After two decades...the Cow Goes Home
If you’ve lived in Farmington/Unionville for a long time, you probably remember seeing a large cow whose body is in the shape of the Old State House in Hartford. For many years, “The Old State Cowse” lived on the second floor of the library, in the Adult Information Services Department. At some point the cow was moved into the Farmington Room, where it stood in the middle of the reading room for at least several years—it was here when I started working at the library in the Spring of 2022.
The cow was moved for a talk this past May, after which we could see the potential for more talks and exhibits within the Farmington Room. A colleague happened to connect over the summer with a staff member at the Old State House in Hartford, and we thought it would be great if the cow could permanently reside with her namesake. The Old State House staff approved receiving the cow, and they came to pick it up in early October. I was not present at the library that day, but I asked for some documentation!
The Old State Cowse was created as part of the Cow Parade of West Hartford in 2005, by artists Gigi Horr Levant and Peter Arkell. The library owns a copy of CowParade: The Cows Come Home by Cow Parade West Hartford, Ronald A. Fox, and Michael J. Fiedler, which explains the whole project and features all the cows and where they were located. Our cow was at the People’s Bank until it was donated to the library by a former Farmington law firm, Levy & Droney PC. Also featured are cow sculptures from other Cow Parade projects around the world. If you want to take a look at this book, it is currently behind the Adult Information Services Desk, stop by and ask to see it!
We have reports that the Old State Cowse is enjoying her new Hartford home, getting to spend some time outdoors while the weather is still good!
Speaking of having more open space in the Farmington Room for events and exhibits, I have a talk coming up on November 18 at 3:00 PM. I will be discussing the history of our Farmington Room collections: who has stewarded and shaped the collection over the years, how we’ve acquired what we have, all the places it has “lived,” and its impact on the community over time. As we did last time, I will have a few items for attendees to get a closer look at, and time to ask questions and share memories.
What are you interested in?
As always, I am as fascinated by what I find in the collection as what I don’t find. What aspects of Farmington/Unionville history spark interest for you? See if we have anything in the Farmington Room about it! Come visit us on a Wednesday or Thursday from 10:00 AM-1:00 PM or make an appointment to come outside of those hours. I can be reached by email at jneely@farmingtonlibraries.org, or by phone at (860) 673-6791 ext 5213.
Many thanks and happy research!