THE MAURICE LAGRUA PHOTOGRAPH COLLECTION:
EARLY IMAGES OF STONINGTON
Maurice LaGrua was born in Stonington, his parents had come to this
country from Sicily. Maurice, his two brothers and sister, attended schools
in Stonington, he caddied at the Stonington Manor Inn Golf Course just
north of this site, and in time became a committed golfer.
Maurice went to war and served in the Army, landing in France on D-Day.
Maurice attended the New York Institute of Photography from 1945 to 1946.
In time, he returned to Stonington and worked as the local onsite photographer.
In addition to photographing the modern Stonington community (schools,
sporting events, family groups, weddings and christenings), he began
to collect photographic negatives and glass plates of Stonington dating
back to the 1890s. For many years, he photographed the old houses of
Stonington Borough and sold the prints as postcards. At the same time,
he printed photographs from his collection of old images for sale in
his shop: these too were very popular with the public.
He married Winifred Glover in 1962, and together they ran a popular
gift shop that has been in business at 121 Water Street since 1950. At
the same time, Maurice ran his photographic business from his darkroom
studio on High Street in Westerly.
In 1997, Winifred and Maurice LaGrua gave a substantial donation to
the Stonington Historical Society for the Library Fundraising initiative.
It was with great pleasure that it was decided to name the photographic
facilities in the Richard W. Woolworth Library for him. Soon after the
new library opened, Maurice decided to give the Stonington Historical
Society his collection of antique Stonington glass plates and negatives.
This substantial collection has been catalogued and labeled and is the
star of the photo collection of the society. There are, as you will see
here, images from every field of interest in Stonington history, from
railroads to steamboats, from mansions to shanties, with photographs
of people involved in different activities. This collection is being
curated by Michelle Gemma, Photo Archivist.
These images may be ordered from the society. An online order form will
be available in the future; in the meantime, please send inquiries to:
Richard W. Woolworth Library
Photo Collection
Stonington Historical Society
P.O. Box 103
Stonington, CT 06378
Be sure to identify the image and indicate the size you want: we will
provide pricing and other information.
Be advised that these are copyrighted images, and may not be reproduced
without the permission of the society. Also, the images shown here do
not make satisfactory reproductions, as definition will be lost in enlargement.
Continue to Part I: Steamboat Days
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