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The Library
From the original master bedroom, this room was converted into a
library when the family grew, and more space for reading and study
was necessary. It is said that Mrs. Gilbert did not allow her children
to attend school until they were eight years old as it was several
miles from this homeplace to what is now 20th Avenue and Nob Hill
where there was a one room school, and it was just too far for little
ones to walk in the winter as Yakima used to get deeper snow than
nowadays. She, a former teacher, with the help of the older children,
taught the younger ones in this room. The shelves provided space
for sets of books and a place to display souvenirs the family brought
back from their world travels. The woodwork, refinished in 1986,
reflects the workmanship of the early 20th century as the corners
at the doorway are carved, not pressed, and this is just one example
of the Gilberts' efforts to have quality construction.
The oak Morris chair is the only piece of furniture in the room
that belonged to the family. A forerunner to the modern reclining
chairs, this one was a favorite of Mr. Gilbert's as he liked to
sit here and read. The chair was covered in doeskin in 1996. His
large flattop desk stood at the east side of the room, quite plain
compared to the roll top here now, but very functional as he had
Indians from the Reservation coming to collect the lease money from
land he was developing, and the door to the porch was convenient
for this business. Marion and Carol Anne, granddaughters who lived
across the street, recall that they came regularly to listen to
favorite programs from KOA Denver and KSL Salt Lake on a radio with
a very large expensive cabinet in this room as their mother didn't
approve of the radio and would not have one in their home.
This was a cozy place for the Donelsons to use in their entertaining,
and Tiny had his piano in the room. As in other parts of the house,
the restoration revealed loose plaster and deteriorating insulation,
so a major project of replacing plaster over lath required work
not only of the volunteers who tore off layers of wallpaper and
oilcloth, but plasterers from Seattle who worked only on weekends.
The room now has the subdued atmosphere for a proper library, the
shelves are stocked with period books, and the stereopticon, lying
on the table with a stack of pictures which give a three-dimensional
view, adds to the reminders of a favorite form of entertainment
in a historic home. You can really see Mrs. Gilbert sitting by the
amber glass windows, where she had shelves for her elephant collection,
because her picture, taken in this room shortly before her death,
is right there on the book shelf.
The storage space for linens and many other items between the library
and bathroom was a very useful area in the busy household, and another
example of the quality farm home it was.
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