Pontus Ross’s granddaughter A. J. Whitney provided this large view of Lovewell, which has been rephotographed enough times that it resembles a delicate watercolor painting. It’s an effect that gives the bird’s-eye view the beguiling look of a drowsy New England hamlet.
Dave Lovewell believed the bird’s-eye view was taken from the top of a small hill southwest of town which locals called “Little Round Mound.” I tried to crop a minimum of detail while squaring up the horizon and putting the postcard-sized photo (probably no accident there) into a nice frame.
A picture from Curt Rafferty’s Jewell County Postcard and Photo Collection on Facebook was taken some years later from exactly the same spot. Dominating obvious changes between the two views is the large commercial building slightly right of center, which could be in the final stages of construction. Overlaying one picture on the other reveals that at least a dozen houses, barns, chicken coops and sheds had been added to the corner of Lovewell we can see from this angle. Click the image to open it full-size in a new window.