T.J. Fitzpatrick

Bibliomaniac! Mr. Fitzpatrick’s Passion for Collecting Books

Presented By
Sherrie Smith

After the deaths in the early 1950s of botanist T.J. Fitzpatrick and his wife, a treasure trove of rare books was found in their modest home in Lincoln, Nebraska.

Retired KCPL librarian Sherrie Smith traces the strange history of these early 20th century “hoarders,” who amassed a fabulous collection of rare books, pamphlets, and Western Americana. In 1953, Missouri Valley Special Collections purchased more than 20,000 items from the Fitzpatrick estate.

Smith spent several years working with the Fitzpatrick collection, especially its extensive Mormon collection and Lewis & Clark volumes.

Upcoming in this series:
Watch or Listen to Past Events in this Series:
Osage Women and Empire: Gender and Power
Sunday, March 6, 2022 3:00pm
Before the Lewis and Clark Expedition arrived at the confluence of the Kansas and Missouri rivers in 1804 and a young St. Louis couple, Francois and Berenice Choutea...
6
Jun
From Wettest Block to Wickedest City
3:00pm
19
May
Kansas City's Guadalupe Centers: A Century of Serv...
Central Library |
2:00pm
17
Nov
Censorship and Kansas City: The Star and the Great...
Central Library |
2:00pm
18
Feb
Head 'Em Up and Move 'Em Out
Central Library |
2:00pm
T.J. Fitzpatrick

Bibliomaniac! Mr. Fitzpatrick’s Passion for Collecting Books

Date & Location
In Person