An interesting addition hangs on the wall at the newly formed Carnegie Research Center, in the lower level of the original library. It is a framed collage of seven matted cutouts, telling the story of a unique day in Sparta photo gallery history. Fred Corry, local photographer in 1908, had the temerity to photograph nine babies, all in one setting, all under 1 year of age, and all living within a square mile of his studio.
Bringing this photo to light was Judy Gillett Anderson, who received the picture and story from her mother. She and friends Lyals, Pinckney, and Carter thought the Research Center was a more than fitting location to house a pictorial record of such a historic event. All babies and their parents are identified in the photo collage along with the details of a very busy day.
The Carnegie Research Center exists for study of family histories, providing computers with familysearch.org and ancestry.com access to any who visit. In partnership with the Sparta Township Historical Commission, the Center also has on its shelves the Commission’s collected family histories, its Ridge Files, and an extensive set of historic obituary files.
For more information on the Corry Story and a close-up look at the photograph, visit the Carnegie Research Center, 80 North Union, open by appointment (616-887-9937). And look for established hours for the Center in early January.
(left to right) Merri Jo Tuinstra-Library Director, Doug Pinckney-STHC, Bonnie Roede-Research Center Coordinator, Judy Gillett-photograph’s donor, Larry Carter-Sparta Historical Friends
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