Frank Stewart

One of Silverhill's first photographers was Frank Stewart. His photographs of Silverhill landmarks became very popular when he began printing them on postcards. Many of his photographs display his signature.

Frank came to Baldwin County, Alabama in 1903 at the age of 48 years planning to be a farmer. His mother and father had moved to the Territory of Kansas soon after Frank was born in 1855 in Lafayette, Indiana. He had grown up in the new county of Allen, Kansas, the oldest of nine children. His father had started out farming in Kansas, but then found more profit in buying and selling land to the new settlers moving into the new state.

In the 1875 Kansas census, we find Frank working as a telegraph operator living with his parents. The next census in which we can find him is the 1900 census where Frank Stewart and his wife Hattie are living in Chicago. Frank's occupation was listed as a civil engineer.

In 1903, with dreams of farming, Frank bought forty acres on Polecat Creek, four miles south of the town of Silverhill. According to the 1910 census, Frank and Hattie had been married 20 years and had no children. Frank was born in Indiana and Hattie in Illinois. Their parents were from Ohio. This time his occupation was listed as a farmer.

While living at Polecat Creek, he became interested in photography and began making photos of places in Baldwin County. In 1913, he gave up farming and moved to Fairhope to pursue photography. The US census of 1920 and 1930 listed Frank's occupation as a photographer.

Frank operated a photo studio in Fairhope for many years and produced thousands of pictures. After his wife Hattie died in 1934, he sold his business and remained in Fairhope until his death at the age of 87, in 1942. He had kept his land on Polecat Creek, which was inherited by Hattie's sister and her children.

Photos of Frank Stewart
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Frank Stewart "giving post cards a final bath" in Polecat Creek.

Frank Stewart, Photographer, Silverhill, Ala.

Frank Stewart, The Picture Man. Frank Stewart and his wife Hattie in front of their Silverhill house at Polecat Creek.

Photos taken by Frank Stewart of Silverhill
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Silverhill School about 1908.	Silverhill Creamery about 1910.
Silverhill Highway, looking west, 1910.	Lutheran Church and School with bell tower about 1920.
Lutheran Church and Parsonage about 1923.	Silverhill School about 1926.