Your Photos Could Help Tell Mercer Island's Story

As part of an Arcadia Publishing project - a publisher known for their local pictorial history books - Mercer Island resident and author Priscilla Padgett is seeking photo contributions for a planned Mercer Island edition.

Padgett is looking for photos that capture the varied history of Mercer Island through the years. Examples include pictures from civic organizations, scenes from around town, scenes of landmarks, outdoor photography and school pictures.

Padgett says that other historical items are also of interest, like memorabilia, ticket stubs, posters, advertising, newspaper clipping, postcards and ferry schedules. Anything that could help tell Mercer Island's story going back to the early 1900s.

Padgett needs the images to be of high quality, not something clipped form a newspaper or yearbook. Anyone with an intersting photo can submit negatives, digital files, prints or slides. Those intersted can contact Padgett by email at priscillaledbetter@comcast.net.

Padgett will also need the owner of the photo to be able to provide some information about the picture as each image in the book will be accompanied by an informative caption.

A reporter with a degree in documentary filmmaking, Padgett has high hopes for the project.

"It's going great," Padgett said.

Padgett has already collected between 40 and 50 pictures from various archives and has enjoyed digging into Mercer Island's history.

"It's a lot to learn," Padgett said.