In addition to collecting materials about Wesleyan, we also have a good amount of Middletown, Connecticut items. These include books, maps, personal papers, photographs, and scrapbooks. Our most recent scrapbook accession were the Marion Vaine scrapbooks. Marion Vaine was a longtime Middletown resident and Wesleyan employee, and through the sharp eyes of a local resident, her scrapbooks were discovered at a church rummage sale and donated to Wesleyan.
The scrapbooks have concert and play programs, travel souveniers, greeting cards, newspaper clippings, and other materials that help document the live of a Middletown woman from the 1920s to the 1960s. This photo shows a clipping from one of the scrapbooks, detailing the winners of a dress making competition at a local store.
These scrapbooks aren’t fancy, but they are a great way to learn about our community. We encourage students and others to consult us about our Middletown resources–there’s a lot to discover!