Mug Shots: A Small Town Noir (2014)
2 days ago
- #American History
- #True Crime
- #Archival Research
- The narrator receives a 61-year-old mug shot of Martin Fobes from New Castle, Pennsylvania, sparking an interest in researching the stories behind such photos.
- Martin Fobes was arrested for DWI in 1948 and questioned about the death of Anna Grace Robertson, whose case was unresolved, with charges only for leaving the scene.
- The narrator's research evolves into the website 'Small Town Noir,' documenting New Castle's history through criminal records and ordinary citizens' lives.
- New Castle experienced rapid industrial growth in the late 1800s but declined post-Great Depression, with a population drop from 50,000 to 23,000.
- Mug shots from the 1930s to 1960s were salvaged from police disposal and sold globally, revealing diverse characters and everyday life details from newspaper archives.
- Charles Cialella's story exemplifies ordinary citizens: a WWII veteran arrested for minor gambling, later a city employee who returned a lost ring after 30 years.
- The project highlights New Castle's nostalgia, with the narrator visiting the town, meeting subjects' relatives, and emphasizing the town's lost golden age.