The father-son photography team of Alfred T. and Robert H. "Bob" Willis documented over eighty years of Spartanburg history. Now in a new Hub City book called Spartanburg Revisited, two contemporary photographers, Carroll Foster and Mark Olencki, return to places and people from an earlier era and recapture these iconic scenes in full color. We invite you to a book release program and celebration at the Spartanburg Public Library's Barrett Room, Sunday Nov. 18, from 2-4 pm. The event will also feature the "world premiere" of a 1920s era video shot by Alfred Willis (pictured) in Spartanburg.

While Spartanburg Revisited is a tribute to the city that fills its pages, it is also homage to the two men who documented her through the years. As Emily L. Smith writes in her introduction, "Around Spartanburg the mere mention of the names Alfred and Bob Willis incited anecdotes not only about the father-son school picture takers but also of the laughter and magic they created around them everywhere they went. People remembered their cars, their dogs, their yards, their jokes, and their trademark idiosyncrasies.... The Willises' legacy is greater than any compilation of their photographs."

The introduction to the book was researched and written by Emily Smith, Hub City's 2006-2007 writer-in-residence. She, Mark and Carroll will be on hand to sign books and present a program about the book's compilation.

Paperback copies are on sale throughout the city for $19.95 and also on our website.

About the Video:

Alfred T. Willis not only took photographs in the 1920s, he also made home movies. His silent black-and-white footage shows Trottin' Sally performing in the street, Charles Lindberg landing at the airport, and cannons firing in Morgan Square. The Public Library will host the "World Premiere" of the 14-minute Willis video during the Hub City book release event on Nov. 18 from 2-4 pm.