The nasty weather from the last few days has made us grateful for our very sturdy Blackstone Library! We thought you might be interested in learning a little bit abut the lovely marble columns that hold the building up no matter what the weather is doing. The Blackstone is full of columns, most notably in the Rotunda, Reading Room, and Mezzanine area. According to the architect Solon Spencer Beman, the swirl topped columns in the building were inspired by those at the Erechtheion–an ancient Greek temple on the Acropolis in Athens. But did you know some of these columns are hiding a well-kept secret? It’s easy to assume all the columns are made of marble, but those with gold painted tops are actually made of something called scagliola (don’t worry, we had to look it up too!). Scagliola is a type of fine plaster that is mixed with glue and dyes to imitate the appearance of marble and then polished to a shine. While it was popular in the 17^th century as a marble alternative, the use of scagliola had begun to decline by the 19^th century, making our columns a later example of the technique.

The Blackstone Library is home to lots and lots of books, and new ones arrive almost every day. More books are being published than ever before, but back when the pace of publishing was a little slower, the Blackstone used to publish a list of some of our newly acquired titles in the local newspaper. This list appeared in the New Haven Evening Register in about January of 1906. Can you spot the history making title? We’ll give you a hint–if you’ve ever read it, you probably avoided meat for at least a little while after finishing.

You can still find a list of the newest books we’ve added to our collection, now updated for the 21^st century! Check it out as part of our online catalog here. Who knows, maybe you’ll be the first to get your hands on a history making title today!

We have a new face in the Reference Department and the fun and excitement of seeing the library through fresh eyes inspired this week’s 125^th Anniversary Fact. We all know the library is an old building, but it’s easy to forget how old until you’re confronted with the day to day reality of it. For example, a handful of doors in the building are still opened with their original skeleton keys circa 1896. If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it as they say! We also have several decommissioned ones floating around too, like the one featured in today’s fact. We’re not always sure which doors they used to open (or if the door is even still in the building), but we like to keep them around anyway. As you can see this key was manufactured right here in Branford, probably at Branford Lock Works.

For today’s 125^th anniversary fact we’re sharing some information about another famous author featured as part of our rotunda! Nathaniel Hawthorne is perhaps one of the most famous authors from New England, and arguably one of the most important American writers of all time.

Born in Salem MA in 1804 and descended from a prominent Puritan family, Hawthorne was the son of a sea captain who died when Nathaniel was 4 years old. In order to earn a livelihood Hawthorne served as surveyor of the port at Salem (1846-49), where he began writing his masterpiece, The Scarlet Letter (1850). Set in 17th-century Puritan New England, the novel delves deeply into the human heart, presenting the problems of moral evil and guilt through allegory and symbolism. It is often considered the first American psychological novel.

For a time the Hawthornes lived at “Tanglewood,” near Lenox, Mass. where Hawthorne befriended his neighbor Herman Melville. Melville was one of the first to appreciate Hawthorne’s genius and the two were reportedly very close friends. Aside from his importance as a novelist, Hawthorne is justly celebrated as a short-story writer. He helped to establish the American short story as a significant art form with his haunting tales of human loneliness, frustration, hypocrisy, eccentricity, and frailty. Among his most brilliant stories are “The Minister’s Black Veil,” “Roger Malvin’s Burial,” “Young Goodman Brown,” “Rappaccini’s Daughter,” “The Great Stone Face,” and “Ethan Brand.”

Be sure to come and visit our portrait of Nathaniel Hawthorne (and all our other amazing portraits and paintings) on your next visit to the Blackstone!

For today’s 125th Anniversary Fact we’re sharing a little bit about one of the authors featured in the library’s rotunda. Each portrait below the dome features a famous author from New England, and today we’re featuring William Cullen Bryant. Born in Massachusetts in 1794, Bryant was trained as a lawyer but eventually made his living as both a successful poet and the editor in chief of the New York Evening Post. You can read more about him on our Facebook page!

Laugh and the World Laughs with You
Weep and You Weep Alone

Did you know these famous lines were composed by Branford’s own Ella Wheeler Wilcox? Her portrait hangs in the Blackstone Library Reading Room, so we’re making her the topic of today’s 125^th Anniversary Fact! Ella was born in Wisconsin in 1850 and began writing poetry at the age of 5. She settled with her husband, Robert Marius Wilcox, in the Short Beach section of Branford in 1891. She published numerous volumes of poetry throughout her life, the most famous of which was Poems of Passion published in 1883. During her time in Short Beach, she organized a village improvement society called White Wings with the aim of beautifying Short Beach and making it a center of intellectual life. Robert died suddenly in 1916 and Ella never recovered from the loss. While visiting injured WWI troops in France, she fell ill and passed away in Short Beach on October 30, 1919.

This portrait was painted in 1899 by Lilly Martin Spencer of NY, one of the most popular genre artists of the mid-nineteenth century. Both she and Ella were strong female figures in male dominated fields, and we like to think they had much to discuss with one another!

This year’s Summer Reading theme is Tails and Tales, so for this week’s 125^th Anniversary Fact we’re sharing the tale of one of our favorite library tails! In 1978 the Blackstone Library made a new furry addition to the staff. In April of that year a stray calico cat took a liking to the library and, after spending one night, decided to make it her permanent residence. The staff enjoyed the company of the reportedly shy and occasionally sassy feline, and soon dubbed her Prudence the Library Cat. She had her own room on the top floor of the building, and enjoyed lounging at the check out desk and looking out her favorite window in the Director’s Office. She had free rein of the building and while she enjoyed being in the middle of things, she didn’t like to be the center of attention. Prudence certainly lived a life many people might envy–we’re certainly jealous!