The "Making A Name For The Town Of Columbia, Pennsylvania, PA" Story

It was an ordinary day.  Reading about a fellow named Francis Smith.  Francis is a photographer who works his way around the country collecting images of towns named Columbia.  Have one near you?  Well, I live about fifteen minutes, at the most, away from the small town of Columbia, Pennsylvania.  I have made many trips to Columbia, PA to take photographs and visit locations in and near the city for stories for this blog.  Well, one day Francis' landlord knocked on the door of his Brooklyn rental and told him he needed to move on to make room for the landlord's family.  Instead of being upset, Francis saw it as a change to fulfill his dream of undertaking a big photographic project.  He had a theme of "America" and now needed something a bit more pointed to begin his dream.  He first thought of visiting and taking photos of places called Rome or Athens, but after re-thinking it a bit more, he decided to take photos of cities and towns named Columbia, since there were dozens of cities named Columbia and the name once symbolized our nation.  Plus the fact that Columbia was at one time picked as the name for the United States after the Revolutionary War.  The Columbia that is a hop, skip and jump from my home in Lancaster actually got it name in the same way.  In the late 1780s the small town along the Susquehanna River near Lancaster was known as Wright's Ferry.  It rebranded itself as Columbia hoping too entice our government to name it our Nation's Capital, since President George Washington favored the name.  Then there was the patriotic song "Hail Columbia" that was considered as the national anthem.  The song didn't make it to the top, but did make it as the official anthem of the Vice-President.  Well, in 2015, Smith decided to "hit the road" and take photos of America. He traveled 100,000 miles to photograph more than 60 Columbia locations in 45 states.  He hopes to make a book titled "America by Another Name."  He and his project have been featured in the Washington Post.  His lifestyle seems to be a perfect fit. His goal was to photograph "people as they are."  He takes photos of people just as they are.  No poses are necessary.  He wanted everyone he took photos of to be just plain people.  

Francis Smith

He did happen upon a golf tournament in the middle of Columbia, Nebraska which he photographed.  And, of course, Columbia, Pennsylvania was on his list. He loved the architecture in the old town.  It was so Americana, especially when he happened upon a pharmacy with a lunch counter.  Some day he hopes to return and take more photos of Columbia, Pennsylvania.  Our sweet old town along the mighty Susquehanna River.  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.