On January 31, 1894 in Olean, William Pfeiffer, better known as Billy, married Nellie Boyington Walley of Roulette and moved to Roulette to be the first superintendent of the Roulette Telephone Company. This enterprising couple was interested in everything and they became two of the most enthusiastic boosters of Roulette.

Billy must have had a passion for new technology. Over a hundred years ago, he helped bring the telephone to Roulette, was an assistant engineer for the infant North Penn Gas Company, and was an expert electrician. He was also a photographer when that field was new. He had a studio in his home where he photographed most of Roulette's citizens at one time or another. Billy also took his equipment on the road. For over 40 years, at a time when a camera and all of its baggage could weight 30 pounds, he roamed all over the Roulette area taking pictures of buildings, demolitions, panoramas, and anything else that interested him or that a client requested.

His photography equipment was glass plate. As you can see from the pictures on this page, it produced remarkably high-quality prints. Over 100 years later, the prints are clear and true. (I wonder if anything we have today will last as well.) Equally interesting is that his photography style was what was in demand at the time and not out on the fringes of the field. Because of that, Billy's photographs provide a clear look at Roulette and its people as the century changed.

Click on any picture to open a larger picture in its own window. When the large picture is open, you can right click and save it to your computer. You can also view the picture enlarged by clicking on the square button that displays in the lower right corner of the picture.

Roulette before 1904
Note Pomeroy Bridge in the foreground.
New school and Methodist Church in left distance.
The large building in the center background is the Roulette Opera House.
Also, notice how bare today's heavily wooded hills are.