Fall treasures
If you’ve been following Farmington Room news, you may remember that we began cleaning and dusting the antique book collection. A couple of weeks ago we found some odd treasures inside these books that I wanted to share.
The first thing I found was a seed tucked between the pages of one of the books—it looked to be an apple seed. Was it placed, or did it just fall in? Was someone eating an apple while reading a library book and didn’t see a seed drop into the book? A fascinating thing to consider is, how long had it been there? I would have to do some research to see when the last time these older library books had circulated.
The next treasure was even more surprising—a book published in 1799 had at least 10 fall leaves tucked into its pages. Oak leaves, maple leaves, and some we haven’t identified (send me an email if you know!) were pressed into the book. Again...how long were these leaves sitting in this book? The antique book collection used to be housed at the Village Library, now the Barney Branch. When they moved over to this new building in 1983, I am pretty sure they were locked into the glass cases where they now live, untouched except by staff and a few volunteers from years past. So I believe I can assume that they have been in the book for at least 40+ years.
This book has been set aside for further attention. From a preservation standpoint, pressing plant matter inside of a book can present some threats which must be addressed. These leaves will be removed, placed in an acid-free enclosure, and will be stored with—but not inside—the book in which we found them. The timing of finding these leaves, on the cusp of Fall, feels a little magical.
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!