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Local History & GenealogyThe Rathbun Memorial Library houses a variety of local history and genealogy materials, which either have been donated over the years or are owned by the local chapter of the DAR (Visit their web site at http://www.rootsweb.com/~ctnhmdar/), the River View Cemetery Association, local churches, or the East Haddam Historical Society. Additional materials relating to the Goodspeed Opera House are also stored in the Library, as well as information on local native american tribes and the free, land-holding African-American, Venture Smith. In 1997, grant funds were awarded the Library by the River View Cemetery Association and The Connecticut Humanities Council to help identify, catalog, and preserve many of these materials. The records are now online in the LION Online Catalog for easy identification. The Historical Room is open to the public during the hours the Library is open, and a photocopier is available for use in the Main Room, as well as a microfilm reader and a microfiche reader in the Historical Room. Scroll down for a quick visual tour of the Historical Room:
Background History & The CollectionsPrior to 1650, this area was inhabited by at least three tribes of native americans: the Wangunks in the north, the Mohegans in the east, and the Nehantics in the south. Tribes came to this area to worship Habbamock, who was supposed to dwell in Mt. Tom, which the tribes called "Machimoodus," or the place of noises. Local families can trace their roots back to the early Colonial times and names such as Brainerd, Gates, Cone, Spencer, and Bates were among the first permanent settlers in 1685. Within a mile radius of the Library are historical sites such as the Goodspeed Opera House, the General Ephaphroditus Champion House, the Nathan Hale Schoolhouse, and the grave of Major General Joseph Spencer. East Haddam was also the home to the 19th-century actor William Gillette, and his estate, Gillette Castle, as well as the intrepid naval merchant and explorer, Captain Comer (his personal collection of books are also housed here at the Rathbun). For further information about these collections, click here.
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LION Online Catalog
