Visit @syracusehistory on Instagram and one of the first posts you’ll see is a photo of what looks like a beautiful but ordinary old house. Read the photo’s caption and you’ll learn that the house, which sits at 1500 James St., Syracuse to this day, was a ready-to-assemble home ordered out of a Sears catalog that arrived in a box of parts by train.

The house was the Magnolia, the most expensive model of Sears’ line of build-your-own-homes. Sold between 1918 and 1922 for about $6,000, the house on James Street is one of only seven ever bought and constructed.

One of the 19 comments on the post reads, “This was always my favorite house growing up!!!!”

A photo posted by History of 'Cuse in Pictures (@syracusehistory) on Oct 12, 2015 at 3:19pm PDT

A little over two years ago, 29-year-old Syracuse native David Haas created his Syracuse history Instagram account to share little-known stories like these. Haas posts photos he takes throughout the city that have historical significance, typically buildings and homes. The captions of his posts explain the story behind the photo, be it an anecdote or historical information.

Haas said he hopes that the posts, like that of the Magnolia, will help people gain a newfound appreciation for the seemingly ordinary sights they drive and walk past on a daily basis.

“There’s just so much history here that people aren’t aware of and it adds value to the streets, it adds value to the city, it adds value to the homes here,” Haas said.

Unlike many of the spontaneously taken photos college students scroll through on their feeds, each of Haas’ posts requires about two hours of research. His account is approaching 8,000 followers and he typically posts twice a week.

A photo posted by History of 'Cuse in Pictures (@syracusehistory) on Oct 23, 2015 at 9:26am PDT

Haas’ process for posting consists of several steps, the first of which is to find an idea of what to post about. Usually, he either stumbles upon something, hears an interesting story through word of mouth or searches for an interesting piece of history to photograph.

“When I’m out, when I’m walking, when I’m in the car, my curiosity takes over when I see older homes and buildings because I want to know the story behind it,” Haas said.

Next, he conducts research: he uses local databases at the library to uncover new information about what he’s discovered, he will read through his books about Syracuse history and old newspaper articles, or he’ll use the resources at the Onondaga Historical Association.

If necessary or possible, Haas will interview people connected to the story he’s researching. He said he often will leave his business card on the doors of historical buildings, hoping the residents or owners will contact him, and they usually do. Finally, he decides if the photo and its story are worth posting — often they aren’t.

“Sometimes when I’m looking up the history, I don’t find anything or I don’t find anything worth posting,” Haas said. “There’s been countless times when I’ve had a picture that I love but I can’t find anything to post with it.”

A photo posted by History of 'Cuse in Pictures (@syracusehistory) on Nov 1, 2015 at 6:34am PST

Haas’s interest in the history of Syracuse comes from his love and passion for the city, he said. He’s lived in Eastwood since 2011 and has lived in the city his whole life. Haas’s involvement in the welfare of Syracuse extends beyond his social media presence. He also manages a not-for-profit program at the Learning Disability Association of Central New York and is the president of the Syracuse chapter of the National Stuttering Association.

Haas’s most popular Instagram post was a collage of boarded up windows from on and around North Salina Street that he posted near the end of the summer. The post has 502 likes, compared to the more frequent 200-400 like range that most of his other posts receive.

Through his Instagram, Haas said he hopes to restore people’s faith in the city. He also said he intends to try to attract more students from SU and local colleges to venture into the city.

Many of Haas’ followers on Instagram are residents of the city who have the same hopes for Syracuse that Haas does.

Amanda Spear grew up in Syracuse, and after living in Pittsburgh for 10 years, moved back in 2005. She said as an adult, she’s come to appreciate the city’s small treasures that she stumbles upon daily and overlooked as a child.

“Syracuse is important to me not just as the place I’m from, but as a place I want to see get better,” Spear said. “I think that Syracuse history ties into that because when I look at some of the buildings he highlights, other people might see something disappointing or sad, and none of those things are necessarily untrue, but I see potential for a beautiful image and for something that can be repurposed.”

A photo posted by History of 'Cuse in Pictures (@syracusehistory) on Oct 19, 2015 at 5:11am PDT

Another one of Haas’s followers, Tim Uviau, connected with him on Instagram when he saw that he created a post about Oakwood Cemetery. Uviau is a mason who is actively involved in historic restoration in Syracuse, and was currently working on a project at the cemetery.

“It’s just nice to have someone show off a lot of the history of Syracuse and landmarks that other people would take for granted,” Uviau said.

Be it how the history of “The Wizard of Oz,” the Civil War or U.S. presidents are tied to Syracuse, Haas has more stories to add to his collection.

Said Haas: “Sometimes the stories that you’re looking for are right there on the street corner.”

Published on December 1, 2015 at 12:07 am

Contact Alex: aerdekia@syr.edu