Jay Byerly, a Coatesville native who has been taking and gathering photographs of his hometown for decades, recently made his collection available to the public, writes Fran Maye for the Daily Local News.

Byerly’s collection came from his combined love for history and photography. Now, the result is helping preserve memories of Coatesville and covers more than a century in the city’s life.

“I’ve been taking photos of Coatesville since 1976,” said Byerly. “I think some of the best photos I have taken are of the Graystone Mansion.”

Graystone Mansion was constructed in 1889 by A.F. Huston, who lived there until his death in 1930. Eight years later, the mansion was sold to the city and served as City Hall until 1992.

The collection Byerly has amassed includes thousands of photographs, some of them dating back to 1880. Now, the 63-year-old photographer has made his treasure trove of Coatesville history available through the Facebook group Coatesville Life.

He also made a DVD, entitled Coatesville: Then and Now (see above), and shared it for everybody to enjoy.

The collector plans to continue chronicling Coatesville and has high hopes for the city’s ongoing revitalization efforts.

Read more about Jay Byerly in the Daily Local News.