When Local History Librarian Lorinda bought a stack of photos that featured Nelsonville on eBay, she was shocked to find that a few linked back to her own family. But the surprises didn't stop there...the package also included an unidentified senior picture. Lorinda got to work combing through historic yearbooks to identify the young man. When she discovered his last name was Spray, she "went down a rabbit hole" to find the names of others in the photos. Sure enough-- thanks to online library resources like Ancestry.com-- Lorinda confirmed that she'd accidentally purchased images of one of Nelsonville's past prominent families!
The green space beside our main branch in Nelsonville was once home to what locals called "the Spray Building,” built in 1873 to accommodate multiple businesses. During one unique period, it even housed a plumbing store, restaurant/saloon, church, AND dance hall at the same time. Because of this unique combo, legend has it that the building was mentioned in Ripley’s Believe it or Not!
A fire damaged the building in 1938, and when it was finally donated to the libraries by the L’Heureux family in 2016, what remained was only a shell unsafe for use. Today, a green space and stage where the shell once stood are filled with daily activity. Remnants of the Spray building are preserved in sandstone seating (once the building's foundation blocks) and the front of the stage (the original cast iron columns from the building's facade).
Choosing spaces inside the building, seven small groups created short pieces. After rehearsing in the library, they returned the next month to treat family, friends,
and library visitors to a pop-up performance!
• Friends' Corner •
You'll find lots of holiday-themed book sale items this November & December!
The Friends help support countywide library programming through their book sale, memberships, and donations. Learn more at www.myacpl.org/friends.