The black and white photographs show slices of life as it used to be - police officers standing on the lawn of the old Memorial Hall, posing with a confiscated moonshine still.

A couple in their horse and buggy, out for a stroll. A foundry, thought to have operated in Hanging Rock. But what was it?

These photographs are part of an exhibit that opens Monday at the main office of the Briggs-Lawrence Library, in celebration of

National Library Week.

The photographs are part of the collection owned by retired local attorney Lloyd Moore, a photography enthusiast who now resides in Athens. Many were the work of the old Nazor Studio that operated in Ironton until the mid-1970s. Some of the pictures are actually photographic copies of even older photos with frames visible along the edges.

Moore will visit the library from 1-3 p.m. Saturday for a book sale and signing.

One photograph shows the devastation done by the 1913 flood: people were photographed in front of the Lawrence County Courthouse on its Fourth Street side. Most of the building's expansive lawn and steps are covered in water.

Another photo is of the 1937 flood. Some of the photos date as far back as 1908.

"I think for a lot of people these pictures will evoke a sense of history of the area, for people to be able to see things they've heard about but were not there to actually witness," library director Joe Jenkins said.

He said he also hoped some of the people who view the photographs will be able to help put names with some of the faces: many of the photographs do not have names on the back identifying the people in the picture.

Some of the photographs will be hung in the hallway on the library's second floor. Others may be displayed downstairs as well. Because the collection is so large, photographs will be rotated periodically.