CHARLIE'S BOOKS

Recently we picked up a book in the collection, opened it, saw some notes about date and place of purchase, and immediately thought, "This must be one of Charlie's books."

Nettie Bullis's brother Charlie (Charles Rogers Bullis, 1891 - 1974) must have loved old books. People who remember him talk about seeing him at area barn and garage sales, looking through boxes of second-hand books and usually choosing several to take home to add to the many, many stacks and boxes already in the house on Canandaigua Road.

Charlie Bullis's love of books undoubtedly came from his father and grandfather, who added a significant number of engineering and medical books to their library. The horticulture volumes were probably Charlie's "doing" as growing flowers was one of his interests as well. And of course, all of the  Bullises made their contributions over the years, as well.

So we say a belated "thank you" to those who assembled this collection over the years, with special gratitude for Charlie Bullis who kept up the tradition and Nettie Bullis who insured that the collection would remain intact and maintained for us to enjoy.

Hope you're getting your Macedon photos ready for our November 10 photo scan. We're looking forward to seeing you in the Bullis Room that day, as well.

PHOTO SCANNING PROJECT

On Saturday,  November 10 from Noon to 3 PM in the Macedon Public Library, a photo scanning session will allow area residents to have their historic photos scanned and become a part of the Macedon's history archives. 

We're mentioning this now so you have time to go through your collection of photos from the past and chose the ones you would like to share with the rest of the community. 

While your photos are being scanned, you can also visit the Bullis Room (which will be open and staffed that day) or drop by the Community Room for refreshments and see the Macedon Historical Society's display of scrapbooks.

Hope to see you on November 10. If you have any questions, just call 315-986-5932, Ext. 3.

LOOKING FOR COLUMBUS

...that's one thing we were doing this week in the Bullis Room. And we found him. Well, at least we found two books on that subject.

Why Columbus? Well, yesterday was the official holiday and remembrance of Christopher Columbus's 1492 arrival in the New World.  And it's at this time each year that we're reminded of the man and his discovery and what it meant to the world.

And now for the results of our search - for your reading and browsing pleasure we recommend:

Columbus and Columbia;

a pictorial history of the man and the nation, 

embracing a review of our country's progress, a complete history of America,

a new life of Columbus and an illustrated description of

the great Columbian exposition.

(Yes, that's the title!) However, this volume actually contains four books:

Book I - by Hon. James G. Blaine, Secretary of State

Book II - by J. W. Buel, Distinguished author and traveler

Book III - by Prof. John Clark Ridpath, noted historial

Book IV - by Hon Benj. Butterworth, Sec. Columbian Commission

Published by Historical Publishing Company of St. Louis, Missouri in 1832, the volume is "Embellished with over 500 engravings, maps, charts diagrams, and illustrations in oil colors by the great masters." 

This book has a total of 832 pages, so allow yourself plenty of time to give it a thorough look-through next time you drop in the Bullis Room.

ROYCROFT

We browsed the shelves this week for works on religion, and a group of Roycroft books caught our eye.  Elbert Hubbard founded the Roycroft community in 1895 in the small town of East Aurora, New York. Thus, it is no accident that these books are a part of the collection, since East Aurora is "just down the road" from Macedon.

Author Robert Rust wrote in The Roycroft Campus (Arcadia Publishing; Reprint edition, May, 1999) that Elbert Hubbard and his Roycrofters were one of the most influential aspects of the American Arts & Crafts Movement. Hubbard founded the Roycroft Press in 1895, and by the turn of the century, the varied group of artisans and celebrities had transformed the small town of East Aurora, New York, into a world-renowned utopian community.

So if you're interested in learning more about this talented and productive community of artisans and authors, just drop by the Bullis Room and ask to see these books:

The Roycrofters (1917)

A List of Books Made During the Year 1899 by the Roycrofters at the Roycroft Shop (1899)

Little Journeys to the Homes of Eminent Orators--Burke (1903)

Little Journeys to the Homes of Eminent Orators--Ingersoll (1903)

THE VILLAGE READER

September is back-to-school month here in upstate New York, so this week we’re focusing on a book in the collection that was used by educators and students more than 170 years ago. This was back in the days when there were no electronic “gizmos” to rely on—when students recorded their work on slates with that white stuff called chalk,  and primary readers were called primers. Does this bring you a touch of nostalgia? If so, stop by the Bullis Room and ask to take a look at:

The Village Reader: designed for the use of schools

By the compilers of

The Easy Primer, Child’s Guide, and Intelligent Reader

This book, published by G. & C. Merriam in 1841, has 300 pages of reading instruction that includes rules for punctuation, and rules for reading aloud. The daily exercises include tales, short essays, and general instruction as well as grammar drills.

So if you’re feeling a bit overwhelmed by today’s high-tech world, we suggest you take a break, spend some time with The Village Reader, and for a few minutes experience what school life was like a century and a half ago.

CHECKERS

Sooo - you may be wondering what Bullis volunteers did this week. Well, for one thing. we searched the database for books on the subject of "checkers."

And why would we be interested in that subject? Because we've seen various references to the Richard M. Nixon "Checkers" speech that he made on live television on this date 60 years ago. And we just wondered ... Is there anything in the collection about this political speech? ...  And is there anything else about "checkers?"

No to the first question; yes to the last.  There are two books about the game, and for those of you who play the checkers - or cheer on those who do - here they are for your reading enjoyment:

1. International Match. Complete Record of the (checker) games played between players of Great Britain and the United States, Boston, March 14th to 25th, 1905. This volume was published by Angel Guardian Press in 1906.

2. Complete Record of the Games Played in the First American Tourney: March 18th to 24th, 1907, at Boston, Mass. Angel Guardian Press also published this book in 1907.

We were on a roll, so next we did an internet search on checker tournaments,  to see what was currently going on. Know what? Lots of stuff. So if you're interested in checkers (the game), we suggest you stop by the Bullis Room to take a look at these two books; then find the nearest checker game, choose your color, and play.

THE STAR SPANGLED BANNER

On this date in 1814 Francis Scott Key was moved to write a poem after witnessing how an American flag flying over Maryland's Fort McHenry withstood a night of British bombardment during the War of 1812.  He wrote the first stanza of this poem "on the back of a letter he had in his pocket,"  author Robert Sears wrote in his book The Pictorial History of the American Revolution; with a sketch of the early history of the country...." (This book, published in 1846 by R. Sears, is in the Bullis Collection for your reference use.) A facsimile of the original manuscript of the first stanza of the "The Star-Spangled Banner" is included in the book.

Key initially titled his poem "Defence of Fort McHenry."  The morning after he wrote the poem, Key showed it to his uncle, who had copies printed and distributed in the Baltimore and Gay streets neighborhood. Later on, the words were set to the tune of a current popular song and (as they say) the rest is history.

Sears also wrote, "The Star-spanged Banner itself...that waved over Fort McHenry during that bombardment, is still in existence. I saw it at the house of Christopher Hughes Armistead (a son of the gallant defender of the fort) in Baltimore during the late Civil War. It had eleven holes in it, made there by the shot of the British during the bombardment."

As we looked through Sears' book this week, our national anthem took on new meaning for us. We hope you have the same experience.