Bob Johnston, Chautauqua County Historical Society trustee and Westfield Book and Paper Show chairman, talking about ephemera, which is collectible memorabilia that was originally expected to have a short-term use or popularity. P-J photo by Dennis Phillips

Have you ever kept an envelope because you wanted to keep the postmark?

If you have, then you probably know about ephemera. For those who haven’t collected a postmark, stamp or postcard, ephemera is an item of collectible memorabilia, typically written or printed ones, that was originally expected to have only a short-term use or popularity.

On Wednesday, Bob Johnston, Chautauqua County Historical Society trustee and Westfield Book and Paper Show chairman, was the featured presenter during Fenton History Center’s first Brown Bag Lecture of the year. He said this year’s Book and Paper Show will be held from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, May 5, at Eason Hall in Westfield.

Johnston during his presentation showed postcards, trading cards, cabinet cards, photos, colored photo slides, magic lantern slides, negatives and postmarks during his presentation on ephemera. He first became interested in old postcards when he found one of the old U.S. Post Office Building, which was located along Third Street where Best Western Plus Hotel is located today. He added that he used to pass the former post office building on his way to school every day. When he went away to college, Johnston said they tore the building down. He also has an old photo of the construction of the former post office, which dates back to 1903.

Johnston also talked about how old photos and postcards can connect generations. For instance, Johnston’s grandson, Alex, had come across an old photo of the International Typographical Union’s 25th anniversary that was held in the Arcade Building along North Main Street.

Because of Johnston’s interest in old photographs, Alex, who is a graphic designer, showed him the photo. The photo led Johnston to then go through some postcards, where he found one of the International Typographical Union’s headquarters, which he then gave to Alex.

Because of his interest in old postcards, Johnston talked about how that led him to research the photographers who took the pictures on the cards. One of the photographers he researched was George Monroe, who was born in 1851 and died in 1916. While doing his research, Johnston discovered that Monroe had a connection teaching George Eastman of Eastman Kodak.

Johnston’s love of ephemera also led him to another passion of his, trolley cars. Johnston is the Jamestown Street Railway Trolley Car No. 93 restoration project founder. Since 2014, Johnston and Jim Mitchener, Jamestown Street Railway Trolley Car No. 93 restoration project skilled carpenter, have been working on renovating the trolley car.

In 1996, when Johnston was discussing his love of local history with his friend, Sam Lucariello, who told him that his parents, Mauro and Harriet Lucariello, had an old Jamestown trolley car they used as a hunting camp near Dewittville. The family donated it to Johnston and the trolley car was moved back to Jamestown.

For years, the trolley car sat in the city’s Parks Department garage before it was moved to the Jamestown Gateway Train Station in December 2013. Restoration work really started to move forward on the trolley car in 2014 when Mitchener came aboard the project.

Johnston also talked about how local historians researching books connect with him to ask if he has any useful artifacts they could use. He talked about how he was asked by Joan V. Cusimano Lindquist about Gravy’s Sandwich Shop, which was located in Brooklyn Square. At the time he was asked about the former business, Johnston said he didn’t know about the past sandwich shop.

However, while looking through some of his archives, Johnston ran across a photo of two men standing in front of Gravy’s Sandwich Shop in Brooklyn Square, which he was able to share with Lindquist along with an old matchbook advertising the business.

“It is really fun to have a hobby that is an interest to someone else too,” he said.