The Village Broadside

Although no battle of the American Revolution occurred on Deerfield’s soil, the town experienced conflict of another sort. Scarred by external forces in the town’s early years, the community now saw danger within. A once close-knit village of residents bound together by blood, who practiced the same faith and farmed and served on town offices alongside one another, was torn asunder in the 1770s by the growing political crisis. Relatives and neighbors found themselves navigating a new divide, with some vocal and steadfast in their beliefs. Others were caught between sides, either unsure or unwilling to declare loyalties. Tensions continued to intensify and affected every single person throughout this small community.

A comparison of two bindings from a recent gift highlights changes in bookbinding technology over seven decades. My previous post showcased a rare colonial binding that featured gilt tooling in a very restrained, elegant design. By the 1840s, advances and changing tastes culminated in exuberant gold stamping in this title, telling a different story…

A recent library donation of rare books included the 22nd edition of “Hymns and Spiritual Songs” published in 1771. It joins six other hymnals written by Isaac Watts (1674-1748), an English Congregational minister and hymn writer (most notably “Joy to the World”), whose many hymnals were reprinted long after his death. Three in our collection boast a western Massachusetts provenance…

In 1876, the Centennial World’s Fair in Philadelphia equally commemorated our country’s past and envisioned its bright future. This fused energy swept into Deerfield with the arrival of artist James Wells (“Champ”) Champney and his writer wife Elizabeth Williams (“Lizzie”) Champney that summer.