The Westport Historical Society has titled its new exhibit, opening on Memorial Day, “Remember-Celebrate-Imagine: The Westport Library Looks Back at 100 Years.” The public is invited to the exhibit opening in the WHS Betty and Ralph Sheffer Gallery immediately following the Memorial Day Parade. “We hope everyone will stop by 25 Avery Place as part of their holiday celebration,” says Katie Chase, WHS president. “Not only do we have two new exhibits to visit, but weather permitting, we’ll be serving lemonade and cookies under the trees.”

The exhibit committee has gathered hundreds of photographs, newspaper articles and memorabilia to tell the library’s story. There are photos of the seven women who served as head librarians. A charming vignette set in 1908 features a stern librarian of that vintage with a little girl having her library books hand-stamped. It’s a step back into the past and a reminder of how far we’ve come with our new technology.

Visitors will learn how 140,000 books got moved to the new library. They will also find out the story behind the famous Amy Vanderbilt Tea on the Dump and find an answer to the question of whether or not men could smoke cigars in the library.

Also included are selections of illustrations from the pen of Howard Munce, whose creative artwork promoting library events spans 27 years, and a look back at Westport’s 1976 Bicentennial Celebration showcasing the scratchboard illustrations by Leonard Everett Fisher.

A second new exhibit, “A Town’s Treasures: Spaces & Places, Seen & Unseen,” displays photographs by Tom Kretch in the Little Gallery also following the Memorial Day parade.  Kretch’s photographs reflect his love for Westport and his ability to capture visual images that evoke a soothing calming moment in time. His photo essay of the Saugatuck River recently appeared in Westport Magazine.  Both exhibits will be on view until September 1, 2008.

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Photos by Lawrence Untermeyer