Surprise Discovery of Meher Mount Photos from 1956
Margaret Magnus
Finding these historical photos is the story of two coincidences and one answered wish. The first coincidence is the serendipity of discovering precious historical photographs of Meher Mount on a trip to Avatar Meher Baba’s ashram in India in 2014.
The second is the quick identification of the photos by Joan Dimpfl Harland. We had gotten to know Joan earlier when she was the special 2013 Anniversary Sahavas guest at Meher Mount, just months prior to discovering the photos.
The answered wish is the photos themselves.
THE HOUSE WHERE AGNES BARON LIVED at Meher Mount until it was completely burned in the October 14, 1985 New Life (Ferndale) Fire. The ‘Baba House’ where Avatar Meher Baba met with His followers on August 2, 1956, is behind this main house. (Photo: Lud Dimpfl, November 1956; Avatar Meher Baba Perpetual Public Charitable Trust Archives.)
By Margaret Magnus
Photos from the early days of Meher Mount are few and precious. So, when my husband Sam Ervin and I stumbled onto these Meher Mount photographs during a trip to Meher Baba’s ashram in India in 2014, we were thrilled.
The photos were taken in November 1956 — just months after Avatar Meher Baba’s visit on August 2, 1956.
From the photos, you can see how the property looked when Meher Baba visited. They are particularly helpful since all the buildings burned in the The New Life (Ferndale) Fire on October 14, 1985.
AGNES BARON and her dog Kali. Agnes said that when Meher Baba visited in 1956, Kali would follow Baba everywhere. When Meher Baba was getting in the car to return to Los Angeles, He patted Kali on the head and said the dog would be a human in her next life. (Photo: Lud Dimpfl, November 1956; Avatar Meher Baba Perpetual Public Charitable Trust Archives)
The Discovery Started Over Lunch
The discovery started over lunch in Meherabad, India, with David Bowling and Gusi Carpenter, Australians who spend six months a year living and volunteering in Meherabad.
David mentioned that he had been talking to the Meherabad Archives Committee about their work in preserving items related to the Advent of Meher Baba. We wanted to know more about their preservation and cataloging work.
Sam and I contacted the Archives Committee and set up a meeting with Meredith Klein for Saturday, February 22, 2014, for 11:30 a.m. in the Archives Building. That meeting was later rescheduled to a day earlier and a different time on Friday, February 21, 2014, at 10:00 a.m..
A Box of Photos Is Opened Just as We Arrive
THE FRONT of the envelope sent to Mehera J. Irani, Meher Baba's closest woman disciple, containing the 1956 photographs of Meher Mount. (Source: Avatar Meher Baba Perpetual Public Charitable Trust Archives, 2014.)
At the appointed time, Sam and I were at the Archives Building. As we walked in, volunteers Gusi Carpenter and Jessica Mednick were opening a box containing photographs that had just arrived from Meherazad, the last home of Meher Baba about 20 kilometers away.
The items in the box had belonged to Meher Baba’s Beloved disciple, Mehera J. Irani (1907-1989), and contained letters and photographs that had been sent to her by various people.
“We had just opened the box and pulled out an envelope of photos and looked inside when Sam and Margaret walked in,” Gusi Carpenter recalled. In the envelope, there were photographs of Meher Mount. We all marveled at the timing.
The archives volunteers scanned both sides of the photos and the envelope and put them on a disc for us to add to Meher Mount’s archives.
THE BACK OF the envelope sent to Mehera J. Irani containing the photos. Someone had written "Mh: Mount" on the envelope. It was also stamped upon its arrival at the Meher Baba Trust office in Ahmednagar, India. (Source: Avatar Meher Baba Perpetual Public Charitable Trust Archives, 2014)
No One Knew Who Sent the Photos to Mehera
At the time, none of us knew who took the photos, who the children in the photos were, or who had sent them to Mehera.
We did recognize the Meher Mount buildings and Agnes Baron (1907-1994), Meher Mount co-founder and lifetime caretaker.
Later, after returning to the U.S. and starting to write this story, I looked at the identifications written on the back of one of the photographs. It said, "Bill, Agnes, Claudia, BBB, Joan."
We knew “BBB” meant Baba’s Beloved Baby (3B), Meher Baba’s nickname for artist Diane Dimpfl Cobb.
Coincidentally, we had gotten to know Joan Dimpfl Harland, Diane Cobb’s sister, when Joan was the special guest for the 2013 Anniversary Sahavas at Meher Mount, months earlier.
WRITEN ON THE BACK of this photo: "Bill, Agnes, Claudia, BBB, Joan. The corner of Agnes' cottage in the background. The screen porch is where we served buffet lunch on the day Baba visited Meher Mount." (Photo: Lud Dimpfl, November 1956; Avatar Meher Baba Perpetual Public Charitable Trust Archives)
THE DIMPFL CHILDREN with Agnes Baron: Bill (William) Dimpfl, Agnes Baron, Claudia Dimpfl O’Hanrahan, Diane Dimpfl Cobb (3B), and Joan Dimpfl Harland. Lud Dimpfl noted that the screen porch is where they served a buffet lunch when Meher Baba was at Meher Mount in August 1956. In later years, this porch was where Agnes slept and spent most of her time when indoors. (Photo: Lud Dimpfl, November 1956; Avatar Meher Baba Perpetual Public Charitable Trust Archives)
The Photos Are Identified
Joan confirmed that the handwriting on the envelope was her father’s, Lud Dimpfl (1920-1988), a close follower of Meher Baba. Lud had also been part of the group that visited Meher Mount with Meher Baba in 1956.
THE BEDROOM IN THE GUESTHOUSE, also known as the ‘Baba House,’ where Meher Baba met with His followers in August 1956. Seated in the window are Joan Dimpfl Harland and her sister Claudia Dimpfl O’Hanrahan. (Photo: Lud Dimpfl, November 1956; Avatar Meher Baba Perpetual Public Charitable Trust Archives)
Joan’s Memories of Her Father & Agnes Baron
When asked about that visit with her father, Joan responded, “I do remember visiting Agnes a few times when we were children, although the details are very fuzzy. The only time I really remember is when I visited with just my Dad when I was about 10 or 11 years old.
“I remember sleeping (on a window seat?) in a beautiful little room with flowered chintz and a fireplace (it may have been the room in the photo). The strongest memory of that trip is Dad and Agnes gabbing enthusiastically till the wee hours!”
Years later, Joan sent Meher Mount a few more photos from this visit for the photo archives.
AGNES BARON "in the living room of her cottage," Lud Dimpfl wrote on the back of these photos of Meher Mount before he sent them to India. (Photo: Lud Dimpfl, November 1956; Avatar Meher Baba Perpetual Public Charitable Trust Archives)
AGNES BARON in the living room of her home at Meher Mount. (Photo: Lud Dimpfl, November 1956; Avatar Meher Baba Perpetual Public Charitable Trust Archives)
A Reminder that Meher Baba Is with Us Always
As communications director, I am always looking for photos of Meher Mount. Periodically, I bemoan the fact there are so few historical photograhs.
For me, these images were a gift that reminded me that Meher Baba is always there and hears all of our prayers.
Related Stories
To Donate an Artifact to Meher Mount
As you consider the future of your collectibles and artifacts related to Avatar Meher Baba and/or Meher Mount, please consider what might be appropriate for Meher Mount.
To discuss potential gifts, their care and their use, please contact Treasurer Robert Turnage or President Sam L. Ervin.
For more information, please see: