ELLSWORTH – The Ellsworth Public Library History Room has gone patriotic in preparation for the 250^th Anniversary of the nation on July 4. The display will be featured through Aug. 28.

Youth Services/Program Coordinator Caroline Herfindahl had the idea for the “Milestones of Independence: July 4^th Anniversaries in Pierce County” display commemorating the milestone 25oth Anniversary this year.

“We had the idea to highlight Wisconsin and Pierce County in the larger story of the founding of our country,” she said.

Library staff focused on major milestone anniversaries for the country: The 50^th in 1826, the Centennial in 1876, the 150^th in 1926 and the Bicentennial in 1976.

“We felt these milestones anchored our storytelling and allowed us to fit Wisconsin and Pierce County into the greater timeline of 1776 to today,” Herfindal said.

Once they started digging in historic Pierce County newspapers, it became clear that they would have way more content than originally thought.

“Historic newspapers are written in a very poetic way at times which makes them very charming and it would be fun to be able to display all of the articles we found, but with three binders full there just wasn't space,” Herfindahl said. “The other thing we discovered was that in 1876 there was a huge Centennial celebration in Philadelphia that could have been a display all on its own.”

Her favorite part of putting together the History Room displays is learning about the people, places and events that have played a part in forming Pierce County.

“I like being able to tell the story – through pictures, articles, artifacts and interesting content – that highlights something that maybe not even lifelong residents of the county know about,” Herfindahl said. “And I especially love when someone interacts with the display and prompts them to share a little bit about what they know or about how this information affected them or brought up memories.”

She would love for Pierce County folks to interact with the display and to share their memories, photographs or memorabilia from their family histories or especially from the 1976 Bicentennial.

“Were you part of the Polka Fest in Ellsworth, the Bicentennial wagon train, did you travel to a special event or take part in celebrations around the county?” she wondered. “Drop by the library to view the display and share using the materials available there or ask for Caroline, who was the lead on the current display. Folks could also share via our social media accounts which can be accessed from our website or by emailing cherfindahl@ellsworthlibrary.org”

The history vault display case is home to displays all year long. EPL features inspiring stories about how libraries impact friends and neighbors and library related history in January and February. In March it is home to 3D art during the All-School Art Show. In April, it features a display that complements the Mystery Quilt display. Then, the rest of the year they have two rotating history displays (May-August) and (September-December). Adult Programs Librarian Robin Kruse is currently leading the work on the next display for September that will focus on Colonel Ellsworth, the town’s namesake.