Great Possibilities

Celebrating 150 Years
Dryden Mutual Insurance Company

By Ronald E. Ostman and Harry Littell

Verne Morton was born in 1868 near Groton, in Tompkins County of central New York State. He was educated as a schoolteacher, but for nearly 50 years, beginning in 1896, he devoted himself to photographing rural and village life. He created most of his photographs near Groton, where he lived on a pioneer family homestead. To honor Verne Morton, the Dryden Mutual Insurance Company has published this book of 150 black-and-white images, coinciding with the company’s 150th anniversary, commemorated May 7, 2010. Verne Morton and his brother Neil were policyholders with the company, originally known as the Dryden & Groton Mutual Fire Insurance Company.

Great Possibilities pays tribute to the land, people, farms, businesses, and communities of a bygone era. Short essays offer explanations and details about the pictured activities and places, and locate the images in a broader historical context. The book’s title borrows a phrase from David Bond’s 2004 poem, “Quiet Time.” The poet marveled at Verne Morton’s ability to see “great possibilities” in the everyday details of the rural landscape—seeds, blossoms, children, workers, reflections in a pond—and to transform these images into iconic photographs of their time and locale. Contemporary viewers are invited to discover and experience for themselves great possibilities in the pages that follow.

You may download the Great Possibilities book order form here.

Great Possibilities is now available for purchase at The History Center bookstore. The book sells for $49.95 plus 8% NYS tax. To order a copy by mail, please contact The History Center to get information on shipping rates, at admin@thehistorycenter.net or (607) 273-8284 x 0.