National Book Lovers Day
Kenilworth Historical Society
The Kenilworth Historical Society has just released a new virtual program highlighting the fascinating story of the Pack Horse Library Project of Eastern Kentucky, a unique initiative which between 1935 and 1943, brought packhorse-riding librarians, books and hope to isolated, impoverished Kentuckians living in the remote, mountainous areas of the state that were among the hardest hit by the Great Depression. The project is considered to be one of the most innovative programs of the Works Progress Administration (WPA), which was created in 1935 by President Franklin D. Roosevelt, under the New Deal relief initiative, to create paid jobs for the unemployed and to promote social and cultural awareness in the years following the Depression. The Kenilworth Public Library, completed in 1936, was among the many beneficial public works/construction projects carried out by the WPA, which in 1939 was renamed the Work Projects Administration.
The Kenilworth Historical Society’s Pack Horse Library Project video features a brief introduction to the project and a reading, by board member and historical interpreter Karen DeMaio, of the fictional story That Book Woman, written by Heather Henson, with pictures by David Small, and published by Atheneum Books for Young Readers. While geared toward children, the book’s message is relevant, enlightening and meaningful for all age groups.
This newest presentation in the Kenilworth Historical Society’s “Keeping History Strong” virtual programming series was introduced on August 9 in celebration of National Book Lovers Day. It is available for viewing, along with other virtual offerings, in the Historical Society’s “Keeping History Strong” series, via the organization’s website (kenilworthhistoricalsociety.org, Resources/Videos tab) and Facebook page.
The Kenilworth Historical Society’s Pack Horse Library Project program was filmed at the Oswald J. Nitschke House museum, in the home office of former Kenilworth Mayor Oswald J. Nitschke (1867-1934), with equipment funded by a recently awarded New Jersey Historical Commission COVID-19 grant. The generous grant additionally is providing for products and services that will help ensure the safe reopening of the Oswald J. Nitschke House “living history” museum and cultural arts center in October.
To view and/or learn more about the “Keeping History Strong” video series and other planned events/activities, please follow the Kenilworth Historical Society on Facebook, visit the organization’s website or call 908-709-0434.
The Oswald J. Nitschke House is one of Kenilworth’s few remaining original 19th-century farmhouses. Notably, it is the only museum of its kind in the area to portray and interpret everyday life in the early 1900s, particularly the inspiring story of late 19th-/early 20th-century immigrants in a developing suburb.
The Kenilworth Historical Society is an independent, volunteer-based, non-profit, tax-exempt, 501(c)3 organization dedicated to the research, preservation and interpretation of the historic Oswald J. Nitschke House, local history and culture.
