By Fay Abrahamsson, Harbor News Senior Staff
Writer:
CLINTON:
For a young man,
E.C. Schroeder of Clinton
spends most of his life among old things. Not only is he the new president of
the Clinton Historical Society (CHS), he works at the Beinecke Rare Book and
Manuscript Library at Yale
University.
E.C. loves history,
especially the history of his adopted hometown of Clinton, where he and his family have lived
since 1992.
His goal as the CHS
president is to “get the society and its mission out to as many people as
possible using the resources we have and by collaborating with other
organizations.”
“There is a
challenge for every historical society to get people of all ages involved,” he
says.
E.C. acknowledges
that there are many local families who can trace their history back generations
in town in addition to lots of new folks, such as himself and his wife Larissa
and children John, 16, and Elena, 14.
“Even if you know
nothing of Clinton,
it is a great place to be,” he says.
Encouraging people
to join the CHS is part of E.C.’s job, which, along with everyone else on the
staff, is all volunteer work.
There is a summer
party, an annual get-together, and ongoing events both social and educational
for all ages. E.C. says that joining the CHS is a wonderful opportunity to meet
new friends and possibly be involved in helping run the organization and its
many programs.
The CHS, founded in
1938, has a roster of more than 350 members. The society maintains several
museums in town: The 1750 Elisha White House (known as Old Brick), the Buell Tool Museum, the George Flynn Library, the flower gardens,
and the Museum Room at Andrews
Memorial Town
Hall. With the exception of the Museum Room, the
other four attractions are located together at 103 East Main Street.
One of the hallmarks
of the society is that its programs and museum tours are free.
Residents may not be
aware of the many annual events, which include the Memorial Day Plant and Bake
Sale, springtime Potluck Supper and Annual Meeting, Halloween-inspired Ghost
Walks, Christmas in Clinton,
and Christmas luncheons. The society also has a gift shop.
The educational
programs consist of lectures and demonstrations, a joint program with the Abraham Pierson School,
and the Ernest C. Burnham, Jr. Scholarship.
When he’s not
surrounded by Clinton history at the CHS, E.C.
is surrounded by some of the world’s most rare books at the Beinecke Rare Book
and Manuscript Library at Yale
University.
Built in the 1960s
by three “Yalies” and brothers (two of whom were married to S&H Green
Stamps heiresses), the modern building contains some of the oldest printed
words in history.
The library has a
copy of the Gutenberg Bible from 1451, of which only about 60 to 100 copies
were ever published. It was the first Western book printed from movable type.
There are manuscripts
and parchments from medieval, Roman, and Egyptian times. There is a map that
explorers Lewis and Clark used to lead them to the west, along with travel
diaries of families who went west looking for gold. More modern writings
include those from Gertrude Stein and Eugene O’Neill.
An exhibit gallery
is open to the public, said E.C, who is head of technical services and
supervises more than 40 employees. For writers, researchers, and scholars, the
library is available to them by appointment.
For more info on the
Clinton Historical Society, visit www.clintoncthistory.org or call
860-669-2148. The George Flynn Library is open from 9 a.m. to noon on
Wednesdays. The Museum Room at Andrews
Memorial Town
Hall is open from 4 to 6 p.m. on Thursdays.
Pictured: Clinton
Historical Society President E.C. Schroeder looks over an insurance map dated
1908 by the Sanborn Map Company. Historic documents such as this, which shows
two “W.C.s” (outdoor bathrooms) at The Morgan School, are kept in the society’s
George Flynn Library.
Photo by Fay
Abrahamsson