Today was an absolutely beautiful day, but the leaves on the trees are reminding us that fall is here at last! With the weather getting colder, we wanted to share an extra cozy 125^th Anniversary Fact. Did you know that the fireplace in the Reading Room is more than just decorative? While it’s certainly an eye catching period detail, it’s also been retrofitted with all the modern conveniences and safety features. We light it every day during the late fall and winter, and it adds the perfect relaxing touch to a chilly morning reading the paper or getting some work done at the library. The next time you’re looking for somewhere to unwind with a good book or get some work done outside your home, be sure to check out the Reading Room at the Blackstone!

Many thousands of books have passed through the Blackstone Library’s collections over the years, but today we’re presenting you with one of the most special titles we own. It’s not the fanciest, not a classic or a best seller. It’s not the most valuable, the oldest book in the building, or even the first book we ever purchased. Today’s 125^th Anniversary Fact is about the oldest recorded, continuously owned, book in the Blackstone Library’s collection–a monumental feat of endurance! It’s never been damaged beyond repair, lost, or needed to be replaced. For 124 years it has remained on the shelf for the people of Branford to use and enjoy. That book is…the 1897 Branford City Directory!

Some of you may remember our Accession Records from several Anniversary Facts ago. They are a running list of every title added to the collection dating back to 1897. This book is the first one listed in the earliest Accession Record book we have. Its internal book plate proclaims that it was added to the collection on the 29^th of April in 1897, which matches the date in the Accession Records. Most importantly, the entry for the 1897 City Directory was never marked as “Condemned” — the word used to describe books that were removed from the collection for any reason. Every other title on the page was condemned, but not this little City Directory!

Now a part of our local history collection, the Branford City Directories are similar to phone books and list people and businesses located in town. They can be handy for genealogy, and are also just fun to look through. With the proper care and a little luck, this book should remain on the shelf for another 124 years.

Are you in the mood for some measuring? We all know the Blackstone Library is a big building, but do you know just how big? Today’s 125^th Anniversary Fact is about our front steps, which are positively massive at 39 feet wide! That means you could fit 3 African Elephants on our front steps (about 13 feet long each), or a whole school bus (36 feet wide) with room to spare! Our stairs are even bigger than the noses on Mount Rushmore: Washington’s nose is only 21 feet long for example. You’d only need 4 of our staircases (lengthwise) to equal Niagara Falls (height wise) at 167 feet! The next time you’re at Blackstone, be sure to take a moment to pay some extra attention to our lovely front stairs–they’re an excellent addition to our building!

Greetings from Blackstone Library!

Did you know the Blackstone Library was once a popular topic for local postcards? Since it’s the end of vacation season here in New England and fall has officially arrived, we decided to feature one of our library postcards as today’s 125^th Anniversary Fact. This one reads “I wish you could have gone through this library – Aunt J.” The Library has an extensive collection of these postcards spanning almost a century. While the scenery, landscaping, and vehicles may change, the Blackstone is here to stay!

Today’s 125^th Anniversary fact was inspired by a visit from a former Blackstone Library Director! She stopped in recently to see our newly renovated space, and remarked on the absence of the old marble desk. This got us curious, so we did a bit of digging into our photo archives and found this shot of the Mezzanine area dominated by a truly massive marble desk! Why the need for such an imposing piece of furniture? Our best guess is that it’s because the Blackstone used to be a closed stacks library. Closed stacks are generally only found in libraries with rare or valuable collections or in archives these days, but it used to be the norm at Blackstone. If you wanted a book, the only way to get it was to ask the librarian directly and they would get the book from the stacks for you–no browsing allowed! The huge wall to wall desk prevented patrons from accessing the books directly, and the only way to peruse the collection was through the card catalog. We much prefer our current open stacks model, but we also wouldn’t mind the return of such an impressive work space!

As we’re sure you all know, the delight is in the details at the Blackstone Library! For today’s 125^th Anniversary fact, we’re sharing a detail so obscure that even most of the staff members were totally unaware it existed until the recent renovation brought it to light. It’s unlikely you’ve ever been on the stage of the auditorium, but if you ever were and happened to look up, you might have noticed a subtle sunburst detailed in the plaster ceiling highlighting the light fixture. When the ceiling was repainted during the final phases of the renovation, this little detail got a huge upgrade and is now a standout feature in gold. The next time you’re in the auditorium, be sure to look up–we’re sure you’ll have a new appreciation for all the craftsmanship that’s gone into the building past, present, and future!

Today’s 125^th anniversary fact is all about history in the making! 2021 marks the 125^th year the Blackstone Library has been serving the Branford community and to mark that momentous occasion we have some brand-new commemorative library cards available. The two designs feature different historic aspects of the building so you can carry a little piece of history in your pocket! One design features the murals on the library dome, but since we’ll be featuring the dome in future posts, today we’re letting the other design shine through! This card features a photo of the library while it was still under construction, specifically in October of 1894. You can see that most of the exterior has been completed, but the interior still has a long way to go! These photos were taken at the request of Probst Construction Company, the firm that built the library. They were taken by the Stoddard Studio right in New Haven, and for many of them we know the name of the actual photographer–Harry O. Andrews. You can see this picture, and many other library construction photos, on our online archive available on our website!

Tomorrow marks the 24^th anniversary of the death of Diana, Princess of Wales. She was an incredible person who was loved by many, and who is remembered today just as much for her humanitarian efforts as for being a member of the British Royal Family. Her life was so impactful even in our little corner of the world that we have a study carrel on the Mezzanine donated by a local couple and named in her honor. Princess Diana’s name may be the most famous one featured on a plaque in the building, but there are dozens of them throughout the library and many more featured in books throughout the collection. Each one represents a member of our community, and we’re proud to help carry on the memory of each and every one of them.