The Benton County Library in Camden is home to a room dedicated to the history of Benton County. The Benton County Genealogical Society Room houses many books, photos, original documents, and artifacts from and about people who have lived in Benton County. It is a great place to learn more about the history of this area.
Scott Sternenberg recently visited the Genealogical Society Room and donated a wool blanket made by his great grandmother Nancy Presson Bridges (1830-1919). She raised the sheep, harvested and dyed the wool, and wove it into a beautiful blanket. The blanket is now on display at the Camden library.
Sternenberg also donated a wooden oxen yoke made by his grandfather Pulaski Alonzo Bridges (1852-1930), a son of Nancy Presson Bridges. The yoke was used to haul logs for the log home that Bridges built himself on Natchez Trace Road, where the home is still standing. The yoke is on display at the Pilot Knob Folklife Museum in NBF State Park in Eva.
The Bridges family Bible, along with lots of family pictures and a Bridges family history book, also is available to view at the Benton County Library. This information is stored in the Genealogical Society Room’s filing closet. If anyone wants to view these items, to do genealogical research or simply for their own enjoyment, a library employee will unlock the room for a visit, as these items can’t be checked out.
There are many more area artifacts, books, photos, and records available in the Genealogical Society Room at the Benton County Library in Camden, simply waiting to be discovered by area history buffs. Give the room a visit and check it out for yourself!
