Group photograph of the students and teachers of the Martinsburg Indian School at the Juniata Collegiate Institute, Martinsburg, Pennsylvania. The students in the image are members of the Osage and Oneida Nations; some had been transferred to the Martinsburg school from the Carlisle Indian School, while others were sent from their reservations. The school operated under a federal contract from 1885 to 1888, at which time some students were returned home and others were transferred back to the Carlisle Indian School.
The man standing on the far left of the image is likely the school's founder and principal, Philip Howard Bridenbaugh. The children sitting on the left porch are likely his children. One of the women sitting on the step of that porch is likely Bridenbaugh's wife, Catherine Oellig Bridenbaugh. The woman standing on the left porch is likely the school's matron, Elizabeth "Lizzie" Griffith. One of the men standing on the right porch is likely Calvin Skyles, an instructor at the school.
This image was taken by Harvey A. McKillip, a photographer originally from Martinsburg who relocated to Bloomsburg, Pennsylvania. McKillip was the uncle of Calvin Skyles, one of the school's instructors. The image was taken sometime between May 1 and May 13, 1886.
The undated news clipping at the top of the image reads: Martinsburg's Indian School and Student Body. This copy of an original photograph presented to the Martinsburg Community Library by Ira H. Keagy of Altoona shows the Indian boys and girls from the South West and their instructors in front of the school building which stood on E. Allegheny Street, east of Walnut Street, Martinsburg. The photograph was taken in 1890, and at the left is Prof. Bridenbaugh, who became a great favorite with the Indian students. The school was closed several years after this picture was taken. The building has long since been torn down to make room for modern homes. [NOTE: The date of 1890 suggested in this clipping is incorrect, as the school had already closed by that time.]
The caption at the bottom of the image reads: McKillip, Photographs, Crayons, Copying, Viewing, Frames, Easels, Etc. INSTANT PROCESS USED. Bloomsburg, PA.
A handwritten note on the reverse of the image reads: Donated by Ira H. Keagy, Altoona.
