February is such a short month, packed full of important dates within these 28 days.  Think of it.  Our two ”best” presidents were born in this month.  Should we celebrate them separately or on one day, as has been the tradition?  Also, Valentine’s Day is this month. What an important day that is!  In some restaurants around the country veterans can take their significant others to dinner free!  And think of all those budding romances that get a boost on this day.  Flowers. Chocolate.  Mmm.  Remember those sweet old-fashioned valentines children once exchanged in school.  Does our featured photo stir a memory or two?  Lastly, February is Black History Month.

We dabble in most of that…  As yet we have no literature to offer about George Washington, but we do have a booklet for sale titled “Abraham Lincoln in Erie County.”  He traveled by train on the way to his inauguration, coming through Fairview Township on the morning of February 16, 1861.  The booklet will be the subject of a presentation at the Lincoln Library on April 3, 6 p.m.  It is sponsored by the Jefferson Educational Society.

As for valentines, we recently were given five albums of mostly greeting cards that a mother kept for her daughter.  It represents a life!  Congratulations on the new baby, one year old, Christmas, school valentine exchange, growing up, get well soon, graduation,… well, you get the picture.  It was a tremendous effort by the girl’s mother. We were happy to receive the albums and will exhibit them from time to time.  The featured picture is from one of those albums.

Just because we are closed for the winter doesn’t mean that we aren’t active.  Items are offered to us all the time.  We are awaiting the arrival of a quilt that features historic sites in the county and was put together by a fifth grade class in Fairview during the nation’s Bicentennial.  Here’s a photo we received of it…

And we claim our own special story during Black History Month.  Several years ago we were offered the square grand piano of Erie musician and teacher, Earl E. Lawrence.  You have read his story here many times, and we shall never tire of telling it or of his connection to Fairview. 

Happy February.