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"Sparkling Style,
Moving History"
Searching for buried treasure in Somers?
Too late! Somers Historical Society, Inc. has already seized the most priceless
gem in town -- The Free Public Library, an 1896 structure endowed not only
with sparkling style, but also with "moving" history. In fact, the Society's
headquarters, now hailed The Somers Historical Museum, has recently ascended
from neglect to prominence as a result of its relocation from its original
site on 547 Main Street to the newly founded Somers Common on Battle St.
There, perched atop a small knoll, this one-and-a-half story architectural
jewel, with its copper encrusted turret and flora entangled art glass,
beams and beckons with its distinctive style and its equally distinguished
history.
From 1896 until 1965, the structure
functioned as the sole public library for the town of Somers. Later, it
served as a display and storage facility for The Somers Historical Society,
remaining as such until September 5, 1996. On that monumentous occasion,
the building's compelling past was translated, quite literally, into "moving"
history; the structure was gingerly transported from its original Main
Street site and deposited at the summit of Somers Common, where it resides
today. (Excerpts from "Sparkling Style, 'Moving History" by Allison Brooks
Collins, Architectural Conservator) |
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