History book published in time for town’s birthday
There’s a new book coming to town in the near future and it’s all about some local Washburn history.
Two very dedicated women, Louise Cole and Londa Brown, have worked tirelessly to record the town’s history and other local stories. This 192-page bound edition covers local events from the beginning in 1861 to current times and provides a fantastic overview of life in this small but active community.
Photo courtesy of Louise Cole
DOCUMENTING HISTORY — Co-Authors of the new Washburn history book coming out in the near future are from left: Londa Brown and Louise Cole. The book will be part of the celebration of the Sesquecentennial for Washburn, 1869 – 2011.
Several folks also contributed some stories of local life and others were active in compiling research and photos. The front cover is filled with photos of old Washburn and the back cover is a collage of newer photos of the town, with much effort going into the collection of all this information.
There will be something for everyone between the pages of the book which includes many photographs of time gone by and covers history on farming, founding families, local Washburn businesses and organizations and lists of firemen, police and other officials — both municipal and academic.
Louise Cole is a 45-year resident of Washburn and has taught in the school system for over 40 years. She truly loved getting involved in this project, enjoying it more and more as the work progressed.
Londa Brown married a local boy and moved to Washburn in 1975 and has held the position of district librarian for grades K-12 since 1985. She found the work interesting and hard to edit due to each fact being more interesting than the last.
Both ladies feel the great importance of writing down the town history, finding it vital to both older citizens and newcomers. They both recognize and thank the efforts of Nathan Scott, who assisted them in the technical aspect of the book.
The cost of the book is $20, with an additional $5 fee for mailing. Books may be reserved by paying at the Washburn Town Office during regular business hours. More information will be forthcoming on procuring the book via the Internet. All proceeds from the book will go towards the Washburn Mill Pond Project.
