Never-Before-Seen Images Of 9/11 Discovered, Photographer A Mystery
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) - Thousands of never-before-seen photos of Ground Zero taken during the days following the 9/11 attacks have been discovered following an estate sale of a house's property.
The digital albums were retrieved from several CDs in poor condition, but good enough to save the data files, according to Dr. Johnathan Burgess, one of a team that got the photos.
The images, whose photographer has not been identified, appear to have been taken by a construction or recovery worker around the wreckage of the World Trade Center towers and surrounding neighborhood.
The original discs came from an estate sale in Massachusetts to collect and archive vintage media. Burgess said most of the find was baby and vacation photos, but also the construction site photos from New York City.
Burgess worked with archivist Jason Scott to fix the files and then upload the photos to Flickr.
"Generally these items are neglected at sales," Burgess told BBC News. "It's very likely these would be in a dumpster by now had we not gone.
"It's a miracle the discs transferred so well, CD-ROMs of that age are pretty spotty," he said.
Burgess said the pair are continuing to search for the original photographer and sharing the photos now was "about doing what's right for humanity."
"We request that if people are affected, they give to a charity that helps 9/11 first responders or volunteer for worthy causes," he said.
Anyone who may have information about the CDs or the photographer are encouraged to email Burgess and Scott at gzphotos@textfiles.com.