Tony Brooks, left, and Jonathan Edwards are seen in the front room of the historic Zebulon Butler House in Wilkes-Barre. Brooks, as director of the Wilkes-Barré Preservation Society and curator of the house, has teamed up with Edwards, of Jonathan Edwards - 570 Drone, to produce a series of videos about the city’s architectural and social heritage, called ‘Diamond City: Trail of History.’
Roger DuPuis | Times Leader
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WILKES-BARRE — Two years ago, Jonathan Edwards and Tony Brooks set out to make a live video about the historic Market Street Bridge.
It was somewhat spur-of-the-moment, but between Edwards’ videography skills and Brooks’ knowledge of local history, the production proved instantly popular.
“It was us talking non-stop about the bridge for 17 minutes,” Brooks recalled during an interview on Friday. “And we handled 10 or 20 questions that came in.”
“He knew how many bricks were in the bridge,” Edwards added, gesturing toward Brooks. “And bear in mind this was like an hour after I called him and asked, ‘can you go live with me?’”
“The video did really, really well,” Edwards said.
That initial collaboration has, thanks to these strange times in which we find ourselves, evolved into a new effort that is generating significant buzz on social media.
Brooks, director of the Wilkes-Barré Preservation Society and curator of its Zebulon Butler House, has partnered with Edwards’ videography business, Jonathan Edwards – 570 Drone, to produce a series of videos about the city’s architectural and social heritage, called “Diamond City: Trail of History.”
“We had been talking about doing a series of architectural videos, social history videos, and we came together thanks to the down period because of COVID-19,” Brooks said.
The first video, which debuted earlier this month, spotlighted the Stegmaier family of brewing fame, and generated 10,000 views in one day. As of Friday it had reached 25,000 views on Facebook alone, Brooks said.
The second, which will trace the military service and lives of 14 veterans buried in historic Hollenback Cemetery, debuts on Monday — Memorial Day.
Online presence
The videos, featuring Brooks’ narration and presentation, can be seen on the Wilkes-Barré Preservation Society’s Facebook page, on the Diamond City: Trail of History YouTube page, and — starting Monday and with each new production — at timesleader.com. The trailer for Monday’s video can be seen with this story at timesleader.com.
While there is no definitive target, Edwards said he and the society are looking to produce one video a month.
“The topics never run out, especially with this guy,” Edwards said of Brooks. “He knows this stuff. It’s awesome. There’s no better person to host a show like this than Tony. He’s good on camera, he knows his stuff, everybody likes him. This will make for a great series.”
Brooks, a city councilman who founded the society and formerly served as executive director of the Luzerne County Historical Society, has deep roots in the region and a lifelong passion for local history.
Society leadership is comprised of Gordon L. Williams, board chairman (he owns the historic Hillard House Bed & Breakfast on West River Street); Ann R. Lewis, vice chair; Linda R. Joseph, secretary-treasurer, Collyn Hinchey; Richard J. Jenkins; Dr. Wesley and Patricia Parks; and Joel Zitofsky.
Like Edwards, Brooks sees a wealth of material to cover for future videos.
“We’re fortunate that there are 258 structures in the River Street Historic District, so we want to tell the stories of those structures and the people who lived in them,” Brooks said. “But we also want to do broader themes like Wilkes-Barre during the Civil War, Wilkes-Barre neighborhoods, Wilkes-Barre church architecture, and we have left it open to the public, too.”
“Every day someone gives us a message on Facebook suggesting videos,” he added.
Butler House in focus
One is already certain: The Zebulon Butler House will be the subject of the third video.
Located on South River Street, the pioneer dwelling is the oldest house in Wilkes-Barre, built in 1793 but incorporating elements of a log cabin built 20 years earlier.
The Connecticut-born Butler was a leader during the Battle of Wyoming in 1778. He initially built a log cabin for his family in 1773. Twenty years later his son, Gen. Lord Butler, built the current frame house incorporating parts of his father’s log cabin.
Four generations of the Butler family lived in the house at its original site until 1868, when it was moved from Northampton and South River to Ross and South River.
Brooks and others saved the home from demolition in 2017 and it was purchased by the society. The plan is to restore the house to its 1810s appearance.
“We will explain about the four generations of the Butler family who lived here and what each generation contributed to the life and times of Wilkes-Barre,” Brooks explained.
Trying times
Of course, neither historic preservation, nor making the videos, is free, a point that is especially relevant now.
“We’re always looking for donations. Our end goal is to restore the Zebulon Butler house and keep advocating for historic preservation issues,” Brooks said.
While a successful fundraiser was held in January, uncertainty amid the ongoing pandemic has caused the society to cancel its summer garden party fundraiser, and society members aren’t sure if they can hold an event in the fall, Brooks said, underscoring the need for donors.
He sees the videos as an important element not just in that strategy, but in promoting the community as a whole.
“What’s great about working with Jonathan is the camera equipment, particularly this drone he has,” Brooks said.
Edwards noted that Michael Belardi was camera operator for episodes 1 and 2.
“He is extremely good at what he does and has been working in the film and TV industry for over a decade,” Edwards said of Belardi, adding that before the pandemic he had been working in New York City on different television series.
The collaboration here, then, is both filled with historical information and visually appealing, Brooks said.
“We’re getting a lot of first-time ever shots of locations in Wilkes-Barre and it makes the city look fantastic,” he added. “The videos are educating people about our local history, but maybe more importantly, they’re a commercial for what Wilkes-Barre looks like today. It can be part tourism and part educational.”
For Edwards, meanwhile, the series comes at a time when other jobs had dried to a trickle as the pandemic has devastated the economy.
“It’s kind of a roller coaster. For the first two months I was worried about losing everything,” he said. “But it is what it is, you can’t change it, and we’re doing something cool with this.”
And, as noted, the pair are looking for individuals and organizations who may want to participate — as donors and underwriters, yes, but also as potential contributors if they can bring knowledge of other historical topics to the table, from anthracite and Civil War history to neighborhoods and architecture.
Interested parties can contact Brooks at 570-793-3631.