Exploring the 1788 Richland Library Company

Thank you to the Richland Library Company in Quakertown, Pennsylvania for asking me to speak at their Annual General Meeting on May 2nd! I truly had a wonderful time and was honored to be asked. Prior to my event there, I hadn't heard of the Richland Library. I soon found out it is a literary gem, and I was thrilled to be able to hold a 1774 edition of Benjamin Franklin's book on electricity! According to the library's website, in May of 1788 residents in Richland, Bucks County met to establish a library. The library was then incorporated seven years later, in December 1795, when the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania granted its charter. The framed original charter is still there, very cool. The library functioned as a general lending library from 1788 until the 1970s, but in recent years, the focus has been on supporting genealogical research and local interest. The Richland Library Company is still going strong, more than two centuries later. After my presentation on Betsy Ross, and enjoying the refreshments provided, librarian Thomas Moll and longtime shareholder Stephen Biddle graciously offered me a tour. As a fan of the 18th century, I was delighted by the wall of old books upstairs in the Rare Books room. Back in 1815, a catalog of the library's books had been commissioned by the library director at that time. The catalog was arranged alphabetically by title, and each book was assigned a "call number." I was allowed to pull one of the books from the shelf, and discovered that it was No. 27 of the more than 250 books listed in the 1815 catalogue. It was a volume of poetry. That was pretty great, but not as great as holding Benjamin Franklin’s 1774 book on electricity! The library also features so much more. I admired art galleries featuring local artists, and was especially taken with the paintings done on antique saws, some with decorative handles. I also enjoyed exploring the Elizabeth Treffinger bookplate collection. It was hard to walk away from all the books (just think, the Richland Library Co. began less than ten years after the American Revolution!) and head back to Philadelphia. I've since decided it's time to start my own hunt for 18th century books. Or maybe just one or two??! I had a great time at the Richland Library Company. Everyone made me feel so welcome. Big thanks especially to Thomas Moll and Stephen Biddle for the tour afterwards, and for humoring me and my many questions about the books. If you'd like to visit yourself, the library is open Wednesday afternoons and Saturday mornings. For special research requests, consider contacting them in advance. What a special place.