Special Collections & Research

Special Collections Overview

Pequot Library and its special collections are often called “a treasure,” and for good reason. Rare books and manuscripts have been at the heart of Pequot Library since 1889, when the founders set their minds to building a spectacular collection of Early Americana that would document American exploration, the colonial era, revolutionary period, and early republic. While Gilded Age figures like J. Pierpont Morgan, Henry Clay Folger, and Henry E. Huntington were also amassing collections of rare books and manuscripts, Pequot Library’s remarkable collections were acquired not to be hidden away in a private collection, but made free to all, in hopes that the library “might teach and uplift as many as are willing to use it.”

In the 1890s, Southport resident Mary Catherine Hull Wakeman joined this mission by funding the purchase of additional Americana for the collection, and by commissioning a new wing for these growing collections designed by the original architect of the library, Robert H. Robertson. The stacks wing features a Tiffany stained glass triptych that, fittingly, depict two giants in the history of books and printing, Aldus Manutius (1449–1550) and William Caxton (c. 1422–c. 1491), who stand under the tree of knowledge.

Pequot Library’s special collections quickly became well-known to scholars and appeared in authoritative catalogs such as A Check List Of New England Election Sermons, Check List of Connecticut Almanacs 1709 to 1850, and The New England Primer Printed in America Prior to 1830. Belle da Costa Greene, J. P. Morgan’s now-famous personal librarian, appears in a Pequot Library guest book, visiting in 1909.

In the years since, the collections have continued to grow, thanks in part to the generosity of local collectors:

• Southport resident Dean Stockett Edmonds donated his Shakespeareana collection, including a 1623 First Folio (partial), 1632 Second Folio, 1663 Third Folio, and 1685 Fourth Folio.
• Fairfield resident Margaret Rudkin, founder of Pepperidge Farm, donated a collection including the first known printed cookbook—produced in Venice in 1475—and a handwritten recipe book, circa 1710, that includes remedies for sick infants and women experiencing difficulties in childbirth.
• Southport resident Edward Deacon donated his collection of incunabula (books printed before 1501) and other early printed works, as well as a 15th century illuminated manuscript antiphonal.

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How to Search the Collections

Published works can be found via the same catalog that we use for circulating books.  This catalog is shared with the Fairfield Public Library and the Fairfield Museum and History Center and the best way to search our Special Collections is to select “Pequot Special Collections” from the first drop-down menu in the search bar, or select “Pequot Special Collections” from the “Limits” in “Advanced Search”.

Archival materials are described in Pequot Library’s finding aids portal.  Users can browse individual collections, or search the entire repository for specific people, topics, or keywords.

The library also holds a collection of early photographs of Southport and the surrounding area.  The entire collection has been digitized and can be searched via Connecticut Digital Archives.

• Search for Published Books
• Search the Archives
• Browse The Southport Picture File, Pequot Library’s digitized photographs 

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Exhibitions

Pequot Library’s Special Collections department curates three exhibitions a year, drawing on material from our collections.  

Click here to learn more about our current exhibition.
Click here for information about past exhibitions.

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Dillon Fellowship

Pequot Library in Southport, CT is pleased to announce the 2025 Dillon Fellowship, which will provide support to researchers or librarians working on the library’s collections for projects lasting one month.