The Stewart-Swift Research Center houses approximately 4,000 volumes. The books and pamphlets, including Middlebury imprints, reflect the reading and writing habits of Addison County and Vermont residents from the 18th through the 20th centuries. They range broadly in topics from rhetoric to grist mills, bee-keeping to hymnals, sermons to satire, religion to politics, and state to local history. Those researching the environment will find that 19th century histories routinely included information about the natural environment, including lists of plants that grew in the area in the mid to late 1700s and changes brought about by settlers. The Books & Pamphlets collection also includes recent histories, works of local authors, and near complete section of the Addison County Town Reports.
Because of Henry L. Sheldon’s collecting persistence of material printed in Middlebury there are some unusual items that turn up in the collection. One such example is Leonard Deming’s 1822 pamphlet The uncertainty of obtaining justice by the law, or, A history of 292 hens' eggs : to which is added a short account of the new mode of hatching them, without the use of animal heat, which combines animal husbandry with his side of a lawsuit. Sheldon’s pamphlet collection reflects broad range of subjects from local politics and other current issues to the subject of hat making and dangers of whaling.
No longer attempting to collect Middlebury imprints or authors comprehensively, the archive turned to acquiring local self-publications that focus on the history of the area. One such example is Edna Holzschuh’s Grand View House: On Snake Mountain, Addison County, Vermont: a research paper published in 1985.
Mr. Sheldon also collected bibles and attempted to acquire at least one volume per century. Among the many editions the archive holds are: a 1497 edition of a Nuremburg bible, a 1611 “Breeches” Bible, the 1613 “Great She” bible; and the first bible printed in America, the 1783 edition of the Aitken Bible. The collection also includes the first pulpit copy used by Middlebury Congregational Church in 1809, as well as many family bibles that include information about births, marriages and deaths. Please see the Research Center’s index of bibles here for a complete list (to enlarge document use ctrl and + keys, to search for keywords use ctrl and f keys).
How to Find
Books and pamphlets are searchable through the online catalog.
