A unique exhibit featuring historical photos of Monterey debuts at Colton Hall.

When Pacific Grove native Pat Hathaway died unexpectedly in 2021, there were tens of thousands of photos in his collection – many that he took himself, many he had collected over the years. They depict various places in Monterey County stretching back to the 1800s.

The collection is a time capsule – a visual record, though incomplete – of how the region looked and felt in the early years of photography when pictures were rare. Each one that’s lasted over the years is a tiny miracle.

But Hathaway left no will, nor did he designate an heir to his collection. So the court appointed his longtime friend and collaborator Kent Seavey to administer his estate and find a home for the collection. Ultimately, in 2021, it was decided Monterey County Historical Society in Salinas would be that home – it has temperature – and humidity-controlled vaults, it’s local and its staff and volunteers are passionate about preserving the images.

Among those volunteers is Susan Klusmire, a former City of Monterey museums employee who for the last year has been working through Hathaway’s images of Monterey taken between 1870-1950. Her work has been funded by a grant from the Thomas Doud Sr. and Anita M. Doud Fund with the Community Foundation for Monterey County.

The parameters of the grant call for highlighting history in Monterey, and allow for an exhibit to help do so. MCHS Executive Director James Perry tapped Klusmire for the job, and the result are 11 panels with about 10-14 historical photos on each that will be on display at Colton Hall starting Aug. 30.

It’s been a labor of love for Klusmire – she’s sifted through tens of thousands of photos from Hathaway’s collection in the past year – and she also sees it as an opportunity to have a belated celebration of Hathaway’s life and legacy. “I realized he never had a memorial, so why not combine the two?” she says.

To that end, one panel is dedicated to Hathaway alone. As for the rest, a range of images that show how the city transformed over a 70-year span.

“I hope everybody comes to see it,” Klusmire says. “There are a lot of images that people will be astonished to see.”

Pat Hathaway Memorial Exhibition opening night 5-7pm Thursday, Aug. 29; viewable 10am-4pm Thu-Sun, Aug. 30-Sep. 29. Colton Hall Museum, 570 Pacific St., Monterey. Free.