A way to preserve our local archives

In 1995, Richard Bowman helped found the Center for Local History, which draws patrons from all over the state and as far away as Washington, D.C. and Baltimore, MD. He believes that a larger facility would help the Center properly house and protect its valuable archives. (link to What’s inside? Page) “It would mean the world to me,” he says. 80-year-old Bowman, who is better known as “Mr. History,” has always loved libraries. In fact, he traces his love of libraries and reading back to 1936 when his third-grade teacher called the small book storage area in their classroom “the library.” While he still enjoys Henry Wadsworth Longfellow and other poets and authors, he isn’t able to read as much as he used to. “I’m not able to keep my eyes open long enough,” he laughs.