A Closer Look

This 1925 photograph of East Haven Green facing East reveals some interesting features under a magnifying glass.

Number One- the billboard to the left of the picture is an advertisement for Chevrolet and states: "Quality at Low Cost" "A Dealer Near to Serve You."

Number Two- the signposts nailed to the light pole- the top one states "Momaguin,Short Beach" the bottom states "Branford, New London."

Number Three- the placard states at the top: "East Haven."
It would be interesting to know what the listings were below it.

Local Content and Community Reserve

The library is participating in Overdrive's Local Content and Community Reserve program which allows libraries to offer digitized documents, audio and video materials, in download formats.

So far, we have submitted three items--

A pamphlet on the 1911 dedication of the Soldier's Memorial on the East Haven Green, a ca. 1917 photograph of East Haven Boys prior to shipping out to serve in WW I, and a memorial pamphlet for the first boy killed in WW I from East Haven.

Below: East Haven boys serving in WW I

The library will be participating in the Local Content and Community Reserve program through OverDrive, a distributor of audio and e-books.

Archival material will be sent from the Hagaman Library in PDF form then changed into Adobe ebooks. Patrons will be able to browse, check-out and download these materials from the Hagaman website OverDrive link.

This will give patrons further accessibility to archival documents and information.

East Haven Photographs on Connecticut Treasures

It was gratifying to see some of the photographs from Donald V. Chidsey's Old Houses of East Haven up on the Treasures of Connecticut Libraries site. We look forward to seeing the entire work up on the site.

http://cslib.cdmhost.com/ctlibs/home.php

Treasures at The Hagaman

Here is another Civil War era treasure. A letter from Winfield Scott at West Point to A. Clark at Brevoort(?) House, N.Y. Again, we have an item of mystery. The text of the letter reads-

West Point, Sep. 10, 1864

Dear Sir: I thank you for your note.
I believe I have engaged apartment [sic] higher uptown.
Yrs. with esteem-
Winfield Scott

A. Clark, Esq.

Treasures at The Hagaman

In keeping with the Connecticut Treasures Project (see the 12/18/09 post) and the 150th anniversary of the Civil War, the library has some treasures of it's own to present on this blog.

Below is an 1863 letter calling up Hiram Jacobs of East Haven to military service.

It will be interesting to see if any further information on this individual can be found in either the library or the Historical Society.

Civil War Events at the New Haven Public Library

There will be two events on the Civil War at the New Haven Public Library, 133 Elm Street in New Haven.

On Saturday, May 21, at 10:30 am, Dave Koch will present “Connecticut African Americans in the Civil War.” An Assistant Professor of History at Housatonic Community College, Mr. Koch has offered discussions across the country and in Europe about our national historical sites. How black soldiers from Connecticut fought in this War is a compelling story, highlighting much of the best and worst of our country’s history. The Union side supported abolition of slavery, but not equality for African-Americans. In Connecticut, black free men were fighting for less pay (and much less pay-off) than their white counterparts—and despite the likelihood of savage reprisal if caught by Confederate soldiers.

On Saturday, June 4, 2-3 pm, Matthew Bartlett will present “From Colonial America to the Civil War,” an exploration of the historical roots of the War. A Meriden resident, Mr. Bartlett is author of a multi-volume series on the Civil War, The Gettysburg Chronicle (http://gettysburgchronicle.weebly.com).

Both programs are presented free of charge as part of the Connecticut Sesquicentennial Civil War initiative. Free parking is available. For more information please call the New Haven Public Library at 203-946-8835.