Blackstone Library 125th Anniversary
It’s Valentine’s Day which is the perfect day for celebrating the special people in your life. That’s why for today’s 125th Anniversary Fact we’re celebrating some of the most important people in Blackstone’s history–the men who built the library! We’re lucky enough to have a photo of the original construction crew taken on the front steps of the library back in 1896, each holding the tools of his trade. They worked for Probst Construction Company, the firm that built the library. They had offices in both Chicago and Branford (according to their business card) which must have made them the ideal team to build a library in Branford, designed and funded in Chicago. It’s truly remarkable the building was built by such a small crew, and we wish we knew more about these incredible craftsmen. Our best guess, judging by the tools they’re holding, is carpenters on the right, stone workers on the left, and possibly engineers and the foreman in the center.