Questions for the Librarian: A Peek Into the Archives of Historic Hudson Valley
In celebration of National Librarian’s Day, we spoke to Catalina Hannan, Historic Hudson Valley’s librarian, who has spent over two decades preserving and interpreting a one-of-a-kind collection of rare books, manuscripts, and maps dating back to the 1500s. Her days are filled with uncovering forgotten stories, helping researchers dive into the past, and exploring what day-to-day life might have been like for 1830s residents of Tarrytown.
How long have you been a librarian at Historic Hudson Valley?
I am in my twenty-third year as the Librarian at Historic Hudson Valley.
What inspired you to become a librarian?
Like most librarians, I have always loved reading and owning books. My particular interests have been 16th-19th century history and literature, and the performing arts. Working in the library field has always been a way to have constant access to these interests and the joy of working with endlessly fascinating sources.
What’s a typical day like?
A typical day is planned carefully, and then it often does not happen that way! I might be doing in-depth research about the lives of people who lived at HHV’s historic houses or a distant cousin of those people, or how a type of food was prepared, or searching through 19th-century manuscript letters and books for medical treatments or information about what life was like in 1830s Tarrytown. I often have outside researchers come to use our book, manuscript, and map collections and their projects, books, and theses are always of interest and informative. I also handle the modern paper side of HHV’s corporate history and the current functioning of the buildings and grounds of HHV’s historic sites, and purchase and process new books for our staff and visiting researchers so we are up to date with the latest scholarship in our fields.
What kind of materials are in the Historic Hudson Valley library?
We have over 18,000 books dating from 1529 to the above-mentioned latest scholarship on subjects related to the history of our sites and the Hudson Valley as well as some very interesting international items such as a 17th century collection of Spanish literature and one of books in Dutch from the 16th to the early 20th century. Our manuscript collection (17th-early 20th centuries) numbers well over 4,000 items and they are currently being digitized and transcribed. We also have a small collection of hand-drawn local maps and photographs of individuals related to our sites.
What’s the most surprising, oldest, or interesting document or book in the Historic Hudson Valley collection?
The oldest book we have is a 1529 Spanish language second edition of Selas Cosas Propiedades…, a Spanish translation of De proprietatibus rerum (On the Properties of Things) by Bartholomaeus Anglicus, written in the 13th century. Packed with information (a forerunner of the encyclopedia), the book has an exquisite typeface and was purchased by Washington Irving in Seville in 1829. The late 17th-century Dutch fur trader’s notebook is another popular research item. One of the most interesting documents is an indenture for the Upper Mill at Philipsburg, dated 1761, between Frederick Philipse and William Pugsley, with an added part dated 1784, between William Pugsley and Gerard G. Beekman, Junior – a piece of local history spanning the years before and after the American Revolution.
What’s your favorite part about being a librarian at Historic Hudson Valley?
I get to work with a wonderful collection of books, manuscripts, maps, and photos from the past that introduce me to so many people who lived during the past four centuries. The more we work with these items, the more we discover, meet, and reinterpret the lives of so many different people within them. Even an anonymous handwritten comment in a book or a shopping list is of interest and value.
If you could meet any of the historical figures connected to the history of our sites, who would you pick?
Washington Irving (1783-1859) – I have a million questions for him!!! He grew up in an exciting time in New York City, came from a large family who knew many of the to-be prominent and not-so prominent but interesting figures of the age, and traveled widely for over forty years of his life.
Do you have a favorite library other than Historic Hudson Valley’s? Or dream library you’d like to visit?
I would love to visit Chetham’s Library in Manchester, England. The building dates from 1421, the library was founded in 1653 and it is the oldest surviving public library in Britain. Libraries and history – a terrific combination!
Images: Top: The Dutch Fur Trader’s Notebook (1679-1690); Middle, Right: Servants at Sunnyside, c. 1896; Bottom, Right: Washington Van Wart (c. 1867)
Historic Hudson Valley’s Library and Archives support research into the region’s history with a collection of over 18,000 books and thousands of manuscripts, maps, and photographs. The materials span the 16th to 20th centuries and reflect the people, places, and stories connected to the organization’s historic sites.
