Bob Brown shows some of the items in the collection of ‘ephemera’ he donated to the Westfield Athenaeum to the archivist of the institution, Kate Deviny, and the athenaeum’s interim director, Cher Collins, right. (Photo by Carl E. Hartdegen)
WESTFIELD – Longtime residents of Westfield seeking to learn more about their family or the history of their hometown will have additional resources for their study once a donation to the Westfield Athenaeum of ‘ephemera’ is cataloged by the athenaeum’s archivist.
The recently donated collection represents acquisitions made during the past 40 years by Bob Brown, president of the library’s board of trustees, and includes eleven cartons of mostly paper items which were never intended to be saved – maps, pamphlets, documents, catalogs from old city businesses and even dance cards for social events in the city.
The common link to the diverse collection is that every item is significant to the city and each piece tells a tiny part of the city’s history, be it a menu from a long defunct Elm Street lunch counter or the catalog of a company which once made pipe organs in the city and lists each church or other organization where an organ made in the Whip City found a home.
Bob Brown sorts some of the thousands of pieces of ephemera in his collection in this 1987 file photo. Brown recently donated his collection to the archives of the Westfield Athenaeum where he serves as the president of the board of trustees. (Photo © 1987 Carl E. Hartdegen)
For Brown, the donation means parting with a collection he has spent his lifetime assembling.
“Everyone reaches a stage in life, I think, when it’s time to put things in the hands of other people,” explained Brown, whose professional career was spent as a professor at Westfield State University. “Some of this stuff is kind of crazy. But it’s also kind of fun.”
Brown said that each of the little pieces of ephemera he saved from the trash heap has a little bit of historical significance and similar items can probably be found in almost all of the homes of longtime residents.
The athenaeum’s archivist, Kate Deviny, said that Brown’s collection is important to the city’s story and can be made much more useful if inevitable gaps in the history it reveals can be filled by similar donations from other residents.
“Any little item can be matched to stuff already here in the collection,” Deviny said. “And then you have the story.”
It is important to encourage them (Westfield residents) to bring in this kind of material,” Brown said.
He expressed hope that residents will remember the library when they come across vintage material in their attics and closets and consider donating those items to the athenaeum instead of the landfill.
Cher Collins, the interim director at the athenaeum, said she is more than happy to accept Brown’s gift.
“Bob is an integral part of the athenaeum,” she said. “He’s dedicated so much of his time to the library. The donation of his personal collection is very welcome.”
Items from Brown’s collection may be included in an upcoming exhibit of the athenaeum’s ‘treasures’ which will be mounted in March.
Deviny said that the athenaeum staged an exhibit of ‘treasures’ from the city dating from the Victorian era to celebrate the institution’s 140th anniversary. The upcoming exhibit, which will focus on the period from 1890 to 1940, will be staged for the 150th anniversary of the athenaeum.
She said she is looking for pre-1930s Americanization pieces for the exhibit, such as naturalization papers, ethnic and period clothing, letters describing either Westfield during the world wars or war experiences of city residents and items which show how Westfield has been enriched through immigration.
Deviny, who can be reached at 562-0716, stressed that items residents may choose to provide for the exhibit may either be loaned for the event or donated to the athenaeum’s permanent collection.
