson Collection contains albums, scrapbooks, photographs, negatives, documents, and books related to various transportation topics such as horse cars, cable cars, trolleys, elevated railroads, and subways. The collection also houses photographs and other materials on other transportation systems both domestic and foreign, as well as New York City architecture. Highlights of the collection include over 16,000 images of Brooklyn trolleys, over 2,000 Postcards, 1620 photographs and 15 clippings scrapbooks of New York City street scenes and architecture.

The collection is comprised of both original and copied material gathered by both Arthur Lonto and Edward Watson. Some materials in the collection were duplicated from other institutions and private collectors, therefore, these materials may have restrictions for access. Note that the majority of images from the 1800s through the early 1900s are copy images and not originals (this includes album photographs). Photographs from the early 1920s – 1940s are a mixture of original and copy, and almost all from the 1950s on are original.

Dates

  • 1836 - 2009
  • Majority of material found within 1950 - 1999

Creator

Conditions Governing Access

Some restrictions may apply to materials showing active New York City Transit and MTA facilities and/or car equipment. For all other material in the collection access is available to the public at the archivist’s discretion.

Conditions Governing Use

Some materials in the collection were duplicated from other institutions and private collectors, therefore, these materials may have restrictions for access.

Biographical / Historical

Edward B. Watson (1906-1991)

Born in Brooklyn, received a masters degree from Columbia University School of Architecture, Commander in the Navy during WWII, past Director of the Long Island Historical Society (later known as Brooklyn Historical Society, now Center for Brooklyn History), and was the president of the Branford Electric Railway for 22 years.

Arthur Lonto (1924-2009)

Arthur Lonto worked with the Electric Railroaders Association for several years on the newsletters Headlights and the Division Bulletin. Arthur also worked with the Branford Electric Railway and helped to build three car barns and was the manager of the souvenir stand from 1971-1979. He worked with his father at a Real Estate/ Insurance business for several years and then for the Transit Authority in the Document Control Division as an Associate Staff Analyst until his retirement in 2002.

Surface Transit

At the end of the 19th Century, New York City’s surface transit system of cable cars and horse cars were overtaken by the electrified system of streetcar lines. Originally in Brooklyn there were multiple streetcar lines operated by private companies such as the Brooklyn City Railroad (BCRR) and Brooklyn Heights Railroad (BHRR), but many of them would eventually come under the control of the Brooklyn Rapid Transit Company (BRT) which was formed in 1896 as a reorganization of the Long Island Traction Company. The BRT was responsible for most streetcar line operations in Brooklyn and Queens up until 1923 when it was reorganized as part of the Brooklyn-Manhattan Transit Company (BMT). In 1929, a subsidiary of the BMT, the Brooklyn and Queens Transportation Corporation would take control over surface transportation in Brooklyn and Queens until operations would be transferred to the Board of Transportation in 1940.

In Manhattan and the Bronx, horse cars, cable cars, and trolleys were run by multiple agencies from the 1850s to the 1890s until most were consolidated in the Metropolitan Street Railroad (MSRy) and the Third Avenue Railroad Company (TARS), which then was leased by MSRy from 1900-1907. The MSRy eventually was split into the New York City Railway Company and the Third Avenue Railway System by the early 1910s and these two companies would be responsible for the majority of surface transit until the eventual take over by buses. By the 1950s all streetcar lines were no longer in service having been taken over by both city and private bus operations.

Rapid Transit

At the end of the 19th Century, New York City had a system of steam-powered, elevated train lines, run by the Manhattan Railway (MRy) in Manhattan and the Bronx, and by the Brooklyn Rapid Transit Company (BRT) in Brooklyn. Between 1898 and 1903, these steam-powered lines were converted to electric power. The first city subway was opened in 1904 by the Interborough Rapid Transit Company (IRT). From 1913-1917, as part of the Dual Contracts extension of the subway, the IRT and BRT together built new subway lines in Manhattan, Brooklyn, the Bronx, and Queens. In 1923, the BRT was reorganized after bankruptcy as the Brooklyn-Manhattan Transit Company (BMT). In 1932, the city owned Independent System (IND) started its first subway line. In 1940 the IRT, BMT, and IND were unified and rapid transit lines were operated by the Board of Transportation (BOT). In 1953, the New York City Transit Authority was formed taking over the Board of Transportation operations. In 1968 the MTA was formed to take control over transportation operations.

Extent

86 Linear Feet

Language of Materials

English

Additional Description

Abstract

The Lonto-Watson collection contains albums, scrapbooks, photographs, negatives, documents, ephemera, and books related to New York City transportation such as horse cars, cable cars, trolleys, elevated railroads, and subways, as well as transportation systems domestic and foreign, and New York City architecture.

System of Arrangement

This collection is arranged into six series with several corresponding subseries and sub-subseries. Please see the Collection Organization tab for the complete system of arrangement.

Other Finding Aids

PDF URL

Provenance

Gift of Brooklyn Historical Society (now Center for Brooklyn History).

The Edward Watson Collection was originally left to Arthur Lonto upon the passing of Edward Watson in 1991. Watson requested from Arthur Lonto that the collection would eventually be bequeathed to Brooklyn Historical Society. Upon the passing of Arthur Lonto, Brooklyn Historical Society, with the permission of the Lonto Estate, transferred the collection to the New York Transit Museum.

Subjects

Finding Aid & Administrative Information

Title
Finding aid for the Lonto-Watson collection
Status
Under Revision
Author
Finding aid prepared by Desiree Alden. Biographical Information provided by Carey Stumm. Collection processed and cataloged circa 2012 by Project Archivists, Desiree Alden and Brett Dion; Archive Technicians, Emily Reynolds, Katya Schapiro, Caity Selleck, and Miwa Yokoyama; Archive Intern/Technician, Mike Satalof; Archive Intern, Pamela Fischer.
Description rules
Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Language of description
English
Script of description
Code for undetermined script

Revision Statements

  • 2022: Edited and reformatted by Elise Winks
  • 2023: Manually entered into ArchivesSpace by Joanna Satalof

Repository Details

Repository Details

Part of the Archives and Reading Room Repository

https://www.nytransitmuseum.org
Contact:
Research Archivist

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