OLD LYME — On Wednesday, Nov. 6, at 6:30 p.m., Old Lyme’s Phoebe Griffin Noyes Library will host a book launch of the new children’s picture book, Letters to Papa: Summers in Old Lyme, published by the Old Lyme Historical Society (OLHS).
All are welcome and refreshments will be served.
A collection of 19th-century letters of various members of the Chadwick family was found in an abandoned safe in Old Lyme, and given to the OLHS. Among them was a set from young Charlie, who wrote a letter to his Papa every day to improve his handwriting.
In the summer, he and his Mama and siblings went to stay at their Gramma’s house in Old Lyme while his Papa stayed in Brooklyn. While the early letters are quite basic, his stories and handwriting improve over the half dozen years that Charlie summered in Old Lyme.
Taken together, the letters paint an interesting picture of a young boy’s summer adventures in the 1880’s.
The OLHS determined it would make a good children’s book and set about its production. The organization engaged a number of its own members to make it happen—OLHS member Edie Twining illustrated the book while OLHS founder and chief archivist Alison Mitchell wrote the text. Kinny Kreiswirth edited and laid out the pages for printing.
The project received a grant from the Lyme-Old Lyme Education Foundation.
Copies of the book will be available for sale at the event and can also be ordered via the OLHS website.
The library is located at 2 Library Ln. in Old Lyme.
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