The Baker Heritage Room in the basement of Bow’s Baker Free Library has been a long time in the making for those involved, including Bow Heritage Commission chairman Gary Nylen.
“It’s been a project of mine for almost eight years to make this happen,” said Nylen, who has lived in Bow for about 55 years.
The room, first opened in February, is still a work in progress but the items already lining shelves include 100-year-old original town records, a complete catalog of the Alexander Cemetery, the Henry Baker Book Collection, local Native American artifacts and more.
Many visitors so far have come to research genealogy and family relationships to Bow, and Nylen often has a lot of information to offer them.
“I can tell you who they were, where they lived, … what they did and what they contributed to the town,” said Nylen. “That’s what this room is all about.”
The Heritage room has its own climate-control settings and handling of the highly valuable, preserved materials is strictly monitored by heritage commission staff who must be present when the reference materials are used.
Regular hours for the room are still being considered by the Bow Heritage Commission but open houses will be held 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Thursday, April 12 and Saturday, April 21. Public access is also available by appointment.
(Elizabeth Frantz can be reached at 369-3333, efrantz@cmonitor.com or on Twitter @lizfrantz.)