BY JANET MORAN Director of Archives
HISTORY: FROM THE ARCHIVES
Lost and Found: Treasures of old from the Archives One of the best parts of my job as an archivist for the Academy is uncovering discoveries from our past that tell a story and give us a glimpse back in time. These finds come to us in many different ways. Sometimes thoughtful people find something and send it in to us, or one of our facilities (staff ) guys find something while doing an on-campus renovation. Sometimes we find things and have no idea where they came from or, if we are lucky, we find a meaningful item on eBay. We have a few new discoveries to share this fall:
Long Lost Bracelet
Lidia Brewer Colt (1827, Wesleyan)
Rev. Charles Hammond
Friend to the Academy John Jurkowski, known as the “metal detector guy” and a retired resident of Wilbraham, often finds treasure right below our feet. Last summer, Mr. Jurkowski was scanning the hill outside Old Academy and found a 10-karat gold nameplate that was part of a bracelet. Some pieces of the bracelet had disintegrated but the nameplate survived. We believe the bracelet belonged to an alumna named Lidia Brewer (Wesleyan Academy), a student in the second graduating class on our Wilbraham campus in 1827. Ms. Brewer lived in a home that still sits proudly on Main Street in Wilbraham. Ms. Brewer later married Dr. Edward N. Colt, and it is thought that she may have lost her bracelet during a later visit to the Academy. We would love, if possible, to reunite the Brewer/ Colt families with this special family heirloom. Mr. Jurkowski has found many things on our grounds through the years and we hope he keeps surprising us.
Sermon on Lincoln An eBay find gave a significant nod to the early foresight and beliefs of the Academy’s founders, who were ahead of their time in their forward thinking. A sermon titled “Sermon on the Life and Character of Abraham Lincoln” was given by Charles Hammond, Principal of Monson Academy, on June 1, 1865 at the Congregational
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and Methodist district churches in Monson, Massachusetts. The date was declared by President Andrew Johnson as a National Day of Fasting and Prayer. Lincoln was assassinated 45 days before this sermon was given. What a difficult time of mourning for our country. To be able to give or even receive this sermon so soon after President Lincoln’s tragic death was a feat of character and strength. Hammond led Monson Academy three different times, spanning from 1839 to 1878. A copy of this sermon, which is also archived in the Library of Congress—became available on eBay. I quickly emailed Head of School Brian Easler to share the find and put in a bid as it was in an auction a few days later. Unsure of the value, I proceeded cautiously, with Brian’s last words, “Don’t lose it!’ Happily, it was meant to come home to us.
Mystery Box Lastly, I came across a mystery treasure in the Archives Office a few years back. I found a box containing what appeared to be a few random books, including a manual entitled “Regulations for the Order and Discipline of the Troops of the United States.” It was written by Inspector General Friedrich Wilhelm von Steuben during the American Revolutionary War. This manual was used to train the troops at Valley Forge and was later published in 1779 to be disbursed to all of the troops in the Continental Army. Although we may never know how this piece of incredible history made its way to the Academy, or to whom it belonged, it reminds us of how closely Wilbraham & Monson Academy’s history and founding is tied to such significant events in our nation’s history. Janet Moran has been Director of Archives at WMA for six years, and her children Trevor ’10, Molly ’13 and Emily ’15 are WMA graduates.
