Even though the temperature is still pretty chilly in the early morning, you can tell….spring is close—bulbs up, river up, birds singing more, longer daylight and so many other clues! So, what should one look for at the library? How about some gardening books—we have them covering garden design ideas, straw bale concepts, growing from seed, perennial flowers, vegetables, herbs, shrubs and trees! Maybe a new deck for the spring and summer? We’ve got books and magazines on that as well. Dreaming of a garden or work shed? Now’s the time to be planning, and we’d be happy to help you find some inspiration.
As you know, Ripley and the surrounding area is full of history, and we are well known for our Underground Railroad connections. A new docudrama DVD has been added to the Ripley collection titled Sons and Daughters of Thunder. While it does not take place in Ripley, it has ties—this is about Theodore Weld and the Lane Seminary Rebels in 1834. When Lane put a gag rule not allowing the students to have public debates on slavery, many left, some to go to Oberlin. Lyman Beecher was president of Cincinnati’s Lane Seminary at the time, and while he didn’t want to prevent free speech, the board of trustees, many of them influential businessmen, didn’t want to risk riots or angering the south, did. Lyman’s daughter Harriet got to see this first hand, and started her passion against slavery and eventually writing Uncle Tom’s Cabin. We will also be adding “Becoming Harriet Beecher Stowe” a documentary on her formative years in Cincinnati before she went back to Boston.
As always, we welcome you to stop in and browse—find what you didn’t know what you wanted to read or watch!